Food Gifts from the Kitchen
(with FREE printable labels!)

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I love giving homemade Christmas gifts, especially when I can prepare them in bulk for teachers, neighbors, and co-workers. Sometimes I’ll make an ornament or a holiday decoration, but often you’ll find me in the kitchen, putting together food gifts that are both practical and pretty (as well as economical!).

Using the Silhouette Studio software and my Silhouette machine to create a label for these food gifts makes them even more fun. Here are three of my favorite gifts from the kitchen that I’ve made over the years, along with printable labels for each one. The vanilla will need to be made at least 8 weeks in advance, but the others can be put together at any time. Enjoy!

Homemade Vanilla

Homemade vanilla is surprisingly easy to make. You only need two ingredients (plus some time):

• Vanilla beans (about 6 beans per 8 ounces of vodka). You can find these at some grocery stores or from online retailers. I use  Madagascar Grade B beans from Amazon.
• Vodka (at least 35% alcohol; the cheaper, the better!)

You’ll also need:

• Kitchen shears or a knife
• Glass jar with lid

To make the vanilla extract:

1. Using a pair of kitchen shears or a knife, split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise.
2. Place the beans in a clean glass jar, trimming them to fit as necessary.
3. Pour enough vodka over the top of the beans to fill the jar, leaving a little headspace.
4. Screw the lid on tightly and give the jar a good shake.
5. Store the jar in a cool, dark place (like the back of a kitchen cabinet or your closet), shaking the jar every couple of weeks.
6. Allow at least 8 weeks for the alcohol to infuse the beans. The longer it sits, the better (ideally 6 months or more).

When you’re ready to prepare your gifts, pour the vanilla into dark individual bottles like these amber ones I found on Amazon. I pour mine through a strainer to catch any bits of vanilla that may have clouded the extract, but that’s optional.

Add a label and you’re done!

Homemade Vanilla labels for Print & Cut (6 per page) – Studio file

Homemade Vanilla labels (9 per page) – PDF

I made these labels using the Homemade Kitchen Sign by Sarah Hurley (Silhouette Design Store ID 315352) and the Pencil Point Bold font (Design Store ID 244534) and printed them on Silhouette Printable Adhesive Kraft Paper. The design includes a 1/8-inch margin around the printed circle.

Country Soup Mix in a Jar

The recipe for this pretty soup mix can be found at https://www.budget101.com/recipes/334-country-soup-mix/

I omitted the salt and used 3/4 cup of rotini pasta in place of the alphabet pasta and twist macaroni. You can use more or less, but 3/4 cup was just enough to fill the 32-ounce jars I used.

I printed the labels on plain cardstock and tied them on with some narrow satin ribbon.

Country Soup Mix labels for Print & Cut (4 per page) – Studio file

Country Soup Mix labels (6 per page) – PDF

Want to create your own labels? Check out these posts:

Perfect Pattern Fills in Silhouette Studio

Using Pattern Fills in Silhouette Studio

Print & Cut Gift Tags Using Your Silhouette

Russian Tea

For years, my husband has reminisced about the Russian Tea his grandmother used to fix him as a child, so I was super excited to find this recipe last year. It’s very much like one my grandmother made when I was growing up, but she always called it “spiced tea”.

I doubled the recipe and mixed it up in a big batch and then divided it up into 8 oz glass jars. The labels were printed on white sticker paper and cut on the Silhouette. Easy-peasy!

The original recipe says to use 3-4 tablespoons of mix per 8 ounces of water but I found this to be too strong, so I used 2 tablespoons.

Russian Tea Mix labels for Print & Cut (12 per page) – Studio file

Russian Tea Mix labels (12 per page) – PDF

I used the Christmas Background Paper pattern by Miss Kate Cuttables (Silhouette Design Store ID 228926) and the Pencil Point Bold font (Design Store ID 244534) to create these labels.

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I hope you’ve found some “food for thought” here today. Have some recipes of your own to share? Leave a comment below or come visit me over in the Silhouette Crafters by Design Facebook group. It’s a great place to share ideas and get inspired!

Until next time,

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