I discovered limoncello years ago in Italy and have been hooked ever since. But I’d never heard of Limoni di Sicilia, a lemon liqueur made by Averna, an old well-known Italian brand. The kind folks at Averna recently sent me a box of their wonderful libations and I’ve been sipping Limoni’s lovely nectar almost nightly.

At first I thought Limoni was just limoncello rebranded. But, no, there are differences, especially in the distillation. Limoni is distilled from the juice of Sicilian lemons, making it a more pure lemon digestivo. Limoncello, on the other hand, is made from the peels of lemons that are infused in grain alcohol. Limoncello is often a bright lemony yellow, whereas Limoni has a softer paler shade. It’s as if the former is the outgoing one at the party, while the latter smiles demurely and speaks with a sultry whisper. Both are sweet, citrusy and delicious over ice. The thing I love about Limoni, however, are its beautiful floral notes and pure, clean lemon flavor.

It goes down a little too easily…

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Then I suddenly stopped my negative thought train and said to myself, “Whoa, slow down there, Turbo! There’s no need to give Le Creuset pots and Nintendo Wii for Christmas this year. Just give something from the heart.”

Isn’t that what the spirit of Christmas is all about anyway? Sure, it’s easy to go online and click! click! our way through our holiday shopping lists, but spending a few hours (or even just a couple) crafting something lovingly with your own hands…now that is a gift.

So I’ve taken a few of our Foodista reader favorites, plus a few more, and wrapped them up in a tidy little gift idea list. All of them are easy. Some so easy you will squeal giddily, others requiring a bit more time, but most importantly, all are sure to please.

Top Ten Homemade Gift Ideas
*See below for packaging resources

1. Kathy’s Biscotti – this is about the best darn biscotti recipe ever. I give them every year for Christmas.
2. Red Pepper Jelly – always a beautiful gift and just the thing to have on hand for entertaining.
3. Dukkah – an Egyptian treat, this delicious and fragrant blend of ground nuts, seeds, and spices is all the rage.
4. Harissa – just the thing for those who like it hot!
5. Gourmet Salts – for three outstanding varieties get out a big bowl and simply mix Kosher salt with the following: dried lemon peel and rosemary; rosemary and lavendar; smoked paprika. Or be creative with your own blends.
6. Cheddar Dill Scones – these won’t last long under the tree and are just the thing to nosh on on Christmas morn.
7. Lemon Curd – if you’re lucky your gift recipient will crack the jar right open and share a little with you.
8. Limoncello – the all-time Foodista favorite, this delicious drink is well worth making. Beautiful poured into swing top glass bottles.
9. Cranberry Orange Shortbread – beautiful and yummy!
10. Seasoned Vinegar -  The easiest thing on the list to make and you can use your recycled wine bottles! We discovered this at a barbeque in Argentina. It’s simply this: pour a bunch of Kosher salt into a wine bottle. By a bunch I mean a bunch, like a cup. Add a few cloves of garlic, don’t be shy now. And finally, fill with white distilled vinegar and shake up that salt. Like wine, it just gets better with time. In fact, make it at least a couple of weeks in advance or tell the lucky recipient to let it age a bit to let the salt fully dissolve and the garlic to penetrate the vinegar. Feel free to add a big ole fat sprig of fresh rosemary too. This is so easy and staggeringly good on grilled meats, chicken, vegetable or sprinkled over fresh sliced tomatoes.

Packaging Ideas:

Jars: For any gifts being packaged in jars (i.e. Red Pepper Jelly, Harissa, Lemon Curd, Dukkah) I recommend half-pint (or pint) Ball jars, I love the wide mouth Platinum series too. Most supermarkets are well-stocked this time of year and they’re relatively inexpensive, or check out Amazon.com for a good selection. . Tie on your own little hand-written labels with a bit of ribbon or raffia.

Bottles: the limoncello is best in clear bottles because the color is gorgeous. I love these swingtop bottles on Specialtybottle.com or simply go for a less expensive corked or screw top bottle.

Tin containers: also from Specialtybottle.com, these tin containers with clear tops are food-grade. Perfect for the salts and dukkah. I get the 4 oz. round ones.

Cellophane baggies: check Amazon.com for a variety of sizes and colors, or your local craft store.

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When life throws you lemons make limoncello!

The first time I had limoncello (lee-mohn-CHEH-loh) was years ago in Sorrento, a charming sea town on the Amalfi Coast in Italy known for it’s narrow windy roads, beautiful citrus groves, and well, limoncello.

Limoncello is a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, sugar and water. Although it’s made from lemons it’s sweet not sour, since it’s made from the rinds and not the juice. It’s sipped icy cold (but never with ice) after dinner from small glasses.

Not only is limoncello delicious, it’s easy and inexpensive to produce, containing only a few simple ingredients and requiring just a bit of time to mature. Perfect for holiday gifts!

Limoncello

15 lemons
2 (750 ml) bottles minimum 80 proof alcohol (good quality vodka or grappa)
4 cups sugar
5 cups water

Note: If you use Everclear or some more pure alcohol, dilute it to about 40%, the strength of vodka. Below that, it will not properly extract all the oils from the rinds.

Step 1
Wash the lemons with hot water to remove wax; pat dry. Zest the lemons with a zester or vegetable peeler so there is no white pith on the peel. You want to take great care while zesting to make sure you are only getting the outer part of the rind. The pith is too bitter and will spoil your limoncello!

Step 2
Put the peels in a large 1 gallon plus glass jar and add one bottle of alcohol and seal tightly. Leave the jar to steep in a cool, dark place until the peels lose their color, at least 2 weeks.

Step 3
After the initial 2 week resting period, combine the sugar and water in a large saucepan and cook until thickened and clear. Let the syrup cool. Add the syrup and the additional bottle of alcohol to the limoncello mixture from Step 2. Allow to rest for another 10 to 40 days.

Step Four
Strain out the lemon peels through a coffee filter or cheesecloth and pour the limoncello into another container. Press down to remove all the alcohol and oils that you can from the peels before tossing them. Stir the liquid with a clean plastic or wooden spoon. Put the liqueur in clean bottles (I prefer swing top bottles), seal tightly and leave the finished bottles for at least 1 week before using.

Store your limoncello in the freezer to enjoy icy cold – it won’t freeze.

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