Thursday, November 4, 2010

Facing The Holiday Onslaught (And A Question)

I know the holidays aren't really that bad, but I am trying to do my prep EARLY. The goal is to spend minimal $$$ while not appearing cheap and/or neglectful. Top three candidates for adult friends/family presents are:

1. apple butter
2. herbed sea salt (for the cooking-inclined, but is this too chintzy?)
3. peppermint bark (mine is way more awesome than Willams Sonoma's and also much cheaper to make!)



That way we only do actual shopping for the kiddoes, and since I am up to EIGHT of them now we will optimally be coordinating with other family members on some group gifts. So they get good stuff instead of just junk in mass quantities.

T-Day will be hosted by another family member so I am off the hook for that other than for a couple of pies. But that is when I will see most of my family members before Xmas so the goal is to give most of them their misc. perishables then instead of after the fact. So this month I will be making apple butter for sure (and I also owe one fruitcake).

So I finally get to bust out my handed-down apple butter recipe and do some real canning! It doesn't look that scary. Right?

6 comments:

thefarmersdaughter said...

I make bark for everyone..what recipe do you use?

Cookbook said...

Canning terrifies me. Eeep! That said, good luck! ;)

Anonymous said...

You can totally make apple butter! I made some last year and it was easy and awesome. I didn't have any fabulous handed down recipe, either--just something off of AllRecipes, I think. We are about to finish up the last jar and I am contemplating another batch.

Kerry said...

If I can can, you can can! I did peach, dried cherry and bourbon jam this summer.

Anne At Large said...

LOJO, I use an old recipe modified from one I found in Glamour magazine, oddly enough (back in the days before it sucked).

Cookbook, don't say that!

Lauralynne and Kerry, thanks for the encouragement! I am finding people to swap jars with as we speak! Any tips on the hot water bath canning?

Anonymous said...

This peppermint bark sounds intriguing (to a foreigner, at least)! Would you mind sharing the recipe?!