By: Amie Simon | December 04 2010
Posted in Seattle - Share It - Seattle

Photo:Patricia Eddy

In addition to pledging to buy locally for the holidays, how about creating your own homemade food gifts? Cooking up tasty treats in your kitchen and gifting them in hand-decorated jars or other containers is a great way to give something personal and thoughtful. To help you get started, The Local Dish talked to five Seattle food bloggers and got their favorite gift-giving ideas for a holly-jolly homemade holiday!

 

John and Patricia Eddy, CookLocal.com
We have a few favorite holiday gifts. If we're traveling and liquids are hard to pack, we always reach for a jar of Secret Stash Salt. Our favorites are the vanilla salt and the lavender rosemary salt. A bit of flavored salt is a simple way to add variety to your meals. If we're looking for something homemade, we opt for a jar of quince marmalade. We've made this for the past two years and it's simple to make, keeps for over a year, and is very versatile. Not only can you put on toast, but it also makes a wonderful cheese companion, and you can even put some in a tea ball and brew a lovely and decaffeinated hot drink with it.

 

 

Lara Alexander, food.soil.thread.com.

This year, I'm skipping the mass cookie baking and giving a treat that is more in line with healthy New Years resolutions than holiday gluttony. I brought back a killer recipe for granola after a trip to British Columbia a few years ago, and it's about time that recipe gets put to good use. A trip to the bulk bins of the grocery store, a big bowl, and a few shakes of the baking sheet, and this breakfast treat will be ready for a clear bag and fancy ribbon.

 

 

 

 

Lil Welch, ObsessedwithDinner.com
Every year at Christmas I make a gift to give to friends and family. Sometimes it's crafty, sometimes it food-oriented, but the budget is always $10 to $15 per person. This year I'm canning homemade tomatillo salsa and giving it with a bag of Have'a Corn Chips (ridiculously good/weird tortilla chips made with a touch of soy sauce and lime), and a bowl for serving. I bought a case of the bowls from a restaurant supply store so that I could stay on budget.

 

 

 

 

SJ Alexander, TheQueensScullery.com
For 2010, I have been modifying Victorian recipes so they remain authentic and yet easy to prepare in a modern kitchen. As I'm anticipating holiday parties and open houses thrown by my foodie friends who have seen and eaten everything at least twice, I was thinking about a more unusual host or hostess gift. I settled on Potted Ham and Potted Rabbit, which is not only fun for meat lovers and historical food buffs, but is also delicious and pairs well with the cheeses, jams, and wines of the season.

 

 

 

 

From Leslie Seaton, FreshPickedSeattle.com
Spiced nuts are always a good crowd pleaser, and I like to use a recipe for Rosemary Pecans that is simple and delicious. The best part is that most Seattleites can just cut the rosemary from their own (or neighbor's) yard! A perfect way to wrap up this delicious snack is to use clean jelly jars or tins, and apply decorative paper and hand written labels to the outside. For more great homemade food gifts, check out this round up of Gifts from the Kitchen.

 

 

 

 

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