Share    Print   Save    Become a Fan



Fast, Frugal, Fun, Fantastic Gifts from Your Kitchen
By Carly J. Wall   
Rated "G" by the Author.
Last edited: Monday, February 12, 2007
Posted: Monday, February 12, 2007

Easy recipes for making your own tasty gifts from the kitchen.

Article: 2,500 words

FAST, FRUGAL, FANTASTIC GIFTS FROM YOUR KITCHEN

By: Carly Wall


I enjoy cooking good, yet healthy treats to give as gifts. I get to enjoy the festivities and everyone on my list is quite happy. If you're feeling the pocket-book pinch this holiday season, and if time is running out (it usually does around this time of year), try a few of these ideas. Soon the air will fill with holiday cooking scents to get you feeling nostalgic and no one will care if you sneak a cookie or two---after all, it's the holidays!
THE GOODIES
1. Fruit and Herbal Fruit Salad Dressing
This is a good gift if you need something for 4-5 people. Buy some fruit in quantity; bags of apples, oranges, tangerines, peaches, pears. Pick up some cheap baskets at department stores, or flea markets or go to discount stores to pick up plastic storage bowls, or containers to fit your need---sometimes you can get these in pretty colors! Next purchase some vinegar cruets. You're going to make some herbal vinegar, and add a recipe for Fruit Salad Dressing.
To make the herbal vinegar, stuff tarragon (fresh or dried) into a mason jar. Pour quality wine vinegar (gently warmed from the stove) over the herbs and let soak overnight. Strain, pour into cruets, seal and wrap with a pretty ribbon, add the dressing recipe and tuck into your baskets.
Fruit Salad Dressing
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon orange juice
*** *** ***
2. Sealed and Delivered Pumpkin Bread
This recipe makes enough for eight presents. The interesting thing is that you have your gift already in the container. The canning jars seal so you don't have to worry about them becoming stale. Use 8 wide-mouth pint jars--straight sides, with lids and rings. After cooling, cut circles out of scrap fabric, and unscrew the ring carefully, watching to make sure you don’t break the seal.. Top the jar and screw the ring back on, label. To serve, shake the bread out, serve with whipped cream.
4 eggs
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 2/3 cups sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin
3 1/3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Mix ingredients together well. Sterilize jars and lids, and then grease the inside of the canning jars, fill 1/2 full with batter. Place jars on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. With heavy kitchen mitt remove from oven and immediately put on lids and screw bands. Tighten. Turn upside down on heat-safe surface to cool. Check lids for seals after cooled---just as with any canned jar.
*** *** ***

3. Festive Holiday Quick Bread
This makes two loaves. This quick bread can be wrapped tightly in foil and frozen up to 3 months.
2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)
2 cups shredded zucchini with skin on
3 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried orange peel
1 3/4 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cups orange juice
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Wash cranberries, drain. Grind coarsely in blender or processor. In a bowl, blend dry ingredients together. Blend eggs into moist ingredients and mix well with dry ingredients. Spoon evenly into prepared pans. Bake 1 hour or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, turn out of pan. Cool completely, wrap in foil, label.
*** *** ***
4. Home-made Trail Mix
Everyone likes this healthy snack, but kids especially enjoy it. Add a copy of a holiday video to watch while snacking (It's a Wonderful Life, is especially nice) and you've got a family gift.
7 cups raw oatmeal
1 1/2 cups whole peanuts or almonds
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups raisins
3 cups dates (or candy-coated chocolate pieces---like M & M's)
Mix everything together except the dried fruit---you'll need a BIG bowl (or halve recipe). Spread out on cookie sheets . Bake 300 degrees 25-30 minutes. Cool. Mix in dried fruits/chocolate pieces. Break up the clumps and store in air-tight containers. Tie with ribbon and label. It's good as a snack, but also as a healthy cereal, or to be sprinkled on yogurt or ice-cream.



5. Sugar N Spice Nuts
This makes 2 pounds. I divide it into two 1-pound packages and place them in one large plastic bag. Tied tightly and decorated with curling ribbon, it's quite festive and makes a nice hostess gift for all those parties you're invited to.
2 egg-whites, room temperature
1 1/2 sticks of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 16 ounce cans mixed, salted nuts
Turn oven on to 325 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with foil. Melt butter in the pan in the oven. In a bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy and gradually beat in the sugar until stiff peaks form. Add cinnamon and fold in the nuts. Spread this over the melted butter and bake 15 minutes, stir, continue baking 15 more minutes. Keep the nuts separated. Remove from oven. Cool 5 minutes, pour nuts out over waxed paper and cool completely. Store in sealed jars or plastic bags.
*** *** ***

6. Bean Soup
This makes 11 1-pint jars---enough for everyone on your list. And everyone loves a warming pot of bean soup to heat up those snowy evenings.
1 pound of each of these dried beans:
kidney, black beans, cow peas, chick peas, baby lima beans, red lentils, brown lentils, dried yellow split peas, green split peas, pinto beans.
Mix the beans well in a large bowl. Pour into clean pint jars with lids. Tie with raffia and add this recipe:
For soup:
Add 4 cups water to 1 pint bean mix in 4 quart saucepan. Boil over high heat 2 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let soak 1 hour. Drain. Fry 1/4 pound sliced bacon, chopped, until crisp. Add 2 Tablespoons bacon grease to the beans, 1 carrot chopped, and 1 minced clove of garlic. Toss in the bacon. Cook over medium heat with 6 cups of water until it comes to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 8 cups of soup.
*** *** ***
7. Spicy Tea
Package this in tins for the tea-lovers on your list. Decorate with ribbon and cinnamon sticks. Makes 2 cups.
1 cup loose black tea
1 cup peppermint or catnip leaves (dried)
2 Tablespoons whole cloves
2 Tablespoons whole allspice
4 cinnamon sticks broken in pieces
1/2 cup dried orange peel
Mix together all until well-blended. Store in a tightly covered container---make 1 week before giving. Tie on a tea-ball or tea-strainer for added appeal. Use 1 teaspoon per cup boiling water. Steep 5 minutes.
*** *** ***
8. Homemade Cappuccino!
This will make 6 cups of dry mix. Divide into two airtight containers and label---with usage directions. Or place in plastic bags tied with bright ribbon. A basket with the mix and several pretty mugs is quite elegant.
2 cups instant coffee creamer
2 cups instant hot chocolate mix
1 1/3 cups instant coffee
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Mix well. To use, add 3 Tablespoons to hot water. Stir.
*** *** ***

9. Gingerbread Men
You'll need very large cookie cutters, enough for each gift box if that's what you wish, along with the cookie recipe. Decorate the cookies with this icing piped on:
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, 1 egg white, few drops of lemon juice: Beat until thick and smooth---should be like a paste---if too runny add more confectioner's sugar. Add food coloring if you wish, mix well. Cinnamon red-hots are good for the eyes, and mouth using the icing as glue. Put in pastry bag and pipe on cookie. When icing has hardened (1 hour or so) wrap each giant cookie tightly in plastic wrap. Individual cookies look nice stuffed into stockings. Or carefully package up a half-dozen or more in a gift box. Poke a hole in the head before baking and after cooled and decorated, you can tie ribbons through the cookie head so that those who receive them can hang them on their trees.
Makes 24 Gingerbread men

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firm
1 egg
3 cups sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
Spray cookie sheets with cooking oil. Beat butter and sugar together, mix in spices. Add egg and molasses. Next, mix in flour. Chill two hours. Roll out and cut out cookies. Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool.
*** *** ***

10. Molasses Sugar Cookies
These are pretty, dark little cookies with a wonderful taste. Box them up and make extras to keep on hand---they go quick.
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Melt shortening over low heat, remove from heat and let cool. Add sugar, molasses and egg, beat well. Sift together all the dry ingredients, add to first mixture, mix well. Chill 2 hours. Form 1 inch balls, roll in granulated sugar. Bake 375 degrees 10 minutes or until balls crack..
*** *** ***

11. Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
These easy cookies are a no-bake type. I make these every year. Great for all those friends with sweet tooths.
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons baking cocoa
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup peanut-butter
2 1/2 cups quick oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Mix together the sugar, butter, milk and cocoa in a saucepan. Add peanut- butter. Boil 3 minutes (or to 240 degrees on candy thermometer). Remove from heat and stir in oatmeal, salt, vanilla. Drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper. Work quickly. Cool. Package in airtight tins.
*** *** ***
12. Chocolate Mint Cookies
These easy cookie crackers are so delicious, no one will know how you did it. And they pack well, look good in a festive box with shiny ribbons.
2 cups milk chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shortening
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Crackers with a buttery taste
Melt chocolate pieces with the shortening in the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling water. Carefully dip crackers one at a time, both sides. Set aside on waxed paper to dry. You can also place a walnut on top of the cookie before the chocolate hardens.
*** *** ***

13. Warm Spicy Wine
Purchase a bottle of good burgundy or other dry red wine. Tie these spices in a small square of muslin: 4 small cinnamon sticks, 2 teaspoons whole cloves. Tie to bottle and add this recipe:
Warm Spicy Wine
1 cup apple juice
1 cup water
1 cup orange juice
5 lemon slices
5 orange slices
5 cups wine
1/3 cup sugar
Place juices, water and sugar in saucepan with the spice bag. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and add fruit slices, wine. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Remove and discard fruit slices, spice bag. Pour warm beverage into mugs---garnish with cinnamon sticks. Makes 7 1/2 cups.
*** *** ***
14. Raspberry Syrup W/Pancakes
A great gift is a wonderful breakfast to share with your loved ones. Here's a tasty treat sure to brighten a festive morning:
Make this raspberry syrup, combine it with a good dry pancake mix and place it in a pretty basket. What a gift!
Raspberry Syrup
2 quarts raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon grated lemon peel
3 cups sugar
4 cups water
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Crush berries, add 2 cups water and lemon peel. Simmer 5 minutes. Strain through damp cheesecloth. Mix sugar and 4 cups water. Boil to 260 degrees on a candy thermometer. Add berry juice to this sugar syrup. Boil 1 minute. Add lemon juice. Pour into sterilized jars, top with lids and screw bands. Turn upside down five minutes, then upright. Lids seal when they make a popping sound. Makes 3 pints.
*** *** ***

15. Cranberry Cider Jelly With Homemade (?) Bread
There's nothing better than homemade jelly on warm homemade yeast bread. But you don't have to be a bread-baking whiz---you can also purchase the frozen bread dough. Bake, cool and wrap in plastic wrap, tie with a ribbon. Add a couple jars of jelly, and place it all together in a pretty festive gift bag.
Cranberry Cider Jelly
3 cups apple cider
1 cup cranberry juice cocktail
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 package of powdered pectin
5 cups sugar
Pour the cider, and juices into a large pot, with 1 teaspoon margarine. Stir in pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil. Add sugar and return to a boil. Boil hard 1 minute. Remove from heat. Pour into sterilized jars, add lids and screw bands, turn upside down 5 minutes, upright. Jars will seal and make a popping sound. Makes 6 half pints.
XXX
This article appeared in BackHome Magazine: Your Hands-On Guide to Sustainable Living (Dec. 2003)