5 package recipes

Surprise packages are butter cookies with a chocolate mint wafer hidden inside each one, iced and decorated to look like tiny Christmas presents. A fun holiday baking project.

Lettuce packages, Chinese-style lettuce wraps filled with savory ground pork, smoked clams, and water chestnuts over crispy fried bean thread noodles and walnuts. Scoop into crisp lettuce leaves and eat by hand.

Swordfish and shrimp baked in a foil packet with garlic-tarragon butter and white wine, then crowned with a silky cream pan sauce. An elegant, fuss-free seafood dinner that steams in its own juices.

Diced bass mixed with tomato, onion, thyme, and bay leaves, wrapped in mashan leaves and steamed. A traditional Guatemalan fish tamale (tashmul) that's rustic, aromatic, and ready in 40 minutes.

Nepali daal lentil soup gift package bundles orange lentils, basmati rice, and a homemade curry spice blend into a decorative jar. A thoughtful homemade food gift.