‘Tis the season for gifting!

Two weeks ago I confessed that Thanksgiving really snuck up on me, but Christmas dosen’t stand a chance of doing that. From the moment I turned on the car radio Thanksgiving Day, I’ve been bombarded by Christmas music, especially in the stores.  I hate to disappoint the promo departments, but starting this early on dosen’t put me in the holiday mood so much as it raises my anxiety level, particularly when I’m shopping, by reminding me I’m facing a deadline. So much to do, so little time!!

Food marketing isn’t the problem. As I told you, since most of the holiday menus are traditional dishes, I could make up my list of necessary ingredients in September. Buying them, gradually, as the sales unfolded, has amortized the cost and given me peace of mind knowing that I have everything.  A great comfort! Nor are the big family presents a problem. I know what they like. It’s that other gift list that nags at me and I would imagine many of you as well:  The list of distant relatives, we rarely see; the people who help us throughout the year; the ones whose skills enrich our, and our family’s lives; the ones whose hospitality we plan to enjoy.  Although cash is acceptable for a few like babysitters and doormen, for most, such as teachers, coaches and hosts it isn’t, and all need a touch of a personalized message of “I thank YOU”.  For some of us, this list is longer than the family one, and added up, can be very costly.

One woman I know, an executive, with a long daily commute, and three children, in two schools, all involved in separate community sports, and little time to shop, neatly solved the teachers’ gifts dilemma. She bought books of coupons at the Dunkin Doughnuts drive-through window when she stopped for her morning cup of coffee en route to work. She put the books in cards which her children signed and addressed accordingly. Last year, a neighbor surprised me with a gift card to my favorite supermarket as thanks for having collected her mail when she was away on business. These are two ways to use food as presents for people we don’t know well, who are on the “obligation” Christmas list. They are far less expensive than gift baskets or ordering items to be mailed, and usually, more welcome than other types of gifts, because they allow freedom of choice.

However, there are people on the list whom you know better and for whom you want to do something more personal and, perhaps, present something a bit more glamorous than a card. The standards are flowers, candy and wine, but one of these requires immediate attention, vase, water etc., and the other two , especially in a social situation, imply they should be opened and shared, thus making them more a communal gift then one for the recipient . All three should meet a certain standard of quality, which can be quite costly, particularly if you want the gift to be unique. Price can present even more of a problem if you simply want to include a personal” token” to accompany a gift of cash.

I can suggest five home-made gifts which I have used to solve this quandary. What I like about these particular items is that they are quite reasonable to make, but commercially are often expensive. Consequently, their perceived value is indeterminate, and can be controlled by the quantity offered. The gift, not its price tag is the focus and your choice of gift appears to be tailored to the recipient.

Packaging, of course, plays a large part. There are any number of attractive jars, boxes and tins available in party, home goods, dollar, Warehouse, box, discount antique, and even thrift stores. You can also dress-up and re-use ones from your pantry. The major concern is that the containers you use be spotless, in perfect condition, attractively decorated and air- tight but allowing easy access to the contents. One suggestion if you use boxes or tins, cut a piece or two pieces of plastic wrap, placed cross-wise on a counter. Center  the food on the wrap, carefully put the packet in the proposed container, gather the sides of the wrap up and close with a twist tie. This prevents spills and gives a neat appearance as well insuring that the contents stay dry.  I include notes on my packaging with the recipes and have attached a photo example  of  presentation to this posting.

ROASTED ALMONDS
This is a family recipe and an instant favorite, really a gourmet treat, and a huge saving considering that any comparable, commercially produced product is at least $30.00 lb.(plus shipping) I have tried many brands of almonds and found the Diamond ones to be about the best for this task. There are fewer broken nuts, they prep easily and brown evenly. Be sure to buy the Shelled RAW Almonds
Equipment –1 cookie sheet-if not non-stick, foil to cover. Paper towels and a glass jar with a secure lid.
1lb Shelled Raw Almonds
1 tsp. butter
Salt
Put the almonds in a pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for about 1 min. Turn off heat and wait for 3 mins. Ladle about 1/3 of the nuts into a strainer and rinse under cold water. Squeeze the nuts, individually, to slip off the skins, putting the nuts into a clean bowl. NOTE: DO NOT put the skins down the garbage disposal. When all the nuts are skinned, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, melt the butter on the non-stick or foil covered cookie sheet and stir the nuts on it to coat. Roast the almonds until they are golden. This will take 40-to 50 mins depending on your oven. Keep a close watch on them, especially toward the end of cooking because once they start to brown they turn fast. Turn the nuts out onto a surface covered in paper towels and sprinkle very liberally with salt while still hot. Cool and store in air-tight containers. I favor glass jars with snug lids like  the one with the gold bow in the picture.

GRANOLA
This is another “gourmet” food that is expensive to buy commercially but inexpensive and easy to make.
The beauty of this basic recipe is that you can include “add-ins” to personalize it.
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, and  the butter into the water, then pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and mix well, incorporating any add-ins . Use 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 and break into pieces. 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 and nutmeg.
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CRAZY CAKE
Usually I don’t give “mixes” as gifts, but this Is an exception. It’s the easiest cake ever, requiring no beating. It keeps  well at room temperature for days, and at only 140 calories a piece, a great gift for after the holidays  as a reward for keeping resolutions. It’s a bit hard to wrap. I’ve found the easiest way is to put the dry ingredients in a jar in a bottle bag, attach a box to the bottom containing 3 of the liquid ingredients in small bottles, as shown in the photo and include a card with baking instructions.
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3 Tbs. oil
1 Tbs. vinegar—preferably white
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup cold water
Sift all dry ingredients together, before putting in the jar, or before putting into an UNGREASED  1 layer cake pan. Make 3 holes in the mixture and pour the oil in one, vinegar in a second and vanilla in the third. Pour the water over all and stir with a fork until blended. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 mins. Frosting optional. This recipe can be doubled to make a sheet cake.

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 fine 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– those commercial add-ins cost money. Use black tea leaves or if you can only find blended, opt for the 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. 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 secs. Then steep for 4 mins. Strain and pour into 2 cups. Add milk to equal 2 cups and sugar to taste—both are requirements for the true chai taste. If the tea seems too strong, add one tea bag and increase the water to 2 cups. Any excess tea can always be reheated later in the microwave, but I enjoy it at room temperature as well and it’s often served that way or cold in Asian countries.

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 mixes anyway, and don’t really measure. I combine the dry mixes in a bowl and  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 may bake later or freeze until Christmas omitting the whiskey but using the wine in mixing.. People who normally hate fruitcake, like this, especially with a cup of coffee or tea, because it has a lighter texture—half way between bread and cake.

Pictured in the photo-Ready to go–Crazy Cake in the bag and box. Granola is in the red tin; Roasted Almonds in the jar with the gold bow; Chai Tea in the smaller jar with the green top and the  Christmas Bread is, of course, the loaf.

Hope this helps solve some problems to make the holidays easier for you.