We are wrapping up our “Make Your Own Gifts” series with a great hostess gift for Christmas or New Year’s Eve parties – the Mulled Wine Gift Basket. Simple to assemble, I used these products:

Basket Ingredients

Wine Barrel Gourmet Mulled Wine Muffin Mix - full of holiday spices and citrus, this mix makes delicious muffins with just enough sweetness to serve for breakfast, tea, or snacks all day long. Makes a great addition to the holiday buffet.

a bottle of red wine

Apple Butter – I used Organic Apple Butter from Middleton Specialty Foods. Lori and I work out of the same manufacturing facility, and she makes some wonderful products. She and her husband grow their own organic apples on the family farm. Check out all her yummy fruit butters here.

Mulling Spices – Wrap 1/2 t whole cloves, 2 t whole allspice, 1 star anise and 2 cinnamon sticks in a 5 inch muslin square. Include a Mulled Wine recipe (below) or purchase  a ready-made mulled wine mix.

Mulled Wine Gift Basket

Put everything in a basket or gift bag, wrap with some red plastic wrap and add a big bow. As you can see, a new gingerbread man cookie cutter is attached here too. This would be a good gift for parents or grandparents or anyone else who seems to “have everything”. After all, who doesn’t like mulled wine!

Mulled Wine Recipe: Bring one 750ml bottle of red wine, 1 Tbsp of honey and the muslin bag of mulling spices to a simmer. Do not boil as this will cause the spices to become bitter.  Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove spice bag and serve! Mulled wine may also be prepared in a slow cooker on low. The longer the spice bag sits in the wine, the spicier the wine will be.

There’s still time to order the above products but do so soon! I hope to see you next week as we start a short series on holiday cooking.

If you haven’t finished your shopping yet, don’t panic. The store shelves may be sparse, but you can put together a unique gift basket with what is still available. A gift basket that will appreciated and used, not just something that looks pretty under the tree. Today we travel to Italy!

A Taste of Italy Gift Basket

Well, ok – the next best thing. For the lover of all things Italian on your list – we once again start with a Wine Barrel Gourmet product – this time the Italian Rosemary Red Wine Salad Dressing mix, a nice herb dressing with just a touch of sweet red wine.  To help our recipients use the mix, I included a small bottle of extra-virgin olive oil and some Newman’s Own balsamic vinegar. Some nice durum wheat pasta and a jar of lupini beans (similar to fava beans and popular in Italy) add a nice touch, or could be used with the other ingredients to make pasta salad.  A box of crunchy bread sticks are tasty dipped in the dressing. And of course, what’s an Italian themed meal without opera? Luciniano Pavarotti supplies the music for cooking, eating, and enjoying the company of friends.  I tucked all this into another “previously loved” basket. Tie a big bow on the front and slip it under the tree for  someone special.

Many other ingredients would fit in with this theme; a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, some marinated artichokes, fresh shallots and/or garlic cloves, polenta mix, fancy tortellini, a wedge of Romano cheese, etc. Use your imagination and scan those almost-empty shelves for a trip to Italy!

Christmas is right around the corner – whether we like it or not! If you haven’t finished shopping, but the budget is getting a bit slim, don’t panic. Today’s gift is another budget-friendly, practical gourmet basket that will be well appreciated by the onion lovers on your list.

Everything Onion Gift Basket

Start with a basket. Don’t pay full price! Your local Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift stores usually have a great selection of baskets that look brand new. We (thanks Amanda) filled this one with some paper filler but you could use flour sack towels or linen napkins.

Wine Barrel Gourmet’s Whole Wheat Onion Chive Bread mix anchors the basket. The Onion Chive mix is ready to eat in 30 minutes, no kneading or bread machine required. This mix also makes excellent dumplings (recipe included). This is my favorite bread mix and I don’t usually like anything onion. But the onion-chive-dill combination is delicious with  soups or casseroles.

In this particular basket I also included a wedge of Onion Cotswald cheese (excelllent on pizza!), some olive stuffed gourmet olives,  a box of back to  Nature all-natural Cheddar crackers, and a great product by another local company, AJ’s Edible Arts Walla Walla Sweet Onion Mustard. A cheese board adds the finishing touch. To purchase a pre-made basket this nice you would have to spend $60-$80, but everything here comes to less than $40 (and that includes shipping charges for both the bread mix and the mustard).

Other items that would go well with the Everything Onion basket are dried leeks, shallots or chives, a French Onion soup mix, or some onion and/or leek seeds for the gardener. Do you have any other ideas for this basket? I would love to hear what you come up with.

The current “economic condition” has many of us heading back to the kitchen and preparing our own meals. As it turns out, cooking at home is the silver lining to the recession. Meals prepared at home are healthier for the whole family, and they expose the kids to a more diverse array of selections than does the local fast food joint. (Wow – think about that statement, eating at home provides more diet variety than eating at most family restaurants. Thirty years ago that would have been laughable). But I digress. If you know a busy cook – and really, who doesn’t – it’s easy to pull together a much appreciated holiday gift.

I Want My Dinner Now Gift "Box"

Start with an easy, weeknight cookbook. I used our “I Want My Dinner Now! – Simple Meals for Busy Cooks” (50% off the cover price right now). The gift box base is a classic white casserole dish, but any baking dish or basket would work equally well. Into the dish goes all those things a cook never has enough of – wooden spoons, a bread knive, a pasta fork, measuring cups, and measuring spoons – all purchased at the local $1 Only store.  Also included is a magnetic shopping list to keep track of needed purchases, and a cooking themed potholder and dish towel.  If you are looking for a gift that will actually be used, this is the gift to prepare, and it can be made for as little as $30. (Sorry about the fuzzy photo – guess it’s time to get my eyes checked)!

Other variations on this theme would be to choose a recipe from the cookbook, for example Pasta and Fresh Mozzarella (page 108), and purchase the needed ingredients; maybe some gourmet mozzarella and roasted tomatoes and a basil plant along with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place it all in a pasta bowl with a bottle of wine. Or wrap up sweet potatoes, colorful bell peppers, mango and bananas with a can of coconut milk and some brown rice in a cooking pot to make easy Tropical Chicken (page 100).  Or include some of your homemade jellies and dried herbs or herb vinegars. Other needed kitchen “gadgets” are spatulas, mixing bowls, a digital timer, digital thermometers, and unusual tools that we never seem to buy for ourselves like an apple corer, a lemon zester, a garlic press and new cookie cutters (especially good for the grandmothers on your list). Be creative – it will be appreciated, I guarantee!

Really, can you think of anything better? Brownies. Wine. Tart cherries. Cream cheese. Chocolate chips. Put them all together and you have the perfect home made gift. One that looks like you cooked for hours (even though they are done in no time!), and is decadent enough for the chocolate connoisseur on your list.

Black Forest Merlot Brownies

First I started with our Chocolate Merlot Brownie Mix.

Chocolate Merlot Brownie Mix

This brownie mix is perfect for the dark chocolate lover. It is made with high quality Dutch cocoa (not the cocoa found on the grocery store shelf) and dark, semi-sweet chocolate chips. Make the mix, following the directions (2 eggs, 1/2 cup low-fat, plain yogurt, 1/4 cup Merlot wine) and stir in 1 cup of chopped, drained pie cherries (not cherry pie filling). Bake and let cool completely.

Meanwhile, let 3 ounces of low-fat cream cheese and 1 Tbsp of butter come to room temperature. Beat together with 1 tsp vanilla extract until fluffy. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. Spread over the cooled brownies and chill.

When the frosted brownies are well chilled, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. Stir to combine and drizzle over the brownies. Chill until set. Cut brownies and enjoy or pack in a tin for the perfect gift!

Note: I made these brownies almost two weeks ago and they are still moist and delicious.  Carry the Black Forest theme even further by topping each brownie with a Maraschino cherry before the final chill.  When making the frosting use Merlot instead of vanilla for a slightly pink, adult frosting!

What is the holiday season without cheese balls? It’s the perfect time of year to indulge, and while cheese balls will never be referred to as health food, you can make your own lower-fat cheese ball in just a few minutes.

We started with two, eight ounce packages of low-fat cream cheese (at room temperature), two, seven ounce pouches of finely shredded Kraft Sharp Cheddar cheese made with 2% milk, and a package of Wine Barrel Gourmet Creamy Parisian Herb Salad Dressing mix.

Red Wine Salad Dressing Mix

Beat the cream cheese and salad dressing mix together until light and fluffy. (Add 1 Tbsp red wine if you want a more pronounced wine flavor).

Creamy Parisian Herb Dressing and Cream Cheese

Add the sharp Cheddar cheese and stir until well mixed.

Adding the Cheddar cheese.

Cover a piece of parchment or waxed paper with about 2 cups of chopped pecans (parsley or paprika could be used instead of nuts). Lightly flour your hands and gather the cheese mixture into a ball. Roll the ball in the nuts to cover. This step is quite messy so be prepared! It works best if the pecans are finely chopped.

Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The long chill time does two things; it allows the herbs  to fully flavor the cheese and it helps the ball stay together!

Red Wine Cheese Ball

We are still eating cheese ball leftovers three days later and it tastes better every day!

Tips: Serve on crackers or flat bread or pita chips. Adding red or white wine to the mix will enhance the wine flavor. The red wine solids included in the Creamy Parisian Salad Dressing mix do add a non-alcohol red wine flavor.  Creamy Parisian Salad Dressing mix is full of several herbs and garlic, but any of our Red Wine Salad Dressings would be equally delicious in this cheese ball. Try the Italian Rosemary Salad Dressing mix and use 3 1/2 cups of Parmesan cheese instead of Cheddar, or the Sunny Greek Salad Dressing mix using crumbled feta instead of Cheddar.  Perfect for the holiday appetizer table.

Is there a wine lover on your gift list? Pre-made wine gift baskets can be expensive, but it’s easy to make a nice, budget-friendly, unique basket yourself – and it can be pulled together at the last minute! Here is the basket (ok, it’s a gift bag) I made the other day.

Wine Lovers Gift Bag

First I purchased a medium sized canvas bag at the local craft store. I appliqued it with an adapted version of the Wine Barrel Gourmet logo (thanks for the help Amanda!).  You could use pre-printed wine or grape appliques, or old-label appliques, or paint the bag using a wine bottle or vine stencil or even cut a square of wine printed fabric and iron it in the center of the bag.

I started with a bottle of Kiona Lemberger wine, which is a local winery and one of my favorite varieties.  Since man does not live by wine alone I added:

Red Wine Vegetable Bean Soup – this “grown-up” vegetable soup is a best seller. The rich tomato-wine sauce pairs wonderfully with the Lemberger and other red wines. (Check out our web site to find month-long specials!).

Wine Jelly – wine jellies are a nice addition to the the appetizer table. They taste great spread on crackers or served with a cheese tray.

Wine Chocolates – there are lots of wine flavored, and wine enhancing chocolate choices and all of them are great! If you can’t find specific wine chocolates, choose a fancy dark chocolate to go with a red-wine themed basket, and a white chocolate (or even nice fruit jellies) for a white-wine themed basket.

Round out the gift bag with a corkscrew and some nice wine glasses (look for high quality but inexpensive “orphan” glasses at estate sales, yard sales, antique shops and rummage sales). There you have it – a personalized gift bag that will be treasured by the wine lover on your list.

Other items that could be added to this gift include wine crackers, wine-themed coasters or a trivet, wine charms, and/or wine flavored cheeses.  A pre-made basket containing all these items would cost about $100, but this one was made for less than $40!

It’s time to make fruitcake! Today we start a month-long “make your own gifts” series. The past year has reminded many people that the best gift is one lovingly made by hand. And what is more welcome during the holidays than fruitcake? No, not  store-bought, heavy-as-a-brick, sticky-sweet fruitcake, but a light, luscious, lemony cake full of dried fruits and pecans. There is still time to make this easy version for the fruitcake lover on your list.

As our base we used our tangy, Lemon Chardonnay Tea Cake Mix. (Order here for fast shipment!).

The tea cake mix is an all-natural combination of whole-wheat flour, unbleached flour, sugar, leavening, lemon peel and tangy lemon crystals.

Start with two cups of mixed dried (not candied) fruit. I used a combination of golden raisins, dried pineapple, dried apricots, dried cranberries, chopped dates and candied ginger. Add 8 ounces of chopped, candied cherries and 2 Tbsp of Chardonnay, brandy, cognac, or orange juice and 1 tsp vanilla to the fruit. Mix to coat all the fruit with the liquid and let macerate at room temperature overnight.

The next day, beat 8 Tbsp (1 stick) of softened butter with 3 eggs and 1/4 cup milk until fluffy. Add the Lemon Chardonnay Tea Cake mix and stir to combine. Stir in the macerated fruit and 1 cup of chopped pecans until well distributed throughout the batter.

Bake in a greased, 10 cup Bundt pan at 300 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until done (toothpick should come out clean).  Let cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan and let completely cool.

Looks yummy doesn’t it? You could eat it right now, but fruitcake is one of those dishes that improves with age. So…..

Cut a piece of cheesecloth large enough to completely cover the fruitcake. Soak the cheesecloth in Chardonnay, brandy, cognac or orange juice. Wrap the fruitcake in the cheesecloth, then wrap the whole thing tightly in aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 1-4 weeks, re-soaking the cheesecloth and re-wrapping the cake every week or so.

When you are ready to present the gift, remove the cheesecloth and wrap the fruitcake in plastic wrap. Re-wrap with aluminum foil and top with a bow. All in all a pretty simple gift, but a unique gift also.

Even the fruitcake avoiders on your list will appreciate this present. Using dried fruit instead of a candied citron mixes lends the finished product a true fruit flavor, with just enough candied cherries to provide color and a bit of sweetness. The Lemon Chardonnay Tea Cake mix keeps the overall taste light and tangy. Soak the fruit in your favorite liquid, as the alcohol will cook out (I used cognac in the above version). However, if this present will be consumed by children stick to orange juice for soaking the whole cake.

This recipe would also lend itself well to a tropical fruit theme. Use a mixture of dried pineapple, papaya, mango,  and figs, and use chopped macadamia nuts instead of pecans. Either recipe is easy to make and tastes great!

If you grew up in the 1950’s or 60’s you may fondly remember spiced apple rings. In an age when boxed spaghetti and sauce and brightly colored Cool-Aid (with cyclamates!) were de rigueur, spiced apple rings held a special place, served with Sunday dinner or on special occasions. Over the years they seem to have fallen out of favor, along with the artificial coloring that made them almost beet-red. But I find that as I approach the half-century mark I am nostalgic for some old-time foods. Luckily spiced apple rings are easy and cost effective to make yourself.

Start with about 5 pounds of 2 1/2 inch diameter apples (I chose Gala apples).

Peel and core the apples. Slice into about 1/2 inch rings. Add apple rings to a large pot filled with 8 cups of water and 2 Tbsp of vinegar (prevents the apples from browning).

In another large pot (6-8 quarts) combine 4 1/2 cups of sugar, 2 1/4 cups water, 1/3 cup red hot cinnamon candies, 1/2 cup cider vinegar (5% acidity), 1 sliced lemon, 1 Tbsp whole cloves, 1 Tbsp whole allspice and 1/2 Tbsp ground mace.

Bring to a boil over medium heat. Be sure to stir almost constantly so the sugar doesn’t burn. Reduce heat and let simmer 3-5 minutes (the candy should be dissolved by this point).  Drain the apple rings and add to the syrup.

Gently stir the apple rings into the syrup and simmer for 5 minutes or so. Fill 4-5 clean, hot, pint canning jars with the apple rings. Strain the hot syrup to remove the whole spices and lemon. Pour the strained syrup over the rings leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the jar lips with a moist paper towel, add lids, and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

As you can see the rings are not bright red! Although they will continue to absorb the red coloring as they sit, if you really want a bright red ring add a few drops of red food coloring to the syrup mixture. Like any pickled product, the rings will be better after sitting for 3 weeks, so plan to make them now for the holiday season! This recipe made more than 5 pints. Since I had only cleaned 5 jars, the remaining rings and syrup went into the refrigerator for snacks. The unprocessed rings are not as soft or as flavorful as the canned rings will be when I serve them, but still delicious! Spiced apple rings are a great holiday gift. Simply cover the jar lids with some brightly colored cloth and a bow. Don’t forget to add a label with the canning details so your recipient knows that they were properly canned. Include the date, method (water bath canner) and length of time (10 minutes). You might also want to include the recipe source. My recipe was adapted from the Heinz Successful Pickling Guide.

The traditional Cajun version of this recipe is one of my brother-in-law’s specialties. A Louisiana native, he makes the whole thing from scratch, starting with a roux. The whole house fills with the wonderful fragrance of peppers and onions. That set me on a mission to develop a meatless, and less time-intensive, version. Although it wouldn’t past muster with any meat-loving Cajun, the meatless version has become a family favorite, good any time of the year but especially now when the cold air sends us hunting for something to warm our bellies!

This recipe is a great way to add vegetables to your diet. I started with celery, bell pepper and three colorful heirloom carrots from my garden. For this version I used an 8 ounce cake of Tempeh, although I have used tvp in the past. (Don’t forget to steam the tempeh for 15 minutes before using).  Here is the recipe:

• 1 Tbsp                                     Olive oil
• 1 stalk                                      Celery
• ½ large                                   Red bell pepper
• 2 large                                     Carrots
• 4 servings                              Vegetarian chicken substitute
• 2 cups                                      Vegetarian chicken flavored broth
• 1 ½ tsp                                     Cajun seasoning
• ¼ tsp                                        Paprika
• 1/8 tsp                                      Cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp                                       Corn starch
• ½ cup                                       Cold water

1. Dice celery, bell pepper and carrots.
2. Heat oil over in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté chopped vegetables in oil for 3-4 minutes or until soft.
3. Add chicken substitute, broth and seasonings to saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.
4. Stir corn starch into water in a small dish. Add mixture to saucepan. Stir until thickened.

Serve over brown rice! Quick and easy, this recipe makes 4 hearty servings. It is so tasty that my non-vegetarian son often requests it for his birthday dinner. This is another recipe that will be found in our new cookbook, Homestyle Meals Made Meatless.

Notes: Tempeh is a fermented soy and grain based product and a good meatless source of protein and iron. It has a nutty, chewy flavor. For this recipe I cut the tempeh cake into squares and steamed it for 15 minutes. Then I crumbled the squares and added to the vegetable mixture. Tempeh also marinates well and is good cooked on the grill.

If you like your meals spicy, add more cayenne pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste while cooking, or offer hot sauce when serving.

Even though  I often use tvp for this recipe, I used tempeh this time as I am trying to eat more fermented foods. Remember, fermented foods are one of the old-fashioned immunity boosts used to temper flu and other illnesses. Since hot pepper is another traditional immunity booster, this dish isn’t just healthy, it may help protect you against H1N1 too!