Wine gift baskets

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James, where do you get yours from?
That sounds like something I would be interested in.

Actually, I've been looking for one of those cheesy gift packs that have the cheese, salami, crackers, specialty mustards, etc.
It's kind of for a gag gift for a relative, but I also want to get a good quality one. There are so many places that offer that sort of thing that I don't even know where to start figuring out who sells good ones.
 
I make wine baskets every year, and believe me, when you include items made by you in your baskets, some sort of crafts, food, cookies, etc., people love it, they feel it more personalized...
 
Mustard has to be one of the easiest and cheapest things in the world to make, and people find it soooo impressive (I would pay $8 at the specialty store for this). You can go totally gourmet and make their heads spin if you like.

Give it a try for your basket Jeri, and see what happens :)
 
off track ... but ...

now i'm curious!! recipe?? LOVE mustard and would love to be able to tweak to my & my family's preferences!!

Mustard has to be one of the easiest and cheapest things in the world to make, and people find it soooo impressive (I would pay $8 at the specialty store for this). You can go totally gourmet and make their heads spin if you like.
 
Yes, it is pretty easy to make.
Haven't made any this year, but we did dig out a ridiculous amount of horseradish and made several jars of that.

Maybe if I can dig out some time I will make a few jars of mustard.
 
Here are couple of my favourites :

Classic Dijon Mustard - from Food in Jars
Yield: Approximately 1 and 1/2 cups.

Ingredients
1 and ½ cups white wine (ideally a white Burgundy, or a crisp Chablis or sauvignon blanc)*
½ cup white wine vinegar**
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
4 oz dry mustard powder (ground yellow mustard seed, about 1 cup + 2 tsp)
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp salt
Dash or two of Tabasco or cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions
Prepare canner, jars & lids.
Combine wine, vinegar, onion and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow aromatics to steep in the wine for 10 – 15 minutes.
Strain vegetables from the infused wine, pressing on solids to release all the juice. Return wine to the saucepan and add salt, honey and Tabasco, if using. Over medium heat, whisk in the mustard powder; continue whisking and heating until the mustard comes to a boil. Stirring constantly, boil mustard until it reduces to your desired thickness, remembering that it will thicken further upon cooling (I cooked mine for about 10 minutes). Taste and adjust seasonings.
Fill hot jars to a generous 1/4-inch headspace (more like 1/2-inch), tamping down the mustard into the jar. Thoroughly bubble by passing the handle of a wooden spoon along the edges and middle of the jar. Wipe rims, affix lids and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes in the hot water prior to removing from the canner.

One more:
Oktoberfest Beer Mustard - from the Bernardin Book
Makes about 5 (4 oz) jars

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups beer (use one you like to drink, it will really come through in the taste)
1 cup brown mustard seeds
1 cup water
1/2 cup malt vinegar
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dry mustard
1 Tbsp onion powder
5 (4 oz) glass preserving jars with lids and bands
Directions:
1.) COMBINE beer and brown mustard seeds in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand at room temperature until seeds have absorbed most of the moisture, about 2 hours.
2.) PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
3.) PLACE mustard seeds and remaining liquid in a food processor or blender. Process until chopped and slightly grainy.
4.) TRANSFER mixture to a large saucepan. Whisk in water, vinegar, brown sugar, dry mustard and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until volume is reduced by a third, about 15 minutes.
5.) LADLE hot mustard into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
6.) PROCESS in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.
 
Oh wow!

Thank you so much.
These sound absolutely divine.
I just went through all my canning jars and it looks like I have some of those small 4 oz jelly jars.
Those would be perfect for homemade mustard.
 
Some more ideas for baskets...

All home made, missing the summer sausage and chorizo, which haven't made yet... The best part about making your own presents, it takes away the last minute pressure, because those are things that you can stock during the year...

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With the holidays coming I was planning to make up some kind of basket with say 2 or 3 bottles of wine, mostly wine I made. has anyone here done this before? what other Items do you include in the basket? I was thinking things like a cork screw, a pair of glasses, maybe some food items like nuts, crackers, biscotti or cheeses. pasta and sauces with Italian wines maybe? I am not sure about cheese being the need to refrigerate and possible travel time.

where also are a good places to get baskets fillers and wrap?

If you are worried about the cheese travel time, wax it, wax suppose to preserve cheese up to 25 years.
 
Fabiola,

What great gifts!

I knitted for everyone last year ....this year, I'm hoarding my yarn stash for me.

Your soaps look great, I've got some going now for Manthing and his dad.
That's really the only handmade I've got going this year so far...I'm still on the fence about giving anyone wine this year or not.
I've found I feel quite stingy about it.
 
What kind of soap is the tri-color?
It looks divine. Is it MP or CP?
 
I just saw that you are in Bernalillo.

I love your neck of the woods.
I went there a few years ago and we went to a mexican food restaurant that was an absolute dive, right off one of the main streets in Bernalillo. They had the best green chili breakfast burritos I think I've ever tasted.
That same year, I happened to visit during Council of Nations. The only hotel room I could find was at the Hilton Tamaya. OMG, more money than I have ever spent on a hotel room but it was a lovely experience. The smell of cedar and sage everywhere was just amazing. We were traveling to ABQ to see the Black Sabbath tour headed up by Ronnie James Dio. After 4 hours of looking for a hotel room, we finally checked in and headed to the bar.
Ronnie James, most of the band and a bunch of roadies were there. I was geeking out but wanted to play it cool, so we sent a round over to their table. They came over and chatted with us for about an hour until the bar closed down. Despite wearing crushed velvet attire, he was completely down to earth and absolutely delightful to talk with about everything.

eta: I bawled when he passed away. He really was so very nice in person. Much different from other celebrities I have met....
 
What kind of soap is the tri-color?
It looks divine. Is it MP or CP?

Hot Process, it is chocolate and milk, but I put some cocoa powder in the middle layer to change the color of milk from white to beige...
 
I just saw that you are in Bernalillo.

I love your neck of the woods.
I went there a few years ago and we went to a mexican food restaurant that was an absolute dive, right off one of the main streets in Bernalillo. They had the best green chili breakfast burritos I think I've ever tasted.
That same year, I happened to visit during Council of Nations. The only hotel room I could find was at the Hilton Tamaya. OMG, more money than I have ever spent on a hotel room but it was a lovely experience. The smell of cedar and sage everywhere was just amazing. We were traveling to ABQ to see the Black Sabbath tour headed up by Ronnie James Dio. After 4 hours of looking for a hotel room, we finally checked in and headed to the bar.
Ronnie James, most of the band and a bunch of roadies were there. I was geeking out but wanted to play it cool, so we sent a round over to their table. They came over and chatted with us for about an hour until the bar closed down. Despite wearing crushed velvet attire, he was completely down to earth and absolutely delightful to talk with about everything.

eta: I bawled when he passed away. He really was so very nice in person. Much different from other celebrities I have met....

Good, I am glad you liked my little town, I am originally from Mexico but I have been living 22 years in Bernalillo NM, the restaurant you are talking about is "The Range Café", well known world-wide.
 
Fabiola, those look gorgeous!
I'm just starting to knit, little squares that I'll eventually sew together for my daughter into a blanket.

The peppers in the jars - are they in oil? Vinegar?
Also, do you use soap flakes for your soap? Or do you make from scratch?
Should we start another thread on this stuff? I think we hijacked the original idea for this one...didn't we?

Jeri: I use the 4oz ones for all my mustards. Although just this year I lucked into a couple of the square-ish Ball jars like in Fabiola's picture. Made Spicy Honey Mustard in them.
 
Fabiola, those look gorgeous!
I'm just starting to knit, little squares that I'll eventually sew together for my daughter into a blanket.

The peppers in the jars - are they in oil? Vinegar?
Also, do you use soap flakes for your soap? Or do you make from scratch?
Should we start another thread on this stuff? I think we hijacked the original idea for this one...didn't we?

Jeri: I use the 4oz ones for all my mustards. Although just this year I lucked into a couple of the square-ish Ball jars like in Fabiola's picture. Made Spicy Honey Mustard in them.

They are not peppers, is body oil with orange peels and cinnamon sticks inside, the oil is a mixture of vitamin E, lanolin, olive, sweet almond, castor, and safflower; it also has cinnamon and orange fragrances and orange color. I make the soaps from scratch using lye.
 
well its been a long time since I been here so in reviewing my threads I decided to update you all on how my baskets last xmas turned out.

I got a mess of cheap baskets in a christmas theme at Dollar tree and basket filler $1 per each item they even had shrink wrap bags so that was a good find.

I got some wine related items like openers, preservers, glass charms, stoppers and cocktail napkins at Christmas tree shoppe.

got some Brie and other cheese by Kerry Gold At Aldi along with some crackers....god I love that place.

I packed up the baskets ahead and kept them in the basement where i do my wine work minus the cheese. I put the cheese in and sealed them up just before I was going to take them to the recipient or them come over. so the cheese stayed fresh. I picked the wines for each person based on what I figured they would like (sweet or dry)

I have to say it made my holiday shopping a breeze and everyone loved them. Some have returned the bottles with reports on the wine all good so far. I also baked up tins of cookies for the kids too that were well received.

I will definitely be doing this again this coming holiday!
 

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