6 Gift Ideas for this Holiday Season

DIY Holiday Bark
16 ounces dark melting chocolate
1 ounce dried cranberries
1 ounce dried candied orange peels
0.5 ounces coconut chips
optional: choice of aged rum

Before starting the bark, soak the dried cranberries in the rum overnight. Place on a paper towel to soak up the extra liquid. Chop the orange peel into small pieces and set aside. Melt the package of chocolate pieces in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring until fully melted. As an alternative method, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over several inches of boiling water. Pour the melted chocolate on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and spread out with a spatula. Working quickly, sprinkle all of your dry garnishes on top.

Rum Cranberry Old-Fashioned
2 ounces aged rum
0.5 ounces cranberry syrup
2-3 dashes orange bitters
dried cranberry garnish

To start of combine rum, syrup and bitters in a mixing vessel of your choice with a few cubes of ice. Stir for about 30 seconds, or until vessel is cold. Strain drink into glass, add a few ice cubes and garnish with dried cranberries. For the cranberry syrup, use equal parts sugar and water to make your syrup. Add sugar to boiling water, and stir until dissolved. Add cranberries, using 1/3 cup for every cup of syrup. Let steep until cool, then remove cranberries. Store in refrigerator in sealed container for up to two weeks. (For regular simple syrup, simply omit the cranberries.)

2). HOMEMADE JAM

Show your friends that you can flex your culinary muscle without having to do any heavy lifting with homemade jam.

Tuscan Strawberry Jam
2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled
4 cups white sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

In a heavy saucepan, mix the strawberries, sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C). Remove from heat and add rosemary. Transfer to a jelly jar. Refrigerate until cool. Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks. Serve with grilled meat, soft cheese or on rustic bread.

Next to cheesy macaroni and cheese and decadent hot cocoa, soup is likely one of the most common, if not quintessential, comfort foods that’s the cure for any chilly, winter day. Making soup, on the other hand, can be quite daunting when all you want to do is cuddle up to a steaming bowl of a metaphorical food hug. Make your giftee’s day with our recipe for ready-to-cook Rustic Autumn Soup.

Rustic Autumn Soup

For Jar (layered bottom to top):
1 tablespoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
5 chicken bouillon cubes, ground
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
¼ cup uncooked white rice
¼ cup uncooked farro
½ cup red lentils
¾ cup dry split peas

For Soup:
Place contents of jar into a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Add three slices thick cut bacon, whole, 1 cup medium diced ham and 10 cups water. Tighten cover and cook on low for approximately 8 hours or until soup is thick and lentils are tender. Remove bacon slices and serve with toasted country bread.

4). READY-BAKE POUND CAKE

The debate on fruitcake is a hot topic — some love it, some loathe it; we say, to each their own. Pound cake on the other hand, with its subtle density and more approachable flavor, is a crowd pleaser. Start with our basic pound cake recipes below.

Pound Cake

For the pound cake:
¼ cup vegetable shortening
1 stick of butter
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

For the icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 325° F and grease pan with butter. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. With a mixer, cream the butter and shortening together then gradually add the sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture after each addition. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk to the mixture, starting with the flour mix and ending with the flour mix. Add the vanilla. Pour into a greased pan and bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from pan and finish cooling on the rack. When the cake is completely cool, prepare the icing by whisking together all the ingredients. Pour over the top of the cake and let sit until the icing has completely dried.

5). CUSTOM SPICE BLENDS

Everyone has that friend with the secret spice rub that makes the best ribs or Sunday gravy. You can never have too many spices, and custom blends are the gift that keeps on giving throughout the year. Our Italian Spice Mix is a versatile blend for using in vinaigrettes, marinades and even to create herb butter. If you have a spice blend from a dish your friends rave about, package it so they can recreate your unique flavors.

Blue Plate’s Italian Spice Mix
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
½ teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1 pinch chopped fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon celery salt
¾ teaspoon salt

6). INFUSED SPIRITS

Everybody loves the gift of alcohol. But infused alcohol? What, what! Vodka and gin are great bases says Blue Plate mixologist and you can infuse vodka with almost anything. We suggests rosemary and thyme or tarragon, and you can even infuse your spirit with various teas. For herbs, do not let it sit for more than a day and instructs to remove the herbs after infusing. For tea, we recommends infusing for only a few hours. For a sweeter infusion, melt caramel or chocolate into vodka and let it infuse for 3-5 days, shaking regularly.