Made From Scratch

November/December 2009 Issue | Posted by Robyn Lee in What's Cooking

All year my mom spends precious time crocheting beautiful afghans, scarves, or doilies for a dear daughter or grandchild as a Christmas gift. Mom tried to teach me to crochet once, and the result was enough to teach me that maybe homemade “stuff” isn’t for me.

Yet, nothing beats the thoughtfulness of homemade gifts; they are the gateway into the heart of the giver. When you give a homemade gift, you also give a piece of yourself. I wanted to express my love with something beautiful made by me.

If you too are craft impaired, fear not. You can do homemade in a beautiful and easy way with food in the comfort of your own kitchen. This Christmas, add your own personal touch to our collection of homemade recipes and ideas.

The Recipes

Herbed Vinegar

2 cups distilled white vinegar

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

Choose a 16-ounce bottle with a well-fitting lid or cork. Boil it to sterilize, then remove from “water bath,” empty of any water inside, and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar with 1/3 cup of water and heat until the mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Slip about 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary into the cooled bottle. Using a funnel and care, pour the hot (not boiling) vinegar into the bottle over the rosemary. Cover tightly with lid and store at room temperature. Don’t like rosemary? You can also try thyme, oregano, chives, tarragon, or fennel with different vinegars to make all kinds of variations.

— Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Note on the gift tag: Combine with olive oil for delicious salads.

Berry Vinegar

3 cups cider vinegar

1 cup raspberries

2 tablespoons sugar

Combine vinegar, berries, and sugar together in a medium glass mixing bowl. Mix gently and pour mixture into bottles. Cover tightly and store at room temperature.

— Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Note on the gift tag: Delicious on green
salads.

Quick Tip:

We like the bottles available at SunBurstBottle.com

Cracked Pepper Seasoning Blend

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

2 teaspoons coriander seed

1/2 teaspoon dill seed

1/2 teaspoon crushed hot peppers

1 teaspoon dried minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

In a food processor or blender, crush pepper, coriander, and dill seed to desired texture. Pour into bowl and stir in remaining ingredients. Blend salt as fine or as coarse as you desire. Put into a jar.

Adapt this recipe with other flavors. Try dried or fresh rosemary, lavender, mint, basil, oregano, parsley, or crushed red pepper or grated orange peel and grated lemon peel (let the citrus peels dry a little bit on a paper towel before blending).

Note on the gift tag: Use these flavored salts to spice up a meal. Try the Cracked Pepper Season-ing Blend as a rub for fish. Use rosemary and basil salts to liven up your stews. Lavender and mint go well with pork. Try oregano and parsley salts in your pizza sauce. Citrus salts go great on chicken or shrimp.

— Adapted from 28Cooks.Blogspot.com

Quick Tip:

Put your favorite salt in this pig salt dish. $8.99, from TheKitchenStore.com

Bottle It Up

Dry-ingredient jars make a useful and attractive gift.

Cowboy Cookie Mix

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Layer the ingredients in a 1-quart jar in the order given. Press each layer firmly in place before adding the next layer.

Note on the gift tag: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 cup melted butter or margarine, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Stir in the entire contents of the jar. You may need to use your hands to finish mixing. Shape into walnut-sized balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven. Transfer from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

— Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Quick Tip: Spoon your dry ingredients into these Hermetic Storage Jars. $4.99-$9.99, from ContainerStore.com

Fabulous Soup Mix

2 1/2 cups (1 pound) dry lentils

2 1/2 cups (1 pound) dry split peas

2 1/2 cups alphabet pasta

1 1/4 cups long-grain rice

1 1/4 cups dried minced onion

Combine lentils, split peas, alphabet pasta, rice, and onion flakes.

Note: Layering is for decorative purposes only. Combine before using.

Yield: about 10 cups of mix. Each cup of mix will make soup to serve 6.

Cook time: 45 minutes

Note on the gift tag: To make soup: 9 cups boiling water, 7-8 teaspoons beef bouillon, 1 cup dry legume soup mix (above). Add bouillon and soup mix to boiling water and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Yield: 6 servings

Deluxe Soup Variation: Add only 4 to 5 teaspoons bouillon with soup mix. During the last 15 minutes of cooking time, add 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained, and 1 (12-ounce) can beef chunks, undrained and broken up, to soup.

— Adapted from HomeCooking.About.com

Chai Tea Mix

1 cup nonfat dry milk powder

1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer

1 cup French vanilla flavored

powdered non-dairy creamer

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant

tea

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla flavored creamer, sugar, and instant tea. Stir in ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. In a blender or food processor, blend 1 cup at a time, until mixture is the consistency of fine powder.

You may choose to omit the French vanilla creamer, and use 2 teaspoons vanilla extract instead. To do so, mix the vanilla into the sugar, let it dry, then break the sugar into small lumps. Follow the same procedure as above.

— Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Note on the gift tag: To serve: Stir 2 heaping tablespoons Chai tea mixture into a mug of hot water.

Quick Tip: For a more elegant look, put your Chai tea in a clear bag and place inside this Rockingham Teapot. $39.95, from VermontCountryStore.com

No Time to cook?

Fill a pretty teacup with flavored teas. Try this Winterberry Covered Mug with Tea Infuser. $14.99, from Pfaltzgraff.com

Honey Vanilla Butter

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Soften unsalted butter to room temperature. With an electric mixer, cream the butter with the honey. Slowly add the whipping cream, beating constantly until the mixture is fluffy. Then add the vanilla. Beat at medium speed until completely blended (1 to 2 minutes). Let the butter stand for an hour in a cool place, covered, so the flavors can develop; then refrigerate to harden. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Try different varieties: horseradish; curry, paprika, and ground pepper; honey and cinnamon; walnuts and lemon zest; lemon juice, sugar, and fresh strawberries; maple syrup; pecans and brown sugar.

— Adapted from TheNibble.com

Go to FaithandFamilyLIVE.com “Resources” to learn how to make a butter log.

Note on the gift tag: Maple syrup butter is a perfect match for pancakes; flavor mashed potatoes with horseradish butter; spice up veggies with curry or paprika butter; add sweet butters to your biscuits.

Quick Tip: Give your flavored butter in this festive butter pot. $24.95, from ButterBell.com

Irish Cream Truffle Fudge

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 cup Irish cream liqueur

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

4 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur

2 tablespoons butter

Butter an 8-inch-by-8-inch pan. In the top half of a double boiler, melt the 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, 1 cup white chocolate chips, and 1/4 cup but-ter until soft enough to stir. Stir in the confection-ers’ sugar and Irish cream until mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts. Place mixture in the prepared pan and lay a sheet of plastic wrap over top; press and smooth top down. In the top half of a double boiler, melt remaining chocolates until soft. Remove from heat and with a fork beat in the remaining butter and Irish cream until smooth. Spread topping over cooled fudge with a knife. If a smooth top is important, place plastic wrap over the top. Refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours at least. This fudge can be easily frozen.

— Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Note on the gift tag: No instructions necessary with this dessert. Indulge with a cup of coffee or an after-dinner drink.

Quick Tip: Give your flavored butter in this festive butter pot. $24.95, from ButterBell.com

Basket o’ Fun

Create a moment of family fun with a theme gift.

Can I Have S’mores?:
Stuff a grill mitt with bagged marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers, and skewers.

That’s Amore:
In a bread basket include a box of pasta, a jar of pasta sauce, Parmesan cheese, a red-checkered table cloth, and a loaf of bread.

Breakfast in Bed:
In a mixing bowl, include pancake mix, maple syrup, butter, chocolate chips, and bananas.

Cherry on Top:
Inside sundae cups include chocolate fudge, sprinkles, nuts, caramel sauce, whipped cream, and a jar of maraschino cherries.

Let’s Go to the Movies:
Inside a popcorn tin include your favorite family movie, a box of microwave popcorn, a bottle of soda, and candy.