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- Holiday Mix And Gift Recipes
by Deborah
Taylor-Hough
Looking for ways to save money
at the holiday season? How about giving gifts specially made
in your kitchen? My kids' 4-H Club made several of these gift
items for a holiday project a few years ago.
The following recipes are for
various mixes that you can give for special treats, and even
for whole meals. Just nestle all the ingredients that go together
in a basket, and decorate! Maybe include a small kitchen utensil,
a dish towel, or a festive ornament.
For the following mix gifts,
include a typed, handwritten or calligraphied label with preparation
instructions.
Winter Solstice Tea Mix
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 cups Tang or other orange-flavored drink mix
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup instant tea
1 3oz. packet lemonade mix
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
Label: Put 1 to 2 teaspoons
into a cup or mug. Fill with boiling water and stir for a wonderful
Winter's day treat.
Corn Bread Mix
~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 cup flour
1 cup corn meal
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup dry milk powder
1 Tbsp. baking powder
Sift ingredients together and
put into a bag.
Label: Put dry ingredients
into mixing bowl. In small bowl, combine 1 cup water, 1 egg,
and 1/3 cup oil. Stir into dry ingredients and mix well. Pour
into a well-buttered pie plate. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes,
or until golden.
Chili
~~~~
3 cups dried beans (pink, red, or kidney -- sorted). Put into
a jar or large bag.
3 Tbsp. mild chili powder
2 Tbsp. dehydrated onions
1 Tbsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
Combine spices and put into
a small bag.
Include in your gift basket:
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
2 14oz. cans diced tomatoes in juice
Label: Wash beans. Put into
pot with spices. Cook until done, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile,
brown 1 lb. ground beef (if desired), and drain. Add meat to
the beans with the tomatoes and sauce. Simmer to blend flavors.
Serve with Chili Corn Bread, if desired.
For: Chili Corn Bread
Include in the package with
the Corn Bread Mix, 1 small can whole kernel corn and 1 small
can diced green chilis (not the hot kind). Stir the well-drained
corn and chilis into the corn bread just before baking. Bake
in a well-buttered 8" square pan at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 cup black beans, sorted -- put in jar or bag.
3 Tbsp. dehydrated onion
3 Tbsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. crushed oregano
2 tsp. salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (do not omit)
Combine spices in a small bag.
1 1/2 cups white rice in a
seperate package.
Label: Wash beans. Put in pot
with seasonings. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and cover beans with 2"
water. Bring to boil and simmer until very well done (about 2
hours). Beans should be very soft. Add water as needed to keep
beans from sticking. There should be some liquid left on beans
when done. To cook rice, put 3 cup water and 1 tsp salt into
a pot and when it boils, add rice. Lower heat, cover and steam
for 20 minutes. Serve about 1/2 cup rice in bowl, and put beans
on the top. Sprinkle with minced cilantro, finely chopped green
onion, and a squeeze of lime juice. This is very healthy. It
has almost no fat, and is mainly from the bottom of the food
pyramid.
Cajun Red Beans and Rice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 cups red beans, sorted -- put into jar or bag.
1/4 cup dehydrated onion
2 Tbsp. granulated garlic
1/4 cup dehydrated celery (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (do not omit)
2 tsp. salt
Combine seasonings in a small
bag.
1 1/2 cups white rice in a seperate packet.
Label: Wash beans, put into
pot with spices and 1/2 to 1 lb. pork neck bones, smoked. Cook
until beans are well done and meat falls from bones. Take out
bones, and shred meat into small pieces. Serve in large bowl
with cooked white rice on bottom. Garnish with finely minced
green onion, and pass bottle of hot sauce. To cook rice: Bring
3 cup water and 1 tsp. salt to boil. Add rice, cover and steam
for 20 minutes.
Serve this dish with Cornmeal
Pancakes. Use Corn Bread Mix, but add 1 1/2 cups water instead
of just 1 cup. Make small, thick pancakes in a greased skillet,
and serve with the beans and rice.
The Author:
Deborah Taylor-Hough (free-lance
writer, wife, and mother of three) is the author of 'Frozen Assets:
How to cook for a day and eat for a month' and the soon-to-be-released
'Frugal Living for Dummies(r)' (Wiley, Feb. '03)
For helpful ideas on simplifying daily life, subscribe to her
e-newsletter. Mailto:subscribe-simple-times@ds.xc.org
Visit Debi at: http://hometown.aol.com/dsimple/
Copyright 2002 Deborah Taylor-Hough
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
ARTICLE POSTED
DECEMBER 2, 2002
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