Food gifts that feel like a hug

Recipes to make for pals, family, neighbours or crushes.

Recipes to make for pals, family, neighbours or crushes

CBC Life · Posted: Feb 11, 2022 4:34 PM EST | Last Updated: February 11, 2022

(Credit, left: Klorofil Publishing; middle: CBC Life; right: Allison Day)

Well, here we are in mid-February. It's cold, snowy and we're pretty sure that everyone could use a little extra comfort and cheer right now. We're big fans of giving homemade food as gifts to people we love, surprising them with delicious, savoury meals or batches of baked goods to brighten their day. It's a particularly good time for sharing the feel-good foods we've collected below — ones that feel like a real treat on a wintry day.

The recipes we've selected range from simple bakes to labours of love, with freezer-friendly dishes, savoury and sweet pies, breakfasts you can bake for an early-morning surprise, and comforting soups and stews. They all make great Valentine's Day gifts, and we've included some cookies and chocolatey confections more traditionally associated with the day too.

Note that some of these dishes (like the perogies and dumplings) will travel best if you freeze them on a baking sheet — in a single layer, evenly spaced — before transferring them to freezer-friendly containers for gifting. For the ones that are best enjoyed right out of the oven (like the buns, dip or hashbrown casserole), we encourage you to follow the prep instructions right up until it's time for baking, then deliver them with the final instructions.