Giving food as gifts has been a tradition at this little place here. Actually, from before that. I remember baking cookies with my mother to give to friends, neighbors, and teachers when I was young. My first Christmas on my own, I gave everyone cookies, fudge and peanut brittle because it was about all I could afford (ingredients are cheap, and I had tons of time back then).
Food is a sure-fire gift. I mean, who doesn't eat? Who doesn't appreciate free food? Especially those who don't have the time or inclination (I won't say talent, because I truly believe it's a skill that can be developed through time and inclination) to bake or cook.
If you are looking for inspiration on what to give for the holidays, here are some examples of things that we've given as gifts through the years. I'll even throw in a few recipes for you :0)
Candies:
chocolate fudge, chocolate walnut fudge, orange chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge, toffee, peanut brittle, buckeyes, chocolate dipped pretzels.
None of these are very hard to make. Toffee is a breeze, taking less than 10 minutes, and only four ingredients. Peanut brittle takes a bit longer, and I recommend having a candy thermometer to help with the different additions at different temps.
Toffee
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Butter a 9"x9"x2" square pan. Spread pecans evenly in bottom of pan. In a small saucepan, heat butter and brown sugar to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 7 minutes (make sure to time this) and keep stirring constantly. At the end of 7 minutes, immediately spread mixture evenly over pecans in square pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Cover with a cookie sheet. Let stand 1 minute to soften chips. Remove cookie sheet, spread the now melted chocolate over candy. While still hot, cut into serving size pieces (or not, sometimes I forget to do this and end up breaking it into pieces later). Refrigerate (or stick outside in winter) until firm.
It's that easy.
Pies:
apple, pecan, pumpkin, rhubarb (using rhubarb from freezer, who doesn't love a rhubarb pie when rhubarb is out of season?)
Breads:
cinnamon bread, whole wheat bread, asiago cheese bread, herb bread, banana bread, pumpkin bread
Cinnamon bread is really easy to do, especially if you are used to making breads with yeast. Basically, you make white bread dough (or, I suppose, buy bread dough from the store), roll each 'loaf' of dough flat into an 8"x15" rectangle, sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of cold water, sprinkle over that a mixture of 2 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Starting at one short side, roll dough tightly, sealing seam when you get to the other short side. Put in a greased bread pan, seam side down, cover with a cloth, rise in a warm place 30-60 minutes, then bake for 25 minutes in a 425 degree oven (bottom rack of oven, please). When done baking, remove from pan immediately to wire cooling rack. While still hot, butter the top.
Cookies:
frosted sugar cookies, thumbprint cookies, candy cane cookies, gingerbread men, double chocolate treasures, spritz cookies, pfeffernusse cookies. . .
Double Chocolate Treasures:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2c rolled oats (Quaker oats, etc)
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan over low heat, melt 1 cup of chocolate chips. Stir until smooth, cool slightly. Beat together butter & sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs, vanilla and melted chocolate. Add dry ingredients, except powdered sugar, then stir in remaining cup of chocolate chips.
Shape dough into 1" balls, roll in powdered sugar, coating balls heavily. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet, then remove to wire cooling rack.
Jar Mixes:
hot cocoa, brownies, cowboy cookies, M&M cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, chili macaroni dinner, stroganoff dinner, chicken dinner. . .the list goes on and on.
It's amazing all the dry ingredients you can stick in a jar that the recipient can add eggs, oil, etc to, stir together, and bake up at home. Kids especially seem to love to get these jar mixes because it is an easy way for them to 'cook' their own treats. Search online for recipes, that's how I got all of mine (with the exception of the dinner mixes, that's something I created on my own to sell at the farmers' market. . .)
Homemade Jams:
strawberry, blackberry, tart cherry (tastes like cherry pie), sweet cherry, peach.
We've also given things like venison summer sausage, and homemade venison jerky (I'd post that recipe, but I think DH would kill me; it's his own top secret creation).
This year I'm thinking of giving "breakfast baskets": making pancake mix (add eggs, milk and oil later), and giving that with a pint of the maple syrup I made this past spring. If the chickens cooperate (they aren't laying at the moment) I might put farm fresh eggs in there too. Or perhaps I'll make a bunch of bagels of various flavors and give those along with some spreadable cream cheese. Next year I'd like to try my hand at cheese making, so maybe next Christmas I'll be giving gift baskets of homemade cheese, crackers, and venison sausage.
The possibilities for food gifts are endless.
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