NEIGHBORHOOD GIFTS. . .

CHECK!

So, I can't tell you how much fun I had doing neighborhood gifts this year. And again, keeping with my cheap theme, I did them all for under $10. Wahoo!

Okay, so I needed something fun and a little nicer for some ladies I serve with in the Relief Society and so the first thing I did is check my gift card stash. And it just so happens that I had two Cactus & Tropical gift cards that I'd gotten from my mother for Valentines day and my birthday or anniversary or something. Which is so nice of her, but really, me and Plants (ironically) don't really mix very well. I usually end up killing them. And quickly. And then I feel all guilty and bad, so I don't usually do live flowers and plants. Unless they come already cut and you can put them in a vase and then they are supposed to die within a week or so. Just too much guilt. So anyhoo, I had about $85 on the cards, and I went in, and they had the cutest mini poinsettias. Ever. So I snagged up a bunch for gifts. And the cost to me in all this? $0.00, actually I was over by like .32 cents or something. Awesome, right? Thank you Momma!

Don't they look so cute? I love mini things. Just so charming.

Then, for my other neighbors and friends, I decided to make this awesome fudge I found via the Short Stop blog while I was perusing recipes using sweetened condensed milk. I was at Costco last week and picked up sweetened condensed instead of evaporated. Drat! Just what I needed. A Costco size load of sweetened condensed milk. But, luckily I found this little recipe. And lets be honest here folks, not only do I not have a green thumb, I also can't really cook. At all. Seriously. But I went searching for something simple And I found it. And it was soooooooo easy. Soooooo inexpensive. And sooooooo good. If you need an easy (and I mean easy. 5 ingredients people), yummy, cheap idea for neighborhood gifts, then please by all means, indulge yourself and your friends.

Chocolate Fudge

adapted from several others...

12 ounces (1 bag) milk chocolate chips

2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, optional (cuts the sweetness, which I prefer)

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

dash salt

Combine chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate, and sweetened condensed milk into medium saucepan. Heat at lowest setting possible until chocolate has melted.Stir in vanilla and salt. Thoroughly combine.Spread mixture into foil-lined 8x8-inch baking dish. Refrigerate for at least two hours.Remove fudge by lifting foil out of pan. Peel away foil, and cut fudge into squares, or with cookie cutter.

And if you happen to be super crafty and have a mini star cookie cutter you could make your fudge like this, instead of just in boring old squares.

Aren't these adorable? Again with the mini. Too fun!