Holiday Gifts to Make Now & Give Later
by Cory Van Horn
The holiday gift giving season is just around the corner. This is the year to get personal and offer delicious gifts from your kitchen. Instead of turning to the typical tins of cookies, fruit baskets, or popcorn buckets, try something a little more unique that your friends and family will truly appreciate.
There's no need to wait for snowflakes to tap into your inner culinary fashionista to create gifts that will warm the heart. Forget about hunting for a parking spot or endless clicking of the mouse in hopes of finding the latest internet deal. Instead, try some of these creative ideas that can easily be made now and given later.
Canning:
The idea of canning may invoke thoughts of your grandmother dipping glass jars into huge pots of bowling water. But unlike polyester powder blue suits, this trend has seen resurgence in popularity over the past few years. Home gardens and farmer's markets across the country are brimming full with the flavors of fall. Now is the time to capture nature's bounty in a jar and wrap them with a pretty bow.
Salsas, jams, and even pie fillings offer universal appeal that work well as gifts on their own, but can also be combined with other items to create a beautiful arrangement. An afternoon at a local orchard will yield bushels of apples that can be transformed into big jars of apple pie filling. Paired with a pie pan and your favorite pie crust recipe becomes a bundle of happiness for the recipient.
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Of course, the last thing you want to do during the holidays is to give your friends and family food poisoning. It's important to remember that not all recipes are created equal when it comes to canning. Make sure to use recipes that have been professionally tested to ensure they safely preserve the ingredients and prevent spoilage.
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Vanilla extract is a popular ingredient that adds tons of favor to both sweet and savory dishes. Gourmet varieties of this dark fragrant liquid can cost a pretty penny. With a few simple ingredients and patience, you can make a dramatic impression with the earthy pods floating in the amber liquid.
1 small bottle with a sealable top
Vodka, Brandy or Rum
Approximately 3 vanilla beans
Wash and sanitize the bottle in a dishwasher. Carefully cut down the center of each bean to expose the seeds; be careful not to cut completely through the pod. Fill the bottle with your choice of liquor and the vanilla beans. Seal and store in a dark place for 4 - 6 weeks. Lightly shake occasionally to ensure the vanilla flavors are infusing evenly.
Spice Satchels:
Add excitement to the traditional holiday card exchange by including herbs or spices of your favorite recipe. Many farmers markets have booths of locally grown herbs that can be dried and then packaged in small cello bags. Also, bulk warehouse stores sell spices that can be mixed to create festive blends for meats and vegetables.
Snickerdoodles are popular cookies with a distinctive cinnamon and sugar crackled top. Send joy to your long distance love ones by including a printed recipe card and packet of the distinctive sugar topping.
Snickerdoodle Cookies
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cream of tarter, baking soda, salt cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. Cream together the sugar, margarine, shortening, vanilla and eggs using a mixer. While the mixer is on low, slowly add the sifted ingredients to the wet batter.
Scoop tablespoon sized dough balls and coat a single side of each ball with the topping mixture. Place topping side up on an ungreased cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake until just set for about 6-8 minutes. Allow to cool completely on the cookie sheet. The heat from the cookie sheet will finish the baking process without causing the cookie to harden.
IMPORTANT: These cookies should be soft and not brown. Be careful not to over-bake. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
It's easy to get wrapped up in the chaos of the holidays and take the easy route by purchasing mass produced items at the big box stores. Instead, start planning now by tapping into your inner culinary fashionista, and capture memories that are not only unique but flavorful too.
About the Author:
Cory Van Horn is a self-proclaimed professional foodie and writer with a constant desire to cover his kitchen in flour. Some call it a mess. He calls it research. Follow Cory's many culinary adventures (and misadventures) on culinarycory.com.
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