I Already Thought of Bacon Muffins

April 26, 2009 8:36 PM

What's a savory food item that would make a good thank-you gift?

Someone I work with gave me a ton of chicken legs, soaking in spices and buttermilk, ready for frying. (They were left over from a party.) Anyway, what matters is that I want to return the bowl and plate the legs came in with some sort of thank-you item inside.

Usually I'd make some sort of muffins or cookies, but I know this person prefers savory to sweet foods.... And I really don't have any idea what kind of savory snacks might make a good, small gift. I was hoping you, O' Wise Ones, might have some suggestions. It needs to be something kind of easy to prepare (because I'm lazy), and it can't require refrigeration.

Any ideas?

posted by Ms. Saint to food & drink (20 comments total)

I like chex mix. But, throw in tasty custom spices--especially if they gave you spicy chicken. Maybe throw in extraneous crunchy stuff, like super garlicky croutons or some cheesy crackers.

Hummous and pita can be purchased or made.

Falafel. Prepare the stuff and give them the batter. They form it into balls and deep fry it (a capacity they clearly have). Naturally, it'd be tacky to just mix the mix for them, though. Make it from whole garbanzos (although canned is fine) and fresh parsley. This is trivial if you have a food processor.

Sausage rolls are tasty. (Use turkey sausage for a lighter taste.)

Spring rolls or egg rolls, ready for frying. These are an asston of work to make, though.

My wife suggests:

Fill it with nuts.
posted by Netzapper at 8:48 PM on April 26

If you're lazy, how about a fancy cheese or two?
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:52 PM on April 26

I think fancy cheeses are great for this kind of thing.
posted by aubilenon at 8:53 PM on April 26

Cheese straws?

Everyone loves cheese straws? Quick & easy to make too
posted by schwa at 9:04 PM on April 26 [1 favorite]

Utz Pub Mix is a savory snack that I've found to be very addicting (if you don't live on the East coast and can't order online, Costco and Sam's Club tend to carry it).
posted by nel at 9:28 PM on April 26 [1 favorite]

If it wasn't for the recent recalls, I would suggest pistachios because they are my favorite nut. The other two ideas that come to mind are unshelled peanuts or the kind that come with a spicy seasoning like Thai Lime & Chili peanuts at Trader Joe's.

You could also still make muffins, the savory kind like these corn and pepper muffins, reducing the small amount of sugar in the recipe.
posted by PY at 9:43 PM on April 26

Not for the lazy (but maybe you're ambitious).

Jerky.

I recently took apart a turkey (cheap for Easter). Made jerky from breast and from dissected drumstick. The breast was completely forgettable; the jerky from the drumstick is unbelievable. Chicken drumsticks, I believe, may not be too far away.

Dissect out the muscle groups, knife|tendon|board to slice away the tendons. The viscera/membranes are a lot less tough in chicken than turkey so you won't have to dissect that away. Marinate the strips overnight in the fridge with soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper - make it up yourself.

Cut into thin strips. Hang strips with toothpicks. Oven @ the lowest temperature that it'll go (170?) and bake with the door open/closed (I usually go 1 hour on/off) until you get a jerky.
posted by porpoise at 9:56 PM on April 26

Homemade pretzels? (I happen to love this recipe.)
posted by aint broke at 10:07 PM on April 26

Do you have to make it?
This company, Fra Mani, makes really excellent dry salamis (Berkeley CA).
Expensive online since they only offer groups of items, but they are reasonable when you find them per item at a local store.

You could combine with a some nice hard cheese.
posted by artdrectr at 10:59 PM on April 26

All of the above suggestions are good, and how 'bout a bottle of gourmet balsamic vinegar?
posted by ragtimepiano at 12:03 AM on April 27

Some fried chicken would be the best gift, considering the initial contribution.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 1:24 AM on April 27

I like the posh cheese or antipasto idea like olives or pate and things.

Otherwise how about some home-baked savoury muffins?

Another idea might be 70%+ cocoa dark chocolate. Sometimes people who don't necessarily dig sugar will still go all melty and quiet for proper amazing smells-like-a-cuban-cigar-definitely-not-for-children chocolate. I know I do.
posted by evil_esto at 2:35 AM on April 27

nel- glad I'm not the only one. If someone wanted to give me savory, they couldn't go wrong with a big bucket of those sesame stix that are in the various pub mixes.
posted by gjc at 5:06 AM on April 27

No knead pepper parmesan bread! Or cheddar-jalepeno no-knead bread. You can start the bread in the evening, let it rise overnight, and then bake it in the morning. Really really easy, but you just need patience. (If you make the cheddar-jalepeno bread, put down some parchment paper on the bottom of the pan to prevent the cheese from sticking.)
posted by hooray at 5:43 AM on April 27 [1 favorite]

If you do want to bake I would make cheddar-scallion scones. I also love savory things and these are just about the best thing ever.

Savory Cheddar-Scallion scones

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine all dry ingredients, stir in cheeses and scallions and toss well. Cut in butter. Combine eggs and milk, add to flour mixture and gently knead to form a stiff dough. Cut dough ball into halves and pat each in an 8" diameter, 1/2" thick circle. Cut into wedges, place wedges on a baking sheet and bake 15-17 minutes or until lightly browned.
posted by horses, of courses at 6:20 AM on April 27 [3 favorites]

I like to experiment with this spiced nuts recipe.
posted by knile at 6:56 AM on April 27

I love Netzapper's suggestion of Chex Mix with your own twist on it. It would be easy to buy a few interesting additions when you're at the store. Homemade Chex Mix would make me very happy. And it's very simple to make. Fix a double batch so that you get some too.
posted by Kangaroo at 7:13 AM on April 27

Firecrackers. They're really saltines seasoned with oil, ranch dressing powder, and pepper. Very snackable, and don't require you to heat a single item.
posted by nita at 7:47 AM on April 27

Chicken stock made from the bones of the chicken legs they gave you.
posted by pravit at 10:25 AM on April 27

Great! Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.
posted by Ms. Saint at 8:58 PM on April 28