11. Like cookies, candy is another
gift always liked by everyone and can be made in an
unlimited
number of ways, or limited only by your creativity. For an
extremely easy to make homemade chocolate candy, melt chocolate
and add condensed milk to it while half melted and then continue
to melt completely. Add nuts and pour in a buttered tin and press
well. Top with more nuts and refrigerate overnight. Cut into
squares and store in a cool place.
12. Candy Canes are great favorites with children. Simmer 1 cup
sugar with ¼ cup light corn syrup, ¼ cup water and 1/8 tsp. cream
of tartar until the mix reaches about 280 degrees on a candy
thermometer. Remove from the heat and add few drops of peppermint
flavoring. Divide the syrup in half. Add food coloring to one
half; pour out separately onto the greased surfaces. Cool for 1 to
2 minutes. Pull each half separately; roll into 1/2" thick ropes.
Twist colored batch around the white batch pulling until the
colors adhere. Cut with scissors into 6" long lengths; bend to
crook one end.
13. Granola Bars, Squares and Balls can be put together in a
jar or tin for a lovely gift.
Preserves
14. A Pickle Jar makes a wonderful
hostess gift. An easy to follow and make recipe for making pickled
lemons is to fry a teaspoon of mustard seeds in 2 tablespoons of
oil. Add some curry leaves, lower the flame and add 1 tsp. chilli
powder. Add 4 tbsp. white vine vinegar, stir in 2 tablespoons of
chopped, deseeded lemons and store refrigerated when cooled.
15. Candied fruit peel is a great
addition to any pantry. The preparation is spread over 3 days, but
it is still an extremely easy recipe to make. Cut orange, lemon
and grapefruit peels into squares, diamonds or any other shapes
using small cutters. Simmer peel in enough water for 1-2 hours
till tender. Add 350 gm. granulated sugar and heat without
stirring till the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to a boil
and simmer for 5 minutes. Leave overnight. Next day, boil again
and simmer for 5 minutes. Leave overnight. Simmer peel till all
syrup is absorbed. Arrange in a single layer on a cooling rack and
let dry. Once dry and cold, pack in foil trays and cover with
cellophane.
16. Jams and Jellies can be prepared
in advance with seasonal fruits and stored till Christmas to give
as gifts. A sure-to-please 'Whisky Marmalade' can be made by
heating citrus fruits (2 oranges, 2 lemons and 2 grapefruits) with
1-1/2 kg. granulated sugar till sugar has dissolved. Bring to a
boil and keep on a rolling boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat
and add 227 ml. bottle of liquid pectin according to the
manufacturer's instructions. Skim if necessary and stir in 3 tbsp.
whisky. Cool, stir and pour into clean, dry glass jars. Do not
freeze.
17. A variety of herbed vinegars can
be made by combining distilled white vinegar with 1/3 cup of water
and bring to a boil. Put sprigs of herbs like thyme, rosemary,
oregano, chives, tarragon or fennel in a sterilized cool bottle.
Pour hot (not boiling) vinegar into the bottle over the herbs.
Tight closely and store at room temperature. Some herbs will lend
their color to the hot vinegar which will result in a more
attractive looking gift bottle.
18. Instead of herbs, you can also
make fruit flavored vinegars. Berries are especially good choices
for fruits. Add berries to white vinegar and keep about a week at
room temperature, in a dark place. Strain into a bottle and add a
few berries (ones that you added) to the bottle to make it look
more attractive.
19. Just like vinegar, flavored oils
can be very useful gifts. Flavor good quality olive oil with
garlic, chili etc. Flavored oil can be used not only as a
dressing, but also in cooking.
20. Flavored
butters are not far behind. They make a lovely addition to any
recipe and cooking enthusiasts are always thankful to receive them
as gifts. They can be made easily by mixing softened butter with
desired herbs and spices. Favorite choices are garlic butter,
cinnamon butter, basil or any other herbed butters, horseradish
butter etc. Cheese, nuts, sauces and dried onions enhance the
taste. Once again, you are limited only by your imagination.
21. Another useful gift idea is to
give ‘Spice Blends’. You can easily make several types of spice
blends, the easiest being ‘Pumpkin Pie Spice’. Mix together 4
Tablespoons cinnamon, 2 Tablespoons ginger and 1 Tablespoon
allspice and store in an airtight container.
22. Chutneys and Dips have become
meal essentials and are forever welcome. Follow this easy recipe
to make tasty ‘Corn Dip’. Mix together 2 cans Mexican corn drained
, 1 cup mayonnaise, 8 oz sour cream, 1 small green chilies, 10 oz.
Pickled jalapeño peppers and 8 oz. shredded cheese. Blend well and
store refrigerated.
Back to Page 1
These gift ideas first appeared in the 2004 issue of 'Celebrating
Christmas PDF Magazine', a freely downloadable magazine,
and is an excerpt from the feature '101 Homemade Gift Ideas'.
