Homemade Jars of Marinade & Dressing to Give as Gifts

Homemade Jars of Marinade & Dressing to Give as Gifts – Cherry Menlove

Is it Thursday already?? That is ridiculous!!!

Whenever I write about and publish something that is homemade or handmade I have in the back of my mind that there are people out there with less time than me to do this sort of thing. Lots of people who have a birthday bash to attend or an event to celebrate jump online at some point the week before and order an item that is luscious and heartfelt. It comes pre-wrapped and with a gift tag attached. Done, dusted and utterly stress free.

I think this is a great way to shop and I do it myself.

But, BUT, if you want to give something from your home/kitchen that you have put together yourself then I think that this is a project/idea that is not going to send you to the asylum.

Let me not be too disparaging about the homemade though. It’s very clear that we have gone through the “You’re setting the woman’s movement back by years with all this bleating about knitting malarkey” and nobody thinks that to potter about at home is anything less than time very well spent and utterly fulfilling, IF, & only if, you can manage it & want to.

Homemade Jars of Marinade & Dressing 3 - Cherry Menlove

To give dressings and marinades at this time of year is a great thing to do. Lots of people are eating their quota of salads and more folk turn to fish and chicken to grill on the bar-b-q, especially when we’ve been told that we have a scorcher of a summer on it’s way here in the UK.

Turning this idea into a gift.

I made a french dressing and a thai marinade the other day. I poured them both into separate jam jars that I picked up for forty five pence each from a hardware store & you can also buy empty jars from the local supermarkets nowadays. I cut out a square of fabric that was big enough to cover the top of the jar and stuck it in place with a rubber band. Then I covered the rubber band with a length of ribbon, to which I tied a tag ( you can use old parcel tags available from the post office) with the ingredients of the dressing on the back. It can be handy to do it this way, as then folk with allergies can see what they are eating.

Homemade Jars of Marinade & Dressing 4 - Cherry Menlove

And that, my friends, is today’s project.

Please don’t underestimate the feeling that the recipient gets when they are given something handmade. You may even like to make these with your kids (if you have kids) and have them write the label. That way you are still able to purchase a wonderful gift online and kill two birds with one stone.

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I sometimes wonder how relevant all that I write about and do really is. Especially to people with hardly enough time to sleep, three children and a limited budget.

All I can say is this -

Don’t visit this site and ever think that you have to partake in it all. You may like some of the recipes that I create, you may not. Only ever attempt the ones you think you’ll like to eat. You may want to have a go at some of the crafty bits & pieces but please don’t attempt them all. Pick and choose the ones you like the look of, complete them and then go on to something else. Otherwise you’ll have unfinished projects all over the joint and it will be discouraging. You’ll also get very annoyed with me when you think that I am setting unrealistic targets here at cherrymenlove.com

That, I assure you, is not the goal. What I want to do is fill this site with ‘stuff’. Absolutely fill it until it is bursting at the seams with ‘stuff’. THAT WAY you can drop by and have at your disposal any number of recipes, ideas & projects that you may want to try.

That is the driving force behind this website.

So how does that explanation answer my question about it all being relevant?

That question/thought/worry is answered every time I get an email from a reader. I am fortunate to have a readership that is varied in age, situation and interests. Don’t ask me why or how as I certainly don’t, I just give thanks for all of you. Those messages keep this site going.

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See you tomorrow for another Bake Fest Friday - Something Sweet for the Weekend at Cherry Menlove

It’s a sticky, fruity, saucy one that’ll see you through the summertime!

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