Holiday Gift Guide — The Kitchen-as-Gift List I Have Been Building for Two Years

Junior year ended Friday. I am a rising senior. The grades came in Friday afternoon: A-minus in algebra II, A in AP Biology, A-plus in AP English (Mr. Briggs’s class), A in advanced home ec (Mrs. Rivera’s class), B-plus in US History. The cumulative grade-point average is 3.7. The girl who got a D in English last year is on the back side of a recovery year and the recovery year held.

Mr. Briggs handed me an envelope at the end of school Friday after sixth period. Inside was a printed list of nine college and creative-writing programs Linda Briggs (the retired librarian wife) had spent her spring researching for me. Three of the programs are in-state — OU, OSU, and the University of Tulsa — with scholarship potential for first-generation, low-income students with strong writing portfolios. Mr. Briggs said, Kaylee, the senior year is a college-application year. Linda and I want to help you with it. I almost cried again in his classroom. I did not. I am keeping count of times I have almost cried in his classroom and not. The number is up to seven.

And the post Sunday is a meta post. The recipe in the magazine column is a holiday gift guide and I am writing my own version — a kitchen-as-gift list, the things this kitchen has produced for the people around me over two years.

The list of gifts the kitchen has given. Coconut macaroon tins to Mrs. Tilford, Mrs. Rivera, Mr. Garcia, Aunt Tammy, Mrs. Henderson, and Mrs. Patel for two Decembers. A cherry chocolate cobbler for Mama’s birthday. A fox cake to a child named Eli. A turkey breast for the First Baptist Easter and July potluck. A breakfast casserole to a Sunday school class. Eight birthday cakes for kids in our neighborhood. A pumpkin cake for a Pinterest mom. Lemon drop sugar cookie bars to Mrs. Rivera. Banana cookies to the Sonic back kitchen. Pesto-cream lasagna for the table that hosted Mr. Briggs and Linda. Carnitas for a brother on a Saturday celebration that turned out to be a step. Cinnamon rolls for a Sunday morning when nobody had asked. A Christmas-cake stack for kids whose parents could not afford to bake.

The kitchen has been the room that runs the household and also the room that gives the household’s gifts. The math at the back of the notebook says the gifts cost about $400 in ingredients across two years. The math also says the gifts have come back, in different ways, to the table at Easter and Thanksgiving and Christmas and to the savings envelope through the catering jobs. The list of gifts is, I have decided, the only kind of gift guide worth writing.

Make something from your kitchen for somebody who has been with you. The recipe does not matter as much as the making.

The recipe roundup below is what magazines run for the holidays. The trick I want you to keep is the kitchen-as-gift list of your own — what your kitchen has produced this year that has gone to the people around you. Write that list down. Keep it.

Holiday Gift Guide: Three Compound Butters

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 20 min + 1 hr chilling | Servings: 3 logs (about 8 tablespoons each)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• For Honey Cinnamon Butter:
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of fine sea salt
• For Garlic Herb Butter:
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• For Brown Sugar Pecan Butter:
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped toasted pecans
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Soften the butter. Divide the 3 sticks of softened butter evenly among three small bowls, one stick per flavor. Butter must be fully softened so it blends smoothly — leave it out at room temperature for at least an hour ahead of time.
2. Mix each butter. Using a fork or hand mixer on low, beat the add-ins into each portion of butter until fully combined. For the garlic herb butter, taste and adjust salt. For the sweet butters, taste and adjust honey or brown sugar to preference. Mix until everything is evenly distributed with no streaks.
3. Roll into logs. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper (about 12 inches long) on a flat surface. Spoon one butter mixture onto the center in a rough log shape. Roll the paper around it and twist the ends tightly to form a compact cylinder about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Repeat with remaining butters.
4. Chill until firm. Refrigerate the logs for at least 1 hour, or until solid enough to slice cleanly. For gifting, logs can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
5. Label and gift. Once firm, wrap each log in fresh wax paper, tie the ends with twine, and add a handwritten label with the flavor name and a note to refrigerate. Tuck into a small gift box with crackers, a bread knife, or a small cutting board for a complete gift under five dollars.

Nutrition (per serving, approx. 1 tablespoon)

Calories: 105 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 75mg