NO-COOK HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA: SWEET

As promised here is the much anticipated follow up to our previous "savory" post!  As we said last week you can give homemade culinary gifts to your friends, loved ones, or even that office secret Santa that require little to no effort to assemble.  In today's post we will feature several no-cook savory ideas for those on your gift giving list!

Peppermint Bark (Not really "No Cook" but damn easy)

2 -12 oz. bags of of white chocolate chips
1 cup peppermint candies or candy canes

Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.  Next, place chips in a large glass bowl and microwave at 60% power for 1 minute, stir.  Repeat, stirring until smooth.  Place candies in a large releasable bag and crush with a meat mallet or heavy sauce pan.  Fold half the crushed candy into the melted chocolate.  Pour onto prepared pan spreading to approximately 1/4 inch thickness.  Sprinkle the remaining candy on top and refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour).  Break into pieces.

Flavored Butters

Honey Butter

1/4 cup honey
1 cup butter
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

Blend together and package in an airtight container or canning jar. Refrigerate.

Maple Butter

1 cup butter
1/2 cup REAL maple syrup

Blend together and package in an airtight container or canning jar. Refrigerate.

Orange Butter

1/2 cup of soft butter
1 1/2 sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate, thawed.

Cream butter and sugar together.  Slowly add concentrate.  Package in an airtight container or canning jar. Refrigerate.

Homemade Coffee Liqueur

4 cups of fine sugar
2 cups of boiling water
1 cup good instant coffee
1 bottle (750ml) vodka
3 Tbs vanilla extract

Mix sugar and coffee together and then stir in 2 cups of boiling water. Stir until it all dissolves and then let cool.  Pour through cheese cloth into a large pitcher and add 750 ml of vodka (about 3 cups) and 3 tbs good vanilla.  Stir and then pour through cheesecloth again into bottles. (An extra bottle is needed as the resulting drink is more than enough for the vodka bottle).

Hot Buttered Drink Mix

2 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup unsalted, softened butter
3 tbsp REAL maple syrup
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg


In a medium bowl combine all ingredients with an electric mixer until well blended. Package in an airtight container or canning jar. Refrigerate. Give with following serving instructions.

"Stir 1 1/2 tsp drink mix into 6 oz. of hot cider or juice.   For hot buttered rum, add 1 oz rum to cider mixture."

Mocha Sugar

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1-2 packet(s) of instant hot cocoa mix, to your taste
3 tbsp coffee-flavored liqueur such as Kahlua
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a small bowl stir all ingredients together until well blended.  Package in an airtight container or canning jar. Give with following serving instructions.

"Stir desired amount of sugar into coffee"

::Outdoor Party Perfection::

Here are some wonderful tips to help you CELEBRATE the summer in style and comfort!  Thanks to our friends at Real Simple Magazine for these ideas!

1. When you send out your invites, make sure to tell your guests when you will be serving food.  For example, "Food will be served from 6:00pm-8:00pm".  This way the food can be fresh for all guests attending with the intention to eat.  You will only have to start the grill once!
2. Have enough seats!  Bring out chairs from the house or spread out blankets or quilts for people to picnic on.  
3. Lighting!  Strings of lights, paper lanterns, or candles in mason jars always warm up the feeling of a party.  If you need to run extension cords across the yard, clip wire coat hangers into 3-4 inch sections and bend them into "U" shaped pegs and drive them into the lawn over the wires to prevent tripping.
4. Mosquitoes Menace!   A week before the party, empty all sources of standing water (kiddie pools, old tires, gutters, etc).  Set up fans because mosquitoes don't fair well in the wind.  Set out a bowl of insect repellent wipes for guest to use if need be.
5. Music!  Don't blast the music because it reduces conversation.  Place your speakers high above head level and turn the speakers towards the side of the house to help take advantage of better acoustics.  
6. Kids!  If there are children at the party make sure they are entertained.  Have bottles of bubbles; turn on the sprinkler; hand out disposable cameras, etc.  
7. Hot?  If the temperature is more than you can handle have a basket of hand fans available and have wash clothes (from the dollar store) soaked in ice water from people to place of their necks and wrists!
8. Use disposable plates and cups to make things easier!  Separate your drink, food, and dessert stations.  This helps to prevent traffic jams and increase conversation!
9. Keep the food simple and cold (if it needs to be)!  Create ice bowls by filling a larger bowl with water (which you can color or if you'd like). Next float a smaller empty bowl within the larger bowl weighting it down so it sinks slightly.  Place this into the freezer and freeze until solid (1-2 days).  Once frozen, pop the smaller bowl out of the now frozen form.  Fill it with your favorite mayonnaise/yogurt based salads and return to the ice bowl!  This will keep everything fresh, cold, and safe!
10. Have some labels and a permanent marker on hand for guests to label their drinks to avoid confusion! You could even print out labels if you have a prearranged guest list in mind!
11. Windy?  Use fruit such plums, oranges, etc to hold down plates on a windy day!  Tie or clip down your tablecloth to avoid fly aways.

Back To School Chic With Zeke

We just got off a conference call with Zeke, our style maven! He was calling from our northern Singapore office to report on the hottest back to school fashion trends of 2009! Say goodbye to neon pink! Bright colors are out this season. 80's inspired punk rock pieces will be wardrobe staples this year. Hot colors will be: blacks, greys, dark reds, blues, tweeds, metallics, and leather. Zeke says if you desperately need color, try throwing in some bright, mustard yellow accents and accessories!