6 minute read
Maureen's Kitchen
mAUrEEn's KitchEn hoLiDAy gift giving mAUrEEn hADDocK
I like to be prepared for creating gifts from the kitchen by collecting unique containers all year. Manufacturers used to make a point of selling their products in reusable tins by placing their advertising on the wrapper or the bottom of the container. Perfect old tins, jars, and canisters can still be found at garage sales and antique stores. Clear plastic egg cartons make perfect packaging for mini-muffins or homemade chocolates. Tea towels and cloth napkins make attractive and gift-worthy wrapping too. I buy labels and seasonal packaging when I find a sale. These days, more than ever, it’s important to consider the relationship we have with the recipient before planning gifts from our kitchens. Do they have allergies or special diets that should be considered? Are they foodies? Are they new or veteran cooks? Do they enjoy vintage recipes and antique kitchenware?
Most home cooks have a collection of recipes that provide quick and easy
food gifts. Some will have inherited extra utensils and pans that provide interesting family history. These heirlooms can be gifted to family members along with a recipe and photo. Experienced cooks develop a fondness for certain gadgets that can be purchased and given along with enthusiastic instructions.
The Gift of Time and Teaching
One of my decades-old Christmas traditions involves inviting someone into my kitchen to make Merry Cherry Chocolates. I purchase the ingredients for each of us to create over 100 dazzling, delicious, fondant-wrapped, chocolate-dipped, gift-worthy cherry chocolates. I set up two stations, one on each side of a table or island, turn up the Christmas music, and brew a pot of coffee. I plan a lunch break between fondant wrapping and chocolate dipping. It is satisfying to send my guest off with the recipe, a pile of chocolates, and a fun memory. These chocolates keep fresh in the freezer for months and can be added to a dessert buffet or gifted year-round.
The Impromptu Gift
If we are invited on the spur of the moment to a sleigh ride or wiener roast, I like to present a jar of Popcorn in Caramel Sauce to the hosts. I make it clear that the jar is part of the gift. I print on a chalkboard label with liquid chalk pens or write on a string tag. I always include the recipe because everyone will ask for it. This gift takes minutes to prepare and causes quite a stir.
The Heirloom Gift
Kitchen heirlooms make wonderful gifts. I go through my baking dishes and utensils regularly and set aside the items I am not using. Baking a cake in your grandmother’s pan and handing it down to the next generation with the recipe makes a welcome gift. Giving a batch of teacakes with an antique tea set to your granddaughter is also a meaningful gesture. Include an old photo of the heirloom gift in its earlier days, if you are fortunate enough to have one.
Framing well-loved, old family recipes is a creative gift idea. Handwritten cookbooks from your ancestors will be valuable to the right recipient. If your own family doesn’t show interest in your heirlooms, I encourage you to give them to someone else.
The Perfect Purchased Gift
Purchase a favourite gadget and include the recipe for using it. I often give an 8-cup glass measuring bowl, a whisk with a fun handle, and a recipe for my Perfect Microwaved Cheese Sauce or Fantastic Microwave Oven Peanut Brittle.
A 9” by 13” Tupperware storage container with a lid can be filled with Best Chocolatey Puffed Wheat Cake Ever. Many vintage recipes suggest baking in a 7” by 11” cake pan. If you find one, old or new, it makes a perfect gift when filled with Boiled Raisin Cake and topped with Caramel Fudge Frosting.
Popcorn in Caramel Sauce
Mix the following ingredients in a large, microwave-safe bowl:
1/3 cup melted butter 2/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup Rogers Golden Syrup Microwave the above mixture on high power for 4 minutes, stirring once or twice during the cooking time. I usually stir at 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and at 4 minutes. Slower microwaves might require 5 minutes. This mixture should be a deep golden colour but not dark brown.
Stir the following ingredients into the hot butter mixture:
To well-stirred sauce, add:
8 cups of popped corn Stir until popcorn is well coated in sauce. Return the bowl to the microwave and cook for 1 minute, stirring halfway through. Slower microwave ovens might require another 30 seconds. Over-cooking results in blackening! Experiment with your cooking times and make notes. Once cooked, spread caramel popcorn on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. When cooled, separate the clumps of caramel corn and store in a tin or jar to keep crisp and crunchy.
The Party Favour
Have a little fun with your party favours. Placing personalized jars filled with treats beside each plate will specify seating and provide fun take-home gifts. If a sit-down dinner is not part of your party plans, place a basket of treat-filled jars by your door for guests to take home. I often bake Marion’s Spritz Cookies, a recipe dating back to the 1940s. These small cookies fit nicely into jars and can be made in seasonal shapes.
Maureen Haddock
Recipes in italics at www.getabiggerwagon.com
Fantastic Microwave Oven Peanut Brittle
Cook on power 8 (medium high) if you have a 1200-watt microwave oven.
Mix the following ingredients in an eight-cup glass measuring bowl:
1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup of Rogers Golden Syrup Cook for 3 minutes on power 8.
To well-stirred sauce, add:
1 cup of salted peanuts or salted mixed nuts Cook for 3 minutes on power 8.
To the boiling peanut mixture, add:
1 teaspoon of butter 1 teaspoon of baking soda Stir and cook for 1 minute more. Gently pour the molten mixture onto a buttered cookie sheet. Let it cool and harden. When cooled, break the peanut brittle into chunks. Store in a dry, cool place in a tin or jar.
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