10 holiday gift ideas you can make in your kitchen.

Who really wants to spend all that time out at the mall or even online shopping.
Step away from the Star Wars movie promo-junk aisle, that's NOT what everyone wants for the holidays. Instead step into your kitchen and give a few of these ideas a try.

Here are some holiday gifts you can make in your kitchen.
Most folks are delighted to get a homemade gift, especially one that doesn't need dusting ;-)
1) Cilantro garlic butter is the star of my kitchen gift giving this season.

2) Infused oils and vinegars are always on one of my niece's wish list.

3) There are some spice blends I love to use in my cooking: chili, pie spice, curry powder, Moroccan spice blend, jerk spice and ranch dressing mix.

4) Fruit syrups and citrus syrups, great for parties and mixed drinks.

5) Ice cream toppings for easy desserts over the holidays.

6) Homemade granola, an easy breakfast when the house is full of guests.

7) Smoked pecans and other nutty treats, the perfect host gift.

8) Snack mixes, another great simple hostess gift.

9) This chocolate bark is stuffed with dried fruit and nuts !!

10) Just in case you want a non-food item, here a simple and satisfying body scrub.

Last minute gift ideas !

This morning I am in my kitchen making infused olive oils and vinegars.
These will be some lovely gifts for family and friends.
I have posted about both of these already this season.

Just in case you want some more easy food gift ideas, here is a post that will get you started.
It includes granola, fruit syrups, ice cream toppings and more !!

My next project this morning will be some Christmas cookies !!

Smoked Pecans and other nutty treats.

This summer while on a road trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, we drove through eastern Texas, land of pecan orchards. Of course we stopped at a roadside stand to sample their wares. That was when I discovered smoked pecans and knew I had to try to reproduce them. They are not actually smoked but instead coated with a smokey, salty combination of herbs and spices.

Here's the recipe I created.

Laurie's smoked pecans.
Ingredients
8 cups pecans
1/4 cup melted butter*
3 tsp. salt
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp Chipotle pepper powder

* You can replace the butter with olive oil.

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2) In a small bowl mix the salt and spices together.
3) Melt 1/4 cup butter.
4) Pour the melted butter over the pecans to coat them well.
5) Sprinkle the spice mixture and toss to coat again.

6) Spread evenly onto the prepared baking sheets.

7) Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once.
8) Allow to cool before storing.

I made up two other savory nut recipes, the directions are the same as above.
Nuts make great gifts, holiday appetizers or snacks for TV time on the family couch ;-)

Laurie's Curried Nuts

Ingredients.

3 cups almonds
2 cups pecans
2 tablespoons melted ghee *
4 teaspoons curry powder
3 teaspoon salt

* You can use melted butter or olive oil instead.

Follow steps 1-8.


Laurie's Roasted Nuts with Herbs

3 cups almonds
2 cups pecans
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried rosemary,
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder or cayenne*
1 teaspoon salt

* If substituting cayenne use 1/2 teaspoon unless you want them hot.

Follow steps 1-8.

Homemade Spice Blends

In keeping with my promotion for homemade gifts, here are some great spice blends you can put together in under an hour: chili powder, pie spice, curry powder, ranch dressing mix, jerk spice, Moroccan spice.

Most "Whole Foods" type grocery stores sell herbs and spices in bulk, they may even have the decorative containers to put them in. Or try Cost Plus or Ross for containers.

Make your own label, add a simple recipe and you have a great gift you made yourself !
















Make your own label, add a simple recipe and you have a great gift you made yourself !

Infused vinegar: another very simple gift idea.

You already know how I feel about homemade gifts.
Infused vinegars are about as easy as it gets.
They are great in salad dressings, sauces, marinades or on steamed greens.
Use fresh, frozen or dried fruit, fresh or dried herbs.
They can be made with white, wine, apple cider or balsamic vinegar.
I have one niece who loves them. This year for her gifts I am going to try combining fruit and herbs, mandarin with rosemary ( I'll go very light on the rosemary) and strawberry and thyme.
I'll let you know what it comes out.

Holiday Gift Ideas: Infused Oils.

There are so many reasons to make your own holiday gifts.
Or buy them from local vendors and artisans.

First off you will spend less time in those horrible big box stores, fighting the crowds to buy useless merchandise from China. Don't get me started.
Secondly, my guess is most of the people on your list really don't need a lot more things to dust, return or regift to their in-laws ;-)
Thirdly it's fun.
Fourthly it's more personal.
Fifthly it's less expensive.

Everyone has to eat and it's so easy to personalize food gifts to accommodate any allergies or preferences.
And it doesn't need to take a lot of time.

Here's a simple one to start with: infused oils.
Even if you don't cook much, infused oils can be used in salad dressings or served with a crusty French bread. 

Every few days I will post another simple homemade food gift.
Next up, infused vinegars !!

Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas

Food makes great gifts, plain and simple.
Food doesn't have to be the right size or color and does not need to be dusted or displayed.
Food gives comfort.
The only caveat is to know your recipient.
These days some folks have food allergies and preferences, or are on special diets, there are still a lot of food gifts you can give.
If this time of year seems too "foody", consider giving your friends or family a coupon for a pot of soup, home cooked meal, batch of cookies or fancy dessert.
These coupons can redeemed later, when the flush of holiday food is a distant memory.

If you are inspired and want to make some easy food gifts, here are ten of my favorites.

1) Infused oils and vinegars

2)Granola

3) Ice cream toppings

4) Brown sugar

5) Citrus simple syrups  

6) Fruit syrups

7) Homemade chili powder and pie spice blends.

8) Homemade curry spice

9) More spice mixes: Moroccan, jerk and ranch.

10) Hummus with homemade crackers.