The Perfect Basket

I have always thought I would want to open a Special Occasion Basket business.  I have never done it, but I'm still thinking about it.  In the meanwhile, I have two books for sale about this type of business on my Amazon storefront www.amazon.com/stores/oneofakindcookbooks .  They are "How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business" for $8.99 and "The Perfect Basket" for $9.99.  The first one tells you all the business end stuff.  The second for "The Perfect Basket" is a perfect book filled with ideas and recipes to fill the baskets with.  Here's one of them:

Let Them Eat Cake Basket-Marie Antoinette had the right idea when she uttered that famous line and your friends will love you for giving them a selection of blue ribbon cake mixes.  Use a bundt pan, large flour sifter, or covered cake plate as your gift basket and fill it with packets of your prepared cake mixes with recipe tags attached to each.

Carrot Cake Mix

2 cups sugar

1 tbsp. powdered vanilla

1/2 cup chopped pecans

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Combine and blend the ingredients in a small bowl.  Store in an airtight container.

The recipe tag for Carrot Cake

1 package Carrot Cake Mix

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

3 large eggs

3 cups grated carrots

1 (8-ounce can) crushed pineapple

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 13x9 inch baking dish.  Place the Carrot Cake Mix in a large mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center of the mix and add the oil, eggs, carrots and pineapple.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool the cake and frost if desired or dust with powdered sugar.

Happy Cooking!