Homemade Gifts: Spiced Cocktail Nuts

There is still more than enough time to make some really fantastic holiday gifts.  These spicy spiced cocktail nuts cook up in no time, are a cinch to make, and require very few ingredients.

Spiced Cocktail Nuts

slightly modified recipe taken from the fabulous Tartine Bakery Cookbook

5 sprigs fresh thyme

3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
7-8 cups or 40oz mixed nuts (I used mainly almonds, but also included peanuts, pepitas, and cashews)

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a jelly roll pan with parchment or a silpat.

Pick the leaves from the thyme and rosemary, then coarsely chop.  Mix together the herbs, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, and the corn syrup in a large bowl.  Mix in the nuts with your hands.  The mixture will distribute more evenly once it's heated.

Put the mixture on the jelly roll pan and into the oven.  Make sure to mix your nuts and turn your pan several times during cooking.  They should be roasted and toasty brown in about 15-20 minutes.  Cool the nuts completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

I plan to package them up simliary to this, though I'd do them in small ziplocks inside the brown back to help with freshness.

Adorable bag tutorial found at The Party Studio

Homemade Gifts: Cranberry Liqueur

I have many a cocktail lover in my life.  Relatives, friends, neighbors... we can be a boozy bunch.  This homemade cranberry liqueur is a perfect gift.  Make it look pretty and it can be a cost effective solution for the gift for the bulk of your Christmas List, as well as nice to have on hand for unexpected holiday drop-ins.

Cranberry Liquer

based on a recipe from The NY Times

2-12oz bags cranberries
4 c. sugar
2 c. water
1 handle (1.75L) vodka*

*kitchen notes:  I use 2 half full handles of vodka so I can simply add the cranberry syrup on top to let it sit for a week before gifts go out.  Regarding the type of vodka, I like to use Smirnoff because it's pretty cost effective with minimal flavor.  This time, I used the cheap Costco brand and like the results so far.

Boil the frozen cranberries in a saucepan with sugar and water until the berries POP.  Puree the mixture in a food processor.   Wait for the mixture to cool, then funnel the cranberry syrup equally into each half full handle of vodka.  Adding the zest of a couple of oranges would be great, or you could also add some cinnamon sticks, if that's your thing.

Let the concoction sit in a cool, dark place - fridge space is a hot commodity during the holidays and cool and dark is sufficient - for at least a week or two.  When you are ready to decant into pretty gift bottles, pour through a strainer lined with cheesecloth to get rid of the cloudiness.  Since I did not have forethought to make this ahead of time this year to take pictures, go directly to Pinterest for bottling ideas (or hopefully Natty will show us her stuff next week!).

This liqueur is an awesome addition to a liquor cabinet, but I personally love it over ice with fizzy water and a squeeze of lime.

Homemade Gifts: A Quick Poem for a Favorite Mamma

It's so "English teacher" of me to recommend giving a poem as a gift, but this poem is one I come back to again and again, especially when nursing Georgia in the middle of the night (or when there are so many dishes in the sink, I can't see the spout.)

     Song for a Fifth Child
   
     Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
     Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
     Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
     Sew on a button and make up a bed.

     Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
     She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

     Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
     (Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
     Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
     (Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
     The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
     And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
     But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
     Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
     (Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

     The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
     For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
     So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
     I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

                                                   - Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

I've shared this with a lot of moms over the years.  All you need to make this a gift is a printer, some paper and a pretty frame. I just wouldn't give it to anyone who might take this as a statement about her housekeeping. The one above is the one I keep in Georgia's nursery. I'm sure you'll be much fancier with matting and stuff than me!

How to Make a Crazy Easy Baby Blanket

Blankets were a big deal in my house growing up.  My brother had a blue blanket with satin trim (think Linus from Charlie Brown) that was loved so dearly, it ended up in shreds.  I had an assortment of thick fleece blankets with "unique" prints that were wonderful to cuddle up with watching Saturday morning cartoons or take to the park for warmth while watching my sisters play softball. 

How can you not love this?

There was/is nothing better than cuddling up with a soft-from-wear best friend.  It's like always having a hug at your disposal.  The blankets that I'm making combine the warmth of fleece with the silky satin that so many kids love.  You can make this blanket double thick by sewing two layers together before attaching the binding or change up the fabric choice, should you so desire.  You can do a smaller version to make an easily toteable "lovey", or something as large (or larger) than mine.  I am a beginner sewer, but these are easy and make great gifts.

Supplies:
fleece of your choosing (I used 1.5 yard x 60" fabric)
2" satin binding
thread to match binding

Gray/orange will be smaller than this one

Lay your fabric flat on a table or the ground.  Check out the binding - there is a long side and a shorter side.  Make sure your shorter side is facing up.  This is the side you'll sew to you make sure you catch the back.

Back is longer, top is shorter

 

Start pinning the binding on

To create the mitered edge, tuck the fabric under at a 45degree angle and pin

So, it's not perfect!

Sew zig zag stitch

Turn the corner!

Hang on la cuna.

So, it's not perfect .  My corners could be crisper and my stitching could be closer to the edge, but it's homemade after all.  It also only took about an hour from start to finish.  Prudent baby has a pretty good tutorial if mine is not up to snuff for you.  Truly, this is so incredibly easy and I think it's so sweet to make little things like this for our children, even if they're imperfect or silly.  They may not understand it now, but it's an easy, sweet reminder of being little and, well, you :)