Gifts Made in the Kitchen
This collection of recipes and tips show how to create personal Christmas gifts made in the kitchen and how to wrap them in extra special ways.
According to author GeorgeAnne, Brennan, part of the fun of making gifts from the kitchen is in deciding how to present them and what to write on the gift tags describing what the package contains in unique ways. In Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen, she provides recipes that even the most inexperienced cook can make with packaging that fit into the holiday season.
Kitchen Decorating Ideas for Christmas
Cookies as Gifts
Along with the recipes the book contains photograph showing the shape of the cookies. The way you can use them as decorations as well as tasty treats. The author suggests the use of containers to hold them such as:
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Glass jars,
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Old-fashioned tins
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Straw or wicker baskets
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Wooden boxes
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Paper boxes
For decorations, the containers can look festive by using colorful striped, sateen, silk or rafia ribbons. A recipe card tie at the top with a sprig of pine or a small bell attached.
There are recipes for 18 different cookie recipes that fit into the Christmas season including:
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Ginger Crisps
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Vanilla Stars with Chocolate Filling
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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
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Lemon Cookies with Wintery Decorations
The Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies are especially in keeping with the holiday. Dusted of snowy white confectioner’s sugar on the dark chocolate. Then a final coating of crushed peppermint candies.
Cakes, Bars and Breads
Among the 11 recipes for cupcakes, bars and bread are:
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Mini Chocolate-Mint Cupcakes
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Tripple-Ginger Gingerbread
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Currant, Lemon and Ginger Cake
Kugelhopf is a fruit-and nut-studded yeast cake that is baked in a tall ring mold. According to Brennan, it is thought to have originated in Austria although it is also claimed in France.
Packaging ideas include using cups or mugs for tea cakes, shallow wooden boards for breads or colorful boxes.
Candies and Confections
Among the 8 recipes for candies and confections, the directions for how to make Holiday Candy Cones fits perfectly into the Christmas season. There are directions as to how to make the cones using cellophane tied with a bright ribbon. These are perfect for holding candies made from the recipes including truffles, bonbons, peppermints and chocolate.
The Caramel-Nut Popcorn uses three varieties of nuts and sweet caramel glaze that can be prepared a head and if stored in an air-tight container, it can be kept for a week at room temperature.
Savory Treats
Among the 7 savory treats, one that is most unusual is Cheese Straws. You can keep it for two weeks if kept in an air-tight container. The straws are made from pastry that is laid out on a 10×12 flat baking sheet over a layer of Cheddar and Parmesan or pecorino cheese mixture , then cut into strips with a fluted pastry or pizza wheel. It is then sprinkled with the cheese mixture before baking. The accompanying photograph shows how the cheese straws will look when done as well as a gift-packing hint.
An easy- to- make is the Sugar and Spice Pecans recipe. Which you can create by using a different nut or a combination of nuts. They made a bag out of cellophane tied with a bright ribbon, which makes the packaging simple.
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