Christmas Gift Ideas: 7 Food Themed Gift Baskets

Trying to think of a good Christmas gift idea this year? How about a food-themed gift basket? They're a great idea for the cook or foodie on your Christmas list. Food-themed gift baskets are especially thoughtful for people who are on a fixed income, unemployed, or just generally experiencing hard financial times.

Here are some ideas for awesome Christmas gifts. Each one can be tweaked a little according to personal preferences and money limits; but I think you can find something for everyone!

BBQ Gift Basket: There are all kinds of BBQ sauces, rubs, and marinades on the market that would make a terrific gift basket. To kick the basket up a notch, add grill utensils, a barbecue cookbook, and cornbread mix. For the ultimate gift, put the basket in a brand new grill!

Cake Decorating Gift Basket: Decorating cakes can be a highly enjoyable past-time, but it gets expensive! Fill a gift basket with frosting bags, metal or plastic decorating tips, flavorings, food coloring, and sprinkles. Take it up a level by including a cake turntable, fondant kit, or novelty shaped cake pans. The true cake decorating diva will enjoy a gift certificate for Wilton lessons or DVD's of shows like "Ace of Cake" and "Cake Boss".

Chocolate Lovers' Gift Basket: A true chocolate lover really won't care what's in the gift basket, as long as it's chocolate. Fill a basket with a variety of chocolates: Russel Stover, Whitman's and Godiva are all popular brands. To make the basket a little more fun, add chocolate melts and molds, lollipop sticks, and wrappers. If you want to go wild, you can spend $500-$2600 pound on chocolate at places like Noka Chocolate, Knipschildt's Chocolatier, or DeLaFee.

Italian Food Gift Basket: Make an Italian themed Christmas gift basket by including a few jars of spaghetti sauce, a canister of grated Parmesan cheese, and a couple of pounds of pasta. If you want to spend a little more, add a red and white checkered table cloth, a bottle of Chianti, and a candle. For a top-of-the-line Italian themed gift basket, include a pasta maker instead of pre-made pasta.

Meat Lovers' Gift Basket: Meat lovers always love a big basket of food! Steak seasonings, horseradishes, and hamburger condiments are good choices for this gift basket. Steak knives and a bottle of red wine also make nice additions. For a fancy basket, add a gift certificate to Omaha Steak or Kansas City Steak Company. For a more practical gift, include packages of meat from the grocery store, a side of beef, or a freezer.

Pizza Gift Basket: Who doesn't love pizza? Make a pizza gift basket with pizza sauce, pepperoni, flour or dough mix, a big chunk of mozzarella, and a pizza cutter. To bring it up a little, add a pizza stone, pizza mesh screen, and a cookbook of pizzas only. If you want to go all out, you can buy a pizza oven that's similar to a toaster oven, a conveyor pizza oven, or the kind designed specifically for pizzas that spins around.

Seafood Lovers' Gift Basket: Seafood lovers will appreciate a gift basket filled with crab hammers, lobster crackers, and seafood forks. Make the gift basket more elaborate by adding butter warmers and candles, Old Bay seasoning, and lobster bibs. For the supreme seafood gift basket, add a gift certificate from Great Alaska Seafood or Maryland Blue Crab Express, or a seafood steamer.

There's a perfect food-themed gift basket for everyone on your Christmas list!