Category: food
Green&Chic: Last-Minute Homemade Gifts (Right From The Pantry)
| December 14, 2011 | Posted by Elissa C. under bathroom, cleaning, cooking, Create, do-it-yourself, Eat, food, gifts, Guest Bloggers, holidays, Home, Inspiration, kitchen, Projects, Seasonal, Sustainable Living |
Every year during the holidays, I find myself needing a last-minute gift for a thoughtful co-worker or neighbor who has graced me with something special. My circle of family and friends is rather small, which makes things easier when it comes to my end of things, but it is inevitable that I will receive a gift from someone that I wasn’t expecting. I really enjoy giving to people, so I always have a backup plan just in case. Most of the time it is of the homemade variety.
Take my kids, please!
I like to give homemade gifts because they allow me to express my appreciation in a creative way. While I am in the process of making, I get to concentrate on the recipient and kind of imbue the gift with a little extra love. I am giving them my attention and time (and blood, sweat and tears, depending on what I’m making). I also like to give something that can be shared with others, which is why I try to include a recipe or instructions on how to make it. For me, it really all is about sharing. Me sharing my energy by making and giving, and then hopefully passing the experience along.
I like to make edible gifts, but with the proliferation of fudge, cookies and cakes floating around the office at Christmas I think it’s nice to offer a little variety and mix it up with some savory snacks. This also helps balance out a workplace sugar coma. Below are links to a few homemade food items, including a delicious spicy nut mix that can be made well in advance.
Even some edible ingredients can be used to make pampering gifts. Brown sugar and honey can be mixed together to make a hydrating and exfoliating sugar scrub. Another great idea is making a natural countertop cleaner with just water, vinegar, a little dish detergent and some essential oils. Most craft stores carry spray bottles, or you can order them online. Add a custom label with ingredients (and amounts) and it becomes the gift that keeps on giving.
Try your hand at some of these easy last-minute gift ideas. Many of the ingredients and supplies are probably already in your kitchen. You could also invite some friends over for a gift-making party. Choose one or two ideas, have everyone bring an item on the supply list, and enjoy a glass of wine and A Christmas Story on the DVD player. Actually, if Ralphie had given his teacher one of these gifts instead of a fruit basket, he just might have gotten an A+ on his essay.
Get creative and use favorite recipes to create original gifts of your own. Your friends are sure to enjoy receiving them as much as you enjoyed making them.
Happy Gifting!
E
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Homemade Vinaigrette
(Recipe)
This homemade vinaigrette is a great gift for anyone on your list. This tangy dressing can be used traditionally (on a salad) or as a marinade for tofu or fish. It contains no artificial flavors, sugar or preservatives and can last in the fridge for up to a week. The main ingredients are olive oil, salt and pepper, which are found in most every kitchen. Assembly is easy and when done in mass batches, you could have enough gifts to cover everyone on your list.
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BBQ Dry Rub For Grilled Veggies or Meat
(Recipe)
Does anyone ever know what type of gift to give to a guy? Sure, you could just run out and buy some electronic gadget thingy (or a gift card — LAME!), but he probably has at least a dozen similar man items that just sit around collecting dust. That’s where this amazing BBQ dry rub comes into play. It is suited for grilling vegetables or white meat, and if you don’t live in Alabama like me (which is great for cold-weather grilling) it is versatile enough to transfer to the oven. I always like to write the ingredients on the label so it can be made again. Add a package of bamboo skewers and a basting brush and you’ve got a ready-made gift (and probably dinner).
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Chipotle and Rosemary Spiced Nuts by Ina Garten
(Recipe)
This amazing recipe comes by way of uber-chef, Ina Garten. She is the queen of delicious and anyone who receives this spicy snack will thank you (and probably ask for the recipe, so be a dear and include it). This gift is good for anyone and is a welcome change from the usual holiday party suspects like Chex Mix and cheese balls . Paired with a six pack of craft beer or luscious wine, and you have an instant party! These can be boxed or bagged and they also travel well, making them perfect for giving to your friends who will be traveling over the holidays.
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All-Natural Household Cleaners
(Directions)
I have been a fan of natural and vegetable-based cleaners for quite a while. Sometimes simple really is better, and the smell of this natural grime-buster can't be beat. It's safe around children and pets, making it the perfect gift for anyone who has recently moved, had a baby or just happens to be a cleaning freak. Perhaps I'll make some for my husband. You could add a few cotton towels and print custom labels for the bottles, then box it all up for the perfect housewarming gift. How thoughtful!
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Homemade Sugar Body Scrub
(Directions)
I saved the best for last. I have been making sugar scrubs for years and everyone who I have given them to has just flipped. I prefer making to purchasing because it is less expensive, more fun, and you can blend ingredients based on your friends' skin types for a truly custom gift. You can use salt, oatmeal, white sugar or brown sugar, and a variety of carrier essential oils. Avoid using mineral oil or vegetable oil (as used in cooking). These are not aromatherapy grade oils and I would not recommend that these be applied to the skin. Check out www.aromaweb.com for more information on carrier and essential oils. Oh, and be sure to make extra. After you've seen the results you're going to want some for yourself.
Le Salon Fete de Vacances
| December 12, 2011 | Posted by Linsi Brownson under Celebrate, cocktails, Create, Eat, food, Gather, holidays, Hostess, le salon, my house, Seasonal, weekend fun |
Sounds fancy but really, well, yes it was fancy! In a casual sort of way…
You’ve already seen my holiday decor extravaganza and you know what a geek I am about entertaining, so you’ll probably understand why I was so damned excited to host this holiday fete.
Here are a few photos from yesterday’s event:
On the table:
- banana chocolate chip muffins
- irish cheddar and creamy swiss with crackers
- apricots and tangy almonds
- candy canes (of course)
- cranberry and brandy – we need a name for that
- mimosas
- irish creme coffee
On the table:
- carrot salad (delish)
- caprese salad
- pasta salad
- caramel chocolate pretzels
- peanut butter kiss cookies
- chocolate chip cookies
- homemade fudge
No party is complete without a little Tarot Card reading, right? We knew Nicole L. was a fashionista, but a fortune teller too? Whoa, talent runs deep.
Day Trip: Malibu
| October 24, 2011 | Posted by Linsi Brownson under antiques, architecture, art, Design, design history, Eat, Explore, fashion, food, interiors, Outdoors, Places, plants and gardens, Seasonal, See and Do, travel, vintage, weekend fun |
With my plans foiled for a romantic weekend in Big Bear (fires, fog and bbq), we needed to come up with a backup plan for our mini-vacation last weekend. So we decided to dive up PCH and spend the day in Malibu.
I was expecting a bit of a beach day but got my wish for gloomy and foggy along the coast (part of the romantic fall trip I so badly wanted). The fog was so low it actually brushed past you when walking in or out of doors. Eeery and so cool.
First stop was the Getty Villa, a place I have had my eye on since before it opened in 2006 when I studied the remodel during design school. I have a whole other post planned later in the week so I won’t tell too much now, but I thoroughly enjoyed my trip and found lots of architectural inspiration there!
Afterward, we headed a bit further up the coast to grab lunch at Malibu Seafood Fish Market. The fish and chips (and Diet Rite) hit the spot and we got to watch people surfing just across the street. The people watching in Malibu is great too…
Especially at our next stop. The Lumberyard, the Malibu Country Mart and Malibu Creek Plaza. Lotsa lotsa moola here. I almost stole some ladies ‘cheapo’ Kate Spade sunglasses (totally by accident, of course) at the J.Crew.
And casually posh people like to chillax here by the aquarium and sip their lattes while enjoying an $8 cupcake (then head upstairs to Pilates)
We took in the scene, tried on a few obscenely priced pairs of clothing and then drove to a more affordable area - Santa Monica. There, hubs found a vintage pair of jeans for $7 and I played dress up with thrifted Marc Jacobs tops (which didn’t quite fit right). We picked up some spices at Penzey’s and then grabbed coffee and crepes to wrap up the day. Delish.
We came home worn out and happy, and to a very excited pup who thought we had left for good. Happy daycation.
Photo credits: lumberyard images from their websiteCreate: Le Spooky Salon
| October 19, 2011 | Posted by Linsi Brownson under autumn, Celebrate, do-it-yourself, Eat, food, Gather, Have Fun, inspired life series, le salon, Mind, Projects, Seasonal |
Nearly a year ago, my creative lady pals and I decided to start holding secret meetings to determine the future of the world…under the guise of crafting. It has since been known as Le Salon: a Gathering place for us to share ideas, swap stories and complete a project in the process. From truffles to lip balm to canning preserves, Le Salon has helped us learn a lot from each other – and we always leave inspired.
Last weekend we got in the Halloween spirit (pardon the pun) by carving pumpkins, sipping spiked cider, and munching on some delicious food.
Like the Apple Tart I mentioned last week…
Or savory Butternut Squash Soup
And fresh heirloom tomatoes topped with basil and goat cheese…OMG so good!
Sadly I do not have a photo of the Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt, Pumpkin Seed and Almond Bark because it has been eaten, but I WILL get you a recipe because that stuff rocked my world.
Great times had at Le Salon, you should try one too. Get your friends together make something simple. Have a Spooky Day.
Eat: Apple Crazy
| October 13, 2011 | Posted by Linsi Brownson under cooking, Eat, edible thursday, food, Have Fun, Mind, See and Do, weekend fun |
Like plum crazy, get it? Yes I realize I’m a total grandma for saying that.
It’s apple season (and pumpkin season) so what better way to get some fresh ones than to drive 2 hours out of town to pick them yourself? Right – so that’s exactly what we did last weekend. Fellow blogger Nicole and I took our honeys on a road trip outta town to take in the farm-fresh air of Oak Glen, CA. Do you remember when we did this last year? Well this year wasn’t quite as fruitful as last year, but I did manage to score some delicious apples, cider and some wildflower honey.
And now I’m going crazy with apple-based recipes to use it all in. This one is from my awesome friend Emily, who assures me that seriously anyone can make this. I’m going to prove her wrong (or maybe right) on Saturday.
Free Form Apple Tart
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- Pinch salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 9 tablespoons cold butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 or 4 medium apples, preferably Golden Delicious, or pears, peeled, cored and very thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Crème fraîche, sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
How To:
Combine flour, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse once or twice. Cut 8 tablespoons butter into chunks, and add it and egg yolk to flour mixture. Process until butter and flour are blended, about 10 seconds.
Turn mixture into a bowl, and add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition. After adding 3 or 4 tablespoons you should be able to gather mixture into a ball; wrap ball in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or freeze for about 15 minutes).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll or pat dough into a 10-inch circle; it can be quite crude in shape. Place it on a cookie or pizza sheet, preferably nonstick.
Arrange fruit slices on top, right out to edges; make the pattern attractive, if you like. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Cut remaining butter into bits, and top fruit with it.
Bake until crust is nicely browned and fruit is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with your choice of cream topping
Sounds nice, doesn’t it? I’ll be (hopefully serving this to my lovely lady friends at Le Salon this weekend.
If you’re looking for something more savory, check out this recipe for Vegetarian Manzana Chili Verde from Nicole. You apple crazy yet?
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