Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Retirement Gag Gifts

Retirement Gag Gifts

Retirement is a very exciting time in someone’s life. They are moving on to bigger and better things that don’t involve the routine of going to work five days a week. To help someone as they head off on this road you can offer them some really fun retirement gag gifts. They can also lighten up the mood because it can be a very emotional time for someone who is going to be leaving behind the people and the space they have known for so long.

One really fun retirement gag gift is to give them a couple of lottery tickets in their card. Of course one of them will be a winner but a fake winner of quite a large prize. The verdict is still out on this particular retirement gag gift though. Some people think it is too mean as it really does get their hopes up. Yet if your gift is one that they take after they have seen other gag gifts that day they will likely catch on to it relatively quick.

There are games such as retirement BINGO and to do lists for retired individuals. They will likely hope their spouse doesn’t get a hold of that one though. They will fill it up with things for the individual to do that they haven’t had time to complete before. There are even candies in bottles that say Retirement Pills on them.

You can decide to give someone a retirement gag gift if you wish. In fact some whole parties are with this theme in mind. If the retirement party is for someone you don’t know very well though you should be cautious. You don’t want to offend someone and you do want to be careful in the work environment. Yet if it is a friend or a family member you will have a better idea of what they will find to be funny and enjoyable.

There is definitely a great selection of retirement gag gifts out there to so take some time to look around. You can buy individual pieces or a gift bag that has a full set of them. You can get them online or at novelty stores. Chances are you will have as much shopping for such merchandise as you will giving it to them.

Granola Recipes

Granola Recipes

Most people agree that granola is good for you and that it tastes great. The problem though is that they become tired of eating it plain, in cereal or in yogurt. They want something more appealing and that isn’t too hard to do. There are certainly plenty of delicious granola recipes out there to choose from. Some come on the packages of granola but most can be found online. Not only that, you can save money buy making various types of granola recipes on your own instead of already packaged.

Granola bars are very popular and you can choose to make your own instead of buying them at the store. This is a great opportunity to add what you want to them. For example I love the peanut butter granola bars but most of them just don’t have enough of the peanut butter taste in them. I can make my own and I add more peanut butter than the recipe calls for. As a result I get a delicious tasting snack that I enjoy my way instead of how the manufacturer thinks I should enjoy it.

Trail mix is a very healthy snack and one you can make on your own. You can mix the granola with what you like and leave out what you don’t. Some people buy trail mix at the store and then pick out all the coconuts and complain there isn’t enough raisins. If you make it yourself you will be able to add what you want and leave out the other ingredients that you aren’t going to eat anyway. You can store it in Ziploc bags so it will stay fresh until you consume all of it.

Regardless of the granola recipe that you choose to make, it is important to use quality ingredients. You should always have old fashioned oats to work with. Don’t use oats that will cook in just a few minutes or you will have a gooey mess to content with. They also won’t get that crunchy taste that you desire from granola. You also need to let the granola bake slowly at a low temperature. If you try to do it at too high of a heat the inside of the granola will stay soggy.