Need Christmas ideas

[winstonsgrrrl]

I've been canning lots of jams, fruit butters, etc. for Christmas gifts. My plan is to make gift baskets for everyone this year. I also got a great deal on fleece throws on Black Friday, so I will add those to the baskets as well. Any other ideas for what to include? Any good recipes for snack mixes, etc.?

 

[peeplessinNC]

If you are giving jams and fruit butters, how about making some homemade bread? Many of us love the gump bread recipe found on this forum:

Gump’s Bread – from gumpsgirl on BYC

2 cups warm (almost hot) water
4 tsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
-Combine together and let rise for 5 minutes

1/4 cup oil
5 cups bread flour – plus extra when kneading
2 tsp. salt
-Add to yeast mixture and knead until smooth and elastic.

Use mixer and dough hook to knead.

Cover and let rise for 20-25 minutes. Beat dough down and make into loaves or rolls (this recipe makes 2 loaves). Here's the trick to get your bread to come out right. You need to roll out the bread into a rectangle, and then roll up into a loaf, like you would when making cinnamon rolls. Lightly slice top of bread to get diagonal cut look when baked. Let loaves rise (I put my loaves on separate cookie sheets) for 20-25 minutes. Bake on 350* for 20-25 minutes, until top of loaves are golden brown. Let bread cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

 

[3goodeggs]

My cousin make lemon curd with all of her eggs, sealed them in lovely little jars and added some short bread and some tea. It was Charming.

 

[bwebb7]

Quote:
Do you have a good recipe for that?

 

[3goodeggs]

This is the one that I have one in my preserving book, but I have never made it. I will have to email my cuz' for hers.
Did you have a lemon tree grow in your compost heap too?

Lemon curd
4 large lemons
21/2 cup sugar cubes
3/4 cup unsalted butter
7eggs beaten and strained
Rub the whole lemons with the sugar cubes until the sugar is soaked with lemon oil.
Juice the lemons and strain. In the top of a double boiler,combine the lemon-oil soaked sugar cubes, lemon juice, butter, and eggs. Stir constantly until thick. Do not over cook.
Ladle the hot lemon curd into sterile hot jars.
Clean the jar rims and seal.
Process the jars in simmering (190-200degreeF) hot water canner and process for 20 minutes. remove from canner and cool. after 24 hours check seals. and label. make sure you get the 'u' and the 'r' in the correct order, or no one will eat it.

It seems like a lot of work for the lemon oil...

I think pound cakes with all of these eggs would make nice gifts too.
does anyone else have egg centric ideas?

 

[TipsyDog]

This year I am making platters as gifts that include homemade biscotti, fudge, rumballs, a bottle of homemade vanilla extract that I started back in September and something else - not sure yet. Also I bought european fancy chocolates for decoration. I aready found nice big platters and got all the red cellophane to wrap them up. For family, I will also include wine or spirits with the gift. I hope it goes over well since everyone seems to have everything nowadays and this way they can enjoy it and not add to more "stuff" in the house.

 

[turtlynne]

Log onto the "Heifer" website and donate flocks of chix ($20) in friends/family names!

 

[Chickenmaven]

Quote:

I donated this past spring & got some awesome address sticker and gift tags.

Doesn't take much to make me happy. One of my favorite gifts was a candle!

 

[Kim_NC]

Here are two quick/easy fudge recipes that never fail and are delicious. You'd never believe they're made from canned frosting.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

1 12 oz. pkg. semisweet chips
1 can milk chocolate frosting (use a creamy type, not whipped)
1 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Line a 8 inch square pan with foil, spray with nonstick spray. Melt semisweet chips over low heat or in microwave. Add frosting. Add peanut butter chips and peanuts. Pour in pan and refrigerate 1 hour.

White Chocolate Butterfinger Fudge

1 can cream cheese frosting (use a creamy type, not whipped)
2 butterfingers bars(3.7 oz. each), chopped small
1 12 oz. pkg. white chocolate chips

Line an 8 inch square pan with foil, extending over sides. Spray with non stick spray, and set aside.
Melt chips in a microwave and stir in frosting. Pour half of this mixture in pan. Place all candy except a few pieces to garnish over this. Pour remaining chocolate over and garnish with remaining candy. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

And these are a snack mix and two nut recipe favorites posted on our farm site:

Snack Mix Makeover

Beer-Lover's Peanuts

Sweet 'N Savory Mixed Nuts

Have you considered any 'Gifts In A Jar' ideas? Like soup mixes, cake or cookie mixes, etc. These are popular, look great in a quart jar, and various 'recipes' are available online.

 

[CedarRidgeChicks]

I make the fudge and different breads for baskets with jams/jellies. I also make fruit cake cookies..I do not like traditional fruitcake much..but the cookies are very good. They ne ed to be made ahead and I like to soak cheesecloth in apricot brandy to put in the container with the cookies until give away time..I also have a jar of brandied fruit going now but it would be to late to start now for Christmas.

If you are giving to someone interested in making bread, a loaf of bread with some starter and some jam is a great gift.


edit to add: I was refering to sourdough bread/starter..check out the new thread!!