HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-12-24, Page 24If the best gifts come from theheart, certainly the next-best giftscome from the kitchen. Culinarytreats can be perfect presents for yourfoodie friends or just about anyoneon your list. Food gifts are especially perfect
for friends, neighbours, teachers, and
others for whom more elaborate gifts
are neither expected nor required.
What’s more, the possibilities are
endless and can be adjusted for
varying palates, allergies and
preferences.
Here are several suggestions for
serving up delicious holiday gifts
this season.
SUGAR
Just about everyone looks forward
to seasonal sweets, from Christmas
cookies to jelly doughnuts for
Chanukah to benne cakes or sweet
potato pie for the final feast of
Kwanzaa.
* Rethink your cookies. When it
comes to culinary delights, there’snothing wrong with sticking to thebasics. But if you want to put a twist ontradition, consider some alternativesto the holiday cookie sampler, suchas decorating greeting-card-sized
cookies with personalized messages,
filling decorative jars with all of the
dry ingredients needed for your
favourite cookie recipe or giving the
gift of dough -- three different kinds
of cookie dough rolled into logs,
wrapped in wax paper and tied at the
ends with festive ribbons.
* Take a dip. Dipping store-bought
confections such as peppermint
sticks, candy canes, candied orange
peel, shortbread cookies, or even
fresh figs in good-quality chocolate
(a mix of dark, milk and white
chocolate is even better!) will
transform these everyday items into
holiday-worthy gifts.
* Think drinks. Nothing takes the
chill out of a cold Decembermorning like hot chocolate --especially when it’s homemade.Make your own mix with groundchocolate and sugar or package ahigh-quality store brand in a festivelydecorated jar, then add some
peppermint sticks, chocolate-coated
spoons or homemade marshmallows
to the mix.
* Have a jam session. Handmade
jams, preserves and fruit compotes
are always appreciated. Your creation
can be accompanied by the recipe,
some scones or great toasting bread,
or even a decorative serving jam jar.
* Bark that’s as good as its bite.
Chocolate bark is a delicious no-
bake gift that’s so easy to make
you’ll wonder why you’ve waited so
long to try it. Recipes are everywhere
and you can customize the bark with
your recipients’ favourite nuts, dried
fruits and other tasty tidbits
AND SPICE
For people who love to cook, great
ingredients make exquisite gifts.
Think about giving your favourite
foodie the gift of flavor in the form of
spices, either from the bulk aisle at
your favourite upscale grocery chain
or a well-loved specialty retailer. Since spices don’t stay freshforever, your culinary connoisseur issure to appreciate a new assortment.For the more adventurous cooks onyour list, consider purchasing a fewspecial spices, such as saffron or
vanilla -- either the bean or a high-
quality extract. Spices can be
purchased in small amounts and then
presented in decorative airtight jars
with handwritten labels.
Other options include making and
giving your own spice blends and
purchasing whole spices, such as
nutmeg or allspice, and presenting
them along with the appropriate tool
for grinding or grating them.
AND EVERYTHING NICE
Themed baskets of food will
generate big smiles from everyone
on your holiday list. Putting together
an assortment of items for a
particular meal or kind of cooking is
as much fun for the giver as it is for
the receiver.
Here are some ideas that are both
simple and special.
* Breakfast basket. Fill a basket
with homemade pancake and waffle
mix and a bottle of real maple syrup,or go continental with a batch offreshly baked scones and a jar oflemon curd. For the caffeine lover,two mugs, one filled with a favouritegourmet coffee or tea and the otherpacked with some homemade
pastries or a jar of jam.
* Pasta basket. The centrepiece of
this gift could be a jar of your famous
spaghetti sauce, which is surrounded
by a package of fresh pasta, a bulb of
garlic and a wedge of Parmesan
cheese.
* Pizza basket. Start with a
package of homemade pizza dough,
add a jar of pizza sauce or pesto
made from the basil in your garden,
then decorate the basket with a merry
mix of cheeses and popular pizza
add-ons, such as pepperoni, olives,
olive oil, garlic, mushrooms,
sundried tomatoes, and small packets
of spices, such as oregano or red
pepper flakes.
To ensure that your gifts don’t go
to waste, be sure to add instructions
for storing and handling the food --
especially those items that need to be
refrigerated.
PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2009.
What I want for Christmas
Writing out their Christmas lists for Santa Claus, despite
the fact that he decided to take the holidays off and take a
run at the NHL in the Brussels Public School production of
Slapshot Santa on Dec. 8 are Kyla Campbell, left, and
Amber Wheeler. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Toys
The toys warned Santa that a
trip to the NHL could be costly,
especially for all of the children
who rely on him for presents
every Christmas at Dec. 8’s
production of Slapshot Santa
put on by Brussels Public
School. One of Santa’s
costumed toys is Lola
Johnston. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Inspired holiday gifts from the kitchen
Greetings from the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry
Back row, from left: Bill Thompson, Paul Gowing, Mark Beaven, Lynn Hoy, Edna McLellan.
Front row: Clerk Nancy Michie, Mayor Dorothy Kelly, Deputy-Mayor Jim Nelemans.
Wishing
everyone a
joyous holiday
season.
220 Industrial Park Drive,
Brussels
519-887-8763
Fax: 519-887-8764
TRI-COUNTY BRICK
1-800-265-7057•519-482-9622
279 BAYFIELD RD., CLINTON
Wishing you all the warmth of the holiday season,
with best wishes for the coming year!
Celebrating the Warmth of the HolidaysCelebrating the Warmth of the Holidays