Spoonful of Christmas: to the tune of Michael Jackson

When I looked at my calendar on the table and realised we barely have few days left before December, I got excited! For Christmas is truly just around the corner. The thrill I have as we approach this season has never changed since childhood. It always brings me good memories of the past. When I think of Christmas, I always have these three things in my mind: socks, apples and dentures. It reminds me of the tattered socks filled with candies of my youngest sister. She loved them so much she carried it for one week like a bag. Apples, because I always choose the meal package with apple on it every Christmas party in our grade school for seven years. And dentures, because my favorite auntie lost her dentures (she keeps them in her bag while sleeping) when burglars attacked her house on the eve of Christmas and only to find them in the garbage area on *Christmas day..(her story made us all laugh) it still makes us laugh even now. When I think of these souvenirs of the past I still cant help but laugh and cherish those moments. I guess the reason why I always have this excitement about Christmas, for this is day I often express my gratitude to people I care and love through gifts I offer. Price is never important but the love that we put into it that matters.

When I heard that Zlamushka of Spicy Kitchen is hosting a Christmas blogging event on kitchen made gift ideas, the Spoonful of Christmas (I'm glad to be invited to participate)I thought that that it is a great idea for Christmas is never Christmas without gift giving. And on this season we always tend to run out of gift ideas to give. So this is really timely.

Finding the right gift is always mind boggling. If we really want to put a smile on their faces I suggest three kitchen gift ideas concocted in my kitchen.
How about fascinating your friends and family with this home-made walnut wine, I made three years ago with my husband. It is in fact the most priced gem that we have in our kitchen. This is an excellent red wine that has plenty of character and rich in sweetness. This wine is imperatively made on the month of July in France when walnuts are still young and green. A sure knockout for wine lovers!

Walnut Wine

40 pcs of your green walnuts
5 liters of red wine
1 liter of water at 50°
1 kg of sugar
4 heads of girofles

Crush the nuts of the walnuts with the skin. The green walnut stains a lot, so the technique is to lock them in a large freezer bag and break them with a hammer. Put them in a large container with all ingredients and shake well. Macerate it for 6 weeks, shaking the container once a week.

Filter the wine nut and put it in the bottle. It is better to wait a year before you drink it. There are often residues in the bottle and it may be necessary to refiltrer it.
This is a charming wine perfect as it is. It goes well with red meat and some desserts.

Want to taste something different...?


How about unleashing the flavor of summer with my second gift suggestion, my Watermelon & Lime Jam. Traditionally in Provence they gather the immature watermelon or pasteque à confiture (gigerine) in making this jam. It is normally cooked with some oranges and lemon. My version though gives a much distinct taste of tropical with green organic lime I used. Perfect for breakfast on cold winter!(by the way just for fun if you want to see a square watermelon just click here.)

Watermelon-Lime Jam

1 kg of young watermelon pulp
juice of 2 lime
1 kg of sugar

Peel the watermelon and remove the spongy part of the fruit together with the seeds. Mix the sugar, the pulp and the lime in a big bowl and macerate it for an hour. Cook slowly uncover for 2 hours over medium fire until it thickens.

How about jamming with some tropical aroma...

And last but not the least third gift suggestion from my kitchen is my Pineapple-Mango Jam flavored with cinnamon and ginger powder. The combination is so perfect that we'll remind you of your summer memories on your table.

Pineapple-Mango Jam
1 big pineapple
2 mangoes
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of ginger powder
sugar (1:1 for sugar and fruits combined)

Peel and chop the pineapples. Do the same for the mangoes. Macerate the fruits with sugar and spices for an hour. Cook slowly for an hour medium fire.

I guess in the end whatever gift we have big or small it doesn't really matter. For its the thought that truly counts. And as Michael Jackson put it, let us give love on Christmas day!