Cooking like crazy during the latest East Coast cold snap? Well you’re not alone from what we can see on Instagram. If you’ve made extra, it’s the perfect time to share.

We’re always on the lookout for interesting, fabulous ways to package food gifts. We’re regulars at estate sales, thrift stores and church rummage events. We naturally gravitate to the kitchen section, you never know what old tool, cake mold etc might be there (not to mention amazing flatware and glassware).

And we love it when we find old treasures like this beautiful, black enamel pot. Sure, the handles are gone, but it’s otherwise in really great shape. And the painted peacock detail on the front is to die for. This one was marked $7, but in all likelihood we got a discount by coupling it with another purchase, ’cause that’s how we roll.

This is the best kind of vessel to transport hearty mid-winter food gifts (think stews, soups, casseroles and soups). And it doubles as a funky hostess gift for the right kind of friend.

Here’s how I wrapped up this pot of beef stew (recipe coming soon) using two mismatched napkins. (If you’re wondering, I have a collection of single napkins from the props I use for my day job, so unmatched napkins are commonplace at my house.)

First, lay the napkins overlapping like this:

Then fold in the two corners on the top and the two corners on the bottom like this:

And fold in both sides in even folds to create an approximately 4-inch wide band and then top it with the pot:

Then tie the ends together. If you’ve got twine or ribbon, you can add that, too or attach a card if it’s appropriate.

So go ahead, make an extra batch of stew or soup or whatever. Reach out to the friend who’s had a crappy week of deadlines and a sick kid or the one who’s been traveling for 3 weeks and hasn’t seen her family. And make their week a little better. It doesn’t take much.

I keep a stash of vintage postcards on hand for occasions like this: