Hostess Gift Baskets and Pumpkin Spice Latte

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‘Tis the season for giving and Hostess Gift Baskets will always be appreciated when you go over to someone’s place to share in the festivities. With so much to do and so little time it is still possible to put together a few beautiful and thoughtful gift baskets. Make them in different sizes to fit the occasion and circumstance.

The cold weather makes people yearn for cozy things. None conveys the sense of coziness like a gift basket filled with tea. Imagine the person making a warm cuppa and snuggling up to a good book beside the fireplace. With that in mind, I am going to show you how to put together two Hostess Gift Baskets filled with Bigelow teas I picked up at Walmart.

I really like their selection of seasonal teas like Pumpkin Spice and Salted Caramel, both of which are perfect choices for our holiday Hostess Gift Baskets. Their mainstay is the ever popular Constant Comment, a secret recipe of black tea, orange rind, and sweet spice. Mmm…that sounds really good too!

Our first basket is a more substantial one. For this, I chose a flat wicker basket. I lined the base with bubble wrap covered with some seasonal tea towels. This provided a soft surface and firm padding for the objects that will be placed on it. Recipients are often delighted when a personal greeting card is added to the basket. This allows you to speak directly to the recipient and the card adds color to the composition.

Always place the heaviest objects to anchor down the arrangement. In this case, suitable objects that I used were a teapot wrapped in a tea cozy and a tea mug. For a whimsical touch I inserted Mr. Tea Infuser (the little guy in grey) and a pair of dainty tea tongs. People are curious by nature. Placing little items for them to discover makes it more interesting.

In the foreground of the arrangement, I placed three boxes of Bigelow teas as the main subject. These are arranged with a slant to provide a counter balance to the heavier objects on the opposite site.

To prevent the boxes of tea from sliding, I wedged a couple of smaller tea related items and also displayed some teabags. As a final touch, I added a gold colored bow in front where there was a little empty space.

By now, no one needs to guess the theme of this Hostess Gift Basket. It is complete right down to a ‘TEA’! 🙂

Arranging gift baskets is thirsty work and so I decided to make myself a cup of Pumpkin Spice Latte. I used two Bigelow Pumpkin Spice teabags sufficient for two cups of regular strength tea. Use three teabags (i.e. one teabag for each person and one for the teapot) if you prefer a stronger brew.

Of the three different flavors I had on hand, I think I made the right decision in using the Pumpkin Spice tea for this latte. It was just the right amount of spice for this deliciously fragrant, creamy, frothy, and mildly sweet latte. YUM!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Pumpkin Spice Latte - a tutorial on how to create last minute holiday hostess gift baskets while enjoying a warm cup of latte.

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Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2

Calories: 61kcal

Author: Linda Ooi

INGREDIENTS

• 2 to 3 pumpkin spice tea bags
• ¾ cup milk (180ml)
• 2 tsp sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place teabags in a teapot. Add 2 cups (480ml) boiling water. Allow teabags to steep for 5 minutes. When tea is ready, remove teabags from the teapot.
  
• Bring milk and sugar in a small saucepan over medium low heat to a bare simmer. Stir to dissolve sugar. Froth or whisk coconut milk for a few seconds or until frothy.
  
• Pour tea into 2 mugs. Immediately pour frothy milk over the tea.
  
• Serve immediately.

NOTES

**use 3 teabags for a stronger tea.

NUTRITION

Calories: 61kcal

Tried this recipe?Mention @RotiNRice or tag #RotiNRice!

That was a satisfying drink! Now, back to our gift baskets.

In contrast to the first gift basket, the second gift basket is a smaller and taller arrangement. The basket itself is in the shape of a teapot. As in the previous basket, I placed bubble wrap and a tea towel to line the base of the basket. I also draped a couple of tea napkins to one side.

To complement the shape of the basket, I chose “tall” items for it. In addition to the greeting card, I added a decorative tea spoon and “The Teastick”, a tube shaped tea infuser to form the backdrop.

In the front, I wedged a box of Bigelow Salted Caramel tea to one side.

To complete the basket, I inserted several Bigelow teabags held together by cellophane tape to make it more colorful and interesting.

Finally, I tied a nice big bow on the handle of the basket.

Here are the two completed Hostess Gift Baskets all ready to go. Be sure to check out more varieties of teas at Bigelow for your holiday gift baskets. I would love to hear about your favorite blends and flavors.

Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎