If you’re finished with shopping for nice-but-not-life-changing gifts for the people you care about, how about helping a family you don’t know, who will be grateful to you forever?

Perhaps the most important Heifer International, which provides indigent families worldwide with a cow or other livestock: a reliable source of food for the children and a reliable source of income for the household. Extra milk from a cow, goat or sheep, or eggs from a poultry gift, can be sold at the local market.

You can give the gift in the name of someone else: a double gift, as it were, giving the person who has everything the donation of a food animal to a family that has nothing. This truly meaningful gift will change the lives of a third-world family in need.

Income from the milk or eggs, coupled with the training in sustainable practices that the family receives, allows them to clothe their families, obtain medical care and send the children to school.

It’s not a major commitment: While you can give a goat or sheep, a beehive, chickens, ducks or geese, you can give a “share” in a cow, sheep or other animal for just $10.

Take a look at the options.

It doesn’t have to be a Christmas gift. You can gift through Heifer International year-round. Remember that at Father’s Day, when you’re looking at another tie or set of golf balls.

Check out the options.

If you’re looking for something to bring to a Christmas Eve celebration—or to serve at home—here’s one you can make in 15 minutes. The recipe is from G.H. Cretors Popcorn, whose bags of popped corn were a NIBBLE favorite (here’s our review).
 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY POPCORN BARK

Ingredients For 12 Servings

Preparation

1. LINE a 9×13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper so that it overhangs the edges.

2. BREAK up the chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted, then remove from the heat.

3. RESERVE a 1/2 cup of melted chocolate for drizzling. Pour the remaining chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Top evenly with the popcorn, dried cranberries and toffee bits. Drizzle the reserved chocolate on top. Sprinkle the optional sea salt over the chocolate drizzle.

Charles Cretors invented the modern popcorn popper in 1885. Previously, popcorn was popped on stove tops in large copper kettles. Cretors developed a raised steam-powered popper that popped the kernels at the top of a large glass bin and spilled the fresh popcorn into the bin, where it could be scooped into bags (the system is still used in today’s movie theaters and elsewhere).

More recently, the family launched a line of popped corn in five varieties: Chicago Mix (sweet and salty cheese corn), Just The Caramel Corn, Just the Cheese, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Organic Simply Salted.

The line is certified gluten free and certified kosher (dairy) by KOF-K. Discover more at GHCretors.com.

One of the earliest foods cultivated by man, figs, the sacred biblical fruit of ancient times, are cherished in some cultures as a symbol of peace and prosperity.

Most U.S.-grown figs are available from June through September, but you may find imports in the stores.

If you do, cut them into grains or stuffing; serve them sliced on ham or turkey sandwiches; stuff them with cream cheese, goat cheese or mascarpone; served on a cheese plate; chop and bake them in muffins; cook them with meat dishes (great with pork); make a fig tart or fig ice cream for dessert.

And the easiest way…dip them in chocolate!

Serve them on Christmas Eve with a sparkling or dessert wine; bring them as a gift; serve them on New Year’s Eve.

Select figs that are fresh-smelling and fairly soft—avoid hard figs. You can ripen them at room temperature or lay them on a layer of paper towels, cover with plastic and refrigerate for a few days.

RECIPE: CHOCOLATE DIPPED FIGS

Ingredients

 
*You can use your favorite chocolate, be it dark, milk or white.

 
Preparation

1. BREAK the chocolate into pieces and melt in a double boiler.

2. PLUMP the figs. You can actually dip them in your favorite spirit (and of course, drink the leftover “fig spirit.”

3. DIP each fig into the melted chocolate and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Allow the chocolate to cool and harden completely.

4. STORE in an airtight cookie tin. The figs will keep at room temperature for 3-4 weeks.

 
Or, buy the figs in the photo from Mackenzie Limited. They’re filled with a chocolate truffle, kissed with a hint of brandy, and enrobed with a delicate layer of chocolate. Delicious!

[2] Homemade bacon jam (photo © Grognar | CC BY 2.0 license).

You’ve got time to whip up a batch of bacon jam, either to serve at Christmas breakfast or to give as a special gift.

This recipe is from chef Johnny Gnall, who teaches us that….
 
 
JAM + BACON DRIPPINGS = BACON JAM

“Sure, pork loins and roasts may get slathered or served with a fruity condiment,” says Chef Johnny. “But cured pork like bacon, guanciale, pancetta and prosciutto, used sparingly, makes a great accent and can steal the show, even in scant amounts. When you cook salt pork products or pork chops, simply save the drippings and make bacon jam!

“I keep a jar of bacon drippings in my fridge, adding to it each time I cook bacon. One of my favorite uses for the bacon fat is when I drop a tablespoon or so into a small sauce pan and add a few spoonfuls of whatever jam I happen to have on hand.”

Here’s the easy and inexpensive recipe (you don’t use expensive bacon, but the by-product from cooking it):
 
 
RECIPE: EASY HOMEMADE BACON JAM

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COOK the bacon. Whisk together the bacon drippings and jam in a small pot over medium heat. Heat just enough to melt the bacon fat and blend together, and add the chopped herbs to taste.

2. CHOP the cooked bacon and mix in.

At this point, all you need is a thick slice of toast to make a very delicious and indulgent breakfast on the go. You could top it with an egg.

You could top it with arugula and cherry tomatoes for a Christmas appetizer or hors d’oeuvre, as in the photo. Or you could…

The origins of sweet leavened breads date back to Roman times. By Medieval times, different regions of Italy had created signature holiday breads. Best-known, and available in the U.S., are:

Dip panettone cubes into chocolate fondue. Photo courtesy Zabars.

PANETTONE DESSERT

Most panettone is accented with raisins, candied orange peel, citron and lemon zest. Some modern versions add chocolate, which was not available when the recipe originated; others are plain, like pandoro.

For a dessert or a snack, the classic panettone accompaniment is a sweet hot beverage or a sweet wine such as spumante or moscato (any dessert wine will do). Some Italians add a side of crema di mascarpone, a cream made from mascarpone cheese, eggs, and amaretto (or you can substitute zabaglione, a sherry-flavored custard sauce).

But you can Americanize it into chocolate fondue with seasonal dippers. Here are recipes for chocolate and white chocolate fondues. Consider a white chocolate version with panettone and green and red fruit dippers—very Christmassy.

You can also slice the panettone into layers and fill them with whipped cream (how about bourbon or rum whipped cream); then top with berries.

Cakes, Cookies & Candies

 
Fruits

 
PANDORO DESSERT

The star shape of a pandoro enables creative cooks to cut the cake into horizontal layers, then stack them in a offset layers to create a Christmas tree effect (see the photo above). You can decorated the tree with red and green candied cherries, or raspberries and and mint leaves.

Alternatively, layers can be sandwiched with whipped cream or zabaglione. Whipped cream flavored with amaretto, Irish cream liqueur or chocolate liqueur is especially festive. Follow this recipe for Bourbon whipped cream (there’s also a recipe for salted caramel whipped cream).

Find more pandoro recipes at BauliUSA.com.