Family Fridge: Nifty Gifts from the Kitchen

By Kimberly Carrow

Published in the Holiday 2005 Issue of the Family Post

As the wife of a teacher, I can tell you that every year during the holidays, we get more cookies, candy canes and coffee mugs than we can possibly use. The cookies I can freeze, the candy canes look cute gathered in a cup on the counter, and the coffee mugs end up in the garage (no more room in the cupboard).

Last year, amidst the bounty, was my favorite gift from one of my husband's students—a mason jar filled with soup goodies, labeled with instructions and dressed up with a cute fabric lid-ruffle. This gift looked so cute that it sat on the kitchen shelf for a while, and when I made the Fiesta Bean and Rice soup, it was excellent!

These gifts-in-a-jar are becoming more and more popular. You can even buy them already made up at some gift and gourmet shops (but that takes all the fun out of making the gift). Besides soup mixes, cookie, brownie, muffin and other baking mixes are popular as well. There are a few cookbooks available which give directions on making these gifts-in-a-jar, and the Internet will provide endless recipes. These gifts are inexpensive, relatively quick to make and fun to assemble as a family. Decorating the jars and creating the labels are perfect holiday activities for children, and the creative possibilities using buttons, bows, stickers and fabric are endless. So here are a few recipes for holiday gift giving—you and your family will enjoy making them and friends, teachers, neighbors, and family will be getting a special treat to make whenever they want.

A few cute ideas—tie cookie cutters, wooden spoons or mini-whisks onto jars with ribbon or raffia. The tiny bottles of Tabasco that you can find at gourmet food stores look great tied on jars of soup mix. Have the kids make the jar labels and then make copies for future use (these labels also look adorable on scrapbook pages). Happy Holidays from the Family Fridge!

Cookies in a Jar

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1-1/2 cup M&Ms or Reece's Pieces (in holiday colors, if possible)

Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. In a

one-quart, wide-mouthed jar, layer the flour mixture first, topped by the brown sugar and white sugar. Pack down ingredients after each addition. Fill remainder of jar with the candy pieces and screw on the lid. Attach instructions on a gift tag or label

Instructions:

Pour all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 cup butter or shortening; mix well. Drop tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes; makes about 2 dozen delicious cookies.

Butterscotch Brownie Mix

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup chopped pecans

2 cups brown sugar

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a 1-quart, wide-mouth jar, layer butterscotch chips, pecans and brown sugar, packing down after each addition. Add flour mixture, pressing down to pack. Seal with lid and attach instructions

Instructions:

Empty jar mix into large mixing bowl, stirring to blend. Add 3/4 cup butter, 2 slightly beaten eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix well. Spread batter into a greased, 13x9 baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before cutting into bars. Makes 2 dozen.

Beautiful Bean Soup

1/3 cup each dried yellow split peas, dried green split peas, dried lima beans, dried pinto beans, dried kidney beans and dried white beans

1/4 cup dried, minced onion

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Combine all ingredients in a jar. Attach gift tag with cooking instructions.

Instructions:

Combine 8 cups water and soup mix in a large pot; bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat and let sit for one hour. Return pot to heat, stir in 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped carrots and 2 chopped celery stalks. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours until beans are tender. Add a little salt and a dash of Tabasco, if desired.

Websites with recipes for Gifts in a Jar:

http://www.geocities.com/giftsinajar/

http://www.frugalhomemaker.com/giftsinajar.htm

http://www.cookingcache.com/jargifts.html

http://organizedchristmas.com/article75.html

Kimberly Carrow lives in Grass Valley, and is Mother to Shelby, age 9, and Lily, age 5.