good 'n planty

Now that I'm through with the "everyone I know is getting married" stage...I will soon be entering the "everyone I know is buying/building a house stage" followed by the pet and/or child stage.

 This is not a problem- I love buying presents for people... gifts can be personal, creative, homemade... I could spend weeks researching, shopping, crafting...when somebody needs a gift, I'm a happy camper. Lately, however, I have found that some new homeowners don't want anything- and as far as housewarming gifts go- they'd rather go without.

 

If I was an established gardener like my mom or sisters, I would dig up a plant, re-pot and proudly present my friends with a gift no one could turn down. Instead, last night I did the next best thing I could think of: cooked up a batch of baked ziti and cookies, and brought my friends' dinner. I wanted to prep the dinner so that if they didn't want to eat it right away, they could refrigerate and save for a weeknight. The ziti just needed to be thrown in the oven, and I mixed up some fresh basil, oregano and garlic with softened butter for garlic bread. My friends were extremely grateful for the dinner (they had been painting all day, of course!) and popped their dinner in the oven. What a great solution for so many ambiguous gift-giving occasions- the perfect way to escape the "what the heck, I'll just get them a gift-card" syndrome.