With Christmas not too far away, a friend (hi Renee!) asked for some ideas on homemade Christmas gifts. I love homemade Christmas gifts! It's just plain fun for me to hang in the kitchen and make goodies for family and friends. As the kids get older they get to be part of the process and that makes it even more enjoyable. For so many of our family there is really not much we can afford to buy them that they cannot buy for themselves. It seems more personal and loving to use our hands to make something instead of just buying any ol' thing that fits in the budget. When it comes to the Christmas budget, saving where we can is important to us. We would rather put our funds towards children who otherwise may not have a present to open. Let's face it, for the most part, those with whom we normally exchange gifts will be getting gifts from so many other people. We certainly want to honor them at Christmas and show our token of love with a gift, but have decided that it need not be a useless and/or overly expensive item to do so. This is not to say we do not buy gifts, but only if it fits into our budget and we truly believe it would be special to the recipient.
Here are some ideas for kitchen-based homemade gifts. For all of them, I recommend finding a pretty and different looking jar or bottle. I like to wrap gifts in the natural paper boxes from craft stores. They are inexpensive and do not require wrapping paper. I spend a little extra on real ribbon for decorating and pretty card stock for labeling. My friend etched glass last year for gifts. If you can only find plain jars, etching them may be a way to personalize and dress them up a bit.
Vanilla Extract
If you know anyone who enjoys baking, she will tell you that vanilla extract is in just about every recipe. Good extract is expensive. Cheap extract contains a bunch of chemicals. And...don't even get me started on the imitation stuff! Making homemade extract is beyond easy! The hardest part about it is being sure you start it within at least a month before you want to give it away.
12 vanilla beans (Penzye Spices sells affordable vanilla beans.)
1 1.75 L bottle of vodka (do not use expensive stuff here! I like to use a low to mid-priced vodka. But, do not buy the dirt cheap stuff as it's a bit harsh.)
Okay - are you ready for how to make it???
Here we go:
Place the vanilla beans in the vodka bottle and let sit in a dark, cool place for at least 4 weeks. Ta-da - you have just made vanilla extract!
After it has fully steeped, pour the extract in smaller bottles. You can put a vanilla bean in each gift bottle. Or let them dry out and make vanilla sugar with them for an additional gift.
Vanilla Sugar
Using the beans from the vanilla extract, slice the bean in half length-ways. This will expose the little vanilla specs. Nestle the cut vanilla bean into a container of sugar. Let it sit, stirring every so often, for a few days. This sugar is great in coffee and tea. Another variety is orange sugar. Peel large pieces of orange rind into sugar. Do the same with the vanilla sugar and you have another flavorful sugar. In fact, make them both and pair with tea for a great teacher's gift.
Limoncello
Limoncello is an Italian aperitif. It's sweet and lemony. It's wonderful to sip on after a heavy meal. Be warned though, a little goes a long way! I have made this using Giadia's recipe, so I am going to give it to you the way she has written it. You can also take the same technique and use tangerines or oranges. This is very simple, but also requires a couple of weeks of steeping before it's ready for consumption. I like to deliver this is pretty glass bottles with the hing top. If you wanted to expand the gift, add a couple of simple small sipping glasses.
10 lemons
1 (750-ml) bottle vodka (same as above, do not over-spend on the vodka, but do buy a mid-priced one)
3 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.
Sun-dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil
These make a pretty presentation, especially if in a clear jar. I am not going to give you amounts here because it really just depends on how much you want to make. Be sure to plan for the fact that each tomato will shrink quite a bit once dried.
Roma tomatoes, cut in half length-ways (If you prefer a different tomato, cut them in quarters.)
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Set oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. Toss sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on baking sheet. Place in oven and let bake for 2 - 4 hours. The cooking time will depend upon how juicy the tomatoes are. If you live in a dry, warm place with few insects, you truly could sun dry these. Unfortunately, I live in a place where they would be covered in pests in no time!
The tomatoes are done once they are shriveled and absent any moisture (like a raisin). Let cool and then place in jar. Cover with olive oil. For a little extra flavor and decoration you can add fresh herbs like rosemary or basil.
You can also roast garlic and place it in the jar as well. Do NOT put raw garlic in though. Raw garlic can become toxic after sitting in oil for too long.
Flavored Oils
Flavored oils are so simple and can make for a very pretty presentation. The only caution is echoed from above, do not let raw garlic remain in anything you make. Herbs are perfectly safe to remain in oils.
To make flavored oil heat the oil and place the flavor (herbs, garlic, hot peppers, etc.) into it. Allow is to soak in the warm oil for an hour. I recommend three herb sprigs; four garlic clove; and 1 hot pepper cut in half per each cup of oil. Be sure the oil is merely warm. If it's too hot, you will fry the herbs or garlic and they may become bitter. After an hour, remove the flavor and place the oil in a bottle. If using herbs, put a few sprigs of the fresh herb in the bottle too (hot peppers would be good too). It will give it extra flavor. I prefer to use olive oil when making an herb or garlic oil, but prefer a flavorless oil (like Canola) for pepper oils. If you want ideas for what makes a good flavored oil, cruise through Williams Sonoma or a nicer grocery store and see what is on the shelves.
These oils pair well with a great loaf of homemade (or bakery bought) bread, balsamic vinegar and an herb packet (a mix of dried herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper). Recommend the recipient put a little oil and vinegar in a shallow bowl or plate, sprinkle with the herbs and use it as dip for the bread.
The final idea I have is my husband's sea salt caramels. I cannot seem to find his recipe. As soon as I do (if he'll even share it!) I'll share it with you.
I hope these ideas help you to enjoy some time in the kitchen this holiday season, while presenting your family and friends with some thoughtful and yummy gifts! Bon Appetite!
Sun-dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil
These make a pretty presentation, especially if in a clear jar. I am not going to give you amounts here because it really just depends on how much you want to make. Be sure to plan for the fact that each tomato will shrink quite a bit once dried.
Roma tomatoes, cut in half length-ways (If you prefer a different tomato, cut them in quarters.)
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Set oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. Toss sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on baking sheet. Place in oven and let bake for 2 - 4 hours. The cooking time will depend upon how juicy the tomatoes are. If you live in a dry, warm place with few insects, you truly could sun dry these. Unfortunately, I live in a place where they would be covered in pests in no time!
The tomatoes are done once they are shriveled and absent any moisture (like a raisin). Let cool and then place in jar. Cover with olive oil. For a little extra flavor and decoration you can add fresh herbs like rosemary or basil.
You can also roast garlic and place it in the jar as well. Do NOT put raw garlic in though. Raw garlic can become toxic after sitting in oil for too long.
Flavored Oils
Flavored oils are so simple and can make for a very pretty presentation. The only caution is echoed from above, do not let raw garlic remain in anything you make. Herbs are perfectly safe to remain in oils.
To make flavored oil heat the oil and place the flavor (herbs, garlic, hot peppers, etc.) into it. Allow is to soak in the warm oil for an hour. I recommend three herb sprigs; four garlic clove; and 1 hot pepper cut in half per each cup of oil. Be sure the oil is merely warm. If it's too hot, you will fry the herbs or garlic and they may become bitter. After an hour, remove the flavor and place the oil in a bottle. If using herbs, put a few sprigs of the fresh herb in the bottle too (hot peppers would be good too). It will give it extra flavor. I prefer to use olive oil when making an herb or garlic oil, but prefer a flavorless oil (like Canola) for pepper oils. If you want ideas for what makes a good flavored oil, cruise through Williams Sonoma or a nicer grocery store and see what is on the shelves.
These oils pair well with a great loaf of homemade (or bakery bought) bread, balsamic vinegar and an herb packet (a mix of dried herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper). Recommend the recipient put a little oil and vinegar in a shallow bowl or plate, sprinkle with the herbs and use it as dip for the bread.
The final idea I have is my husband's sea salt caramels. I cannot seem to find his recipe. As soon as I do (if he'll even share it!) I'll share it with you.
I hope these ideas help you to enjoy some time in the kitchen this holiday season, while presenting your family and friends with some thoughtful and yummy gifts! Bon Appetite!
