Home-made Christmas gifts

Homemakers who have time on their hands would do well to prepare their own home-made Christmas gifts. All that is needed is a list of what they can make at home, ingredients needed and recipients. Pasta sauces and dips are the easiest to prepare. Hopefully you have not thrown away the empty bottles and jars of food stuff that you have bought, like mayonnaise. Check how many 220 gm bottles you have. Wash them clean, then boil them to remove all remaining taste and smell of their previous contents. Drain off all water, and let dry.      

Then decide on what you are going to make and list down the ingredients. This is probably the best time to buy all you need, to avoid the expected hike in prices. You can start making your gifts by the middle of December and perhaps distribute them before Christmas Day. This will avoid your gift being swallowed up by all the others that will be received. Note that personally made gifts have added value – an appreciation for your effort and for including the recipients among the lucky ones to get this special token. 

We are sharing with our readers recipes of two items that are easy to prepare.

Tina-Oliva Duo

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil   

1/4 cup canola oil

2 heads native garlic, crushed

6 meduim size bangus tinapa, flaked

8 pieces mushroom buttons, sliced into small pieces

10 pieces sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

10 pieces pitted black olives, sliced

20 gms capers, drained

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tsps flour, reduced

Procedure:          

Heat oil, brown garlic.

Add all other ingredients in succession.

Mix well and simmer for at least 5 minutes.

Divide into seven  220 gm bottles.

Queso de Bola Supreme

Ingredients:

1/2 queso de bola, grated

10 pieces sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Procedure:

Mix all ingredients well.

Distribute among seven 220 gm containers.

These can be given individually. Decorate the bottles with Christmas paper and ribbons. Alternatively, each bottle can be part of a gift basket.

Be creative with your gifts.

Enjoy your Sunday!

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