Homemade Holiday Food Gifts: 9 Easy, Better than Store Bough Ideas

(Watch us make Rosemary Salt)

Ingredients:

4 sprigs rosemary

1½ cup coarse sea salt

2 tablespoons ground pepper

Directions:

Strip rosemary leaves from stems, then add to a food processer with the coarse sea salt and ground pepper. Pulse 3-4 times until leaves are fully incorporated into salt. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

(Watch us make Homemade Dog Biscuits)

Ingredients:

½ cup water

2 eggs

½ cup cornmeal

½ cup rolled oats

3 tablespoons peanut butter

½ cup canola oil

2 cups whole-wheat flour

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then stir to combine (mixture will be thick). Sprinkle flour on a countertop and roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is between ¼ and ½ inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut out biscuit and place on a well-oiled baking sheet.

Bake biscuits at 400F for 20 minutes (or until hard). Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

(Watch us make Vanilla Sugar)

Ingredients:

½ vanilla bean

1 cup sugar

Directions:

Pour sugar into a large mixing bowl. Slice the vanilla bean down the center with the backside of a knife blade and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds into the bowl of sugar and whisk until incorporated. Pour the sugar into a sealable jar, then add in the bean for additional flavor. Serve with coffee or on baked goods. 

(Watch us make Caramel Sauce)

Ingredients

1½ cups sugar

⅓ cup water

1⅓ cups heavy cream

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Cook the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over moderate heat, stirring just until sugar dissolves. Let the sugar bubble until it reaches a golden color (don’t  leave it too long, as sugar burns easily), then add the cream (warning, caramel will bubble up). Turn off the heat and stir in vanilla. Store sauce in a sealable jar, refrigerated. 

(Watch us make Honey-Sugar Body Scrub)

Ingredients:

½ cup brown sugar

2 cups sugar in the raw (available at most major markets and health food stores)

½ cup olive oil

½ tablespoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Add sugars to a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil, honey, and vanilla, then stir to combine. Transfer to air-tight jar.