Pure Joy: Bring on the food!

Hi all! Today I'm going to share some Christmas "food gifts" that I made this year. Each one was easy, gorgeous, and perfect to package up for a gift. Enjoy!

Door County Cherry Biscotti

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

3-2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dried cherries

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons shortening, divided

4 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped

Separate one egg; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 eggs and reserved egg yolk. Beat in extract. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Turn onto a floured surface. Knead in cherries and almonds. Divide dough in half; shape each portion into a 12-in. x 3-in. rectangle. Transfer to a greased baking sheet. Beat reserved egg white; brush over dough. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 350° for 28-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting board; with a serrated knife, cut each rectangle diagonally into 18 slices. Place cut side down on greased baking sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm and crisp, turning once. Remove to wire racks to cool.
In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over both sides of cookies. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set.
Melt white chocolate and remaining shortening at 70% power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth.
Drizzle over both sides of cookies. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 3 dozen.

Sorry, I know this picture doesn't show the mix at all!

Taco Seasoning

1/4 cup dried minced onion

1/4 cup chili powder

3 tablespoons salt

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon dried minced garlic

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

To make:

3/4 cup mix

1 pound ground beef

1/3 to 1/2 cup water

Dilly Pretzels

1 package (14-16 oz) mini pretzels

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 envelope (.4 oz) ranch dressing mix

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Spread pretzels in an ungreased 15 by 10 inch baking pan. Combine oil, mix, and seasonings; pour over pretzels and mix well. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool. Store in airtight container.

I put these in cute Chinese food boxes from Michaels.