Posts from the ‘Seasonal’ Category

Spotlighting Hosting Gifts For The Holidays

We’re entering the busiest season of the year commercially and socially. One major festive holiday in a month requires planning, this month, in many countries, there are two; one of them associated with presents and both with parties. Perhaps it’s the increased emphasis on “The season of giving”; perhaps it’s heightened awareness of the stress of entertaining,  with the current focus  on a hands-on approach to preparations by the hosts, but nowadays guests feel  obligated to bring a hostess gift to each event. The old stand-bys wine, flowers and candy seem time-worn and trite. People want gifts that seem more sincere and personal. Enter the home-made specialty. However, there are certain rules to follow in giving the home-made gift.

1) A homemade gift is acceptable as long as it’s appropriate for the occasion, the recipient and in its presentation.
Homemade gifts other than commemorative ones aren’t usually acceptable for ceremonial or formal occasions. They are also considered out of place in a professional relationship, because they signify a more personal connection, unless it is something you know will be specifically welcome. Using one of the recipes I’m giving here, to illustrate, if you brought a jug of your Chai Tea to the company picnic last summer, and your boss raved about it, a jar of the mix would be a good gift.  It’s important when considering giving a homemade gift to determine its reception. Otherwise it might be considered at best a cheap way out or at worst a slight.

2) Even in non-professional situations it’s important to know in advance if your gift will be well received.
Make an effort to learn if the person you are gifting has allergies or diet preferences as well as their likes and dislikes. I’m not saying become snoopy dog, but ask others who know this person, or better yet, hold off on the homemade things until you know the giftee better yourself. Incidentally, this is true of any hosting gift. Many things, scented items, potpourri, candles, live arrangements and many foods, can set off allergies. So do your homework and don’t just listen to the T.V. guru’s suggestions
Learning about the recipient might earn you brownie points too. A friend used my recipe for mint sauce for her husband who is diabetic. When she found out that her biggest client’s daughter had it, she gave him a bottle with a list of suggested uses. Ever since she makes 6 bottles for him every Christmas and the account is hers for life.
Most parents of small children avoid feeding them nuts, so a tin of roasted almonds might not be well received in that home.

3) The gift should be appropriate to the timing of the occasion.
Don’t hand a host or hostess something that will demand attention in the midst of a crowded gathering or be awkward for them to deal with at the moment.  Cut flowers need water, large baskets or plants need space and food that has to be temperature controlled requires special treatment. No matter how much thought and work you’ve invested in the offering, your efforts will not be truly appreciated. In fact, they may be remembered in a negative way as having caused an inconvenience.
Also take into consideration the type of occasion and personality of the host or hostess when planning your gift.  If it’s an event where they will probably offer to share, be sure you’ve provided enough.

4) Above all, if you are giving a homemade gift, take care with its presentation.
Make sure it looks professionally turned out. That doesn’t mean “commercial” but simply that it has “eye appeal” that makes one want to open it. Don’t just grab a jar off the pantry shelf, or stuff the almonds in a bag. If it’s a jar or bottle, cover the top with a nice piece of cloth or paper secured with a ribbon. If using a tin, buy a new one, seal around the closure with neatly applied scotch tape and top with a big bow. Be sure to attach a label or tag identifying the contents and, if necessary, an index card listing suggested uses. Smaller bottles look well displayed on colored “grass” in a basket wrapped much like Easter ones.  Jars can be placed in bottle bags. All of the wrappings can be found in a dollar store and with minimal effort the humblest things can be glamorized

5) The last consideration when contemplating giving a homemade gift is quantity.
Excess signals that you undervalue the product, too little looks cheap or stingy. The best thing to do is comparative price shop in stores. See what that product, or a similar one, in different quantities costs. If there are choices, pick the upper price range for your calculations. Estimate the amount you feel appropriate for the gift and then research a few commercial brands to learn the quantity available at your chosen price. The answer is the quantity you should give.  An example is the roasted, salted almonds.  Raw the price is about $10.00 per lb. Gourmet, cooked and gift wrapped their price is between $30.00 and $40.00 per pound. Granted the recipient knows the nuts are home cooked, but your effort is worth the price difference, especially since these are better than the commercial brands. So you must determine if you want to give circa $40.00 or circa $80.00.
It doesn’t have to be just one product either. I often give some of these items singly as token thank-you gifts, but just as often combine several to lend variety into a real present. The gift must suit the individual purpose and each is different.

Below are some of my favorite “gifting” recipes.  All have a long shelf life but the watermelon pickle and bread need refrigeration. The bread needs at least two months to “age”. The pickle and the mint sauce can, and should be made several months ahead by those in colder climates. The Granola and the nuts have a shelf life of a month and should be made in the week prior to giving them. The nuts are the priciest commercially as compared to homemade, so the most impressive gift in that respect.

CHRISTMAS BREAD:

This is kinda cheating because it’s based on two boxed Quick Bread mixes. I like Cranberry and Pumpkin, but have used Date and Nut as well. In fact, I might add them if I were to make more than 2 loaves. I do add dried fruits and nuts to the mix but don’t really measure them. I combine the dry mixes of the same brand, in a bowl and add the total required ingredients.  I substitute red wine for half the water required then add the other ingredients and any add-ins. I decorate and bake as directed in two loaf pans-one per box of mix used. When the loaves are cool, I sprinkle the tops with about 2 Tbs. of whiskey, cover them in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator. I bake them in October and over the next months I repeat the whiskey “shower” every couple of weeks. However, these also make excellent breakfast bread. The loaves I intend for that I don’t sprinkle with whiskey but depend on the wine used in the mixing to preserve them. People who normally hate fruitcake like this, especially with a cup of coffee or tea because it has a lighter texture.
NOTE: This batter rises, so any heavy decorations, nut halves, candied cherries should be placed about halfway through the baking or to they will be absorbed into the loaf.

ROASTED ALMONDS:
You need to buy the Raw, Natural Almonds in skins for  this
1 tsp. butter per pound of nuts
Salt to liberally cover=several tablespoons
Cover the almonds with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 -4 min. until some nuts start to float. Working a batch at a time rinse the nuts under cold water and remove the skins by squeezing them. The nut will pop out of its skin. Preheat the oven to 350 deg. Melt the butter on a foil covered cookie sheet. Toss the skinned nuts in the butter and bake them until golden to light brown, tossing occasionally, about 30 min. Watch carefully toward the end because they will burn quickly. Roll the nuts onto paper towels and liberally sprinkle with salt. Cool and place in jars. Allow to stand uncovered several hours. Cover and store in a cool dark place. Will keep about 6 weeks. I use glass jars for storage, but for gifts I buy tins that hold either 1 or 2 pounds.  At Christmas, I fill decorative mugs with nuts, seal them with plastic wrap and top with a bow. They make great informal gifts.

CHAI TEA
Although there are plenty of recipes out there for instant chai tea, I think they miss the mark. They require several powdered commercial products, including the tea, are pre-sweetened and you end up spooning a finished mixture into water. This is O.K. if you want to make it for yourself, but as a present, it’s like giving someone a jar of instant coffee. It’s far more elegant to give a jar of actual tea with spices that can be steeped and flavored to order, and more economical too– commercial add-ins cost money. Use black tea leaves or if you can only find blended, opt for a breakfast one. Avoid green tea. Its flavor is too weak to stand up to the spices.

1 cup tea leaves
12 whole cloves
12 cardamom pods – slightly crushed
4 cinnamon sticks broken in pieces
2 inches of peeled ginger root chopped
6 whole black peppercorns (optional)
6 whole allspice (optional)
The two options are nods to the fact that chai tea is popular throughout Asia and the recipe differs from country to country. I use both. FOR A GIFT: place everything together in a jar with a tight lid and attach brewing instructions. TO BREW: Sprinkle 2 Tbs. tea over 1 cup cold water. Allow to boil for 30-45 sec. Then steep for 4 min. Strain and pour into 2 cups. Add milk to equal 2 cups and sugar to taste. Serve cool

GRANOLA CRISPS
Another “gourmet” food that is expensive to buy commercially but inexpensive and easy to make.
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1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar packed
6 Tbs. butter (1/2 lb.) butter melted
½ cup water
Pinch salt
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Whisk the dry ingredients together with  the butter into hot water, then pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and mix well, incorporating any add-ins  using as many of them as you like. Spread the batter out on cookie sheets and bake until light brown and crisp, about  ½ hr. Cool on the sheets, break into pieces and store in air-tight containers.  I find tins do well for this.
ADD-INS; Shredded coconut, raisons, dried cranberries or other dried fruits, peanuts, almonds or other nuts, sunflower or  toasted sesame seeds, and/or spices like cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

MINT SAUCE:
4 cups fresh mint –tough  stems removed
Cider vinegar to cover
Sugar or substitute such as Splenda, to taste
Simmer the mint and vinegar in a pot until the leaves are cooked, about 8 min. Add sweetener to taste as the mint cooks. Do not over do. This should be sweet-sour when finished. Remove from heat, cool and process or blend until the mint is finely ground. Correct taste and pour into clean glass bottles. Let stand, uncapped until completely cool, cap and store in a dark, dry, cool place. Keeps for two years or more.
Use in salads, on cooked vegetables and to marinate or baste meat.
NOTE: I use sterilized salad dressing bottles.

WATERMELON PICKLE:
1 Watermelon- Green rind peeled and meat removed. White rind cut in 1 inch cubes.
1 cup cider vinegar per pound
1 cup water per pound
1 ½ cup sugar per pound
3 inches stick cinnamon per pound
4 cloves per pound
1 Tbs. sliced ginger root per pound
Cover melon cubes with salted water and soak for 2 hrs. Drain and rinse well.  Boil in fresh water until half tender, about 10 min. Drain again and rinse in cool water. Weigh melon and measure the other ingredients into a pot accordingly and boil them for about ½ hr. until a syrup forms. Add drained melon rind and boil for another 10 min. or until rind is crisp-tender. Allow to cool and pack cubes with syrup, including spices, to cover, into glass jars with secure fitting lids. Store refrigerated

CHUTNEY: Makes 1 1/3 cups
2cups peeled, cored and chopped apples
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup raisins
1/3 cup cider vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
2 Tbs. candied citron*
1 Tbs. curry powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
2cloves garlic-minced
Put everything into a pot and cook over low heat for 50 min. stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Cool and pour into jars of about 4 oz. each. This keeps for months in a cool dry place but once open , refrigeratee.

*Candied citron in the main ingredient in the candied  fruits sold for Christmas baking. Related to the lime it’s the palest of the fruits in the mix.