With the fall season upon us, and many jack-o-lanterns being readied for Halloween, there are many tasty and innovative recipes for the pumpkin flesh. These wonderful Gingered Pumpkin Caramels are a tasty alternative to the traditional Halloween Kisses to hand out to your neighbourhood ‘trick or treaters’. For more pumpkin recipes, both cosmetic and cooking [...]
Swirled Peppermint Brittle makes about 1 ½ pounds of candy
No Christmas Season is complete without Candy Canes or Peppermint Candy! This is a delicious variation to add to your Christmas baking, and a great way to use up extra candy canes after Christmas for New Year’s celebrations. You may wish to double the recipe to [...]
The real Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie—Makes 15 large cookies
This famous delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe is widely available and circulated throughout both the States and Canada. It is a necessary addition to any baking repertoire and especially appreciated by the younger set (and the young at heart), during this holiday season. Don’t skimp on [...]
Making your own specialty Healing Herbal Lip Balms as thoughtful gifts for holidays, birthdays, or just to keep the winter wind’s damage at bay is surprisingly easy and inexpensive. They are soothing, fragrant, and healing when using fresh organic herbs, not to mention also being eye-appealing when packaged in small plastic containers that are available [...]
Kitty Kibblers
Although the feline in your life may be very finicky, these tasty Kitty Kibblers will prove to be more irresistible than catnip! And you will reap the benefit of her added love and devotion afterwards. (For Horse Biscuits, Crunchy Doggy Chews, human treat recipes, and herbal preparations, check the ‘Category‘ Section of betweenclosefriends.com)
Ingredients for [...]
Crystallizing flowers, petals, and leaves is deceptively easier than it sounds. The small amount of effort required is more than worth the effort in the compliments you will receive, not to mention the adoration and feeling of importance that your guests will feel upon seeing your handiwork gracing their appetizers. (for recipe ideas for homemade [...]
There are several easy ways to make these versatile sugars. They can be used to flavour cookies, cakes, puddings, teas (either herbal or regular varieties), icings, fruits; used as garnishes…your imagination can run wild as your culinary skills advance. A drop or two of a suitable food coloring may be added for an added visual [...]
Any hard cheese or blue-veined cheese can be potted.
When sealed with a clarified butter, a potted cheese will keep for a long time if stored in a cool pantry. If you store it in the refrigerator, make sure that you cover it with foil as well as the clarified butter to preserve it and keep [...]
These homemade bulk blends make lovely holiday gifts. And they are also appropriate for garden or herb club refreshments, for they are so easy to prepare for a large crowd. For gift giving, package instant beverage mixes in holiday tins or plastic-lined decorative cloth sacks tied closed with a cinnamon stick-adorned ribbon. Include instructions for [...]
There is great variety in mustard flavours, and everyone has a favorite. Once you have found the flavour that you enjoy, you will never be satisfied with store-bought mustard again.
Mustard making is so easy that it is best to mix it up in small quantities, because although mustard keeps indefinitely, the flavour changes quite rapidly.
To [...]
