Honolulu Weekly

These days, it’s not just mom who thinks homemade presents are cool. Whether it’s the recession forcing more people into their kitchens or urbanites seeking a deeper connection with what they eat, there’s a distinct DIY trend en vogue. Conjure up your inner Martha Stewart and try out these food and drink ideas; they’re easy-to-create gifts even if all your previous experimentation produced results only a mother could love.

Infused vodka

What’s wonderful about making infused liquor is that it’s easy, and as you infuse it, you can take sips along the way to check the flavor. The only drawback is, it can take a week, so get started on this now for a gift that’s ready by Christmas. Or you’ll just have to keep it all yourself. There are worse ways to begin the New Year.

You can infuse pretty much anything in any liquor. Dave Power, bar manager at Town (whose collection of infusions at the bar was the inspiration for this gift idea) infuses chunks of roasted kabocha in rye and grilled fig leaves in vodka. Vodka is the best liquor to start playingwith–because of its neutral flavor, it takes on infused flavors readily. The general idea: mix ingredients and booze in a jar, cover with lid and store in a cool, dark place. Taste daily, and when the liquor has taken on the desired flavor, strain the liquid into a nice bottle. To get the juices flowing, here are some ideas that require a week or less of infusing.

•Pomegranate: This is a great one for giving–the infusion develops a pretty red hue. For a 750ml bottle, mix 3 cups of vodka and the seeds from 2 pomegranates (make sure to remove all the white pith, which is bitter). Shake gently every few days and taste. After about a week (when you can taste the pomegranate flavor in the vodka), strain the liquid and bottle. You can reserve the seeds, which will have turned into juicy nuggets of vodka, in a jar to add to cocktails.

•Chili pepper: Perfect for New Year’s brunch Bloody Marys. Choose any kind of chili pepper, from jalapenos to Hawaiian chili peppers to chipotles, which will add a smoky dimension. Power warns that these can get spicy really fast, so check the infusion daily. For every three cups of vodka, add two halved chili peppers.

•Orange, ginger, cardamom, star anise: For this infusion, reminiscent of five-spice, add the zest from three oranges (again, avoiding the pith), ¼ cup of thinly sliced, peeled ginger, 20 green cardamom pods and 4 whole star anise to 3 cups of vodka.

•Vanilla: If you’re baking with vanilla beans these holidays, don’t discard the pod after you’ve scraped out the seeds. Simply steep the pod in 3 cups of vodka.

For bottling and gifting, you can reuse liquor bottles or buy empty bottles (Executive Chef carries bottles with cork tops). Attach a label describing your infusion.

For additional inspiration, there are plenty more ideas on the internet (bacon-infused vodka anyone?).

Cake in a jar

I love jars. I guess I love the infinite possibilities of what could go in them. Jams and jellies are obvious…less so are cakes. Cakes in jars have a little bit of ship-in-a-bottle curiousness, with much less technical know-how: the cakes are simply baked right in the jar. They’re great for shipping and they’ll keep, sealed, for a few months.

Any cake recipe will work, even boxed cake mixes. Best are pound-cake types rather than pudding or similar cakes that have a tendency to shrink and collapse a bit after baking (they just don’t look as pretty in the jars). Choose glass canning jars that are pint-sized or smaller, wide-mouthed and straight-sided. Straight-sided jars without shoulders will allow cakes to rise to the top of the jar, and they make for easier unmolding of the cake. To prepare jars for baking, be sure to butter and flour the inside of each jar well and knock out any excess flour. Fill the jars with cake batter no more than 2/3 full. Bake the cakes according to your recipe’s instructions, keeping in mind that these cakes will bake faster than a large cake. After baking, if the cake has risen too far over the lip, just cut off the top. Let the cakes cool for a minute or two and then screw on the lids (careful–the jars will be hot!). The jars will seal as they cool.

Make your own mix

More jar fun: if time is running out (which it probably is, if you’re reading this), you can skip the baking altogether and give dry mixes in a jar–cookie mixes, layered like sand art, are simple to put together and help get reluctant cooks in the kitchen. Here’s a cookie mix to fill a 1 quart jar (we added some holiday spirit in the form of peppermint bark, but substitute any additions and combinations you like, such as dried fruit, nuts and chocolate):

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons finely ground coffee beans (preferably dark roast)

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cups chopped peppermint bark

Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground coffee. Pour the flour mix into a 1-quart jar and layer the rest of the ingredients in the order given (just for aesthetics). Use a spoon or espresso tamper to level and pack down each layer. Seal the jar.

Instructions for the recipient: You’ll need: ½ cup melted butter, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix butter, egg and vanilla and then mix in the contents of the jar. Drop a heaping tablespoon of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake for about 10-14 minutes, until golden on bottom and top. Cool on wire racks.