It's Here....Sharing Gifts from the Heart

I hope that this list gets added to as we approach the holidays. Please bookmark and visit often!

I love to give gifts that I've made myself. I've done crafty things in the past, but my strength is in the kitchen. I usually do a lot of baking, but I've also made cheese spreads, jellies, candy, and more. I'll share a few of my favorite recipes and hope that you will share yours.

Please tell us your recipe or idea in parenthesis by your name when leaving your link, and don't forget to leave a comment.

Happy Holidays!

Banana Bread

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 ripe bananas, mashed (approximately 1 cup of mashed banana)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Sift flour, baking soda and salt, set aside. Wisk eggs & vanilla together, set aside. Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter mixture and mix until incorporated. Add the vanilla. (The mixture will appear curdled.)

With a spatula, mix in flour mixture till just incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts, then pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Note: I actually get two loaves out of this recipe. You could also use the mini pans and include this on a tray with other goodies.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

3 T butter, softened
3 T corn syrup
½ t vanilla
¼ t salt
2½ c sifted confectioners sugar
2-10oz jars of maraschino cherries with stems, drained
2 c milk chocolate chips
3 T vegetable shortening

In a small bowl, combine butter, corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Gradually add the confectioners sugar, and beat well. (If mixture becomes too thick, knead fondant until sugar is well combined.)

Divide fondant in half and roll into two 7 " logs. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1-1½ hours or until firm. Cut logs into 1" pieces, and then cut each piece into 4 quarters.

Place quarter piece of fondant in palm of you hand and flatten it. Evenly wrap it around each cherry to cover. Place on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet; cover, and freeze for 30 minutes.

Using a double-boiler, melt chocolate morsels and vegetable shortening; stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.

Dip cherries into chocolate, shaking off excess. Place on waved paper-lined cookie sheets in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Makes approximately 4 dozen. If you have left over chocolate, re-dip after first coating has set.

Note: I made these one year with my nieces. We made a huge batch of these, plus we dipped mini Oreos and Ritz Bitz. Since I didn’t want to keep melting chocolate and I didn’t want the girls working over the stove, I melted the chocolate in my crock pot. I kept it on the lowest setting. It kept the chocolate melted until we had finished dipping everything, yet wasn’t too hot for the girls to work with.

Hot Pepper Jelly

Makes 7 cups

2 c finely chopped peppers (red or green)
¾ c finely chopped jalapeno peppers (approximately 6 med jalapeno peppers), leave seeds in for hotter flavor
1½ c cider vinegar
6½ c sugar
1 T crushed red pepper
1 pouch Certo Liquid Pectin

Measurements must be exact.

Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Drain well before using
Fill small saucepan with water and bring to boil. Remove from heat and place flat lids in hot water and let sit until needed.

Place chopped peppers and vinegar in 6- or 8-qt pot. Add sugar. You may also add ½ t of butter or margarine to reduce foaming.

Bring to a full rolling boil on high heat while stirring constantly.

Add crushed red pepper and pectin. Return to full boil and boil for exactly one minute, stirring constantly.

Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8-inch of tops. Wipe rims and threads clean, and cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands on tightly. Turn upside down for 5 minutes and then right-side up.

Jars will seal as they cool. You’ll hear them popping.

To test, press the center. It should be depressed. If it gives, place the jar in the refrigerator and use first.

Notes: These directions came from the Certo insert. They also include directions for processing in a hot water canner and a method for re-doing if it doesn’t set properly.

Jelly Cookies

These are my husband’s favorite cookies. He will tell you I don’t make them often enough for him, and he’s right.

1 cup powdered sugar
3 sticks softened butter
2 cups flour
1 cup corn starch

Cream butter and sugar in food processor. Slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until dough forms. If the dough is too soft, you can chill slightly.

Add dough to cookie press and press cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 325° for 10-13 minutes. They will not brown.

After the cookies have cooled, spread one with seedless blackberry jelly, top with another cookie, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. You may use any flavor jelly, you prefer.

Lemon Squares

Bottom
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

Topping
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
A pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Cut the butter into the flour and confectioners’ sugar and press into a 9-inch square pan. Bake 20 minutes or until light brown.

In the meantime, combine the topping ingredients. Pour the lemon mixture over the bottom immediately, and continue baking for about 25 minutes.

Sprinkle top with confectioners’ sugar.

Outrageous Brownies

I made these last year for the first time, and they’re wonderful. They should be kept refrigerated. I froze them and placed them on cookie trays. This worked perfectly. The recipe makes a huge amount, so you can keep the extras stashed in your freezer.
Recipe By : Barefoot Contessa
Serving Size : 20

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces bitter chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking sheet.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound of the chocolate chips, and the bitter chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture.

Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven self to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake!

Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into 20 large squares.

Notes: Flouring the chips and walnuts keeps them for sinking to the bottom. It is very important to allow the batter to cool well before adding the chocolate chips, or the chips will melt and ruin the brownies. This recipe can be baked up to a week in advance, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated.

Rib Room Cheese

The Rib Room is the name of the restaurant at the Royal Orleans Hotel in New Orleans. It is where my father worked when we moved to New Orleans. I was three; we left when I was seven. When I was 19, I moved back to New Orleans and got a job in the sales department of the same hotel. It’s still a magnificent place. This cheese is served in a ramekin with crackers to all diners as they wait for their food to arrive.

10 oz port wine cheese, softened
1 oz cream cheese, softened
1 oz butter, softened
1 drop Tabasco
2 drops Worcestershire sauce
¼ t horseradish

Mix all ingredients together.

Notes: The year I gave this away, I found these great mugs that I used to hold the cheese spread. Wrap them in plastic wrap and tie on a ribbon. You could also put them in a basket with crackers, etc…

Strawberry Preserves

Makes 8 cups

4 c lightly crushed strawberries (measure after crushing)
7 cups sugar
1 pouch Certo Liquid Pectin

Measurements must be exact.

Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Drain well before using
Fill small saucepan with water and bring to boil. Remove from heat and place flat lids in hot water and let sit until needed.

Place strawberries in 6- or 8-qt pot. Add sugar. You may also add ½ t of butter or margarine to reduce foaming.

Bring to a full rolling boil on high heat while stirring constantly.

Add pectin. Return to full boil and boil for exactly one minute, stirring constantly.

Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8-inch of tops. Wipe rims and threads clean, and cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands on tightly. Turn upside down for 5 minutes and then right-side up.

Jars will seal as they cool. You’ll hear them popping.

To test, press the center. It should be depressed. If it gives, place the jar in the refrigerator and use first.

Notes: These directions came from the Certo insert. They also include directions for processing in a hot water canner and a method for re-doing if it doesn’t set properly.

Three Chocolate Bark with Spiced Pecans and Dried Cherries

Recipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
Yield: 4 pounds of bark
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours

7 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups pecan pieces
Salt
Cayenne
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
1 pound semisweet chocolate, cut into pieces
1 pound milk chocolate, cut into pieces
1 pound white chocolate, cut into pieces
2 cups dried cherries, rehydrated and chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large sauté pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter.
Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves and is bubbly. Add the pecans.
Season the pecans with salt, cayenne, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar starts to caramelize and coat the pecans evenly. Cook for about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and spread the pecans over a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the pan in the oven and roast the pecans for about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool completely. Break the pecans into small pieces.

Fill three small saucepans half way up the pan with water. Place the pans over medium heat and bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. In three separate mixing bowls, add each type of chips into the individual bowls. Place the bowls over the saucepans. After about 2 minutes over the heat the chocolate will start to melt. Stir each chocolate until totally melted. Remove the chocolate from heat and stir 1 tablespoon of butter into each bowl of chocolate.

Pour each type of chocolate over the marble or a large parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the pecans and cherries over the chocolates. Using a metal spatula, spread the mixture out evenly back and forth to about 1/4-inch thick. Either place the marble in the refrigerator or allow to sit out until set, about a couple of hours. Break the bark into medium pieces and serve.

Notes: This made a huge amount of candy. I layered this in a quart-size canning jar with peanut butter fudge and chocolate fudge. I then trimmed a square of holiday fabric and placed it between the lid and screw band of the jar.