348 replies to this topic

[Genny]

Ya'll are such an inspiration!!

I've already planned on putting together cookie tins for friends with Triple Ginger Cookies, biscotti of some sort, and perhaps some homemade chocolates. My mint marshmallows are a favorite with the kids, my DH calls them Altoid marshmallows since they are curiously strong...perfect in hot chocolate! I'll likely try some of the amazing marshallow flavors on the marshmallow thread.

For my nearest and dearest non-cooks I think I will put together a frozen Mexican gift bag with vacuume sealed portions of refried beans and tinga and maybe some tamales that a girl I know gets for me. Perhaps I'll finally learn to make decent flour tortillas, those freeze beautifully if done right.

Keep the ideas coming!!! I'll be checking in regularly, the holidays are creaping up FAST!

[plk]

Last year I did some marshmallows (choc, vanilla, and strawberry from Nightscotsman's recipe), chocolate covered marshmallows, toffee bark, and salty caramels. The caramels aren't pictured here, but they were just plain squares. This year I'm definitely making the praline milk jam from Christine Ferber's book, Mes Confitures. That stuff is amazing! A bad pic of last year's stuff:

Edited by plk, 25 October 2007 - 08:03 PM.

[andiesenji]

I plan on making a few jars of mostarda di frutta, in addition to the candied fruits in syrup and glacé fruits I have made before. I have a tiny bottle of Italian mustard oil a friend brought back from a trip to Italy.
I bought a couple of jars of the mostarda di frutta from Chef's catalog and figure I can do this.
It is much milder than the other mostardas I have tried.

I've already made a big batch of candied ginger. Some I am going to dry much more and grind to a granular consistency to include in a homemade chai mix, or just plain to add to brewed tea.

I also am going to make a few bay laurel wreaths as my bushes have to be pruned anyway. Also some rosemary "brooms" to hang in a kitchen, either as decor or to use in cooking.

Edited by andiesenji, 25 October 2007 - 09:02 PM.

[Tepee]

I'm in awe. You're making gingerbread house kits? Lucky recipients.

I know the lure of the chiffon cake molds -- they are adorable. I'm using mine as molds for kitchen-cooked soaps. Have the glycerine base, fab essential oils and the honey, cream and crushed apricot kernel additives

Packaged with rolls of my chocolate-dipped lime shortbread.

LOL, the houses, not being western-sized ones, will be manageable. I had a GB house decorating party one year, with 6 teams. My guests had a lot of fun and kept thanking me for such a great time for a long while after.

I can't believe there are more lovely fresh ideas with a personal touch coming up this year!

Reading andiesenji's wreath project, how nice if I could make fresh laurel ones (or receive one). I made some bread wreaths (with salted dead dough) last year and sent to 2 american friends and one german. All developed a nice fuzz on reaching their destination (5 - 8 days). Moral of the story. Make sure they are baked real nice and dry. On hindsight, I think packing with dessicants might have helped. Or not.

Edited by Tepee, 25 October 2007 - 09:23 PM.

[GTO]

I'm thinking of doing my brother some Vanilla Vodka. Simple and looks really cool.

[suzilightning]

for the people i work with - and john's people - i'm thinking about doing the "snowman poop" poem with the mini marshmallows and a spoon dipped in dark chocolate

[doughgirl]

I've made 8 Aprons so far with 4 more to go. I am also going to distribute cookie tins with 5 or 6 varieties of cookies in them (haven't decided which I'm going to bake) and I made a few Bags for my teen nieces. That's the extent of my homemade gifts, everything else has been/will be bought.

[Kris]

I'm having a Christmas party this year, so I'm making an assortment of Christmas cookies to give out as favors to my guests. I had personalized window boxes printed and will box up the cookies in them.

Not terribly original, but for some reason homemade Christmas cookies always seem to be appreciated. I made about 8 different varieties in 2005 and some went over better than others. So I'll stick to those popular ones (spritz, gingerbread, lace, pecan tassies) and add a few new varieties to the mix (thumbprint & peanut butter blossoms).

[hummingbirdkiss]

I do care packages surrounding a purchased gift for my family ..so I know they are all eating right...

so far I have vanilla going (from the thread on this board thank you all so much that was the easiest project on the planet and ready to bottle (I just tested it in a cake and it is out of this world)

home dried veggies/spice mix and boullion to be part of a soup and pilaf mix in a bag or a jar .. (I need some cool bags from some place I think the bags are easier to ship...any ideas?)

home made beef jerky (again I need bags)

dried fruits like apples with all the stuff for a pie in a bag as well .


dried garden herbs

dried lavendar gallore

blackberry cordial (this is the best batch ever I used some local fireweed honey in it and the berries just popped with flavor)


cookies..candy

I know fudge has been done to death but my dad loves it and his mom used to make a cocoa power fudge with canned milk

this would be a highlight for my father so if you have a recipe and share it with me I would be so grateful

more to come ...

[haresfur]

I suppose I'll try to pass off some pickled asparagus, again. In May a friend and I did up 50 lbs (fresh wt). You do lose a lot cutting to fit the jars. Actually, I think this year's turned out well.

[helenjp]

So many good ideas!

I have a set of cutters for making really small gingerbread houses - but never thought of using them for gifts. So much cooler than cookies - thanks!

Potstickers: great, great, great gift for people with big freezers! And you pass the "good wife" test for the number of folds on your potstickers too.

Aprons - I believe this is an item whose time has come round again. I'm considering ordering from here...or maybe drafting some in my sewing software. Reasoning: there's a need for "visitin' wear" aprons for community or school events etc, when every right-thinking Japanese woman is in a smart apron with a designer logo on it, and the social failures (=me) are in $3 numbers from the hardware store.

I like to have a handtowel handy,so I add either a button to hang a looped towel from, or a kind of large, horizontal belt-loop for threading a towel through.

Flavored salts - that's another great idea, maybe a tiny set with spiced salt, citrus zest salt, chili and spice salt, green tea salt...

I asked my boys what they liked best to receive - they came up with HOMEMADE JERKY!

That was their compromise on the question of "Gifts to eat now, or to eat later?". They were distressed by the idea of receiving food NOT intended for immediate consumption, and were all for cookies, breads, fruit cake, etc.

[andiesenji]

Regarding aprons. I used to make a lot of aprons. Not for cooking but for people to wear at dog shows to keep their cloths clean while grooming their dogs ready for the ring.

They had ties but each tie had a grommet in the end and they were not tied but hooked together with a shower curtain loop or a double ended bolt snaphttp://www.umei.com/hooks/schematic/double...oks-hm-928A.htm]available at any hardware store.[/URL], both removable for laundry.
Also, these are much easier to fasten or remove than knotted ties. The towels also got a grommet in one corner and several could be hooked onto a shower curtain hook so they could be hung up to dry, taking little room and a single one could also be hooked onto the waist tie the same way.
I still have a box full of grommets.......... Also a bag full of shower curtain hooks - they come in handy for a lot of things.

I also have a bunch of bolt snaps, both single and double.

[highchef]

I think I'm going to put some cookbooks together via epicurious.com
I've used so many recipes from that site for parties and weddings etc. that close friends would really appreciate the recipes all in on place and bound. Plus you can add your own. only problem is I'll have to make at least 5 just to get my filed into a book (for me). Then I have to edit and remember what recipes were used when so there's a theme (for gifts). I love this idea, but will probably only do for my sister and my fellow foodie friends.

[JTravel]

I saw in the food section of Marshalls (my favorite spot) canning jars of "Brining Salt". One had dried lemon peel and there were other more complicated flavors. The one I thought I could duplicate contained only kosher salt, sugar, whole peppercorns and dried garlic and dried onion. It was $7.99.
I'm searching the web for instructions to print up, and proportions. I have plenty of nice jars and I think this will be easy, and well received by adult sons.
I'm also making Pille's candied almonds and have been practicing folding paper cones for the authentic presentation.

[Terrasanct]

None of these things are "artisanal" but they are homemade. I'm making my kids and mom gift baskets with a bunch of interesting foods. So far I have hazelnut granola, which will have home-dried organic pears and apples in it. The hazelnuts are from a trip to Oregon this year. Maybe it qualifies for artisan status since I have to crack pounds of hazelnuts.

I'm also making Limoncello, candied orange peel to dip in chocolate, orange marmalade with ginger, hot chocolate mix (sugar free and with sugar), marshmallows, homemade vanilla, good crackers, onion confit, pet treats, and a fruit and nut mix I mentioned in another thread that I hope to be something like Sahale Snacks--combinations of pecans, cranberries, orange, and hot pepper, and another one with hazelnuts, ginger, pumpkin seeds, and maybe dried pear or apple. Not sure yet.

I'm not sure what else I'll make, but I'm having good messy fun in the kitchen right now.

[snowangel]

When I was up north this past Thanksgiving Day weekend for my annual long weekend with my college buddies (the 11th annual!), we walked across the highway and took a basket weaving class at the wonderful knitting/basket shop across the highway. For $20.00, we got instruction in making a basket, and supplies to make 10 more of the baskets. We opted to make garlic baskets. This one will hang on my kitchen wall when I decide just where to put it, but it could also hang on a magnetic hook on the fridge.



Anyone want to guess what the women in my life are getting for Christmas?

Stay tuned for felted oven mitts.

[JTravel]

Stay tuned for felted oven mitts.

Oh PLEASE. I need a use for those sweaters I bought at Goodwill and shrunk (felted?) up. I have made nice thick drink coasters.....but not exciting. In Helsinki, where real felting (virgin wool) is an art I saw some wonderful pins made of colorful wool with buttons sewn on. Guess I've strayed from food, maybe I could fill the oven mitts with some mix.....brownie mix in a jar/bag.

[rhinopias]

I made Fig and Roasted Grape Chutney and Espresso Candied Walnuts both from this months Bon Appetit along with Cardamom squares with dark chocolate and espresso icing that I make every year. The chutney is great and very attractive in a glass jar.

[snowangel]

Felted oven mitts. I knit these (didn't cut them up from accidentally washed and dried wool sweaters). I must say that I don't know that I would have bought this yarn except it was $1.50 for an almost 400 yard skein for worsted weight wool.

The felted mitten is on the left; the other's are unfelted. The one in the middle was with two strands of wool, the one on the right with only one strand of wool.



The mitt knit with two strands of yarn was, when felted, a bit too thick and unweildy, but the one knit with one strand of yarn was perfect.

Stay tuned for a felted knit tea cozy and a trivet!

[Priscilla]

Susan I love that groovy variegated yard.

Could you explain what felting is? I can see the difference between them, and imagine that the extra thickness and tightness is what you're after. Is the shrinkage predictable, that is, can you know how much extra size to allow for so the finished product is just right? Reminds me of boiled wool jackets... probably a similar process, eh?

[onehsancare]

We made candy on Saturday:

filbert brittle (that's hazelnut brittle for you non-Oregonians )
peanut brittle
pecan caramel
plain caramel
walnut bars
English toffee

Still to do: cinnamon drops

[snowangel]

Susan I love that groovy variegated yard.

Could you explain what felting is?  I can see the difference between them, and imagine that the extra thickness and tightness is what you're after.  Is the shrinkage predictable, that is, can you know how much extra size to allow for so the finished product is just right?  Reminds me of boiled wool jackets... probably a similar process, eh?

Boiled wool is indeed the same thing as felted knitting. Did you even know that your boiled wool jacket probably started out as a way over-sized knit sweater? Or, that if you felted ("boiled") a square or rectangle of knit "fabric" that you could cut it and it wouldn't ravel?

Boiling the wool is a pain in the arse, and stinks, so now a days, most often they are run through the washing machine. I let them go through the rinse cycle, but not the spin cycle, and try and use a no-rinse wool washing detergent.

So, there is control. Wash, rinse, don't spin, check. Repeat until you have the necessary size. It is important if you are using a yarn with mohair to put the items in one of those zipper pillow protector thingies so that you don't clog up (read damage) your washing machine with mohair fibres.

It's also important that the yarn be 100% wool, or as close as you can get (remember, mohair qualifies as wool). My favorite yarns for felting have been this Plymouth Outback (what you see pictured) or Lamb's Pride. The Lamb's Price (by Brown Sheep Yarn, Co.) equates to worsted weight and their bulky to two strands of worsted weight knitted together.

One of the joys of feling is that it is very forgiving. Make a mistake? Who cares. No one will ever see it. Plus, in the case of the oven mitts, it is very thermal, and is actually rather water repellent, so if you happen to dab a portion of it into broth, you probably won't burn yourself.

Back to food. For stuff like nuts, etc., what are some good packaging options?

[JTravel]

Back to food. For stuff like nuts, etc., what are some good packaging options?

I thought this was fascinating....talk about dedication....someone documented the folding of paper "nut/seed" cones in markets of Eastern Europe. I practiced with scrap paper and got it about right. But I'm not sure what decorative holiday paper will be strong enough for wrapping Pille's cinnamon almonds. Freezer paper would be good, but not pretty. At our market they sell the almonds in the traditional clear cellophane? cones...but they are very long and skinny....don't know how to do those.

http://home.swipnet....d/conefold.html

I only have "after market (shrunk wook sweaters)" wool so not sure about pot holders. But in a store display I saw a tree with felted wool decorations....including a moose. Now if I can find the moose cookie cutter I'm set.

[Toliver]

Now if I can find the moose cookie cutter I'm set.

Google is your friend:
Moose Cookie Cutter: Fifth column, 4th row down.
There were quite a few sites that sold them when I Googled "moose cookie cutter".

[snowangel]

If you want to use a felted sweater (read one that accidentally went through the washer) to make potholders, mittens, ornaments, etc. remember that if the wool is well felted -- you can run it through the washer another time or two to make it extra felted. If it is well felted, you can cut it and sew it up since you won't have to worry that it will ravel.

[eskay]

Back to food.  For stuff like nuts, etc., what are some good packaging options?

I thought this was fascinating....talk about dedication....someone documented the folding of paper "nut/seed" cones in markets of Eastern Europe.  I practiced with scrap paper and got it about right.  But I'm not sure what decorative holiday paper will be strong enough for wrapping Pille's cinnamon almonds.  Freezer paper would be good, but not pretty. At our market they sell the almonds in the traditional clear cellophane? cones...but they are very long and skinny....don't know how to do those.

What if you had two layers, one freezer paper on the inside, and decorative paper on the outside?

[snowangel]

I've been on a roll. Never mind that the vest I'm knitting for my mother and the hat for Diana will be twofer gifts (show them the half-knitted thing this year as a gift, and give them the done deal next year ).

But, as to the oven mitts:



The one on the left is with two strands of worsted weight, the one on the right with one strand. Quite frankly, I like the one-strand better -- it leads to a more flexible oven mitt, although it is an oven mitt for a transfer, not something you'd want to stand and hold for an hour. I also made (but they are wrapped, and I'll be damned if I'm going to unwrap them...) some "trivets" out of the two strand method (bordering the varigated yarn with a solid color), and for those, the two strand method is a good thing. But, I did discover, by accident, that the two stranded mitts are quite water proof!

One of the other things I discovered by trial and error is that I like the look of an oven mitt better when the top of the hand decrease is done by the knit X number of stitches, K2T (knit two together) than the method by doing the decreases on either sideof the mitten. Less of a pointy top.

The other thing I made this year were some of these:



I am showing something that I received many, many years ago, and have loved and used time and time again. What I made is wrapped, and I'm not about to unwrap it. It is a pie holder, and one that will work well for a round casserole dish. Made out of quited fabric, and this time around, I quilted my own fabric (machine, what a lot of spools of thread I used!). Basically, the "floor" of the carrier is a 14" circle. The "sides" are cut to match, with a hole in the top. Easier to finish the four sides of the "sides" is bias tape. The handles are also of quilted fabric. The one photoed had that ttwo sided pre-quilted fabric, and the interior was exposed for the handles. Wide bias binding for the "rim" of the "sides" and narrow bias binding was used for the "cincher" although ribbon would work quite well. Note that the giver of this gift even included the safety pin she used to thread the "cincher" through the bias sleeve.

If anyone wants details on either of these projects, let me know.

Unlike food gifts, these will hang around for a long time, and if one uses the nice bold colors I do, they won't get lost in a drawer!

Edited to replace a photo with the correct one.

Edited by snowangel, 22 December 2007 - 10:05 PM.

[maggiethecat]

I love the felted oven mitts, but that quillted casserole carrier is the shit. Really. Please PM me the details!.

[snowangel]

but that quillted casserole carrier is the shit. Really. Please PM me the details!.

Maggie, I'll be making one more in right short order for a friend's birthday, and will post a tutorial, including measurements and photos, OK? It is 'da bomb, BTW, and Oh, So Simple and Useful. If you quilt your own fabric and have some batting on hand, the cost is next to nothing, except for thread!

[Stephanie Brim]

I saw the thread on making vanilla and it inspired me so much that I plan to jump on the bandwagon and do some for myself. But then it hit me: I could give it as Christmas gifts!

I would assume other people have done this same thing before. What else would you put in?

At the moment, the list I have is pretty sparse.

Two 4 ounce bottles of vanillas, one Madagascar Bourbon and one Tahitian.

Two small jars of vanilla sugar, one from each of the beans.

Jar of 5 vanilla beans of each kind.

Small book of recipes using each thing.

For my grandparents, my boyfriend's mother, and at least one of my uncles, I know this will be a welcome gift. For the other people, I think I may do other things. It's a simple idea, though, that will keep on giving. That is what I'd rather give.

Right now, though, I'm trying to find a basket that I could put it all in.