The best guests know never to arrive at an event empty-handed, but sometimes it's difficult to think outside the wine-and-flowers box.
Once again, The Early Show contributor Colin Cowie came to the rescue with a wealth of affordable suggestions, plus his favorite recipe for brownies.
He walked co-anchor Julie Chen through the items that appeal to many tastes and won't strain your holiday budget.
First things first. Here is the recipe.
Brownies
Ingredients:
2 eggs
3/4 cup butter
4 squares chocolate
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Method:
Melt chocolate and butter together. In another bowl mix the egg, sugar, flour and baking powder together. Add melted chocolate, butter and nuts. Place in a greased 8- or 9-inch square cake pan. Bake in an oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
Serving suggestion:
Triple Chocolate Delight
Ingredients:
Brownie (with nuts)
Chocolate ice cream (Colin's favorite is Godiva Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle)
Hot fudge sauce
Powdered sugar (to sprinkle lightly over the brownie)
Food Gifts
Chocolate Peppermint Dippers by Eli's Cheesecake, $21 for a box of 6 slices. This is a Chicago bakery that's known for its cheesecake, and here are frozen white chocolate peppermint cheesecake slices dipped in dark chocolate and served on a stick (like popsicles). They're also available in milk chocolate dippers. Find them at www.elicheesecake.com. Exotic and tropical fruit sampler from Melissa's, $44 for an 8- to 10-pound box. The selection of fruit depends on seasonal availability, but may include Asian pears, blood oranges, feijoas, Kiwano melons, kiwis, kumquats, persimmons, pomegranates, sapotes, tamarillos, lychees, passion fruit, baby bananas, red bananas, Manzano bananas, strawberry papayas, cherimoyas, baby pineapples, mangos, starfruit or coconuts. It's shipped second-day delivery to ensure freshness. Selection available at www.melissas.com. Deeply Fudgey Brownies from Home Food, $25 for two pounds. See recipe above. The key to these brownies is the use of Belgian bittersweet chocolate. (So good they are among Oprah's favorite things.) Bake a batch of Colin's favorite brownies (recipe above) or order these at www.moveablefeastgeneva.com. Godiva Pop Chocolates, $20 for 10-piece box. These chocolates have an effervescent infusion when you put them in your mouth; they literally sort of pop in your mouth. See the whole collection at www.godiva.com.Drink Gifts:
Stirrings Peppermintini — Cocktail Mixer and Rimmer Set, $20. A cocktail made with a festive peppermint candy cane can really make the season bright. This flavored martini set comes with a bottle of cocktail mixes, a shaker and the best part: a tin of crushed candy cane with which to rim the glasses. Colin suggests that you add a small candy cane as a garnish. Find the set at www.famousfoods.com. Wine Tasting Party from Red Envelope, $75. This is designed to help turn your party into a wine-tasting event. The set comes with four faux-suede wine bags to hide the wine labels, four faux-suede scorecard holders with pencils and a faux-suede wine tasting guide. Wine bottles are slipped into faux-suede wine bags, with charms labeling them 1 through 4. After tasting each wine, guests write their descriptions on scorecards. Who cares if no one correctly identifies the wine? The set is available at www.redenvelope.com.Home Gifts
Burning Bundles from Smith & Hawken, $26 for a set of three. Sitting around the fire? Toss these bundles of dried spices into the flames and fill the air with yet another great aroma: cinnamon orange, lavender or eucalyptus pepper-berry. Each is wrapped and tied with natural materials at www.smithandhawken.com.Nontoxic Scented Cleaning Products in Lemongrass and Grapefruit Ginger from Restoration Hardware, $9 to $22. These products are naturally biodegradable and nontoxic and are made without animal products or testing, and include surface cleaner, vacuum BBS, sheet spray and dryer sheets. Available at www.restorationhardware.com. Olive Oil Specialty Set from Oliviers & Co., $70 for a set of four. If you're going to the home of a chef or food lover, they are likely to appreciate this set of fancy-flavored olive oils: basil, lemon, chili pepper, and new mandarin. Available at www.oliviersandco.com.Scented Gifts
Slatkin Potpourri by Oscar de la Renta, $38. To capture the fragrances surrounding his own three homes, Oscar de la Renta created these potpourris for Slatkin & Co. It comes in "Island," "City" or "Country" scents. The "Island" potpourri even includes a decorative shell, while "City" potpourri includes blooms, leaves, and stones. Each selection is packaged in a wooden gift box. Available at www.slatkin.comVoluspa Incense, $14. Voluspa's incense is soaked for 48 hours and then dried for six days. Available in more than 25 different aromas at www.nooksandniches.com Rhubarb Scented Candle from Gump's, $75. From perfumer Douglas Little, these candles blend orange, grapefruit and mandarin with notes of rhubarb, sweet perilla and red sandalwood. Each comes in a deep red frosted glass bowl wrapped in tissue, and nestled in a black silk box tied with a French satin ribbon, and also includes a note card, envelope and a red ribbon. Available at www.gumps.com.