Let’s face it, the last few months have been rough financially. We’ve seen our 401-Ks plummet, our IRAs slashed, and for too many, the loss of jobs and benefits. It has left us all crying a collective “Uncle!” With the holidays lurking around the corner hissing “spend, spend, spend!” it just makes me want to curl up in the fetal position until it all goes away.

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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Categories:	Holiday	11 Comments
Tags:	biscotti • cookies • dukkah • foodista • gift ideas • harissa • holidays • homemade gifts • lemon curd • limoncello • red pepper jelly • scones • shortbread • vinegar

Ah, it’s a beautiful day here in Seattle. I wish you were here to enjoy it. The sun is out! People are smiling and more generous than usual saying such things as, “oh, please, you go first,” at stop signs and in supermarket lines. It just makes you want to hug your neighbor.

Okay, I know, that’s odd, but sometimes the sun makes me giddy.

Yesterday was a glorious day, too. I spent it with my Aunt Mimi baking and kavetching over tea. There just weren’t enough hours in the day! So many things to bake, so little time. There’s nothing better than this time of year: long discussions about what to make for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, brunches, appetizers, testing recipes, baking bread, cookies…

When you love food, as we do in my family, everything is centered around cooking.

One of the things we baked up yesterday were these delicious shortbread cookies. We took a basic shortbread recipe and turned it “Fall” by adding orange zest and dried cranberries. The result were beautifully red and orange speckled buttery shortbread. You really could add any kind of dried fruit or nuts (or both!) to this recipe. Pecans would be wonderful as well. Or, try a savory version.

Whatever makes your palate sing!

Cranberry Orange Shortbread

3/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
Zest of one orange

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla extract, zest and cranberries.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and roll the dough into a 2 1/2 –inch thick log. Wrap in plastic and freeze for 30 minutes.

Slice into 1/2-inch rounds. Reshape if necessary. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet or Silpat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve.

Makes 20 to 24 cookies

Note: For a pecan version, substitute the vanilla extract for almond extract, and add a handful of crushed pecans (or more if you like) in place of the orange zest and cranberries.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Fruit • desserts	2 Comments
Tags:	baking • cookies • cranberries • cranberry orange shortbread • Food • foodista • orange • shortbread

Sure, you can buy crackers, but what fun is there in that? You have to get in the car, waste expensive gas getting to the store, find parking, decide among the fifty million brands of mass-produced crackers, wait in line to buy them, then drive home. In all that time you could have easily whipped up a batch of these tasty English-style crackers.

I say English-style because they are nothing like what us Americans call a cracker. They aren’t thin and crisp, in fact, there is nary a crack in these crackers. I would actually call these savory shortbread, but Ina Garten calls them crackers, and I got the recipe from her.

Made with fresh thyme, parmesan cheese, and cracked pepper these little crackers are sure to surprise and delight.

Parmesan Thyme Crackers
Recipe from the Barefoot Contessa

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 ounces grated Parmesan
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Using the paddle attachment in your food processor, mix the butter until creamy. Add the Parmesan, flour, salt, thyme and pepper and combine.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 13-inch long log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to harden. Don’t let it freeze solid or it will crumble as you try to cut.

Cut the log crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices. Place the slices on a sheet pan and bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 22 minutes.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Cheese • Cooking tips • Herbs	7 Comments
Tags:	barefoot contessa • Cheese • crackers • Food • foodista • Herbs • homemade • ina garten • parmesan • savory shortbread • shortbread • thyme