Posts Tagged food blog

Recipe Swap: Sweet Corn & Herb Hush Puppies

Oh, life is funny sometimes. And by funny, I mean this: Life is abolutely, positively never dull. Let me explain…

So, I’ve been thinking about this particular recipe/post for a few weeks now. As you may recall, CM (from Burwell General Store) and I did a recipe swap not too long ago, wherein we made our own interpretations of a recipe from Autumn Spiced Pudding from an old cookbook/hymnal called All Day Singin and Dinner on the Ground. We had such a good time with the swap, that we decided to do another – and this time we invited Toni at Boulder Locavore to join in on the fun. CM selected another recipe from the same cookbook, and we’ve had the last couple weeks to dream up ideas and interpretations.

For this swap, CM selected a very simple recipe: Fern’s Fried Apple Fritters.

She gave us no restrictions for our interpretations – the only stipulation was that our creations had to be somewhere in the fritter family (and that we had to have fun!). As soon as I heard that we were making fritters, I knew that I wanted to make Green Papata Fritters. I got the idea from one of Nich and I’s absolute favorite places to eat – The Whisky Soda Lounge. The WSL is the sister restaurant of the acclaimed Thai restaurant, Pok Pok. Originally created as an overflow space for Pok Pok, the WSL was designed to be a place for diners to get a drink and snack while waiting for a table across the street. However, Nich and I don’t even bother with Pok Pok anymore, we just go to the WSL for the Green Papaya Fritters. They are just so ridiculously good. That being said, I decided that since I love these particular fritters so very much, I would use this opportunity to make my own version of the beloved green papaya fritter.

And then, plans changed. On Friday night I ate some particularly spicy Chinese food…and let’s just say that it didn’t sit well with me. I will spare you the details, but it was a rough weekend. My original plan was to make my papaya fritters on Sunday night with my dear friend Mari, but my stomach had other plans. After a miserable day curled up in a ball on the couch, I couldn’t stomach the thought (no pun intended!) of eating anything remotely related to Asian food. Green Papaya fritters were out of the question.

So, then, I did what any other reasonable person would do when feeling ill: I went ahead and made fritters. I simply made a different kind of fritter. I needed a fritter that would be nice to my angry stomach; a fritter that was decidedly un-complicated; and a fritter that could be classified as ‘comfort food’. For me, that fritter was a classic cornmeal fritter — otherwise known as the “hush puppy“.

Since I didn’t have the energy to go to the store, my hush puppies were limited to what I had on hand. Thankfully, I had an interesting array of ingredients on hand and so I happily went about ‘inventing’ my version of this classic cornmeal fritter. In the end, I made Sweet Corn and Herb Hush Puppies with a Lemon Parsley Yogurt Sauce. They were everything I hoped for: simple to make, delicious to eat, and easy on the stomach. They may not be the fanciest fritters on the planet – but given the circumstances, I think they turned out rather well.

My fellow recipe swappers came up with some remarkable interpretations of the apple fritter. CM (Burwell General Store) made a “Trio of Truffle Fritters”, as she scored an amazing selection of truffles at her local farmers market. Toni (Boulder Locavore) decided to stay true to the apple portion of the original fritter recipe, and reinvented the fritter as Apple Pork Empanadas (and they’re gluten free!). I love that the 3 of us took a simple fritter recipe and ran in such different directions with it. Such is the beauty of a recipe swap!

So here’s to another successful swap. And even though life (aka my stomach) threw me a bit of a curveball this past weekend, I just had to roll with it. Sometimes culinary ‘accidents’ are the best kind! In this case, my haphazard, last-minute, illness-induced fritters were fabulous!

Sweet Corn & Herb Hush Puppies
(Makes 15-20)

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup white flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
Black pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 small shallot, minced
1 baby sweet bell pepper, diced
1 small jalapeno, diced and seeds removed
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3/4 cup corn kernels (I only had frozen corn on hand, as corn isn’t exactly in season right now. But if making this in the summertime, I could imagine that roasted corn would be delicious in this!)
1 tsp fresh thyme
Canola oil for frying

1. Mix dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, cayenne, sugar, pepper) together in a medium sized bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and the egg. Add corn, herbs, shallot, and peppers to the egg and milk mixture. Using a spatula, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, folding until completely combined. For best results, let this mixture sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before frying.
3. Next, heat 2-3 inches of oil in a heavy bottomed pan or skillet until it reaches 350 degrees.
4. Using a tablespoon to measure, drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil (I use a second spoon to scoop out the batter and keep its round shape). Fry until golden brown on all sides, turning every so often. Using a slotted spoon, remove from oil and transfer to paper towels. Let cool slightly, but they are best served warm! Serve with Lemon Parsley Yogurt Sauce.

Lemon Parsley Yogurt Sauce

1 cup Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
A couple mint leaves
The juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt & pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

Method: Combine all ingredients in a food processor until well blended. For best results, chill for 1 hour before serving. Serve with hush puppies (and a dash of hot sauce!).

Shakshuka

So, a few days ago I posted a random compilation of thoughts and goals for 2011. I didn’t think long and hard about it, but just threw out some ideas that I’d been thinking about, recipes I’d wanted to try, and things along these lines.

So, here I am, just a few days later: and I can already cross one of these things off my list. I made Shakshuka!

OK, so many of you are probably wondering what in the world shakshuka is. I only recently learned of this dish, when my friend Cait announced that she was going to make it for our weekly girl’s night dinner. When I heard she was making shakshuka, I had a “What the…?” moment. I had never heard of such a thing. But after a quick wiki-ing, I learned that it is a mediterreanean tomato and pepper stew with poached eggs. (Cait said that growing up, her family called it “Eggs in Hell”, which I think is a rather fitting description.)

So, I had my very first taste of skakshuka at Cait’s house and it was wonderful. And then, literally the next day I started seeing shakshuka everywhere. All of the sudden, shakshuka was all the rage in Portland. You see, all the Portland papers started announcing their 2010 Best Restaurant lists and a new place called Tasty N Sons was at the top every list. And what did they all say was the dish to get at Tasty N Sons? That’s right: shakshuka.

So, Nich and I decided to see what all the fuss was about. We waited an hour for a table (at 11:00am on a Thursday!) and eagerly awaited our shakshuka. It did not disappoint. I can’t say I was as thrilled with all the other Tasty N Sons dishes (sorry, it was good, but not BEST restaurant in Portland good.), but the shakshuka was astonishingly delicious. We were impressed with the depth of flavors that a mere tomato and pepper stew could bring to the table. The dish was hearty, filling, and comforting. It was so delicious, in fact, that Nich and I vowed to make our own.

Flash forward to a few nights later, and Nich and I were at home without much in the way of plans for the evening. I had just baked a fresh loaf of bread, there was a Blazers game on, and we needed to figure out something to make for dinner. After flipping through The New Book of Middle Eastern Food – a wedding present and one of my favorite cookbooks – we saw a recipe for authentic shakshuka and decided to go for it. The recipe doesn’t take a lot of speciality ingredients, it isn’t complicated, and it’s relatively quick to make. Plus, I had just bought really wonderful local eggs (from the Urban Farm Store) and we were thrilled to poach them in such a worthy sauce.

Even though it was our first attempt, I would venture to say that our shakshuka rivals the only other two I’ve tried (Cait’s and Tasty N Sons). It was thick, rich, and flavorful – and we looooooooooved it. I can already tell that this will be a staple in our household.

SHAKSHUKA
(Adapted from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food – which is a wonderful cookbook and I highly recommend it!)
Serves 4-6
(*Note: many add sausage to their shakshuka. The Tasty N Sons version had lamb merguez sausage and it was wonderful. We didn’t have any sausage, so we made ours vegetarian).

2 large (28oz) cans whole tomatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 white or yellow onion, sliced thin
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1.5 tsps Harissa paste
1 pinch saffron (*optional)
2 tsps ground cumin
Dash of red chili flakes
1.5 tsps smoked paprika
Salt & pepper, to taste
4-6 farm fresh eggs

Garnishes:
Crusty bread and/or warm pita
Crumbled feta
Fresh parsley

Method:

1. First, you must roast the bell peppers (you can use store bought roasted peppers, but roasting your own is really the best). There are a couple different ways you can go about this. If you have a gas stovetop, you can turn on a burner and roast the peppers (use metal tongs!) over the open flame. Rotate the pepper often, until the skin is blackened on all sides. If you do not have a gas stove, you can roast your peppers by broiling them in your oven, making sure to turn often so the skin blackens on all sides. Once the skin has blackened, place peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Once they have cooled enough to handle, remove the skin (it should come off easily at this point) and then thinly slice the roasted peppers.

Put a generous amount (2 Tbl) olive oil in a heavy pan, dutch oven, or cast iron skillet and heat over med-high heat. Add in sliced onions and cook until nearly translucent. Lower the heat slightly and add in minced garlic and roasted peppers, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in the tomatoes (and juices), harissa, and spices. (If using whole canned tomatoes, crush with your hands, a potato masher, etc.) Heat on Med until the mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for at least a half hour.

Once the mixture has thickened and some of the liquid has reduced, taste and season to your preference (I like it a little spicy!). When the tomato sauce is ready, crack 4 (or 6, depending on how many people you are feeding) eggs on top of the tomato sauce. For ease, I recommend cracking the eggs into small individual bowls and lowering the bowls into the tomato mixture, and letting the egg slide out of the bowl gently onto the sauce. Cover the pan and let the eggs cook in the liquid until the whites are opaque (about 6 minutes).

Gently ladle into shallow bowls (1 egg per person) and serve with crusty bread or pita. Garnish with fresh parsley and crumbled feta.

2010: a great year.

Happy New Year, everyone!

My oh my, what a year this has been. So many good things: a new niece, a new brother-in-law (from Sudan), a new place to live, and more. It was crazy, and busy, a happy, and good. My cup overflows.

In addition to all this goodness, I realized this means that I’ve been writing on this here food blog for over a year. It was on Christmas last year that Nich gave me a digital camera and filled my stocking with spices, chilies, vinegars, truffle oil, and more. He gave me the tools to start the blog I’d been dreaming up – and so I did just that. Its just been a year, and in that time I’ve posted 77 different blogs. Seventy seven! Holy smokes, I’m pretty happy about that (if I do say so myself). I have had more fun with this blog that I could have ever dreamed, and I look forward to future food adventures.

So, this isn’t necessarily a ‘Best of 2010’ post, but it is a roundup of a few of my favorites, as well a random compilation of things I feel compelled to share. I do hope you enjoy!

I don’t want to admit that some of my recipes are better than others. So, I won’t. You can make them an decide for yourself which is best! However, I will tell you the recipes that I would call my personal favorites. I would only say these 6 are my favorites simply because I find myself going back to them time and time again. They are as follows:

1. Raw Kale & Apple Salad – I could eat this every day. Honestly, I make it at least once a week and my body loves me for it.
2. Free Form Artisan Bread – I didn’t know that making bread from scratch could be so easy. And so good.
3. Olive Oil Rosemary Cake – This is my favorite dessert, hands down. It is subtle and simple and not too sweet. And, of course, it has rosemary in it so that makes it automatically awesome.
4. Vegan Caesar Salad – No, I am not a vegan but this salad is so good that I often make it instead of a normal caesar. I love it.
5. 24 Hour Dill Pickles – These are absolutely addicting. And if you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, you’ll know how I feel about all things pickled. Nuff said.
6. Thomas Keller’s Salmon Rillettes – I feel that you can’t go wrong with any of Thomas Keller’s recipes, but oh how I love this one. This is essentially a buttery salmon spread. It is amazing, go home and make it now. :)

And now for some random thoughts on this last year and hopes for the coming year:

*New Years resolution #1: Make more recipes from 101 Cookbooks. I love everything on that site.

*This year, I want to learn to make authentic Shakshuka. I just had it the other day at Tasty and Sons, and it was amaaaaaaaazing.

*I look forward to being a part of various cooking challenges, blog groups, and other things that force me to think creatively (and ultimately make me a better cook). I look forward to the Velveteer challenges in 2011, various recipe swaps with Burwell General Store, and getting plugged in with the Sustainable Food for Thought gals (and attending their events).

*I MUST learn to make Black Mole. And tamales, for that matter.

*I plan to expand my garden this year, and plant a zillion good things: tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, snap peas, carrots, beets, chard, kale, onions, garlic, etc…

*I want to go to France and Spain this year. Tour de wine & cheese? Yes, please.

*I resolve to open my home to as many people as possible, cook meals for friends (and strangers), and use the resources I’ve been given to serve others.

*I want to make these, and this, and this, and this, and this.

*p.s. I just made this salad from The Smitten Kitchen (at Mari’s recommendation) and it was awesome. This will be a staple in 2011.

Most of all, this year, I hope to live a life that is simple and meaningful. I hope to be a good wife, a good daughter, a good sister, a good aunt, and a good friend. I will continue to seek out healthy and whole foods, and recipes that reflect my commitment to these types of foods. I will do my best to support local business.

As I said earlier: my cup overflows. As I look forward into this new year, I pray that I can use the resources I’ve been blessed with to be a blessing to others.

I wish you all the best in the year to come. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to more culinary adventures in 2011!

Salted Honey Lavender Shortbread

Here’s the thing about hand-making most of your Christmas presents: its a lot of work. But let me be clear: I am not complaining. I know that I made the choice to hand-make my gifts. And in making that choice, I knew it would take time and energy. I did my best to budget my time and take on projects that weren’t too crazy and I did my best to enjoy the season. But, at the end of the day, you do have to put some time (and love) into handmade gifts. And when all is said and done, it can be a bit exhausting.

However, I feel that it is totally worth it. (My kitchen, on the other hand, might not feel the same way. It is a complete and utter disaster!) I ended up giving a my family (and a few friends) a combination of gifts. Not all were handmade, but I did my best to make the majority of my gifts. So, this is what I ended up making this year: cranberry orange liqueurs, spicy brown mustard, cranberry pear chutney, and salted honey lavender shortbread. And for non-food gifts, I even made my own scented reed diffusers! I was quite pleased.

So Christmas day has come and gone, and it was just wonderful. I got to spend quality time with my family, cook delicious things (I roasted a duck!), and came away feeling so spoiled and loved. In the spirit of over-sharing, I will now tell you a few of the things I received (in no particular order): a vintage bacon press (!), fresh Oregon black truffles (!!!), homemade wine jelly, a Blazers Jersey (LaMarcus! #12, baby!), vintage cookbooks, a peacock painting (by my extremely talented youngest sister), a Peugeot pepper grinder (with a lifetime warranty!), a meatloaf pan (from my father-in-law, who says that no chef can be without a proper meatloaf pan) and so much more. Upon closer inspection, it seems that my Christmas gifts speak volumes about me. Namely, that I am a nerd.

So, then, this nerd would like to share with you a recipe for salted honey lavender shortbread. While I gave out this shortbread for Christmas gifts (and yes, I know it is much to late to post about gift ideas), this shortbread is one for all occasions. It is simple, elegant, and I love the subtle floral element that the lavender brings to the buttery shortbread. In addition, I used culinary lavender that I got from my mother-in-law (she grows her own, and it is amaaaaaazing.) and so I have the distinct advantage of using the best lavender on the planet. If you are really really nice to me, I might lend you a little so that you can make this recipe.

Salted Honey Lavender Shortbread
(Adapted from Evil Shenanigans)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons honey (the better quality honey, the better the taste)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon culinary lavender
1/2 teaspoon flake sea salt, or to taste

*NOTE: I thought that my first batch of cookies came out a bit dry and so for my second batch, I used less flour than the original recipe calls for. However, I wasn’t baking at my house so I didn’t have access to a stand mixer, and my problems with the dough could have resulted from the lack of a proper mixer.

Heat the oven to 350 F and spray an 8 x 8″ pan with non-stick spray, line with parchment paper leaving a three inch overhang on either side, and spray the parchment. (*I didn’t have parchment paper onhand, so I buttered and floured the pan, and that worked just fine.)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, sugar, cornstarch, honey, kosher salt, vanilla, lavender, and butter. Blend on low speed until well mixed and smooth.

Press the dough evenly into the pan. Prick the top well with a fork, making sure not to press the fork completely though the dough.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the center of the cookies feel firm with lightly pressed and they are golden brown all over. Allow the cookies to cool five minutes then evenly sprinkle the tops with sea salt. Allow to cool for and additional thirty minutes in the pan.

Using the parchment overhang lift the shortbread from the pan (or, skip this step if you didn’t use parchment). Using a sharp knife, cut into squares. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Sprinkle with additional lavender and salt if you so desire.

recipe swap: persimmon panna cotta

A few weeks ago, a fellow food blog buddy – Christianna Reinhardt over at Burwell General Store – came up with an ingenious idea. She came across an old cookbook at a swap meet (more on the cookbook on her blog. I will say this…its a hymnal and cookbook all in one. I love it.) and suggested that we use the old cookbook to inspire a recipe swap. Essentially this meant that we would take a recipe from the book and loosely re-interpret the dish according to our own tastes. Then, we’d post the results on our blogs and “swap” recipes. We gave ourselves time to locate ingredients, brainstorm, test, and post – and decided that today would be the great unveiling.

The recipe that she selected for our first swap was an Autumn Persimmon Pudding. The original recipe was quite simple and straightforward, and I imagine the end result was more of a British style “pudding” (bready: akin to bread pudding or figgy pudding).

I don’t often cook with persimmons (Read: I’ve never cooked with them) but I’ve had them before in various dishes and have always enjoyed them. That being said, I wasn’t entirely sure how to approach this recipe swap. My first thought was to make a persimmon curd, but after scouring the internet for recipes and ideas I couldn’t find anything that stood out to me. (The only persimmon curd recipe I found online looked a little bit gross, actually.)

But, then I came across this gem of a recipe: Persimmon Panna Cotta with Maple Glazed Pecans.

The recipe looked simple, straightforward, and it was still in the same vein as the original persimmon pudding. Oh, and did I mention that it sounded completely decadent and wonderful? I’ve never attempted a panna cotta before, and so I thought this would be a great opportunity to try it out.

So, I made the recipe with a few twists of my own. Right off the bat, I knew that I would scrap the maple pecan topping, and instead chose to “invent” a spicy caramelized hazelnut topping. Hazelnuts are an Oregon staple, and I wanted to be sure to highlight this local favorite. I absolutely adore hazelnuts, and I am fortunate enough to live in a region where they abound. Therefore, I had no choice but to highlight our regional ‘darlings’! For the actual panna cotta, I didn’t stray too much from the original recipe, as I wanted to ensure that the panna cotta set properly. I did fiddle a bit with the seasonings, and I used a combination of whole milk and cream (rather than all cream).

I must say: I was terribly pleased with the results. The panna cotta set beautifully, the flavors were simple and lovely, and the crunch and spice of the hazelnuts paired nicely with the sweetness of the silky persimmons panna cotta. This is a beautiful and seasonal dessert, and I will definitely make it again. The first recipe swap was a great success!

For those who are curious as to the other recipe in this “swap”, head over to Burwell General Store to see CM’s post. She made Persimmon Crème Brulee with Blackberries (!!!). I am so bummed that we don’t live in the same state, because I could really use a bite of persimmon crème brulee right about now!

(Fun fact from Wikipedia: apparently every year in Mitchell, Indiana there is an annual persimmon festival, complete with a persimmon pudding contest. CM – too bad we don’t live in Indiana? We would totally win.)

Anyway, the panna cotta turned out beautifully – I dare you to try it yourself. Here is the recipe:

Persimmon Panna Cotta with Caramelized Hazelnuts
(Adapted from Bon Vivant)

For starters, you’ll need to poach persimmons for this recipe:

Poached Persimmons
2 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
4 Fuyu persimmons, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cinnamon stick

Bring the water and sugar to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and add the persimmons and cinnamon stick. Make sure that there’s enough water to cover the fruit. Simmer, uncovered for up to 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to cool until needed.

Persimmon Panna Cotta
14 ounces poached persimmons, pureed until smooth (*I found that 4 fuyu persimmons, after poaching did not quite equal 14 oz – it was more like 12 oz. but I just used what I had!)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash of ground cloves
2¼ teaspoons gelatin
3 tablespoons cold water
2 cups cream or half and half (I used 1 cup half and half, and 1 cup whole milk)
¼ cup granulated sugar

Stir the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into the pureed persimmons, mix and set aside. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium sized bowl and let it stand while you prepare the rest of the panna cotta.

If you’re planning on serving the panna cotta in their molds, then skip this step. But if you’d like to serve them on a plate (“free-standing”) you will first need to oil 4 ramekins (or bowls) with a neutral-tasting oil.

Heat the cream and sugar in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved (it will only take a few minutes), remove from heat and stir in the persimmon mixture. Then pour the warm contents of the saucepan over the gelatin and mix until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Pour the mixture into molds and refrigerate for at last 4 hours before serving.

Caramelized Hazelnuts
1 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
3/4 cup sugar (all I had was light brown sugar on hand, but white sugar works as well)
dash of cayenne
dash of cinnamon
dash of black pepper
dash of nutmeg
a “bit” of water

Mix sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly (don’t burn the sugar!) until the mixture reduces to a thick syrup. Stir in the spices and seasonings (to your liking. I wanted it to be a little spicy!) and then add in the hazelnuts. Remove from heat, and spread nuts out on parchment or wax paper. Once cooled (and the sugars have hardened), sprinkle a healthy amount of the caramelized nuts over the panna cotta when you are ready to serve.

avocado mashed potatoes.

I really can’t bring myself to write out an actual recipe for mashed potatoes. I’m going to take a stab in the dark and guess that all of you have made mashed potatoes at one point or another. If you haven’t, its simple: peel the potatoes (or not), cube, and boil in water until soft. Mash and add fatty goodness to them (butter, sour cream, milk, etc). There you go: mashed potatoes.

So then, this is not a mashed potato recipe, per se. Rather, this is a mashed potato suggestion.

Add avocado to your mashed potatoes. Just do it. I promise, its ridiculously delicious. And, it makes your mashed potatoes a delightful shade of green!

For a ‘family sized’ portion of mashed potatoes, I suggest adding in 2 diced (ripe) avocados. After you have cooked & drained the potatoes, add in the avocados and mash/blend until creamy. I also recommend a healthy dollop of creme fraiche (or sour cream) – along with a bit of butter, salt, and pepper. Garnish with fresh herbs if you so desire! Honestly, the addition of avocado makes them perfect, perfect, perfect. The avocado adds color, texture, flavor, and fat. I don’t know why I’ve only recently discovered this trick!

All that to say: I’ve never had tastier (or creamier) mashed potatoes. Try it out, and see if you agree!

a handmade holiday (and a recipe for spicy brown mustard).

This time of year is just so overwhelming. It seems that every year, the advertisements get louder, the Black Friday lines get longer, and the things I love about Christmas are seemigly lost in the throes of American consumerism. It all just seems so Charlie Brown, if you know what I mean. And I get so discouraged by insanity of it all! I feel like I need my own personal Linus to come remind me what Christmas is all about.

Because, at the end of the day I believe that Christmas is about a Savior who came to earth. Its as simple as that. And whether or not you share my beliefs on Christmas, I do hope that we can all agree that there is something disconcerting about the modern American Christmas. The holiday has become a hallmark of greed, materialism, stress, waste, and so much more. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

For the past few years, my family and I have participated in the phenomenon that is known as The Advent Conspiracy. The Advent Conspiracy is trying to change how we do Christmas. Their motto is simple: Love All. Spend Less. Give More. I was struck by the simplicity of the statement: so much truth in so few words. To expand upon the motto, essentially The Advent Conspiracy challenges people to change their Christmas spending habits. Instead of spending bunches of money on traditional gifts, they challenge people to instead use that money to do good. They do not suggest that you forgo all gifts entirely, rather they encourage people to give thoughtful and handmade gifts, the gift of time (i.e. babysitting for someone, cooking a meal for someone), and other such gifts. (For more info, watch their promo video here)

So my family and I have done just that. We’ve gotten really creative with our gifts – it’s usually a combination of handmade items (food and non-food), second hand items, or things purchased from local businesses. There are no hard and fast rules, we just do the best we can. And maybe I’m crazy, but I take so much joy in the process. For me, this is what Christmas is all about (Ahem…Charlie Brown). It is about taking the time to invest in those that you love, to gift meaningful and thoughtful gifts, and to use your resources in a way that will benefit others.

So, if you’re like me – and you’d like Christmas to be a little bit more meaningful (or just a little more homemade!) — I put together a list of homemade gift ideas. I haven’t made all of the recipes/crafts listed, but I do want to make all of them at some point! I tried to give a wide range of ideas, and most of them are really simple (and cheap) to make! Merry Christmas, and I do hope you find these links helpful! (p.s. if you have any DIY gift ideas you’d like to share, please send me a comment with a link and I will post them here! Thank you!)

A HANDMADE HOLIDAY ROUNDUP: GIFT IDEAS FOR YOU AND YOURS!

*Grapefruit Cranberry Marmelade (Someone make this for my Christmas present, please?! :) )
*Cranberry Liqueur
*Cute Little Marble Magnets
*Homemade Vanilla Extract
*Moss Terrarium | Tiny Terrarium | Hanging Succulent Terrarium
*Chai Tea Mix
*Ina Garten’s Chipotle and Rosemary Spiced Nuts
*Vodka Infusions (Rosemary Lavender & Rhubarb)
*Lemon or Lime Curd (*Made this for gifts last year – so good!)
*Pumpkin Butter
*Basil & Wine Jelly
*Balsamic Fig Thyme Jam
*Hazelnut-Lavender-Coconut Granola
*Maple Cinnamon Granola
*DIY (darling) Teacup Candles (*made a bunch of these in vintage cups for gifts last year.)
*Spice Blend: Herbds De Provence
*Vanilla Salt
*Homemade Curry Powder (!)

And lastly, here is one of my personal favorite homemade holiday gifts: Spicy Brown Mustard. I made a bunch for Christmas gifts last year, and I’ve been requested to make it again this year (I think it was well-received!). It is SO easy to make – essentially you throw all the ingredients in a bowl and let it sit for a few days and then food process it. Done and done. The mustard is spicy, intense, and oh-so-delicious.

Spicy Brown (Jubelale) Mustard
(Adapted from The Taste of Oregon)

12 oz. Jubelale (or other dark winter ale – original recipe called for the Ninkasi Oatmeal Stout)
1 1/2 cup brown mustard seeds (*important! needs to be brown mustard seeds, not yellow. For any of you Portlanders, they sell them at Limbo)
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Mix all ingredients together in a glass container and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to steep at room temperature for 1-2 days until the mustard seeds soften and all the flavors come together.

After the mixture has sat for a day or two (I think two is best), blend all ingredients in a food processor. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Continue processing until the seeds are coarsely ground and the mixture begins to thicken. This should take about 3 minutes.

Transfer the mustard to clean jars with lids. Seal and refrigerate for up to six months. The mustard will mellow with age.

*Oh, and here is a link to the darling labels I used on my jars of mustard (pictured at the top of this post). Canning Printables from Paper Crave