That's mighty neighborly — Readers offer suggestions for Christmas gifts

They are coming to a doorstep near you: neighbor gifts.

Over the years, our Food section has run so many lists of neighbor gift ideas, one would think we had pretty much exhausted this topic. But, we asked readers for ideas, and they submitted a few more that we hadn't covered in past stories.

We've also included a few ideas for your food-loving friends and family, in various budget ranges from $1.50 on up.

New washer & dryer

Pick out a fun dishcloth and dish towel, and attach the following poem:

This holiday season
You deserve the best
A gift that is totally
Unlike all the rest
We considered a new car
Or even an exotic cruise . . .
But decided on something
You could really use.
Finally we found you
A gift to admire
We hope you enjoy
Your new washer and dryer!
Happy holidays to you and yours,

—Joyce Hicks

Doughn't you love it?

This year for Christmas, we'll be giving our neighbors a little extra dough — cookie dough, that is! The tag will say something like, "Everyone needs a little extra 'dough' during the holidays!" or "We're sharing our extra 'dough' with you!"

"When I make cookie dough, I bake just enough for our family of three. I scoop the remaining dough into balls with my cookie scoop and put them close together on a cookie sheet, then pop the tray into the freezer for an hour or two. The individual cookies can then be put into bags and frozen by the dozen. With just a little thawing, fresh, hot cookies are only a few minutes away! I hope that giving the neighbors frozen dough will give them the opportunity to use it whenever they like; for drop-in company, or after the holidays.

"I plan to use my favorite cookie recipe, with a few red and green M&M's thrown in!"

OUR FAVORITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

2/3 cup oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

Cream butter, oil, sugars, egg and vanilla. Add flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix well, then stir in chocolate chips. Drop from a cookie scoop onto a parchment-lined or greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes; remove from oven just before they start to brown. If cookies are frozen, add a few minutes onto the cooking time.

—Kimberly Barzee

You can use Kimberly Barzee's cookie dough recipe, and attach this message submitted by Kari Godfrey:

We admit our lives are crazy
We've run from morn to night
But to not remember all our friends,
Just doesn't seem quite right.
We know your lives are crazy,
So we'll try with all our might,
To help make your Christmas easier,
Especially on Christmas night.
So pop these cookies in the oven
On the night of Christmas Eve,
Then arrange them on the platter
(Eat a few before you leave).