Homemade Holidays: Quick from the kitchen

A quick and easy gift always seems to be needed. Whether it's a quick hostess gift for a small get-together or a last-minute exchange you hadn't planned on, we're always scrambling to get "one more" little present for someone this holiday season.

This year, relax, and just travel to your kitchen.

No time to cook? Nonsense. If you have time to battle traffic, fight for a parking space, dart in and out of stores, battle your way to the register and then home, you have time to make a homemade food gift.

Here are a few easy ones to get you started:

Mulling sachets. Warm arms cider sparkles with a few added spices. These cute individual bags of mulling spices is an easy idea from MarthaStewart.com. (Sorry, Martha, for lending us your photo!)

Bring out your favorites. Make a double batch of your grandma's cookies, and package in a tin tied with a copy of her treasured recipe. Recipe favorites are meant to enjoy!

Make them do your baking. Those "cookies in a jar" recipes have been around a lot, and I've actually seen them sold for as much as $15 each(!). But they're simple to make. None, though, are as absolutely beautiful or as colorful as Food Network's recipe for "Sand Art Brownies."

Make a meal. Put together a themed cooking basket: Pasta, a nice jar of sauce and wine for an Italian lover; teriyaki and soy sauces, spices, rice noodles and more for the person who craves Chinese.

A little liquer. Blogher.com has links to recipes including limoncello and chocolate liquer.

Promise more. Strapped for time as the holidays approach? "Sign up" your recipient for a homemade "Treat of the Month Club" that you can make good on when life settles down in January.

Shipping your gifts? Find tips for shipping your food gifts.

What other edible gifts have you made?