Blogs | Makeover Tool | Share Slow-Cooker Recipes | Subscribe
Links We Love
  • Oatmeal with blueberries
    Kitchen Daily: 7 Hot, Homemade Breakfast Cereals
  • Woman sleeping in bed
    Stylelist Home: 7 Helpful Tips for Buying a Mattress
  • Winter gear
    ThirdAge: 5 Ways to Make the Most of the Winter
|
Real Simple | Life Made Easier, Every Day
       
make us your homepage
  • Food & Recipes
    • Browse All
    • Enhanced Recipe Search
    • Recipe Collections & Favorites
    • Cooking Tips & Techniques
    • Shopping & Storing
    • Tools & Products
    • New Uses For Old Things
    • Guide to Ingredients
    • Share Your Slow-Cooker Recipes
  • Home & Organizing
    • Browse All
    • Organizing
    • Cleaning
    • Decorating
    • Home Improvement
    • Gardening
    • Green Living
    • New Uses For Old Things
    • Decorating With Color
  • Beauty & Fashion
    • Browse All
    • Clothing
    • Shoes & Accessories
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Makeovers & Tips
    • Clothing Care
    • New! Beauty Makeover Tool
  • Holidays & Entertaining
    • Browse All
    • Holidays
    • Weddings
    • Birthdays
    • Entertaining
    • Gifts
    • 50+ Creative Valentine’s Day Gifts
    • Digital Holiday Cards
  • Health
    • Browse All
    • Nutrition & Diet
    • Fitness & Exercise
    • Mind & Mood
    • First Aid & Health Basics
    • Preventative Health
    • Stay Healthy on the Go
  • Work & Life
    • Browse All
    • Money
    • Family
    • Life Strategies
    • Technology
    • Travel
    • Etiquette
    • Entertainment
    • Saving and Budgeting Basics
  • Magazine & More
    • Browse All
    • Inside the Magazine
    • Inside the Website
    • Newsletters
    • Real Simple Products
    • Real Simple Rewards
    • Books & Back Issues
    • Simply Stated Blogs
    • Subscribe
    • Give a Gift Subscription
    • Enjoy Real Simple on Your Tablet
  • Homepage
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Gifts
  • Hostess Gifts
  • PRINT
  • SAVE
  • COMMENT
  • SHARE:
  •      
  • Pin It
Foodie gift basketEllen SilvermanPage 1 of 5

Hostess Gift Baskets

By Suzanne Rust

Creative ideas that you can customize for her tastes―and your budget.

For the Foodie

She knows a half-dozen versions of Turkey Leftover Surprise, but does she want to eat it? Give her palate a break with ingredients for a gourmet pasta meal, all packed neatly in a colander "basket."
 
Contents shown, clockwise from top: 

  • 100 Ways to Be Pasta, by Wanda and Giovanna Tornabene with Caroline Carreno (Knopf), offers inventive options, such as Tagliolini with Green Apple Pesto and Speck.
    To buy: $25, amazon.com.
  • Simply Clean Flour Sacks.
    To buy: $10 for a set of 4, bedbathandbeyond.com.
  • A hearty chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano adds authenticity to a pasta meal.
    To buy: About $4 for four ounces, at grocery stores.
  • Metro 5-Quart Stainless Steel Colander.
    To buy: $11, kmart.com.
  • Williams-Sonoma cooking class gift certificate.
    To buy: williams-sonoma.com.
  • Nunez De Prado Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is from Spain, and the bottle is pretty enough to bring to the table.
    To buy: $15, wholefoods.com for store locations.
  • Rustichella d'Abruzzo Bucatini have a smooth texture and homemade flavor.
    To buy: $5, manicaretti.com for store locations.
  • Bella Cucina Artful Food Farmhouse Sugo Sun-Dried Tomato & Caper Pasta Sauce is almost as good as her own―but without all that simmering time.
    To buy: $20, bellacucinaartfulfood.com.
  • Find more food gift ideas.

Click here for more holiday hostess gift ideas from our 2011 Holiday Gift Guide.

Next: For the Sports Fan
Skip to Daily Finds slides.
Foodie gift basket
Sports Fan gift basket
Gardener gift basket
Film Buff gift basket

Most Popular Galleries

  • Yummie Strappy Tank

      7 Body-Shaper Options That Slim You Instantly

  • Ketchup bottle as batter dispenser

      50 All-Time Favorite New Uses for Old Things

  • Heart to Heart Bow Tie

      Unique Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him

  • Real Simple March 2002

      16 Before-and-After Room Makeovers

  • Cheese Souffle

      Easy Recipes for Two

Hot Topic

What do you like to bring your hostess? Share your solutions and ideas.

View Earlier Comments

Get Surprising Tips and Tricks Each Week

Sign up for our free Real Simple Weekly Tips newsletter (see a sample).
Advertisement

What's Hot

Halibut With Citrusy Tomatoes and Capers

5 Cool-Weather Dinners

Warm up with these quick, healthy, delicious dinner ideas.

  • How to Host a Swap Party
  • Stylelist Home: 10 Smart Organizing Ideas
Computer deskNew on the Web
Cookbooks We Love: The Newlywed Cookbook
...
from Kitchen Daily on Huffingtonpost
Heart disease fast facts
What do you know about heart disease?  Here's some important Heart Health ...
from FOXNews.com
Halle Berry Considers Move to France to Escape Death Threats
Halle Berry is “terrified for her safety” and is considering...
from ThirdAge
Williams Sonoma Thief Stole More Than 200K
Luxury retailer Williams-Sonoma has been robbed--and how the culprit pulled it o...
from Stylelist Home
6 Things Your Boss Doesn't Want to Hear
We've talked about qualities that will impress your boss, but sometimes the...
from SavvySugar
Houzz Tour: Clean, Chic and Cost-Effective (12 photos)
Purchasing an older home almost always means there will be some remodeling invo...
from Houzz
Real Simple Newsletters To receive any of these free e-mails, check the boxes below and enter the required information.
  • Weekly Tips Newsletter
  • Daily Finds
  • Daily Thought
  • Wedding Newsletter
  • Daily Recipe Newsletter
  • Ask Real Simple
  • Keep It Together Checklist
Holidays & Entertaining:
  • Holidays | 
  • Weddings | 
  • Birthdays | 
  • Entertaining | 
  • Gifts | 
  • Party Planning Checklist | 
  • Creative Cupcake Ideas | 
  • Food and Wine Pairing Guide | 
  • Wedding Gifts and Registry Tips | 
  • Thank-You Gifts | 
  • Themed Children's Parties | 
  • Real Simple Weddings Newsletter | 
  • Simply Stated: Entertaining Blog | 
  • Baby Shower Planning Guide


More from RealSimple.com:
  • Food & Recipes | 
  • Home & Organizing | 
  • Beauty & Fashion | 
  • Health | 
  • Work & Life | 
  • Magazine & More
  • Real Simple Magazine:
  • Subscribe | 
  • Give a Gift Subscription | 
  • Tablet Edition
  • On The Go: 
  • Get Ideas Daily | 
  • Become a Fan on Facebook | 
  • Follow Real Simple on Twitter | 
  • Real Simple Mobile Apps
  • Contact Us | 
  • Customer Service | 
  • Privacy Policy | 
  • Terms of Service | 
  • Print Media Kit | 
  • Digital Media Kit | 
  • Real Simple Rewards | 
  • Site Map
  • Ad Choices
Copyright © 2012 Time Inc. Lifestyle Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Real Simple Home and Lifestyle Network