Homemade Fish Crackers with Cheddar and Whole Wheat

These homemade fish crackers with cheddar and whole wheat are a wonderful treat for both kids and grown ups. 

Aren't these little fish crackers cute? They are also really tasty .... they are flaky, crispy, and tender, and they make you look so clever. 

Chocolate Wafer Cookies

These chocolate wafer cookies are so crisp and chocolatey.

These homemade chocolate wafer cookies are a fancier version of the Famous Chocolate Wafers that are used for ice box cakes. These are way better.

How to Make Ketchup from Scratch

This Homemade Ketchup from scratch is tastier than anything you can buy at a store.

Making ketchup, or any condiment, from scratch may seem a little over the top, even if you love making your own homemade salad dressings, barbecue sauces, and preserves.

Homemade Limoncello & Tangelocello

I started this tangelocello last May and finished it in July. At that point I was so thrilled with the results that I made limoncello. Both liqueurs have been sitting in my freezer waiting to be bottled for Christmas and hostess gifts.

Limoncello (and its cousins) is wonderful by itself as an after dinner digestivo, or mixed into a cocktail such as this one. It is also wonderful on vanilla ice cream.

I found this recipe in the book, Gifts Cooks Love: Recipes for Giving by Diane Morgan for Sur la Table (one of my favorite stores). The book contains recipes for all kinds of food gifts along with gorgeous ideas for packaging them... and there are lots of fabulous photographs. If you'd like to create elegant homemade gifts for the holidays, get this book.

This recipe works for lemons, oranges, or tangelos. It's best to use organic or home grown citrus, but if it is not available, really scrub the fruit to remove any wax and pesticide residue before you remove the rind.

You will need a one gallon jar to brew this liqueur. I got mine through Amazon but you can find them at The Container Store as well. You'll also need a fine mesh strainer and a funnel. Make sure that everything you use is washed in very hot soapy water or the dishwasher.

Finally, for gifts, you will need glass bottles. I've found them at Sur la Table, Crate & Barrel, and The Container Store.

Note: The alcohol used for this recipe is Everclear or another brand of grain alcohol. In my state, I can only find the 151 proof version. If you use the 190 proof Everclear, add an additional 1/3 C of water before bottling. If you cannot obtain grain alcohol where you live, you can use 100 proof vodka and reduce the total amount of water to 5 cups.