This year's food gifts

I like making small food gifts at this time of the year.  Last year, I was all about the popcorn - Jennie's maple version and Molly's caramel and peanut stuff. Yum.  This year I opted for gingerbread for friends and neighbors.  I used Jen's recipe and it is super easy and super delicious.  I made the labels in Illustrator and then used one of the Reprodepot designs on card stock as a band.

Fatty and I also exchange culinary gifts with my family.  I put up pickles this summer and saved a jar for each of my brothers and my parents.  Amisha's packaging was my inspiration for those jar lids, although hers are much better looking.  Fatty read about Giada's orangecello in the newspaper and decided that he was going to make that.  He did - yum.  I can't find a link, but it's similar to limoncello, just with oranges instead.  I also made some brioche because really, a jar of pickles isn't that difficult.  I used the recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  It looks delicious (no photos, though) - I'll report back after we taste it.

Do you cook or bake or make food gifts?  What consumables are you giving this year?

Comments

[chris carleton]

Oh heavens. You guys rocked this. Well done!

[Judy]

I gave my canned spaghetti sauce and canned apples to all my married children, along with a handmade dish towel and dish cloth. I love giving away consumable gifts.

[rachel]

these are such wonderful edible gifts. I used to make homemade truffles as gifts for our families, but got so tired of hearing about how everyone is watching their weight, blah blah blah that I quit.

[jess]

These look terrific!
I think it'll be caramel corn, peanut butter cups, gingerbread cookies and pumpkin whoopie pies from us this year.
I wish I had planned ahead enough to make some fruit-infused vodka this year, maybe next year. I love having that on hand and I think it would be a great gift.

[Erin]

Sounds delicious! I make food gifts for some of the staff I teach with, as well as my daughter's teachers. I bought glass jars last year thinking I would do the popcorn thing, but instead canned a LOT of peach salsa this summer to give away - yummy! I also make peanut butter fudge to give away - yes it's easy to make, but I only make it at Christmas time, so it's a special treat! Last year I made sticky buns for my neighbors, and gave them the baking directions so that they could make them whenever they wanted. This year we are making them pumpkin cranberry bread from the King Arthur Flour website. Happy Holidays!

[Jennie]

Oh my, everything looks wonderful. I especially love how you packaged the gingerbread. I haven't made much in the way of food, but I did make some of Molly's peppermint bark (swoon!) and will whip up several batches of my spiced pecans for gifts. I didn't get my act together to make the homemade vanilla extract from all the vanilla pods my best friend brought me back from India, but I figure that will be a good project to do in 2011.

[leslie]

okay... your packaging is so cute i would hate to open any of it!

[Suzanne]

Yummy! Your treats look tasty. I make homemade granola from an adaptation of Ina Garten's recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-granola-recipe/index.html.

[misty]

Wow. You go all out. I made Barefoot Contessa's Cherry, Almond, and Cinnamon granola for neighbors and family. It's super yummy and not something people get tons of (like cookies) and the only complaint I get is that they now have to get the recipe and make it for themselves all year.

[Beth]

Yum!!
I made brown sugar and vanilla body scrub and Molly's peppermint bark and caramel corn for friends, teachers, and family.

Is this the recipe Fatty used? http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/orangecello-recipe/index.html

[Dianne@sheepdreams]

I always make Bourbon Balls (a Kentucky specialty) and have added caramels to the goodie bags this year. Your packaging ideas are great.

[Bonnie]

My mom and I usually have a weekend cookie baking marathon: chocolate chip, ginger snaps, peanutbutter, oatmeal, freezer macaroons, sugar cookies etc. and give them to friends and family. I didn't realize how much people loved them until I didn't get around to the baking this year and heard the whining! = )

[Trisha]

We make cookies (just three kinds this year since I couldn't carve out a day for baking after we were all sick), spicy apple butter (in the crockpot!), and jams. Oh, and I made fruitcake (from the King Arthur mix plus some candied peel) back in November. We gave small fruitcakes to a couple of people, like Harry our UPS guy. Merry Christmas!

[carol]

I'm giving gingerbread caramels, rum balls and buckeyes...I LOVE giving food gifts!

[Amanda Profumo]

Hi Erin! I love to bake this time of year... my favorite thing to give is a packet of Starbuck's Via and a bundle of molases cookies. Perfect for a cold, winter afternoon!
Your food gifts are darling- love the wrapping! Merry Christmas!
XO, Amanda

[tara thayer]

i've made batches and batches of granola (for the teachers...) and those easy peasy pretzel/hug things. next up (today! if i get my act in gear...) are spicy pecans for the neighbors. and i'm going to try molly's chocolate blocks, but don't have a double boiler. do you think i can melt the chocolate in the microwave for that?
and most likely more granola, too. it's my go to this year (for every occasion, it seems.)
love the labels so much, erin.
xoxo,
tara

[mommycoddle]

i love these ideas, erin. I may have to do some of jen's gingerbread this afternoon, too. the girls are going to decorate the tree at my grandfather's farm, so i'm hoping to get some gift-giving baking in, while they are away. And granola...my go-to every year.

And I LOVE the tags. It reminded me that I have those reprodepot books, too. I'll have to put them to use!

[amisha]

everything looks so good, erin! and of course seeing those washi tape labels makes me smile :)
and you know what we've been up to :) all sorts of jam... cardamom plum, peach, ginger pear, grapefruit marmalade, tomato basil...plus candied grapefruit peel. this weekend i made up a batch of peppermint bark for neighbors and coworkers. and several different types of soap to go along with... i think of that as consumable too :)
i love hearing what everyone else is making too. lots of great ideas for next year!
xo

[alexia]

wow, how fun! Looks amazing!
I made homemade oreos from the smitten kitchen's recipe and will make peppermint bark this afternoon! I really wanted to try my aunt's limoncello recipe this year but I didn't start early enough!

[Caroline]

This year I made chai concentrate from this recipe http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2008/06/recipe_detail.html?id=7109
and gave it to my friends with some nice black tea. For family I made some chocolate covered pretzels to much on in between rounds of snowshoeing and sledding on Christmas Day.

[Sarah]

Wow now I'm hungry :) I gave Peanut butter balls or I've heard them called buckeyes too. Rocky Road and no bake chocolate cookies...basically fudge with oatmeal in it. I do this for work friends usually.

[tracy]

I do cookies every year, since I was in high school and couldn't afford to buy gifts for people. This year the gifts are going to be elderberry syrup and maybe some cranberry chutney, though. It was nice to have gifts made and done before it was even winter!

[Millie]

I made red-currant jelly with port for a few friends who cook...it is supposed to be great mixed in the gravy for Christmas dinner.

[Ann]

I am about to make some mince-pies, but reading all your delicious ideas I might just change my mind and make something else.
Happy cooking

[natalie]

that orangecello looks amazing! i love the bottles and labels.

we did caramels and white chocolate candy cane popcorn for our neighbors.

[Pam]

Your labels are awesome! I made several tins of Molly's cacao nib wheat cookies -- we love eating the extras. And today feels like a good day for her peppermint bark. Food gifts are so much fun.

[Kristianna]

I have made some blondies and cookies to send to family far away, and given red lentil soup makings in a jar (just add broth, more or less), and the awesome granola SouleMama shared last week.

Your popcorn sounds good... might have to do that for some neighbors. :)

http://muffeeeeeeee.blogspot.com/2010/12/oh-so-good-quick-easy.html

[Heather]

Wow, orangecello what a great idea! I wish I had time to make it for this year :) I am determined to make some for my husband's birthday though - I was just wondering, how long does it keep and does it need to be refrigerated or is it just like commercially made liquor that you can keep out at room temperature?

[Frogdancer]

This year it's home made soap.

[Krista - Poppyprint]

LOVE sharing consumables. I made jars of spiced nuts this year. I am going to investigate orangecello!

[andrea]

Oh my. everything looks delicious!

[Corinne]

Oh my goodness, Erin...I used the very SAME dill pickle recipe for the first time this summer, too, and it is fantastic!!! We grow our own cukes for the pickles, and I made MANY jars of bread and butter pickles, dill pickles, and Southern lime pickles (very crunchy and similar to icicle pickles) to enjoy through the year, as well as to share with my seven children and their families! I also baked nearly 50 dozen cookies of different kinds for enjoyment through the holidays and to send as gifts to my children who cannot "come home" this year. I also made a quilt for my youngest son and his new wife and a new "blankie" for my little "granddog"...smile! Home made gifts bless both the giver and the recipient and make the holidays bright! Love your blog, and I send my very best wishes to you for a happy healthy New Year!!

[Molly]

I am loving those labels. I always fall down on that bit.

We rather love the Artisan in 5 brioche -- though we've only ever used it to make cinnamon rolls. YUM.

[Claire]

Hi Erin, Happy Christmas to you and your family. I have made three traditional Christmas cakes as gifts (I'm English) the cake is popular at this time of year. Love you blog.

[PioneerValleyGirl]

These sound lovely! I love giving food gifts. By far the mos well-received gift I give every year is cookies for my grandfather from my great-grandmother (his mother's) recipe.

[Allison]

We've made limoncello in the past and it was a huge, huge hit (martha stewart recipe). Since we haven't planned that far ahead in a few years we've done spiced nuts (a sweet version of pecans and a rosemary and spice mixed nut version), and this year it was homemade marshmallows (alton brown) and hot chocolate on a stick. I really want to learn how to can, I just get intimited by it. Happy holidays!

[Gina]

We are doing pretzels dipped in caramels & then chocolate, last rolled into nuts. My husband who is really the cookie monster under all that man, will be getting yummies presents too. Kids and I will be doing his either today or tomorrow.
Merry, Merry Christmas to YOU & your family Erin!

[Melissa H]

I did some pomegranate and jalapeno jellies which make a nice red/green christmas duo. Other than that not much in the way of culinary gifts. Oh, except my MIL is getting a giant basket of meyer lemons from our tree and my dad is getting a recipe book i put together for him since he's getting into cooking.

[designinbloom]

Those all look so cute...and delicious! I have made the brioche from Artisan Bread and no worries, it always tastes great!

[Karen]

Thanks for sharing all the recipes, labels, pictures, etc. As a matter of fact, I am giving consumables this year, apple butter, peach preserves, and plum conserve. The peach is my favorite!

[Ula]

Looks great! I plan to take the kids caroling on Christmas Eve and give out some of my husbands special chocolate chip cookies. Gotta love a man who can bake. :)

[molly]

mmmm, i want to try some of that orangecello! we've got a box of lemons waiting to be limoncelloed, but that will have to wait til next week. tonight avery and i are making marshmallows. they'll be wrapped up in large mason jars and delivered to neighbors.

[Tracy]

I LOVE lemoncello and have always wanted to make it but I am pregnant this year so no go for me. I bet organgecello is delish! I made three different jams and apple butter to give as gifts this year. We are giving strawberry, blueberry, peach and, of course, the apple butter. I am also knitting one niece (24 yo) a cowl and stitching the other (4 yo) a pillow with The Little Mermaid and doing a fleece princess blanket. Oh, and the grandma's are getting my 1 year olds hand print in sculpy clay. That's the extent of our homemade gifts this year.

[Pepper Glenn]

That looks tasty! I had to look up what Orangecello was but now I am totally going to try a recipe out. I love the labels that you put on your bottles.
Every year I gift neighbors and friends with edibles that the children and I have made. There are a couple old standbys like blackberry eggnog or (real) fruitcake, but this year we also included chai crescents and jam from apricots that we had harvested from our own (sporadic) trees.
In my opinion, a tasty gift is the very best kind!

[geek+nerd]

I love how you packaged everything! After seeing the gingerbread picture, I was inspired to do a similar wrapping for my food gifts this year. I gave brownies, made in a 9x13, but cut in half for each household. I use a Nigella Lawson recipe that is out of control! 3 sticks of butter, 6 eggs and a whole bag of Ghiradelli bittersweet chips. MMMMM! Hope you had a Merry Christmas!

[Anna]

Love the labels. It all sounds so yummy. I wanted to make faworki and mulling spices but ran out of time. We did however, make birdseed ornaments. Including some for our own yard.

[sarah]

yes, though mine aren't as pretty as yours =) I gave rhubarb-champagne jam, wild forest berry jam (thimbleberry, salmonberry, huckleberry, and wild mountain blackberries foraged in the woods of Western Washington), wild nootka rosehip jam (rosehips also foraged in the woods), smokey peach chutney and watermelon rind pickles.

I also made salted chocolate caramels to tuck in with all the jars =)

[Joscelyn]

I kept it simple this year and made this super simple
3 ingredient 3 minute microwave fudge and some chocolate and m&m pretzel poppers. The one home made gifts I got completed this year