Make your own Christmas Prezzies!

gonker

I am enjoying this thread. Definitely going to make some of the suggestions here.
Would anyone have a recipe for the pomegranate vodka I cant seem to find it on the thread please and thankyou.

jinxremoving

Lidl are selling the cellophane wrapping at the moment for covering hampers etc. Only 1.29 for a 10metre roll!

livinsane

Thanks everyone for the contributions on this great thread. I am making most of my Christmas presents this year and its given me loads of ideas.

I just made my first trial attempt at the Chili Jam. Its cooling at the mo but looks and tastes great. The only thing that I was unsure about was the length of time for dissolving the sugar. It seemed to take ages and at the end, I got a white scum on top. I carried on anyway and after boiling everything up, it looks fine. Did anyone else experience this or did I do something wrong?

I am also making mini Banana Loaves (got a great tin divided into 6 mini loafs in Lidl). Im using a combination of generic recipes, using cherries and crushed walnuts.

I am going to make sachets for mulled wine using cheese cloth, cloves, cinnamon sticks, dried orange peel and allspice berries.

I have also made homemade lip balm using this recipe (non food sorry but worth putting up - v easy and cheap to make. Feels and tastes great!):

Luscious Lavender Lip Balm Recipe
4 Tbsp jojoba, almond, or olive oil
1 Tbsp grated beeswax or beeswax pearls
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp vitamin E oil (or 3 punctured, squeezed out liquid vitamin E capsules)
7 drops lavender essential oil (or other essential oil)
1 tsp colored, natural lipstick (optional, if you want it to have a hint of color)


Warm the oils, beeswax and honey in a small, stainless steel pot or bowl. Be sure to warm it on VERY low heat. (You can use a double boiler, if you’d like.)
Stir until the beeswax is completely melted.
Remove from heat and quickly whisk in the essential oil, vitamin E, cocoa powder, and colored lipstick.
Place the bottom of the bowl into a shallow pan of ice water and continue whisking quickly as you add the honey.
Once the honey is incorporated, quickly transfer the balm into your lip balm container (tube or tin) and allow to set for 3 hours.

I got the lip balm containers on ebay for very cheap.

A few other things I am including in the hampers are Knorr Stock Pots, luxury coffee, homemade pot pourri pillows, Lemon Curd (thanks to recipe found on here).

Happy present making to all!:D

WesternNight

Going to attempt the chili jam this evening. I'm just hoping I manage to steralise the jars properly without them breaking!

xxxkarenxxx

gonker wrote: »

I am enjoying this thread. Definitely going to make some of the suggestions here.
Would anyone have a recipe for the pomegranate vodka I cant seem to find it on the thread please and thankyou.

Hi! This is the one I plan on making its a Nigella recipe...

This makes 700ml
150g pomegranate seeds
1 x 70cl bottle vodka
1 large sealable jar for steeping
1 x 70cl sealable bottle for presenting

Sterilize your jar and leave to cool

Add the pomegranate seeds to the cooled jar followed by the vodka. Seal and give it a shake before putting it in a cool dark place.

Leave it for 4 days shaking it any time you remember before sieving into a measuring jug.

Sterilize your 70cl bottle, pour in the steeped vodka and put the lid on tightly before storing.

xxxkarenxxx

niamh86 wrote: »

Hey all

Great thread. I usually don't make my Christmassy things until Christmas week planning on starting them this weekend. Just wondering where you store them? Going to make red onion marmalade & a few different relishes & sauces. Fridge or just in a press?

Thanks.

Its absolutely fine to just store them in the press until they are open, then refrigerate

niamh86

xxxkarenxxx wrote: »

niamh86 wrote: »

Hey all

Great thread. I usually don't make my Christmassy things until Christmas week planning on starting them this weekend. Just wondering where you store them? Going to make red onion marmalade & a few different relishes & sauces. Fridge or just in a press?

Thanks.

Its absolutely fine to just store them in the press until they are open, then refrigerate

Thanks Karen!

rebelchick2

I'm making an irish cheese board for a friend of mine and looking for a nice chutney recipe to go with it! Any suggestions appreciated
Bought a €2 platter in Dunnes and going to make some of Rachel allens homemade crisp breads to go with the cheese and chutney

sineadgalway

On the jar issue....i know its a bit of a waste but its often cheaper to buy the jars full of something in Aldi/Lidl/Tesco than buying emtpy jars specifically for gifts. Tesco have some mint sauce for 44c in jars that would be perfect for relish....

gonker

xxxkarenxxx wrote: »

Hi! This is the one I plan on making its a Nigella recipe...

This makes 700ml
150g pomegranate seeds
1 x 70cl bottle vodka
1 large sealable jar for steeping
1 x 70cl sealable bottle for presenting

Sterilize your jar and leave to cool

Add the pomegranate seeds to the cooled jar followed by the vodka. Seal and give it a shake before putting it in a cool dark place.

Leave it for 4 days shaking it any time you remember before sieving into a measuring jug.

Sterilize your 70cl bottle, pour in the steeped vodka and put the lid on tightly before storing.

Thank you Karen:D

gonker

This might be useful for someone. Aldi super 6 next 2 weeks are
all for 79c

Pears 750g (approx 8)
Red Apples 6 pack
Plums 500g (approx 10):D

Honey-ec

I got my jars in Ikea on Saturday - 500ml Kilners for €1.19 each.

luvly_gal

I an loving this thread. Started on my presents at the weekend. Made some chilli jam and plum sauce. Turned out very well. Delighted.
I also found this website.
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/Homepage.action
Its up in Belfast but they deliver. Great deals on jars and lids and cellophane.

gonker

Has anyone seen pomegranates anywhere Dublin/Louth aread. Asked in Dunnes in Dundalk yesterday and they had just dumped the last 4 they had as no one was buying them:mad:

trackguy

gonker wrote: »

Has anyone seen pomegranates anywhere Dublin/Louth aread. Asked in Dunnes in Dundalk yesterday and they had just dumped the last 4 they had as no one was buying them:mad:

Is it the pomegranate vodka that you are making? If so, Tesco sell pomegranate seeds in bags which are perfect for the purpose.

shinikins

Aldi have lovely pomegranates at the moment, really tasty. I can't remember what price they are, but they won't break the bank!!

Merrilady

Honey-ec wrote: »

I got my jars in Ikea on Saturday - 500ml Kilners for €1.19 each.

You must have bought them all, none left on Monday :eek:

I did buy thier space jars, 4 for 2.50, nice size for cranberry sauce / mint sauce.

Got Kilner jam jars and some baskets today, just have to figure out who is getting what.

Am doing -

Chilli Oil
Chilli Jam
Cutney / jam - as yet undecided
Brown Bread
Scones
Rockey roads
Xmas buscuits - with my xmas cookie cut outs :cool:
Stuffing

Am putting some nice Tea and coffee in some hampers.
Not everyone is getting all the above, some are getting 2/3 things and then 4 people are getting all the above.

Cant wait.

Any suggestions on the jam cutneys ??

Honey-ec

Merrilady wrote: »

You must have bought them all, none left on Monday :eek:

I only bought eight of them!

Btw, for anyone planning to make the cranberry-pistachio biscotti (think it's on page one or two), Aldi have dried cranberries in at the moment, they're Ocean Spray brand and they're called "Craisins" (those crazy Yanks, eh?) Can't remember how much they are, I'll check tomorrow and confirm.

Honey-ec

Right, the dried cranberries in Aldi are €1.39 for a 170g bag.

I'm testing the honeycomb recipe today, it's cooling at the moment and I have to say, so far, it's looking good. Can't wait to taste it!

Betsysquared

ok, so I made Nigellas chilli jam,

It turned out well i think, it set anyway, but i think its quite spicy!
I like spicy food, but it has a kick:eek::eek:

Goin to make some fudge next

Merrilady

Honey, thanks for that, I paid €6 for 500g of fresh in Tesco, only coz I wanted to start the hampers this week.

I made the Donal Skehan chilli jam today, again it seems like a sweet chilli sauce, but at this stage "hey"

Might make the nigella one later in the Dec, seems likemit might be more expensive to make than Donals.

I also came across a BBQ sauce recipe, and in the end it turned into a Spicy Secret Sweet n Sour Sauce looks and tastes well for the hampers :-)

Honey-ec

Merrilady wrote: »

Honey, thanks for that, I paid €6 for 500g of fresh in Tesco, only coz I wanted to start the hampers this week.

Ouch! I've been keeping my eye out for fresh cause I want to make cranberry sauce, but I won't be paying that for them! Aldi used to always get bags of fresh Ocean Spray crans at this time of year for about €2 a pop, but they haven't had them the past two years in a row

Btw, the honeycomb didn't *quite* turn out right yesterday - it didn't really set 100% hard afterwards. I googled a few demos on it and I think I didn't get the mix hot enough before adding the bicarbonate of soda - it should be at the "hard crack" stage, apparently.

I'll try another batch over the weekend.

deejam

hi guys,
this is such an exciting thread.. I plan to make the red chilli jam, butter(hopefully).. and red velvet cupcakes, i think they will look very festive in the basket, but here lies my problem, i cant find cheap baskets anywhere... iv searched on line and found the perfect one on amazon, its like a DIY hamper set. Its a pack of 5 large bamboo baskets with bows etc included.. but when i checked out it said it cant send to my address (ireland).. I was up untill 2am searching last nite and im at my wits end..:mad:
Please help!! tia:)

Merrilady

Hiya,

try looking for bread baskets, they are a little smaller but will work if you have 3/4 items.

Or a shoe box covered
in Xmas wrapping / brown paper

flamingo display in ballymoint might something too

BOL

Deki

I have used all sorts of containers to put presents in, small plastic pails, paper mache nested boxes. one year I found paper mache sled at the craft store, you can set your jars on a cardboard pizza round you've spray painted or covered with Christmas paper, then pit some cello wrap under and pull up and gather together and tie with a bow. or nestle your goodies in a cheap bowl - adds another gift.

Staph

Ikea have loads of baskets, all different sizes. You may find something suitable there.

anucksunamun

Last year I got a set of red platters in aldi/lidl, I used them as the base to my 'baskets' (without the basket as it were ) and they really looked fab.. they also had them in gold, and it worked out very cheap (about a euro per platter), plus everyone I gave them to now uses the platter at christmas.. so useful too.

Dont think I'm the cheapest person ever.. but I also keep the cardboard basket style boxes my bf gets with his easter eggs and reuse them during the year for baskets.. obviously with light things in them like bath stuff/make up..

I got baskets off ebay this year for about €3 shipping included, medium size If anyone wants to get the sellers details or anything drop me a pm . Also big thanks to luvly_gal for the link.. excellent prices there on jars and new lids.. and thank you, thank you, thank you for the recipe senelra!

trackguy

I made pickled gherkins today. The cucumbers need to be salted first, drained and packed into jars with some aromatics (shallot, coriander seeds, peppercorns and dill) and topped with white wine vinegar.

Now to figure out who'll like gherkins?!

swine

Great thread. Decided I'd make an attempt at doing some baskets this year for gifts. It really is quite an amount of work. Started with Apple Butter last night using Nigella Lawson's recipe. Tasting it while making it, I didn't think it tasted much better than an average apple sauce you'd have with pork. But after it cooled and trying it on a scone, it was very tasty!



Next up - rosemary cookies! I made them before and they were delicious. They sound a bit strange but the rosemary is quite aromatic and they're easy to make. Planning on making the logs and freezing them, then baking the day before making the basket.

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 egg white, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup fine sanding sugar

Directions

Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in whole egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, rosemary, and salt, and mix until combined.

Halve dough; shape each half into a log. Place each log on a 12-by-16-inch sheet of parchment. Roll in parchment to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Transfer to paper-towel tubes to hold shape, and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375. Brush each log with egg white; roll in sanding sugar. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake until edges are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

livinsane

If anyone is in the Cork area, Central Floristry Supplies (up airport rd direction) are great for hamper baskets and all related materials. I got baskets suitable for a small hamper for about 2.50 each. They have big rolls of patterned and plain cellophane and bales of that shredded wood stuff for packing.