Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen - Cranberry Port Wine Jelly and Merlot Wine Jelly

Two more easy jellies to make for holiday gifts. These ones are even easier than the Cranberry Hot Pepper Jelly because there is no food processing step. Wine jellies are fabulous with cream cheese and pate. They are also good over lamb and game meats.

Recipes from 'The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving'.

Cranberry Port Wine Jelly

1 cup port wine
1 cup 100% cranberry juice (NOT cocktail and NOT concentrate)
3 1/2 cups white sugar
1 pouch liquid pectin

1. See here for instructions on how to prepare jars for canning and here for how to prepare your boiling-water canner.

2. Place wine, cranberry juice and sugar in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in pectin. Skim off any foam.

3. Ladle mixture into hot 125ml canning jars. Cover with a hot snap lid and secure with a ring. Process jars in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes (15 minutes if you are above 1000ft elevation). Turn off the heat. Wait 5 minutes before removing jars from water (to stabilize pressure inside jars). Remove jars from water and place them on a towel. Let jars sit, undisturbed, to cool at room temperature overnight. Remove rings, label jars with contents and date, and store jars in a cool, dark place. (If you are giving as gifts, leave rings on, or replace rings just before gifting.)

Yields 4 1/2 cups

Merlot Wine Jelly

You can substitute ANY wine in place of the Merlot.

2 cups Merlot wine
1/4 cup fresh, strained lemon juice (2-3 lemons), or 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
3 1/2 cups white sugar
1 pouch liquid pectin

1. See here for instructions on how to prepare jars for canning and here for how to prepare your boiling-water canner.

2. Place wine, lemon juice and sugar in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in pectin. Skim off any foam.

3. Ladle mixture into hot 125ml canning jars. Cover with a hot snap lid and secure with a ring. Process jars in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes (15 minutes if you are above 1000ft elevation). Turn off the heat. Wait 5 minutes before removing jars from water (to stabilize pressure inside jars). Remove jars from water and place them on a towel. Let jars sit, undisturbed, to cool at room temperature overnight. Remove rings and store jars in a cool, dark place. (If you are giving as gifts, leave rings on, or replace rings just before gifting.)

Yields 4 1/2 cups

Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen - Cranberry Hot Pepper Jelly

Making homemade jellies is a lot easier than I expected. With the right supplies and a little patience, you too can create some gourmet jellies for holiday gifts. Cranberry Hot Pepper Jelly makes a great appetizer, served with crackers and cheese, especially cream cheese. It's also great as a spread on a turkey sandwich.

The best part about making your own jelly is that it is CHEAP! Assuming you already own the required canning equipment, the cost per 125ml jar of Cranberry Hot Pepper Jelly works out to less than $2 per jar! My batch of eight jars actually cost $1.73 per jar. That cost includes the jar, sugar, pectin, red pepper, jalapeño and cranberry juice AND the jar top labels. (The vinegar is not included in the cost analysis because I already had a large jug on hand, but even with the amount of vinegar used in the recipe added in, the total per jar would still be under $2.) Homemade jellies are personal, affordable, easy and delicious.

The green jalapeño peppers used in this recipe are quite mild and taste peppery rather than spicy. If you'd like a spicier mix, try using Serrano peppers or red jalapeño peppers. You could also add a teaspoon or two of dried red chili flakes to the saucepan during step one.

Recipe from 'The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving'.


1 large sweet red pepper
2 green jalapeño peppers, seeded
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup 100% pure cranberry juice (NOT cocktail)
3 cups white sugar
1 pouch liquid fruit pectin
8 125ml canning jars, snap lids and rings
1 jelly bag or cheesecloth

1. See here for instructions on how to prepare jars for canning and here for how to prepare your boiling-water canner.

2. Finely chop red pepper and jalapeño peppers in a food processor. Place mixture in a small stainless steel saucepan* with water and vinegar. Bring mixture to a boil, cover, reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes. Strain mixture through a course sieve, pressing with the back of spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Pour liquid through a jelly bag or through a couple layers of cheesecloth to remove any remaining sediment.

3. Place strained liquid, cranberry concentrate and sugar in a medium stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin, return to a full boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam.

4. Ladle mixture into hot 125ml canning jars. Cover with a hot snap lid and secure with a ring. Process jars in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes (15 minutes if you are above 1000ft elevation). Turn off the heat. Wait 5 minutes before removing jars from water (to stabilize pressure inside jars). Remove jars from water and place them on a towel. Let jars sit, undisturbed, to cool at room temperature overnight. Remove rings, label jars with contents and date, and store jars in a cool, dark place. (If you are giving as gifts, leave rings on, or replace rings just before gifting.)


Labels are Avery #8293 - High Visibility Inkjet Round Labels.

Yields 8 - 125ml jars

Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen - Spicy Dill Beans

It's that time of year again! Time to start thinking about Christmas gifts and holiday menus! Last year I made several tasty creations in my kitchen and gave them out to friends and family. More great gifts from the kitchen will be coming over the next couple months!


At the request of my mother, I spent an afternoon canning Spicy Dill Beans. I use a recipe that Vancity Rock Girl posted over two years ago. I first canned beans using this recipe before Christmas in 2008. I had labels and little cards with the Mott's Caesar recipe, printed through Vistaprint. I wrapped the jars up all pretty and gave them out to extended family and friends. They were a HUGE hit! I continued to get requests for these tasty beans throughout 2009. Now the supplies are running short and people are in need of more beans! You can't drink a Caesar without a Spicy Dill Bean to garnish! They are also great for munching as a snack. This recipe also works for carrots and asparagus... especially asparagus!

Vancity Rock Girl's Spicy Dill Beans:

Yields 4 pints

2 lbs green beans, trimmed to about 3 1/2 inches
4 red jalapeño peppers, cut in half lengthwise
8 sprigs of fresh dill
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 tbsp mustard seeds
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
2 tbsp picking salt

1. See here for instructions on how to prepare jars for canning and here for how to prepare your boiling-water canner.

2. In a large saucepan, mix water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Keep warm on the stove top while you finish the next step.

3. To each jar, add 2 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds, two halves of hot peppers and two sprigs of fresh dill. Tightly pack the beans into each jar.

4. Pour the hot vinegar mixture into each jar and fill, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top. Cover with a hot snap lid and secure with a ring. (You want air & water to be able to circulate during the water bath, so don't tighten the ring too much.)

5. Place jars into boiling water bath canner. Ensure water comes up 1 inch above the top of the jars. Bring to a boil again and process the jars for 10 minutes (15 minutes if above 1000ft elevation). Turn off the heat. Wait 5 minutes before removing jars from water (to stabilize pressure inside jars). Remove jars from water and place them on a towel. Let jars sit, undisturbed, to cool at room temperature overnight. Remove rings, label jars with contents and date, and store jars in a cool, dark place. (If you are giving as gifts, leave rings on, or replace rings just before gifting.) Let sit at least 2 weeks before using.


Check Vistaprint for cheap custom labels and business cards. They have daily deals where you get the printing on several items free and just pay shipping. I have custom printed stationary, envelopes, pens, post-it's, note cards and note pads. It can be quite addictive at first and the products make great gifts!

Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen - Limoncello Liqueur

Limoncello is a sweet Italian liqueur. It is easy to make and tasty to drink. The traditional way to enjoy this treat is ice cold, straight up in a shot glass. Or try it in a martini. My favourite Limoncello martini recipes follow below.

Limoncello Liqueur:

8 organic lemons
1 750ml bottle vodka
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups sugar

1. Wash lemons with a vegetable brush in hot water. Rinse well. Using a vegetable peeler or zester, peel off the rind, avoiding the white pith. The pith is bitter tasting and will affect the outcome of your Limoncello. You can also grate the zest using a Microplane, just be careful to only grate the yellow skin and not the white pith. If you end up with pith on the back of your rind, gently scrape it off using a paring knife.

2. Place the rind in a large airtight jar. Pour in vodka and seal the jar. Leave vodka in a cool dark place for at least five days and up to thirty days. The longer you leave the mix to steep, the better. The more time it has, more lemon flavour will be infused and the vodka will become brighter yellow.

3. After steeping your vodka for the desired length of time, prepare a simple syrup by mixing 2 1/2 cups of water with 2 cups of sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until sugar is all dissolved and mixture has thickened. Let cool to room temperature.

4. Mix the cooled simple syrup with the vodka/lemon mixture. Re-seal and allow to rest in a cool, dark place for another five to thirty days. If you are in a rush, you can skip the second rest period, go right to the straining in step five and instead allow the mixture to rest after it has been strained.

5. After the second rest period, strain the mixture through a coffee filter or cheesecloth lined funnel into bottle of your choice. Discard the lemon rind.

6. Store finished Limoncello in a cool, dark place for up to one year. "Connoisseurs" advocate storing your Limoncello in the freezer until ready to serve. I DO NOT advocate storing yours in the freezer because, as I learned, it actually freezes! A cold fridge is sufficient enough.



When giving as a gift, I include a scroll of Limoncello drink recipes. Here are some of my favourites:

Limoncello Limon Blush Cocktail:
1 oz Limoncello
3 oz lemonade
½ oz cranberry juice
½ oz soda water
1 lemon wedge for garnish

Add first three ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a tall glass filled with ice or a chilled martini glass. Top with soda and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Killer Limoncello Martini:
1.5 oz vodka
1 oz Limoncello
½ oz lemon juice
Lemon wedge or lemon peel spiral

Combine liquid in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with lemon peel or wedge.

Limoncello Fizz:
1 oz Limoncello
3 oz soda water
1 oz Ginger Ale
Squirt of lemon juice
Lemon wedge for garnish

Mix all ingredients in a tall glass filled with ice. Stir well and serve with a lemon wedge.

Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen - Vanilla Vodka

This is one of the easiest homemade Holiday gifts. It is a little on the expensive side when it comes to homemade gifts, only because vanilla beans are not cheap but the expense is worth it.

In case you are wondering, I bought my glass flasks at The Container Store. They offer a wide assortment of glass bottles and jars.

Vanilla Vodka:

Per 250ml glass jar, you will need:

1 vanilla bean
250 ml vodka (cheaper the better!)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 coffee filter

1. Split vanilla bean. Using a small knife, run the blade up the bean to remove the seeds.

2. In a large re-sealable container, add vodka, vanilla bean and extracted vanilla seeds. Cover and store in a cool, dark place for 1-2 weeks.

3. After 1-2 weeks, set up a funnel on the glass jar and line with a coffee filter. Strain the vodka through a coffee filter, into the jar. Add pure vanilla extract. Place the vanilla bean in the jar and seal.

4. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

Incidentally, if you concentrate the vanilla flavour (reduce the amount of vodka and increase the amount of vanilla beans), you will eventually create homemade vanilla extract!

Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen - Peanuty Chocolate Oreo Cookie Bark

This is another recipe from the Kraft Kitchens. I've made this one for a few years now and it is very easy and very good. Who doesn't like chocolate, peanut butter and Oreo cookies!?

1 box (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1 box (6 squares) BAKER'S White Chocolate
2 Tbsp Smooth Peanut Butter (I used 3)
10 OREO Cookies, smashed

1. PLACE semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate in separate medium microwaveable bowls. Microwave until completely melted, following directions on package. Add peanut butter to white chocolate; stir until well blended. Crumble half the cookies over chocolate in each bowl; mix well.

2. DROP spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet, alternating the colours of the chocolates. Swirl gently with knife. Top with more crumbled cookies.

3. REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

I alternate between serving the bark in glass jars (as shown) or Christmas Asian-style take out boxes (below).

Variation: Instead of peanut butter & Oreos, use dried cranberries and chopped macadamia nuts. I made a batch using cherry flavoured dried cranberries and dry roasted macadamia nuts. It created a sweet and salty treat, perfect for someone that prefers salty snacks.

Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen - Accidental Toblerone Fudge Sauce

Hello! I've taken some time off cooking. Well, that isn't exactly true. I'm still cooking but nothing has been deemed worth of posting here. Although the pot roast, mushroom and zucchini pizza I made last night was pretty delicious.

With only two weeks till Christmas, I've been very busy. My shopping is all done. My presents are all wrapped and my Christmas crafting is nearly complete. I don't usually bake around Christmas time. I'm not much of a baker. I'm more of a creator. This year I created homemade Limoncello liqueur, Vanilla Vodka, Toblerone Fudge Sauce and Peanuty Oreo Cookie Bark. The results are pretty darn good, in my opinion.



Today I will share my Accidental Toblerone Fudge Sauce. Accidental because I set out to make a KRAFT Kitchen's Toblerone Fudge recipe. Unfortunately my fudge didn't set and I needed to come up with something to salvage the $10 worth of chocolate that was in my pan. This recipe is not healthy. It isn't wholesome. It isn't cheap. But it is sinfully delicious. That is why I'm giving almost all of my fudge sauce away as gifts.

If you are interested in the original Toblerone Fudge recipe, check here.

Jill's Accidental Toblerone Fudge Sauce:

Yields about 8 cups - Enough to fill 4 - 500ml canning jars

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
3 cups full fat evaporated milk (about 2 large cans)
600g Toblerone (That is one full and a one half of the 400g large holiday bars or 6 smaller 100 g bars)
6 squares bakers chocolate (semi-sweet or bitter-sweet)

1. Coarsely chop all chocolate and set aside.

2. Mix sugar, butter and evaporated milk in a sauce pan. While stirring constantly, slowly bring to a rolling boil over medium heat. Let boil for five minutes will continuing to stir.

3. Remove sauce pan from heat. Pour chopped chocolate into sauce pan and stir until completely melted.

4. Let cool to room temperature. Sauce should be of a thick consistency and coat the back of a spoon, yet still pour easily. If sauce is too thick, stir in more condensed milk, 1/4 cup at a time. If sauce is too runny, more chocolate may need to be added.

5. Spoon or pour sauce into airtight jars. I used 500ml canning jars and boiled them after, per box instructions, to form a proper airtight seal.

6. Store jars in refrigerator.

Chocolate Sauce Uses:
- Heat a bit in the microwave and spoon over ice cream, cream puffs, pancakes and other desserts.
- Add to milk for rich and creamy chocolate milk
- Serve as is over ice cream