The malls are packed, and there isn't a parking place in sight. Your to-do list is so long, you have to fold it like an accordion, and the stress is ruining your mood. This is no way to spend the holiday season.
Here's some advice: Go home. Pull out your cookbooks and finish off your gift list with something made in your own kitchen.
"Food gifts are wonderful, personal things," said Diane Rossen Worthington, author of "Seriously Simple Holidays." "We all have too much on our plates, especially during the holiday season. It's the time and love that go into creating gifts of food that make them so special."
Making something from scratch doesn't necessarily require a lot of cooking skills, Worthington said in a phone interview. "Plus, it can be fun to plan what you are going to make and how you are going to package it.
"Certainly, cookies are always welcome, but we are surrounded by so many sweet treats (during the holiday season), sometimes making something that can be enjoyed after the holidays or something that isn't sweet is especially nice," she said.
She likes to "make my seriously simple seasoning salt for gifts. I find pretty jars to store it in and attach a recipe card or a note explaining how to use it. ...
"It's basically a blend of fresh garlic ground up with a variety of salts and spices. And it can be stored in the refrigerator for three months, so there's no urgency to use it."
Worthington's other suggestions include a special breakfast bread or roll packaged in a pretty basket, seasoning mixes, mulling spices and homemade baking mixes.
"Another of my favorite gifts is hot cocoa mix. I put it in a holiday gift bag and put that in a fancy mug. Add a few candy canes and tie the whole thing together with plastic wrap and a pretty bow. It's simple to do and not terribly expensive," she said.
Keep simplicity in mind, for your own sake and for the busy person who receives the gift. One of the easiest things you can make for the coffee or chocolate lover is chocolate-dipped spoons. Just dip plastic spoons into melted chocolate. When the chocolate has set, put each spoon in plastic wrap tied in place with ribbon. When a spoon is used to stir coffee, it turns it into a wonderful mocha drink.
If you have a favorite recipe for homemade salad dressing, you can mix up a batch and pour it into a pretty glass cruet or just put the dry seasoning in a package tucked into a salad bowl. Make sure you include a recipe card telling the recipients how to make their own spice blend and which fresh ingredients are needed to finish the dressing.
Flavored nuts are also a great hostess gift. They store well and you can make them in large batches. They are wonderful to have on hand when unexpected guests drop by.
If you have a favorite recipe for bean soup, mix up a batch of dried beans, add a packet of spice mix and a recipe card explaining how to make the soup, and put the whole thing in a mason jar.
As for packaging, keep that simple, too. Don't use a dish you expect to have returned. It's likely to get misplaced during the festivities. Inexpensive baskets or decorative tins are ideal for holding holiday breads and cookies. This time of year, grocery stores often stock disposable holiday dishes.
CRANBERRY WREATHS
Makes 12
This recipe, which is from Fleischmann's yeast, makes 12 beautiful breakfast rolls. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a pretty holiday basket for a wonderful gift from your kitchen.
Dough ingredients:
3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 envelope active dry or quick-rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
Cranberry filling ingredients:
1 cup finely chopped cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
Powdered sugar icing ingredients:
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
4 to 5 teaspoons evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast and salt. Heat milk, butter and water until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Gradually add to flour mixture; beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. With spoon, stir in enough remaining flour to make stiff batter. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.
To make the cranberry filling: In medium saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar and grated orange peel; bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until very thick. Remove mixture from heat and let cool.
Take dough from refrigerator. Punch dough down. Remove dough to lightly floured surface. Roll to 21-by-12-inch rectangle. Spread cranberry filling over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges. Fold crosswise in thirds, to enclose filling, making a 12-by-7-inch rectangle. Press edges to seal. Cut dough into 12 (1-inch) strips. Holding ends of each strip, twist three times. Pinch together ends of each twisted strip to form wreaths; place on greased baking sheets. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until almost doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until done, switching positions of sheets halfway through baking time for even browning. Remove wreaths from baking sheets; let cool on wire racks. Drizzle wreaths with powdered sugar icing, if desired.
To make the icing: Combine powdered sugar, 4 to 5 teaspoons evaporated milk and vanilla extract, if using. Stir until smooth.
SERIOUSLY SIMPLE SEASONING SALT
Makes 3-1/2 cups
Diane Rossen Worthington, author of "Seriously Simple Holidays," says she makes packages of this seasoning salt to give to friends during the holidays. The recipe is from her book. The seasoning salt can be stored up to three months when refrigerated.
30 peeled garlic cloves, ends cut off
2 cups kosher salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground white pepper
2 tablespoons celery seed
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
In a running food processor fitted with a metal blade, drop in the garlic cloves and process until finely minced.
Combine all the remaining ingredients in a large measuring cup. Add to the garlic and pulse until completely blended. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl and pulse again.
Transfer to an airtight container or to smaller containers with shakers on top.
Use the seasoning salt to season meat and poultry.
CHOCOLATE COFFEE SPOONS
Makes 30
Chocolate-covered spoons are fun gifts for the coffee lover on your list. Kids love to help. You can use plastic spoons or inexpensive holiday spoons, wrapping each one in plastic wrap tied with a pretty bow.
2 cups chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or candy melts
2 teaspoons shortening
30 spoons
Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper. Place the chips and shortening in a 4-cup glass measure or a medium mixing bowl. Microwave the chips for 1 minute at 50 percent power. Stir well. Continue microwaving at 50 percent power, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Dip spoons one at a time into the chocolate. Tap each spoon on the side of the measuring cup to remove the excess. Place dipped spoons on the wax paper until the chocolate hardens. Wrap individual spoons in plastic wrap before storing.
To use, just stir your coffee with a chocolate-dipped spoon until the chocolate is melted.
HOT COCOA MIX
Makes 24 servings
This hot cocoa mix can be blended and stored in an airtight container for at least a year. You can use either hot milk or hot water to make the beverage.
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2-1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
To make the mix, combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend evenly. Store in an airtight container until you are ready to make the beverage.
To make 4 servings of hot cocoa, heat 4 to 6 cups of water or milk. Add about 1/4 cup of powdered mix to each mug. Pour in hot water or milk and stir to combine.
SWEDISH NUTS
Serves 16, or about 4 cups
This recipe for flavored nuts makes a wonderful homemade holiday gift because it will stay fresh for several weeks. You can use walnuts, blanched almonds or pecans, or a mixture of nuts, to make this recipe.
1 pound unsalted nuts (about 4 cups), walnuts, blanched almonds, pecans or a mixture
2 egg whites
1 cup sugar
Dash salt
1/2 cup butter
Spread the nuts in a 10-by-15-inch jellyroll pan. Place the pan in a 325-degree oven and toast the nuts until they are lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Beat sugar and salt into the egg whites. Fold the nuts into the egg whites.
Place the butter in the jellyroll pan and put the pan back into the hot oven until the butter is melted. Spread the nut-and-egg-white mixture over the melted butter.
Return the pan to the oven and bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until no butter remains in the pan. Cool and store in an airtight container.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit Sacramento Bee
Post new comment