Holiday Gift Giving

[jess]

Hey,

I wanted to see what great ideas or traditions everyone has for gift-giving around the holidays. Last year I slaved away for weeks making about 15 different cookies, and while it was rewarding, I'd prefer to take a more mellow route this year.

I was thinking of panettones, or fruitcake, but the latter has such a stigma attached to it that I'm weary to try it. I was also thinking of some savory preserves or chutneys that would be good a nice gift of cheese and wine, since some people get sick of so many sweets around the Holidays.

I like to start stocking up on ingredients early, so I'm trying to narrow it down before the Holiday rush.

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!

Jessica

[onesmartcookie]

I'm interested to hear what people have to say about this as well...as a very poor recent college grad, I am all about giving homeade baked goods away as gifts. But that's about all I've ever done--last year I made a loaf of eggnog bread for my eggnog-obsessed sister, some traditional Mexican wedding cookies for my mom, and Ina Garten's Toasted coconut jam thumbprint cookies for my dad. (and that was it...)

I'm 23 and poor, what can I say. =)

[Jellund]

My Mum just emailed me a recipe for homemade Kahlua, I am thinking of making some and bottling into 500ml bottles, decorating with Christmas stickers and ribbon and handing that out as presents.

[tess]

I'm a poor college student, so I've invested in about 5 bottle of sauvignon blanc a bottle of vodka, sugar, and a whole lot of citrus fruit -- I'm in the process of semi-fermenting my own vin de pamplemousse to bottle and give away.

[jess]

Tess,

What is Vin de Pamplemousse? From the ingredients, it sound pretty tasty. What's the process?

Jess

[tess]

jess,

I'm following a recipe I found in Chez Panisse:Fruit.

It pretty much follows as such:

5*750ml bottles sauvignon blanc
~3c vodka (80 proof)
4 pink grapefruit
2 white grapefruit
2 meyer lemons or 2 eating oranges
1-2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean

or thereabouts. Everything depends on your own preferences, so if you like it sweet, add more sugar and eating oranges, or if you like it a little tart add more lemons and grapefruit. You're supposed to taste it every week, add more vodka, sugar, and fruit as you see fit for a month in the fridge, and then when you're ready to bottle, remove the fruit, strain out the bits with cheesecloth, and then let the sediment settle and pour out the liquid, keep refrigerated. I'll probably pass this out to my less alcoholic friends who more likely to sip than chug.

[vici]

One year for Christmas I wrote out some of my favorite recipes in calligraphy, then took them to the printers and made reduced-size copies. I bound the recipes in a little 5x7 book. I made the book covers from illustration board, wallpaper and ribbon. The books were well-received and some even got used. I even sent one to MKF Fisher and she sent me a really sweet letter...
That was a long time ago. If I were to make a cookbook today, I'd do it on the computer (so many lovely fonts)...
I enjoy giving cookies, more than I like to receive them. I don't know why this is...I have made notes on my calendar to give cookies by first week in December...I think the general populace tires of receiving them, soon after this date.

When I have money, I like to give each person on my list: a pound of coffee beans, a xmas CD and an ornament, packaged in a fun and pretty way...v

[bloviatrix]

I'm thinking of making preserves this year. I recently picked up a copy of Gourmet Preserves by Madeline Bullwinkel and she's got some wonderful recipes. I was always intimidated by the idea of "canning" but now that I've tried it, it's really easy.

[rockchick]

It's funny that this is now a topic. I just got commissioned by an on-line zine to write an article about this, so I'm interested in everyone's responsives. I was thinking of showcasing mustards, fruit butters and jams, and maybe some chocolate covered oreos (even though I'm not a fan), cause they're easy and everyone likes 'em. There is always the cookie jar recipe, which my friends love to get for gifts.

[jegesmedve]

Hi Jess,

I recently learned about cookie swaps where you get together with some friends or family and swap cookies for more variety. However, if the people that you would invite to a cookie swap are the same ones that you would want to give the cookies to, then this wouldn't quite work out.

-Grace

Last year I slaved away for weeks making about 15 different cookies, and while it was rewarding, I'd prefer to take a more mellow route this year.

[blintz]

back to the original fruitcake question. there's a side recipe in the Once Upon a Tart cookbook, next to the carrot cake muffin recipe, that is a carrot cake with a lot more dried fruit added in, and it sounds like a delicious alternative to the more traditional fruitcake.

gingerbread or decorated gingerbread cookies are great gifts and sometimes improve with age.

one year i went to Chinatown and got lots of interesting invidvidually wrapped cakes, cookies and crackers, and some candies, and arranged them in pretty colored boxes that i got at the art supply store. but that was a while ago and lot of work!

[Mithrasana]

I've never had the time to make presents, but it's something I want to try this year. When I was young, my mom always did the classic homebaked apple pie for friends of the family. My godmother used to knit me a bunch of little mini-stockings that I would fill with small candies and candy canes to pass out to my class (I was in elementary school). So if you're crafty like that and have the time, that may be an idea (but on a larger scale, of course....with candies and fruits). Also, a friend of mine would buy large mugs, pack them with packs of cocoa, candy canes, and cinnamon sticks, wrap them in cellophane and tie a pretty ribbon around them. That can be used with gourmet coffees and teas as well.

[ebenko]

Last year I made bark. It's so easy and everyone was so impressed. I made peppermint with white and dark chocolate layered together with crushed candy canes ahd peppermint extract, and cherry almond with 85% semi-sweet and 15% milk chocolate, a little dash of almond extract and chopped almonds and dried cherries. I made it with high quality chocolate so it didn't end up being cheap, but as I said it was so easy and such a time saver that I'd definitely do it again. I made a bunch early in the season and packed it in celophane baggies with nice labels and made sure to grab a few each time I left the house so I'd be sure to always have some on hand to give out when I ran into friends and family.

[barbara_ann]

Hello all,
I stumbled across your site today searching for recipes online, so Hello!!

For the last 3 years I have been giving goodies for Christmas presents to family and friends. I started because we barely had enough money to give the kids a decent Christmas and I love giving presents. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year!

I make a combination of candies and cookies. My great-grandmother's recipe for Martha Washington candies is a given and the rest I've experimented with. Here's what I my usual list. I try to make some new if something the year before doesn't go well. Like last year I tried the "stained glass" cookies, they were pretty but didn't taste all that great. The kids liked them but hey it was cookies!

List:
1. Martha Washington Candies - these candies are a tradition in my family, it's a ball candy, almost like a nougant or a cream I guess, using powered sugar and walnuts and after you form the balls they're dipped in a chocolate-parafin mixture. They just melt in your mouth. I have to try hard to keep my husband out of the tins!
2. Rum Balls with spiced rum
3. Chocolate truffles (simple recipe with cream and rolled in cocoa)
4. Lemon Raspberry Thumprint cookies - Recipe from Emeril's cooking show, I have requests every year to repeat this one.
5. Lacy Chocolate Orange Cranberry wafers (I don't know if I'll repeat this one this year. was a Ladies Home Journal recipe)
6. Sesame Lace Cookies - Made this one 3 years ago and may do it again this year. Very delicate and light cookie. (ladies home journal recipe)
7. Haystacks - if you're not familar with this type of candy it's chow mein noodles and peanuts using melted chocolate (or butterscotch)
8. Sugar cookie cutouts of course so the kids can be involved too and have left overs to give to Santa.

I tend to go to our local discount (I go to Big Lots or sometimes called Odd Lots) and around the beginning of November the mark down their holiday boxes and candy tins. I line the inside with tissue paper to make a bed for the candies and wrap in plastic wrap a few candies and tie with curling ribbon and I printed out on the computer labels. I put a sample of each thing wrapped in it's own plastic and tie the box or tin with ribbons. Last year I used raffia. It makes a nice presentation.

Since I have a newborn I'm going to try to limit some things this year. I experimented with banana breads. I made some various banana bread recipes in mini-loaves. These can be made ahead of time and frozen. I did some chocolate chip ones and a fruit cake type on with raisins and marichino cherries that turned out really yummy. I start about 2 weeks before I give out the presents. The cookies I make last because the candies will keep for quite a while if they're stored right. I also have a family "Christmas Cake" which is a fruit cake that I may try to to this year instead of some of the cookies.

My family and friends now look forward to their boxed goodies and it's so much easier than figuring out what to buy for them since they have about everything! If anyone is interested in my recipes please don't hesitate to ask!

[raquel]

There is a really great book called "Homemade: Delicious Food to Make and Give" by Judith Chaote. It is a beautiful book with lots of yummy recipes and gift wrapping ideas. I plan to use it solely for my gift-giving treats this year.

Vici-I love the idea of a homemade cookbook! I may have to steal that idea!

Onesmartcookie-don't be shy about what you gave, homemade gifts are the best! The time and the thought you put into them are what really counts the most!

Rockchick-I've seen chocolate chip cookies half dipped in chocolate, Yum! Another easy one is chocolate covered pretzels, those are always a hit. For another take, try pretzel rods half dipped in chocolate then rolled in green and red sprinkles. Bags of spiced nuts or chex mix it another easy one.

Barbara-Ann - I would love to have the recipe for the Martha Washingtons and the Lemon and Rasberry thumbprints! Those sound delicious!