Gifts From Your Kitchen
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Gifts From Your Kitchen
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GIFTS FROM YOUR KITCHEN
French Truffles
1 8 oz. pkg. unsweetened chocolate
1 4 oz. pkg. sweet cooking chocolate
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
chopped nuts or flaked coconut
Melt chocolates together over hot water. Add condensed milk and mix until smooth and blended. Cool a few minutes and then shape into balls, using 1 tsp. per ball. Roll in nuts or coconut. Store in covered container or freeze.
Oven Caramel Corn
3 3/4 quarts (15 cups) popped corn
1 cup brown sugar (packed
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
Heat oven to 200 degrees. Divide popped corn between 2 ungreased baking pans,
13x9x2 inches. In sauce pan, heat sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt, stirring
occasionally, until bubbly around edges. Continue cooking over medium heat 5
minutes. Remove from heat; stir in soda until foamy. Pour on popped corn, stirring
until corn is well coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. About 15
cups corn.
Mocha Mix
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk
3/4 cup non-dairy creamer
1/2 - 3/4 cups instant coffee powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Store in airtight containers. To serve, use
3 tsp. of mix to 6 oz. boiling water. Serve topped with whipped cream. Makes
3 1/2 cups of dry mix.
* Double or triple recipe to make a number of gifts at once. Can be made months
ahead and frozen.
Wine Jelly
Beautiful, easy and delicious! Best of all, you'll have made several gifts
at once!
2 cups full-flavored wine
3 cups sugar
1/2 bottle fruit pectin
paraffin
Mix wine and sugar on top of double boiler. Place over boiling water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and at once stir in pectin. Pour into 4-5 hot, sterilized medium size jars or glasses. Cover at once with 1/8" paraffin.
Green Mint Jelly
Clear as an emerald!
1 6-oz. can frozen apple juice concentrate
2 cups water
1 box Sure-Jell (pectin)
3 3/4 cups sugar
Add to water: drop of mint extract, drop of green food coloring
paraffin
Mix apple juice concentrate, Sure-Jell and water in large saucepan. Stir constantly over high heat until bubbles form all around edge. Immediately add all sugar and stir. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard one full minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim, pour into sterilized jars and cover at once with paraffin. * Note: Begin with only a drop of mint and color. Test for color and taste before adding more. Use a "light hand" here or you could end up with a product that is too dark in color or too strong in flavor.
Granola
Prepare a batch or two of granola as much as two months before Christmas
giving and freeze. To give as gifts, place in glass jars or large cans and tie
with a bow.
6 cups quick-cooking or regular rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sliced almonds, broken
1 cup nonfat dry milk
1 cup each salad oil
1 cup honey
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
Using large bowl or pan, mix together all dry ingredients. Place oil, honey, cinnamon and vanilla in small pan. Heat until very hot, but do not boil. Pour over oat mixture and stir until evenly moistened. Spread mixture out on 2 large 10x15-inch rimmed baking pans. Bake uncovered in 200 degree oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until granola is golden caramel colored, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool thoroughly. Then store in an airtight container. Makes 3 quarts.
Wonder Bars
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup flaked coconut
1 6-oz. pkg. chocolate chips
1 5-oz. pkg. butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped nuts
1 15-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
Melt margarine in a 7"x11" or 9"x9" pan. Layer other ingredients in the order given, over the melted butter or margarine. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees (325 degrees in glass pan). Cool in pan and cut into bars.
LIQUEURS
These liqueurs are easy and delicious -
make these early for best flavor!
Mint Liqueur
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp. Peppermint Extract
1 tsp. green flood coloring
1-2 tbsp. glycerin
3 cups Vodka (24 oz.)
Place sugar and water in saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove
from heat. Add extract, coloring, glycerin and Vodka. Place in blender and blend
10-15 seconds. Age at least 2-3 days.
* For added thickness add 2 tbsp. of white corn syrup.
Orange Liqueur
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cup honey
2 tbsp. Orange extract
2 tbsp. glycerin
3 cups Brandy (24 oz.)
Place sugar and water in saucepan. Bring just to a boil. Remove
from heat and add honey, extract, glycerinate and brandy. Place in blender and
blend 10-15 seconds. Age at least 2-3 days.
* Note: Although these liqueurs are very good after just a few days, they improve
with age.
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