By Jan Bovee

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder ~

I feel the need this year to give to the ones I love from my heart. Gifts put together with my own hands that say "you are worth my time and effort, you are always in my thoughts."

The economy is in a down-turn, and recent events have reminded us of the importance of family, friends, hearth and home. Instead of roaming the malls, buying a gift with a resigned frustrated shrug of the shoulders, why not involve the family and create a gift of love from your kitchen?

"The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it." ~ Carl Jung ~

Blessings and love to you and your family for the upcoming holidays. - Jan

Most of these recipes are designed to fit in a standard 1 quart canning jar. Read each recipe carefully. If the ingredients are equal to 4 cups, it will fit comfortably in a quart jar. (If brown sugar is an ingredient, and the contents are a bit over 4 cups, you can still use a quart jar. Brown sugar can be compacted quite a bit if necessary.) Any recipe that measures approx. 2 cups will fit in a pint jar.

If you are using a standard quart canning jar with the ring and lid closure simply insert a circle of decorative fabric or paper, cut to size between the lid and ring. Attach the instructions with ribbon or raffia tied around the neck of the jar.....No further wrapping is necessary.

• 5/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (You could easily substitute dried cherries or dried blueberries or raisins and simply change the name of this cookie.)
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Layer the ingredients in a 1 quart or 1 liter jar, in the order listed.
* Note: The flour is divided up in this recipe so that when you put all the ingredients in the jars, it gives a nice layered effect of colors. It's not a misprint. - Editor

Attach a tag to the jar, with the following instructions:

CRANBERRY HOOTYCREEKS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until fluffy.

Add the entire jar of ingredients, and mix together by hand until well blended.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheet or on wire rack.

SPICED CRANBERRY CIDER

This spicy cider tastes delicious after any outdoor winter activity and would be a perfect "go-together" with Cranberry Hootycreeks. (See recipe above) Why not give both mixes as a gift to a neighbor and then make a date for a winter walk or to build a snowman?

SPICED CRANBERRY CIDER MIX INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 12 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 tsp crushed whole cloves
• 2 Tbsp. whole allspice

In a small bowl, stir the cranberries and spices together. Store in an airtight container.

Use cinnamon sticks no more than 4 inches long and this will fit easily in a pint jar...
or use your imagination in packaging.

Attach this to the Jar:
Spiced Cranberry Cider Instructions
Serves 12 to 14

• 2 quarts apple cider
• 1 quart water
• 1 package Spiced Cranberry Cider Mix
• 2 oranges, sliced

In a large saucepan combine the cider, water, and Spiced Cranberry Cider Mix.

Heat through but do not boil. Add most of the orange slices.

Serve warm, garnished with the remaining orange slices. May be kept warm in a crockpot for easy serving.

This curried rice mix is an interesting complement for plain chicken or pork and a good idea for those friends who are trying to avoid sugar.

This recipe uses raisins. You may use, currents, dried apricots, or even chopped dried apple.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled (or 1 tsp. powdered bouillon mix)
• 2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder

Layer the ingredients in the order given in a 1 & 1/2-cup jar.

Attach these instructions to the Jar:

Curried Rice
Serves 6

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 package Curried Rice Mix

In a medium saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the rice mix. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Snickerdoodles are soft sugar cookies dusted with cinnamon and sugar.

Children love these cookies and they are simple enough that they can help you make them.

These cookies are wonderful with a cup of hot cocoa.

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 cups sugar

In a large bowl, combine the ingredients with a whisk. Store the mix in an airtight container or jar.

Attach these instructions to the Jar:

SNICKERDOODLES
Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 package Snickerdoodle Mix

* Mix together:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until light; add the eggs & beat on low speed until the mixture is smooth.

Add the Snickerdoodle Mix & continue to beat on low speed until the dough begins to form.

Combine the sugar & cinnamon in a small bowl.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls & roll in the cinnamon-sugar blend.

Arrange on ungreased baking sheets 2 inches apart & bake for 16 to 19 minutes, or until light tan.

Transfer to wire racks to cool.

By Leslie Cooper

A few years ago my mom started a family tradition of home made cross stitch Christmas ornaments. It's gotten now so people wonder which one they're getting this year.

Mom sits & thinks about the person's interests, then picks out a pattern to illustrate that person. She gets her patterns from all the different Cross Stitch mini pattern books that people use for cards as well.

Then she gets some 2 to 2-1/2 inch plastic frames in either round or oval. The gold ones look very pretty.

When she's done the working the cross stitch, she then rinses them, and irons them a bit after they dry. She takes the back off the frame & inserts the picture, then a piece of heavy cardboard to keep the pattern from moving around.

After the design is secure she then glues a piece of gold tin foil gift wrap onto the back. When it's dry she writes the person's name & the date it was given on the foil.

Everyone that my mom cares about recieves one, it's a fast, inexpensive way to show someone you love them. It's a tradition we treasure in our home!

Counted Cross Stitch is a fun and relaxing hobby, which is fairly easy to learn to do. You can find hundreds of Cross Stitch patterns and projects at Ann's Stitching Post - Your One-Stop shop for cross stitch and petit point supplies.

By Robin Leonard

If you are looking for a REALLY easy way to be creative this holiday season, why not try making decoupage boxes?

People have been using decoupage techniques for decades, and once I discovered it myself, I could see why!

You need a few items from the craft store first, some foam brushes, Decoupage Glue, or Mod Podge... it's a thicker version of a white glue, which dries with an invisible satiny finish, sealing your project as well. You will also need some unfinished wooden or cardboard boxes to decorate. Most craft stores carry different shapes and sizes of boxes, and I particularly like the oval or star shaped ones. (You can do this to picture frames too, or use your imagination!) Other items you will need could include bits of ribbon or lace, sequins, scaps of wrapping paper or stationery, scraps of pretty fabrics. You don't have to spend a lot on supplies, you can even use family photos or cut out pictures from magazines if you want to. Still-tender autumn leaves work well too.

You can choose to paint your box first, or you can decoupage the whole thing.

Cover your work surface to avoid getting glue anywhere, and apply a generous even coat of Mod Podge to your box.

Arrange your bits of paper, photos, etc. over the glue while it is still wet. Overlapping is fine, as it gives a nice collage look to the item. Smooth the bits of paper over and under the edges of the box and lid, keeping the inside edge as neat as possible, and the surface smooth and not bulky. (or the lid won't go back on) you can trim away excess from around the inside edge after it is dry, using an exacto knife, if need be.

If you want to do the insides of the box, you can, or you can leave them unfinished.

After you have stuck down all your bits of paper or decorations, or drawn or painted additional decoration, you are ready to apply another coat of Mod Podge to the entire surface of the box again. This will stick down any stray edges and seal everything.

Dry items on a sheet of wax paper so they don't stick to any undesirable things like newspaper. Let items dry for several hours or preferably overnight.

Make sure your lid still goes on. Use a bit of VERY fine sandpaper just around the edge at the top if its sticking and keep the lids off the boxes for at least a week to let everything set hard or you could glue your boxes closed! Then they would just be pretty, but useless! ;-)

After its all dry, you may wish to add other embellishments to it, such as tiny glass beads, sequins or ribbon. Apply more Mod Podge where you want these things, and arrange or sprinkle them in place. Allow to dry thoroughly and apply another coat over them afterwards. Again, dry thoroughly.

It's a little time consuming, but the results are worth it! I gave one of the small ones I made to my step-daughter a couple of years ago. She's a teen, and I remembered all my dreams and wishes when I was her age.

I called the one I made her a "Wish Box", and I put in a few little bits of folded paper with things written on them such as "I wish you Good Luck!" or "I wish you good health all your life." and "I wish you loyal friendships and true love." etc... I told her to write down HER wishes and put them in the box, then, when she is older, she can read back through them and see how many of her wishes have come true.

She thought it was pretty cool. :-)

You can decoupage pretty much anything, inexpensive picture frames, diary covers, jewelery boxes, table tops...

I have made a variety of other Christmas gifts over the years, including hand-made soaps, framed photos I've taken, t-shirts or mugs with personal photos on them, hand-made candles, baked goods etc. It's not too hard even to make hand-made chocolates! Ask at your craft store about any of these fun, inexpensive gift ideas.
All of us at the gURLz Gazette wish everyone a safe, happy and peaceful Holiday Season.

"Sterling Moon is my favorite specialty coffee!" David E. Brown,
[Billy Joel's former lead guitarist for 11 years] Gloucester, MA

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