Advertisement I’m saving pennies everywhere.
And at this rate, by Christmas time
I’m sure that I shall have a dime.
I wrote this poem in the late ’60s. If someone else claims to have penned the very same verse, chalk it up to reverse salients and simultaneous invention. At this expensive time of year, and especially given today’s economy, every penny is important. When we are intent on saving money, we tend to turn to our creative selves and do what people appreciate the most anyway — give gifts that are truly from the heart, those that we ourselves have made.
I remember a time that my mom and I (mostly “I”) were not getting along very well. I wanted to somehow let her know how I felt without actually having to say it, I guess, so I ruined a sheet by cutting out a square, crudely embroidering on it:
“No matter what I say or do,
Remember please that I love you.”
I very amateurishly framed it in an inexpensive frame and gave it to her for Christmas. I don’t remember her reaction. I don’t remember ever seeing it hanging on the wall. But some 40 years later, she pulled it out of a dresser drawer in her bedroom and gave it back to me.
It didn’t matter that it had never been on public display, she KEPT it. She kept it throughout my turbulent teen years. She kept it when, after she was widowed, she remarried and moved selected parts of her household to her new home in Ettrick. She kept it when they moved from their century farmhouse to a new house, built partly because my step-dad had sciatica and they “needed a bath with a shower.” And when she felt the time was right, she gave it back to me, with hardly a word, but with every bit as much love as I felt when I had given it to her. And I am glad to have it.
As we approach Christmas and the New Year, I may be departing a bit from the standard Exchange format, like today, with a few ideas for homemade/handmade gifts and/or entertaining. When decorating gifts in a jar, cut circles of checked gingham or small Christmas prints to cover the tops of the jars. Use pinking shears to cut them and you won’t have to worry about hemming or raveling. Put the fabric over the jar; punch a hole in the recipe/gift tag; thread raffia or ribbon through the hole and then wrap it around the fabric and the neck of the jar.
Each of today’s gifts has two parts: First the mix of ingredients to place in the jar and then the baking instructions to include on the gift tag (you’ll want to include both so if the recipient decides to follow your gift-giving lead, they will have the wherewithal to do so). You could purchase a small basket, set the gift jar in it, and add one or two of the remaining ingredients, such as a small jar of peanut butter for the peanut butter loaf mix.
But your handmade gift doesn’t have to come in a jar. Put a batch of your famous peanut brittle in a waxed paper-lined gift box; give a hand-knitted or crocheted item such as a scarf; or make a papier-maché photo collage for a loved one or friend. Investing a small amount of time can save you a large amount of money, and you’ll wind up with more meaningful gifts.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Loaves — mix
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Layer ingredients attractively in a 1-quart food storage jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pack ingredients down slightly before adding another layer. Cover top of jar with fabric; attach gift tag with raffia or ribbon.
Makes 1 (1-quart) jar.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Loaves — recipe
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 jar loaf mix
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 (81/2-by-41/2-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray. Beat peanut butter and butter in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Bead in vanilla. Add contents of jar alternately with buttermilk, beating at low speed after each addition until blended. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake about 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.
Makes 2 loaves.
(From “Gifts in a Jar” 2003, Publications International, Ltd.)
Sand Art Brownies — mix
1/3 cup cocoa
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
2/3 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup vanilla chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Layer ingredients attractively in a 1-quart food storage jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pack ingredients down slightly before adding another layer. Cover top of jar with fabric; attach gift tag with raffia or ribbon.
Makes 1 (1-quart) jar.
Sand Art Brownies — recipe
1 jar brownie mix
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray a 9-by-9-inch baking pan. Combine contents of jar with remaining ingredients. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 to
35 minutes. If desired, frost while still slightly warm.
(Shared by Diane Forrest, many years ago)
Chocolate Cookies in a Jar — mix
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a 1-quart wide mouth canning jar with a tight-fitting lid, layer dark brown sugar, white sugar, cocoa, chopped pecans, and chocolate chips. Pack everything down firmly before you add flour mixture, it will be a snug fit. Cover top of jar with fabric; with raffia or ribbon, attach gift tag with recipe and baking instructions.
Makes 1 (1-quart) jar.
Chocolate Cookies in a Jar — recipe
1 jar cookie mix
3/4 cup (11/2 sticks) softened butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. Empty cookie mix into large bowl. Thoroughly blend mixture, using your hands. Mix in softened butter, beaten egg and vanilla. Shape into walnut size balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheet(s). Bake 11 to 13 minutes; cool 5 minutes on baking sheet, then move to wire racks. Makes about 3 dozen.
(From allrecipes.com)
