Gifts in a Jar, Part 4 More Gift Recipes Carolyn sent me these recipes, originally posted in an AOL bulletin board area, to thank me for the Gifts in a Jar recipes. Thanks Carolyn! |
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| BATH SACHET -- JackJumpUp 1 cup oatmeal
(not instant) Mix the ingredients together and, for each sachet, place a few tablespoons in the center of a six-inch square of lace, cheesecloth or muslin [JJ note: I've used the muslin tea bags that better kitchen stores carry, or make my own using a *firmly woven* muslin/cheesecloth fabric--you don't want the c ontents of the bag getting down the drain!! If you're using a square of fabric]...bring the four corners together and tie in the middle with a washable ribbon, making sure that the mixture is secure in your bath. Tie the bag to hang sachet mixture in a ho n ey pot in the bathroom and refill sachet as necessary. Each bag can be used several times before it needs refilling. Oatmeal is very good for the skin but by itself is not particularly attractive, which is why I add rose petals. The Rose petals complement the oatmeal and add a little more fragrance to the mix. For a humorous present for friends with a hot tub, sew a large tea bag from cheesecloth or muslin, fill it with a mixture of herbs and oatmeal (keeping the same proportions as in the recipe) and staple the bag to a string. Write the message "tea for two" on a piece of paper and attach it to the other end of the string. The "tea" bag can be used several times. From Gifts from Your Garden , by Suzanne Frutig Bales, Prentice Hall, 1992.
EPSOM BATH SALTS-- submitted by JackJumpUp 2 cups epsom salts Mix all ingredients. Lovely bath salts.
HERBAL BATH SALTS-- submitted by JackJumpUp Materials: Using approx. 2-to-1 proportions Epsom Salt and sea salt, mix in a big pan. This is your bath salt "base". Measure about 1 cup of the salt mixture int o each zippy bag. Place about 4 drops of essential oil into the salt mixture in each bag. Zip the bag closed and mix the salt and oil. Tear potpourri herbs into tiny pieces and add to the bags (We used lemon verbena, rose petals, lavender. I don' t know why we tore them except that they did look nicer all mixed with the salts. And, obviously, we didn' t tear the lavender; because it's already tiny! I suppose that larger pieces could clog up your bath drain, too.) Zip the bag closed and mix until you are happy with the proportions. Here is where I stopped adding things ... but others added a drop or two of glycerin to the salts to soften your skin. However, we were told that anyone who might be using the salts with a Jacuzzi should not use glycerin in the mixture because it would be bad for the Jacuzzi. Others added the food coloring to the salts and they turned out pretty, too. I didn't care for the red colored salts, personally, because the color didn't come out quite pink or red either. The glycerin and the food coloring will also give the salts a "wet look." We were told to keep the salt mixture in the zippy bag and to mix it around once a day for 2 weeks. Then, we could pour it into the decorated bottles!
BOUQUET GARNI BAGS -- JackJumpUp Put together some small bouquet garni bags to give to a favorite cook, and why not include a few recipes from the board! You can use traditional herbs such as dried thyme, parsley and a bay leaf, place in a square of cheesecloth; tie the cheesecloth wi th kitchen string or heavy duty thread for easy removal from the stock pot.
KITCHEN POTPOURRI from William-Sonoma -- Muggais1(Clara) 1/4 cup whole cloves Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. Store indefinitely at room temperature, stirring occasionally. I thought that if you placed this in a nice crystal bowl or some nice, colorful pottery and gave as a hostess gift at a Christmas party, it would be appreciated. My best friend gave a fabulous Christmas party last year and I gave her some homemade potpourri similar to this. She really loved it. Clara
CRYSTALLIZED GINGER -- JackJumpUp Peel and thinly slice 1 lb. (500 g) fresh gingerroot. Place in a saucepan , add water to cover, and cook gently until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain. Weigh and place in a saucepan with an equal amount of sugar and 3 Tbsp. water. Bring to a boil, stirring often, until the ginger is transparent and the liquid is almost evaporate d . Reduce the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until almost dry. Toss in sugar to coat. Store in an airtight jar for up to 3 months. Crystallized ginger tends to be expensive. I have a friend who occasionally eats it like candy (a small piece is nice, but the ginger taste is a little strong).
GINGERBREAD MIX -- Daisy7957 8 cups Flour Sift dry ingredients and cut shortening into it with a pastry blender. Measure 3 cups into 4 jars. Decorate jars with raffia or ribbon. Attach gingerbread cutter and the following recipe: Gingerbread Boys 3 cups gingerbread mix Combine gingerbread mix, molasses, egg and flour. Blend well. Roll to 1/4" thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut into gingerbread shapes. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. Can be decorated with cinnamon candies. Recipe to be used within 3 months.
JAR BREADS -- repost from AuntSally (Sally) Carrot-Raisin Jar Bread 2 2/3 cups sugar You'll need 6 wide-mouth pint-size canning jars, metal rings and lids. Don't use any other jars. Sterilize jars, lids and rings according to manufacturer's directions. Grease inside, but not the rim of jars. Cream sugar and shortening, beat in eggs and water, add carrots. Sift together flour, cloves, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to batter. Add raisins and mix. Pour one cup of batter into prepared jars. Do not use more than one cup or batter will overflow and jar will not seal. Place jars evenly spaced on a cookie sheet. Place in a pre-heated 325-degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove jars from oven one at a time keeping remaining jars in oven. Working quickly, wipe rim, place lid and ring on jar and secure. Jars will seal quickly. Repeat with remaining jars. When ready to serve, bread will slide out. A properly sealed quick bread will stay fresh for one year.
Chocolate Jar Cakes 8 pint-sized wide mouth canning jars Prewash canning jars (be sure to use the kind that have no shoulders) in hot, soapy water. Rinse well, dry and let them come to room temperat ure. Grease insides of jar well. Beat together butter and half of sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and remaining sugar, vanilla and applesauce. Sift dry ingredients together and add to the applesauce mixture a little at a time: beat well after each addition . Pour one cup of batter into each jar and carefully remove any batter from the rims. Place jars in a preheated 325-degree oven and bake for 40 minutes. While cakes are baking, bring a saucepan of water to a boil and carefully add jar lids. Remove pan from heat and keep lids hot until ready to use. When the cakes have finished baking, remove jars from oven. Make sure jar rims are clean. (If they're not, jars will not seal correctly) Place lids on jars, and screw rings on tightly. Jars will seal as they cool. Cakes will slide right out when ready to serve. Unsealed jars should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within 2 weeks. Sealed jars may be stored with other canned food or placed in a freezer. The cake is safe to eat as long as the jar rema ins vacuum-sealed and free from mold. To enjoy the best flavor, try to eat all canned cakes within 6 months. |
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