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Hey Abby,

We seem to be the odd family that has no sweet tooth, so I like to make savory treats like tapenade, a tuscan bean dip, or even a seafood pate (we're from Spain where most families eat seafood on Christmas Eve). You can package them in cute mason jars, throw some crostini's or toasts on the side, and not only is it a great gift, but your host can even set it out if they run short on snacks at the Christmas party.

One year we gave out small jars of kimchi.

vinegar flavored or with spices etc. in a decorative bottle is nice.

I've been wondering the same thing. With pickles and jams, one really should have been doing it in summer. What can be started now and be ready for Christmas?

I've been eyeing some fancy flavoured salt at the gourmet food store. Is that DIY-able?

Chutneys- relishes - quince paste or other "pâtes de fruits" -

Homemade Vannilla Extract: Kentucky Bourbon with a floting Vanilla bean in it. YUM!

michelle,

you could probably do an italian jardiniera. carrots, cauliflower, and peppers all looked good at the market today. not sure if okra's in season, but it looked good, too. pickled beets are good, too. i don't have any recipes, though, sorry.

I used to make hot sauce for my friends who liked that burn. That was pretty straight forward just to add some sliced up peppers to boiling salty as hell vinegar and then straight into the bottle for holding.

My mom made a coffee flavored liqueur for all of our relatives one Christmas. She had picked up some great antique type bottles in Mexico to give it away in. I remember her enjoying the process. (I guess because it involved alcohol.)

Here's a recipe: http://tinyurl.com/y2npwl

Abby:

Check out this article from the San Francisco Chron. They have a few ideas that are not cookies.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/11/29/FDGEVMF3LN1.DTL

One year I gave small jars of homemade lemon curd with a dry scone mix and a recipe. All the recipients had to add were butter and buttermilk.

Another year I did preserved lemons (better start right away) with small jars of moroccan spice mix and a recipe for moroccan chicken.

another year, barbecue sauce

My friend gave me vanilla sugar last year, which was wonderful.

This year I'm thinking sauerkraut, kimchee or hot cocoa mix with cool flavorings, but I'm looking forward to more new ideas.

Vanessa--would you post the recipe for Moroccan Chicken when you get a chance? That sounds wonderful. I like your creative food-gift ideas, too.

Yay! Thanks for posting my question! To those of you who do sauces, giardinera, kim chee, lemon curd, etc. -- do you actually process the jars in boiling water? Or do you just give it out and tell the recipients to refrigerate?

I made jam and pickles last year but I'm so afraid of my canning process. I can never tell if it worked or not so I just throw it all in the fridge anyway...

Lemon curd is always a big hit - I have friends who eat it right out of the jar. To answer Abby's question, I don't process the lemon curd, it is meant to be refrigerated. It doesn't usually last long enough to be a problem, anway.
Last year, I made an extremely decadent hot chocolate mix with high-quality real chocolate and paired it with homemade marshmallows. Seemed to have a great wow factor and appealed to the child in everyone. This year I'm doing it again but branching out with the marshmallows - maybe coconut, definitely cocoa, maybe cappuccino flavored.

oh man, liz, can you post the recipe/technique for the hot chocolate mix?

i'm also looking for good food gifts, especially things that can be shipped cross country/internationally. thanks!

Julie, I'll post the moroccan chicken recipe soon. Have to locate it.

Abby, I never process anything because I'm nervous, but you woulnd't process the lemon curd regardless as Liz says. I think it will last a week in the fridge.

Liz, love the marshmallow cocoa idea! I've never made marshmallows. Is it easy? Mind sharing the recipe?

Thanks!

I usually make cheese pennies and spiced nuts for holiday food gifts. They are the kind of yummy I tend to binge on. I can't remember where the cheese penny recipe is from, but it's a southern thing I believe. The spiced nuts recipe is from Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/10817

Yum!

I think that mixing together the dry parts of a tasty bread recipe and then putting it in a pretty bag is a wonderful gift. Write out a cute directions card that tells them how to prepare it and top it off with some ribbon and maybe a few bells. I don't know a single person that doesn't love fresh baked bread. I would try recipes such as amish white bread, spice bread, honey wheat or cheese and garlic. If you want to make the gift even bigger, take a decorative olive oil bottle, fill it with olive oil and then put in spices. Over time the spice will flavor the oil and make it wonderful to dip bread into.

I'm making granola this year.

Sparky, I will post hot chocolate mix recipe when I get home tonight...
Vanessa, marshmallows aren't hard to make at all BUT you need a heavy-duty mixer. I actually went out and bought a KitchenAid mixer for this recipe (well, it was a good excuse to get a new gadget). I will post my receipe tonight for you if you want!

OK, here's the hot chocolate mix and marshmallow recipes, both came from epicurious. Check there for variations on the recipes....

Vanilla Hot Chocolate Mix
4 cups sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split crosswise
1 1/2 lbs. good-quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
8 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, use Dutch process
Put sugar in large bowl. Scrape vanilla seeds out of pod into sugar and add pod. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight. In food processor process both chocolates until finely ground, pulsing processor (took me several batches). Remove vanilla pod from sugar; add ground chocolate and cocoa powder and mix.
To serve: Heat 8 oz. milk per serving and whisk in 1/4 cup of the mix. That's it!

Marshmallows
Oil a 13 by 9 rectangular pan and dust with confectionars sugar. In bowl of standing mixer, sprinkle 2T plus 2 1/2 tsp. gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water and let stand to soften.
In 3-quart heavy saucepan cook 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/2 cup hot water and 1/4 tsp. salt over low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Increase heat to moderate and boil without stirring until mix reaches 240 degrees on candy thermometer. Remove from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.
Beat mixture on high speed until white and thick and tripled in volume. In another bowl beat 2 egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and 1 tsp. vanilla into sugar mixture until just combined. Pour into greased pan and sift confectioners sugar evenly over top. Chill, covered, at least three hours.
Run thin knife around edge of pan and invert onto large cutting board. You might have to loosen marshmallow mix, but it should flop out. With large knife cut into cubes. Sift more confectioners sugar into a bowl and toss the cubes to coat.

Thanks Liz!!

i just spotted these on Martha's site, and they're so cute and festive and cheap and easy!!
such a nice idea

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel2130043

I do a lot of canning. Boiling-waterbath type. It's truly addictive. So far this year I've made:

Green salsa
Marinara sauce
Tomato confit with marjoram and garlic
Tequila hot pepper jelly

This week, I'm going to make:

Pumpkin butter
Pomegranate jelly
Other various fruit jams

And I might pickle some green beans and beets.

thanks liz!

thanks for posting nice recipe, it's definitely useful in holidays as food gifts..do you have any recipe books..

For those of us that wait until the last minute but still like to give food gifts, I have a great recipe for Microwave Orange Marmalade. I would imagine you could substitute lemons or grapefruit for a change. No hot bath process is required but will require refrigeration.
Liz, Thanks for posting the marshmallow recipe as I have been saying for years that I am going to try making marshmallows before I die and this just might be the year and the recipe.