Donna's Recipes
Gift Ideas and Mix Recipes

CAJUN POPCORN
 Contributor: Michelle found this one one the internet!

Preheat oven to 300. In a small bowl, combine butter, paprika, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper. Place popcorn in a large baking pan; pour butter mixture over popcorn and stir until well coated. Bake 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from oven, cool completely. Store in an airtight container. For an adorable carrier, place in a bandanna lined basket trimmed with chili peppers.
My own idea is to store it in an airtight container with a red bandanna around the top tied with raffia and the recipe attached.

Coffee House Chocolate Spoons
 Contributor: Michelle found this one one the internet!

Place a piece of waxed paper on a cookie sheet large enough to hold 20 to 24 of your plastic spoons. Place semisweet chocolate pieces in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate begins to melt. Immediately remove from heat; stir until smooth. Dip spoons into chocolate, tapping the handle of the spoon against the side of the pan to remove excess chocolate. Place spoons on waxed paper; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.
Place milk chocolate (or chocolate of your choice) in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate begins to melt. Immediately remove from heat; stir until smooth. Place the melted chocolate in a small, heavy self sealing bag. Using scissors, make a small cut in the corner of the bag; drizzle on or both sides of the covered spoons, making a decorative pattern. (Small dots, zig-zag lines, circles, etc.)
The above 2 steps can be reversed if you like! Get 6 oz. of white chocolate to cover the spoons and 4 oz. of chocolate of your choice to use to decorate the spoons.
Refrigerate spoons for 30 minutes to allow chocolate to set. Wrap each spoon separately in clear or colored plastic wrap. Use ribbon to tie off plastic wrap. Store in a cool dry place for 2 to 3 weeks until ready to give as gifts.
Place chocolate covered spoons in a new coffee mug and give along with homemade muffins, scones, biscuits, cookies, etc. Serving Size: 22

CHRISTMAS COOKIE POUCH
 Contributor: Lisa B

Buy: Put the cookie mix in the center of the unfolded napkin and draw all the corners and sides up to the center around the cookie mix. Tie raffia long enough to make a bow around the bundle at the top, then thread the cookie cutters through the raffia and finish with a knot and a cute bow.
Estimated cost: $7

*Note from Donna* I checked at Wal Mart and they have metal cookie cutters for .44 cents! Also, you can use a Holiday towel or material. I think a recipe (printed from you computer of course...) for some yummy cookies would be an excellent idea also! Anyone have any recipes for a cookie mix for cookie cutters? Ooo, just had another idea, you could package your own cookie dough mix (in a ziplock baggie) and give the receiver instructions on what to add and how to bake!

APRON FROM PLACEMATTS!
 Contributor: Me! (Donna)

I got this idea from Nancy's Notions on TV, but she also has a web site! It's a cool site too, lots of FREE ideas and patterns. You will find it at: Nancy's Notions

Here's the apron idea:
Buy two placesmatts (holiday or not). Lay one horizontally, the other vertically behind the horizontal one. Make an upside down T -- get it? Stitch around the edges of the vertical one where the two over lap and then once down the center of the upside down T The stitch down the center gives you two pockets! Then attach grosgrain ribbon at the top for the neck straps and the sides for the ties. VOILA! I think it would be cute to attach cookie cutters to this also, and a recipe or two. I am making one for the silent auction for my daughters school spaghetti dinner/fundraiser!
Estimated cost: $6.00 (or less depending if you find some matts on sale!)

PEAR ZUCCHINI BREAD

Spray two 8 X 4 X 2 inch baking pans with nonstick coating; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine flours, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl combine pears, sugars, zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture; stir just till combined. Stir in chopped nuts. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55-60 min. or till a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 min. on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool thoroughly on rack. Wrap in plastic wrap and store overnight before slicing. Makes 2 loaves, 16 slices.

Christmas Soup Mix
 Contributor: Donna U.

Seasonings
Mix well and place in a ziplock bag.
Pasta: 1 cup pine tree shaped pasta or elbow macaroni. Place pasta in a separate ziplock bag.
Instructions to give to receiver of mix:
To make soup: Combine seasonings with 6 cups cold water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stir occasionally. Add pasta, cook an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Makes 5 1-cup servings. *May add cooked chicken or vegetables.

Makes a nice gift when presented in a large soup mug or bowl. Wrap the mug or bowl in colored plastic kitchen wrap, tie with colored ribbon and attach instructions.

Oatmeal Cookie Mix
 Contributor: Donna U.
From the Make a Mix Cookery Books by Karine Eliason, Nevada

Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; blend well. Stir in brown sugar and mix well. Cut in shortening until evenly distributed. Stir in oats and mix well. Store in a large airtight container. Label. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 12 weeks. Makes about 24 cups of Oatmeal Cookie Mix.

Recipe to be given to receiver:
Oatmeal Chippers:
2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup milk, 2 tsp.. vanilla, 1 (6 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped nuts, and 6 cups Oatmeal Cookie mix.
Mix Preheat oven to 350*F(175*C). Lightly grease cookie sheets. Combine eggs, milk, vanilla and cookie mix. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoonful 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until edges are browned. Makes about 48 cookies.

Brownie Mix
 Contributor: Donna U.
From the Make a Mix Cookery Books by Karine Eliason, Nevada

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add sugar and cocoa. Blend well. Cut in shortening until evenly distributed. Put in a large, airtight container. Label. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 12 weeks. Makes about 17 cups Brownie Mix.

Instructions to be given to receiver:
To make brownies: 2 eggs, beaten, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 and 1/2 cups brownie mix, 1/2 cup chopped nuts.
Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, vanilla and brownie mix. Beat until smooth. Stir in nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until edges separate from pan. Cool. Cut into 2 inch bars. Makes 16 brownies.

CAKE IN A COFFEE CUP
 ( read all instructions before starting)
Contributor: Donna in PA
She said she used the banana cake mix and chocolate pudding and it was great! Also, she said this is a good gift idea.

Place dry cake mix and dry pudding mix into a large bowl and blend well with a whisk. This will be about 4 – 4 ½ cups dry mix and will make 8-9 coffee cup cake mixes. Place ½ cup dry mix into a sandwich bag. Place mix into a corner of the bag and tie it there with a twist tie. Continue making packets until all your dry mix is used.
Flavors
Select a large coffee cup. Check it to be sure it holds 1 ½ cups of water. That way you will be sure you have bought the size the recipe calls for. It can't have any metallic paint on it because it will be used in the microwave. Places like WalMart and craft stores sell plain cups.

Decorating the cups:
Paint on the cup if you like. Deco Art Ultra Gloss Acrylic Enamel is one brand of craft paint that can be made dishwasher safe by baking the painted cup in the oven. (instructions are on the bottle of paint usually).

Glaze mix:

Select the flavoring appropriate to the cake you are making. For the pineapple coconut cake include flaked coconut in a separate bag with instructions to sprinkle it over the frosted cake. Place the glaze mix ingredients into a sandwich bag and tie into corner of bag. Label this bag “glaze mix” and attach it to the other bag with a twist tie.

Place one baggie cake mix and one baggie glaze mix in each coffee cup. Now attach the following baking instructions to each coffee cup.

Bake a cake in a coffee cup. Generously spray inside of coffee cup with cooking spray. Empty contents of large packet into cup. Add 1 egg white, 1 tbs. oil, 1 tbs. water to dry mix. Mix 15 seconds, carefully mixing in all the dry mix. Microwave on full power 2 minutes.( you may not get satisfactory results in a low wattage small microwave). While cake is cooking, place ingredients from “Glaze Mix” into a very small container and add 1 ½ tsp. water. Mix well. When cake is done, pour glaze over cake in cup. Enjoy while warm.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MIX
 Contributor: Julie

Combine and cut in 4 cups of shortening. Fold in 4 cups chopped pecans and 4 (24 oz) pkgs. of chocolate chips.
Store up to 6 months. (I store it in the biggest Tupperware bowl, but it never sits around for 6 months in our house!) When ready to make:
Combine 7 cups mix, 1 t vanilla, 3 eggs. Shape cookies and bake 350' for 10 min.

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