Handmade Christmas Gifts
Easy to Make Christmas Presents
Some people may think that giving handmade Christmas gifts means that you are a cheapskate or something.
Personally, I believe that giving your family and friends something that is made of quality ingredients and took a little time to put together, is far more thoughtful and loving than giving them a packet of bath salts and a new hanky.
This year I'm making Christmas presents in my kitchen.
There are loads of easy to make Christmas presents that you can make at home with very little skill or time needed.
I love to cook and I get really fed up with the poor quality rubbish that most supermarkets sell as gourmet.
You can't beat really good, homemade flavored oils.
I love to cook with them. I love the look of them on my kitchen cabinet, and if I can bear to part with them, I love to give them as gifts.
So, here are two of my favorite recipes to try out for free.
Before You Start:
TIP: make sure the bottles are really clean and that the lids fit tightly.
TIP: use the best quality oils you can get. Nothing will disguise the taste of flaccid, bland, generic brand olive oil.
mixed herb oil
3 cups olive oil
1 cup plain vegetable oil
1/2 cup fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh thyme, stripped from twigs
1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
2 teaspoons celery seeds, bruised with a rolling pin
Mix all ingredients together a large storage bottle (or divide evenly between 2 or 3).
Clip on the lid and leave the mixture in a warm place for 2 weeks.
Make sure you shake the bottle once every day, or so.
Strain the oil to remove the spent herbs and pour into the bottles you have chosen for your gifts.
Add a fresh sprig of thyme to each bottle for decoration.
Seal the bottles and label.
chili explosion
2 cups safflower oil
1/2 cup dried chilies
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup fresh ginger
24 black peppercorns
6 cloves of garlic
1 medium sized white onion, chopped
Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan until hot.
Meanwhile, pound the chili , ginger, peppercorns and garlic together in a mortar and pestle.
If you don't have a mortar and pestle, just crush and bruise them well with a rolling pin. (May help to scream the name of someone you dislike while you do this. Just a thought.)
Take the oil off the heat and stir in the onion and the chili mix.
Pour it into a bowl, or just leave it in the saucepan, and allow it to steep for 24 hours.
Strain the oil to remove the solids and pour it into your gift bottles.
Add some decoration. A single fresh chili in each bottle looks pretty, or some slices of ginger and a few black peppercorns.
Seal the bottles and add a warning to the label that it is HOT!!!
Why not give these recipes a try this Christmas. There's no doubt in my mind that handmade Christmas gifts can be gourmet, stylish and fun.
They can also turn out to be inexpensive which is a real bonus. Just don't skimp on the ingredients and you'll get a top quality result.
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