While Hive's been pumping, I've been mostly absent. IBS issues caused a couple of very scary episodes, but for now, there is no cause for concern! I may tell you about that in a separate post as a warning to others to take care of their gut health!
Suffice it to say, I have to go back to being careful with what goes into my mouth!
That doesn't stop me from creating delicious treats to add to my stash of Gifts from the Heart which I will give away to my nearest and dearest. I can still enjoy most of these by limiting servings.
I love sweet and sour, so today, I will show you how to make two super swift treats: Sweet and sour Pickled Cucumbers and luscious zesty Lemon Curd.
Shall we get going, the days seem to be getting shorter, and time waits for no man, or woman, as in my case!
The very first task is to sterilize your bottles. I wash them in soapy water, rinse well, then place bottles and lids in the oven on the lowest setting for approximately 20 minutes.
We'll start with Sweet & Sour Cucumbers. I shake my head thinking how did I forget about this super simple and really delicious recipe? Use them in place of Gherkins on Burgers, in Salads, or on Sandwiches.
Ingredients
Sweet & Sour Cucumbers Recipe
- 2-3 English Cucumbers, sliced super thinly
- 30ml Pickling Spice - cloves, peppercorns, mustard seeds, cardamom, coriander, star anise, and bay leaves
- 10ml Salt
- 190ml Sugar
- 250ml White Wine Vinegar
- 400ml Water
Add all pickling ingredients into a large pot over a medium heat
Stir to dissolve, add cucumbers and cook for only 2 minutes
You will notice the colour of the cucumbers changes.
Spoon into bottles, and immediately seal tightly.
See how the background changes the appearance!
Next up is something to sweeten your day - zesty Lemon Curd, using only four ingredients - butter, eggs, sugar, and lemons, of course - the juice, and the zest. I shared this recipe a long while ago, but substituted some of the Lemon juice with passion fruit which is a nice twist on the classic Lemon Curd. This must be one of the easiest and most delicious Lemon Curd recipes; no need to cook it over a pot of water.
Sweet and simple!
Ingredients
Lemon Curd Recipe
- 500 gram Butter
- 625ml Sugar
- Juice of 4 and rind of 2 Lemons
- 4 Eggs, beaten
Place all ingredients into a deep pot
Place on medium heat, and bring to a light boil while stirring continuously.
Be careful of the heat as it may burn if the stove is too hot.
Remove from heat as soon as the mixture has reached boiling point and is bubbling nicely.
Pour into sterilized bottles, and seal while hot.
Lemon Curd is super spread on toast or crackers, and of course is delicious spread on sponge cakes, or to use as a filling for an open tart.
As I shared with you before, homemade gifts from your kitchen are way more meaningful than simply digging into your purse and buying commercialized gifts! If you don't have time to make your own gifts, why not look at markets, and support crafters and foodies who produce goods from home!
Pack a selection of your homemade goodies into a basket, something that for sure will warm the hearts of your friends <3
Those are gifts that are made with love.
Links to previous Gifts from my Kitchen
Chicken & Mushroom Pies
Chewy Date Caramel Bites
White Kimchi
Crunchy Date Balls
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You are such a dear to make homemade gifts for your loved ones. The curd looks amazing and now I would like to try it. Would it be a good filling for the middle of a Christmas cookie? I hope your stomach is better. I need to be kinder to mine too and eat more fermented vegetables for gut health.
Thank you @sunscape, you will enjoy the lemon Curd. I forgot to mention that it needs to be stored in the fridge, it firms up then.
It won't be ideal to sandwich cookies unless you eat it right away.
I must also eat more fermented vegetables, hopefully it will help.
Okay, I will do that, thank you.
I love it! And I love that you give homemade gifts. Last year I gave each of our friends a little cactus I had spent all year growing. Or was it the year before? I forget. Anyway, it was a plant called mil hijos which sends off a lot of babies, so I cared for them and then potted them up (I had found the pots really cheap at a local amazon resale shop). Everyone loved them and it was way cheaper than buying everyone something from the store. I have another friend here who lets her kids make cookies for all their friends and everyone loves them. I need to come up with something we can do this year! A great inspirational post!
I love your idea of potting plants as gifts, a wonderful way to remind friends all the time of how special they are to you!
I'm glad you enjoyed the post. It would be great to see what you come up with, this year <3
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Thank you so much @sirenahippie and @foodiesunite, you are awesome ❤️
Sorry the IBS has struck again, sauerkraut a good deal more on the plate, pickles are another great way to combat.
Very traditional making homemade rather than buying, means much more to those receiving lovely gifts like this.
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Hi Joan, it struck just now again, very scary! I'm going to have to see the specialist, hopefully can get an appointment this week😒
Wishing you speedy recovery to health, might be after all that has happened. Might not be from food, simply running on adrenaline. Time to slow down, wise words to self too.... 💞
Oh these look gorgeous. I imagine they make for a very thoughtful gift :) very unique and meaningful. Plus the jar decorations are lovely, too.
Thank you @honeydue, it's always nice making something special for my friends and family💖
Your pickles look delicious and fresh.rasa ingin mencobanya
They are thank you very much @titissumiati
Simply, thank you for these recipes, besides being easy to make, I am sure they are delicious, I love cucumber, especially in sandwiches, I loved the recipe where you use lemon as a filling for the cakes must be very good.
You're so right, they're both absolutely delicious 😋
Thank you for stopping by @lanzjoseg
This is my first time seeing the tantalizing sweet and sour cucumber, the addition of spices does make it taste fresher!
Hi @nurfay, one could also add a green chilli into the bottle to give them a little bite.
I'll have to try this recipe!
@lizelle, I paid out 0.990 HIVE and 0.322 HBD to reward 9 comments in this discussion thread.
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Such a great idea for gifts this holiday season 🤗
Thank you @teacherlynlyn, it's way more satisfying making treats as gifts! Thank you for popping in😊
So many yummy things! Maybe I will make some lemon curd for Christmas gifts. You have inspired me!
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