This week marks the end of our six-week Holidays by Hand series. Many thanks to everyone who participated over the last six weeks; it’s been fun to see the variety of projects submitted.

I’ve been looking forward to my week to host, because I love to cook, especially for the holidays, and I’ve been giving food gifts for years. In high school I would cover my Dad’s tobacco tins with wrapping paper and fill them with sugar cookies, and I’ve been at it ever since. Below are a few of my recent favorites, along with links to other bloggers who have yummy and festive ideas of their own. Enjoy!

Savory Spice Mix

This rub is mixed with olive oil and is absolutely delicious on pork tenderloin. I’m sure it would be equally good on beef and chicken, and it’s super-easy to make. Just mix one jar of ground coriander, 10 teaspoons of kosher salt and 2-1/2 teaspoons of ground black pepper – and you’re finished! This makes about 2/3 cup of mix which will fill two standard spice jars. For the rub instructions: simply mix 2 teaspoons mix with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (per 1lb of pork) and coat meat before roasting or pan cooking.

Spiced Honey Nuts

I love making spiced nuts for the holidays and this is my favorite recipe – they have an unusual and delicious sweet/salty/peppery flavor. I found the recipe in a magazine (can’t remember which one) in an ad for Kahlua. I’m not much of a fancy drinks person; I love these nuts with dry sparkling wine or with a cup of strong tea.

The nuts brown quickly, so keep a close eye on them in the oven.

Mix 1/4 cup honey (warm for a bit in the microwave for easier stirring), 2 teaspoons ground black pepper (you can reduce this if you prefer); 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice and 2 cups nuts (your favorite). Spread in even layer on baking sheet and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes; toss well and bake for another 5-7 minutes, depending on how brown you’d like them to get. Transfer to another sheet and quickly separate nuts with a fork while still warm; cool to room temperature. Now they’re ready for a nice tin or decorative gift bag – if you don’t eat them all yourself!

Homemade Applesauce

I decided to try a microwave applesauce recipe from Martha Stewart’s Everyday FOOD and it worked very well. The Granny Smith apples are a bit tart; kids might prefer a sweeter apple. This recipe yielded just over 2 cups of applesauce, which fit nicely into a medium-sized canning jar.

Peel, core and cut into 1/2″ chunks four Granny Smith Apples. Mix apples, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a microwave safe dish with a lid. Cover and microwave on high until tender, 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Mash apples with the back of a spoon for chunky applesauce; use a potato masher if you like it smoother. Can be served warm, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour, then fill your jars!

Applesauce is a classic condiment for Hanukkah latkes, and my friend Kelly at Almost Frugal has a recipe for you at her food blog, Almost Frugal Food. Find Kelly’s latkes here.

Kendra at My First Kitchen was super-organized and sent me this link back in October – wow! She is featuring a recipe for Seven Layer Cookie Bars and they look amazing! Kendra has a really pretty site with lots of great recipes.

Next is Emily Rose at Simply Vintage Girl, who is running a series called A Handmade Christmas, and submitted a recipe for Hot Cocoa Mix.

Emily at Remodeling this Life submitted two lovely dessert recipes. The first is called Apple Pie Cake, and it must be good because she’s posted about it three times! The other is called A Mug of Hot Chocolate Cake, and I’m pretty sure this will be added to my repertoire; it looks delicious – a great recipe for the true chocoholic in your life – even if that’s you!

Festive Holiday MInts come from Jenn – mother of five – at My Frugal Front Porch. I’ve never made any candy other than fudge; these have cream cheese in them – healthy protein, right?? Jenn also submitted a recipe for No Bake Cheesy Cake.

Nicki at Domestic Cents sent a link called Bake it Up Baby and it’s full of ideas about fun ways to package your food gifts, and there’s a recipe for Buckeyes as well.

Over at Small Notebook, Rachel has posted a recipe for Chocolate Salted Caramels – yum yum yum! Who can resist the combination of buttery, chocolatey, salty candy? Making candy can be intimidating, but I’ll have to give these a try.

Jodi at Backporch Reflections shares her family recipe for Toffee Popcorn, and it sounds positively addictive, especially with the addition of melted chocolate.

Last but not least, my wonderful friend Camilla (a regular at One Bag Nation) sent this recipe – all the way from England – for Apple Blueberry Cake.

Cheers!

Posted on December 9th, 2008 under Uncategorized, adoption • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback