Consider the personality of the recipient. Consider their lifestyle. Consider they would love to feel special. Consider that you could give the BEST GIFT, TIME.

To make a great presentation of a simple gift, spend a couple Saturday mornings haunting some estate sales, or yard sales. Pick up some pretty baking dishes that are also freezer safe. For a low price you can invest in a bundle of white kitchen towels at your local discount store. Create your favorite (or your friend’s favorite) dinner dishes and freeze them. Then cover each dish with plastic wrap, attach a card with instructions for thawing, heating, serving etc. For a special touch, include the recipe. In a sturdy box, start with the largest dish, cover with a new white towel, add a piece of stiff cardboard, layer the remaining dishes the same way. Put a big bow or some other embellishment on the top and deliver your gift. Some times you might want to include 2 or more place settings of NICE paper plates and plastic flatware (or for a REALLY nice effect, use real dishes and silver or stainless flatware that you also pick up at Estate sales. It doesn’t matter if you have a full set. You probably aren’t gifting this for a family of 12)

This type of gift can be as simple as a one dish casserole or as complex as a full scale, multi-course meal complete with liquid refreshments, plates, glasses, flatware and napkins. Be creative, add linens, tie up with ribbons, flower centerpieces, etc. The whole idea is to give a gift of time to your friend. You have done all the prep and given them more time with their family, or their favorite craft!