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Jun 19, 2023

Homemade is best

I am always ready to make homemade anything. Some of the best presents are homemade, pampering gifts. I have made in the past, so many types of bath and shower items. I love a good bath bomb to soak

I am always ready to make homemade anything. Some of the best presents are homemade, pampering gifts. I have made in the past, so many types of bath and shower items. I love a good bath bomb to soak in that bathtub. It is better than the old Calgon commercials and Calgon itself, sorry. But those essential oils can sure make it slick to get out the tub. Don’t ask, please.

My grandmothers, aunts and uncles made so many gifts for us “grandkids.” They crocheted Christmas ornaments, doilies, quilts and even lace. My paternal grandmother tatted lace. It was gorgeous and I still have some of her beautiful handiwork. I had an uncle that was an exquisite woodworker. I have some of his creations. He had my aunt (his wife) and her friends painted for him. He didn’t like to paint, so he made all of their favorite snacks. I had an aunt that loved to crochet around ponytail holders. I still have a blue one she made; I so treasure it. I had several she made, but they disappeared over our many early moves. That is still sad to me. I still have the Christmas granny squares my maternal grandmother made and turned it into cute boots for the Christmas tree. But there aren’t as many as I remember. I guess things just disappear sometimes. But these are the things that make us remember our dear family that is no longer with us. This is why homemade gifts are the best.

Because I have always really enjoyed baking, homemade baked goods are great presents. I dehydrate fruits and vegetables that I use in making quick bread mixes. That is an effective way to preserve produce with just a little time for future usage. I soak the dehydrated produce before adding it to the prepared quick bread before it goes into the oven. When you can either dehydrate or buy freeze-dried items, it is easier sometimes, time is not our friend. Then you don’t have to worry about the fresh ingredients that are not available or not on sale. This is especially true if you try to live on a budget.

Brownie and cake mixes are easy to make also. You need to make sure your jar or bag is big enough to hold any mix you make at home. My favorite brownie mix takes a quart jar and a pint jar. The only homemade cake mixes I will not make are red velvet and angel food cake mixes. They are too much but I don’t use those very often so I store them in the freezer. But I do make my own icing, tastes far better than the tub from the store. But that leftover tub from store frosting is good for sending food to friends and family without needing the containers back.

We are not a coffee-drinking family, but my parents and my in-laws were big coffee drinkers. When they were alive, I made fancy coffee creamers for them. I also made some unusual tea mixes that were liked by them. I made a coffee cake that was so easy. I always had the dry ingredients in a jar so I could make it in five minutes. I also had cookie mixes like that in a jar that I gave to my mom. She called my dad a cookie monster. It is surprising how easy those types of gifts are to make. I have never had anyone say they didn’t like it after they made it. Which is great because while it is nice to do things for others, it is also nice to know that they like it too.

I have tried making homemade items my family would like. The jerky was interesting, I made it kind of strong tasting. But I will try again. I learned to not add any fat to the jars that I canned. They get rancid after a month. I did purchase some butter powder but haven’t done any with that yet. That will come soon when I am better from surgery. I am also planning to make homemade hamburger helper packages and noodle dishes. That will take so much pressure off of me for dinners. I can also control the salt, fat and freshness of food for the table. Plus, it is nice to do advance work when already in the kitchen working which helps with time management later.

My husband always tells me I shouldn’t work so hard. He doesn’t understand, I love to make things. It makes me happy to make useful things. Especially that are better than what can you buy. I like to make items with scents that I like, not big box store decisions. It’s like wreaths that I make. I make them for my house and only mine. They are very custom to what colors and designs appeal to me. I will not sell them because no one would pay what it costs to make them. My time isn’t even included in it. I buy stuff on sale that stays in my budget. That way I can make what I want to make. I don’t do art. But then again, if you don’t watch it, your budget is blown. So please remember to have fun and craft anything that makes you happy.

Happy crafting!

Gena Sterling was born and raised in Texas. Gena also lived in Oklahoma, where she met her husband. She and her family moved to Roswell in January 1995. She can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in this column are those of the author.

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