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a very dear friend of mine has to have his spicy peanuts every few months or he goes into withdrawal. I use the fanny farmer recipe, but changed it up considerably. I've also been known to take a pasta dinner to a friend after she's had a bad week. Usually with everything cooked and needing nothing more than to be heated at the last min.

@chisai--what a great gift idea. I remember how much I enjoyed my friend's homemade meloncellos. She made them with either cantaloupe or honeydew and they tasted like summer...esp the cantaloupe.
Where do you find your pretty bottles?

My homemade edible food gifts have always been lasagne bolognese or chilli. This is what I take to friends hitting a crappy time in their lives, or to friends who are too busy to cook because of a new baby, or because I've made 10 pounds of _____ yet again, or because it's Martin (my elderly friend who eats 75% of meals in bars b/c he doesn't like to eat alone) and we eat together.

Littlebluesiren, you are right, gifting food has a particular joy.

The one I do most frequently is jars of my chili powder for people who request it, insisting they can't make good chili with anything but my blend. Even though I give out the recipe, they still say it only works when I make it.

Seems silly to me, but I'm happy it's such a simple, fast, inexpensive thing that appears to be so appreciated by others.

homemade bread

I love giving (and my friends love getting) savory treats: spices, smoked salts, unusual pepper mixtures. So many people, myself included, just don't or can't consume candies, cookies or cakes.

I make homemade vanilla, and share that often with friends & family. I also make strawberry jam, relish & chili sauce in the summer. I always think about waiting & giving it as Christmas gifts, but nothing ever seems to make it that long. Once everyone knows it's canning season, I start getting all these phone calls.........
I've found a great place to get different size bottles for liquids is AC Moore craft supply store....they sell all different sizes really cheap.

my cookies mean I care.

Canned green beans

Forecast for this year: ubiquitous limoncello!

I'd love to try to make it!

This is the boilerplate recipe I started with, with notes as to how I actually make it.

Homemade Limoncello

This takes at least 6 weeks to make. But it's totally worth it. Once you taste this, you'll never drink the commercial brands again.

15 lemons
2 bottles (750 ml) 100-proof vodka (you can use 80 proof, but, honestly, it won’t be nearly as good, by a lot. It draws the flavor out better, and since you’re adding water/sugar, it’ll keep it from freezing in the freezer)
4 cups sugar (I use 3 cups)
4 cups water (I use 3 cups)

Wash and scrub the lemons. Pat dry.

Carefully zest the lemons with a zester or vegetable peeler so there is no white pith on the peel. NOTE: Use only the outer part of the rind. I use a microplane grater because it gets hardly any pith, which you really don’t want.

Step One:
In a large glass jar (1-gallon jar), add one bottle of vodka; add the lemon zest as it is zested. Cover the jar and let sit at room temperature for at least (10) ten days and up to (40) days in a cool dark place. The longer it rests, the better the taste will be.

Step Two:
In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water; cook until syrupy, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Let the syrup cool before adding it to the Limoncello mixture. Add to the Limoncello mixture from Step One. Add the additional bottle of vodka. Allow to rest for another 10 to 40 days.

Step Three:
After the rest period, strain and bottle: discarding the lemon zest. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.

Please note: I usually do it three weeks on each end, but I'm impatient. If you do it for the full 40, you will have a somewhat better product. I usually make BIG batches of this at one time, as it makes a great gift. I generally do a big batch for in the fall for Hanukkah/Christmas gifts, and another batch in the spring for Host/est gifts.

Regarding finding bottles - for this, I like to use clear glass so the pretty color comes through. I buy plain, clear glass bottles from Pier 1 or kitchen supply stores. There are a few good resources on the net like bottles-n-jars, just make sure that the bottles you order have corks. These are very plain, and I will generally paint them. I'm a lousy artist, but the effect is nice.

@chisai; I'm thinking this has major possibilities. Thanks!

@izatryt - I usually either buy a few more lemons (for their peels) and make lemonade syrup with some of it, and freeze the rest in ice cube trays and then bag when frozen. They're great if you're making a pitcher of iced tea. Just add a couple to the pitcher along with the regular ice.

Lemonade Syrup -

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
sliced up rinds of 2 lemons
pinch of salt

Boil for 5 minutes

Cool and add the juice of 6 lemons

Stick in fridge. When you want lemonade, it's about 2 tbs syrup to 1 cup cold water over ice.

I'm so excited to try the limoncello!! I love lemons, and buy them every time I go to the store, whether I need them or not, so I am always looking for new uses for them!! I can't wait to try this and see what my family thinks! :o)

Limoncello is the only vodka-based drink I like! So good mixed with selzer on the rocks. Thanks, chisai.

@wookie... sorry for the delay. I missed your post...

My chili powder recipe can be found here on Serious Eats -- it's near the bottom of the thread.