A Gift Idea: Hot or Cold, Not Lukewarm

Best travel mug EVER!

Update - this deal is no longer available, however, these are great mugs and worth they're normal $20 price tag.

I had hoped to post this deal for you a couple of weeks but just didn't have time and the sale ended. I'm sure you can relate. :) I was super excited to see that this sale was back for a limited time so I am determined to share it this time around.

Foodie Wedding Favor Idea

Spice Blend Wedding Favor

I love weddings - planning, sewing, decorating, attending, singing, playing piano, etc. - so I was really excited to attend the 1920's themed wedding of some friends. They had fabulously simple and elegant decorations, which makes me wish I would have remembered to bring my camera. The dresses worked perfectly with the theme as well as complementing every body type (yes, the seamstress in me comes out hardcore when I attend weddings). But the things that I loved most were the little expressions of who the bride and groom are. The groom is a chef so the favors were little packets of a spice blend that the he'd put together. They are simple, unique, and inexpensive. All you need to create these are:

• jewelry sized ziptop baggies
• printable labels and a computer to design them on
• spice blend of your choosing/creation

They had these in little baskets all around the reception for guests to take home. Since we're total foodies, my hubby and I loved it!

Christmas Banquet 2013

Jared and I had the privilege of planning our church's yearly Christmas Banquet. I thoroughly enjoy planning, decorating, and cooking for banquets and things so I was really looking forward to doing it. We planned our previous church's Valentine's banquet almost every year that we were there and found that we worked well as a team. This is the first year that I have also had the opportunity to prepare the food besides planning and decorating. I had some awesome help in every aspect so I don't suggest trying to pull something like this off unless you can recruit some help at every stage.

Jalapeno Hot Sauce

A couple of years ago I had an AMAZING pepper crop. I harvested over 150 jalapenos (off 4 plants) and around 75 cayenne peppers (off 2 plants). The only problem was that we couldn't use them up or give them away fast enough so I knew I needed to do some research on what to do with large crops of hot peppers. That is when I stumbled on this recipe for jalapeno hot sauce. My hubby LOVES him some hot sauce and  uses it all the time so I decided that this was the recipe for me! I have made a couple of minor changes (increased the garlic and salt, added cayenne peppers, and added black pepper).

• 1 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 22 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced
• 3 fresh cayenne peppers, sliced (I added these for a little extra kick so if you'd rather just use only jalapeno you can sub extra jalapenos for the cayenne)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1 teaspoons salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 cups distilled white vinegar

Directions

1. In a medium sauce pan over high heat, combine oil, peppers, garlic, onion, black pepper and salt; saute for 4 minutes. Add the water and cook for 20 minutes (still on high heat), stirring often. Remove from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
2. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender, and puree until smooth. With the processor/blender running, slowly add the vinegar.
3. Pour into a sterilized jar with a tight lid. This sauce will keep for 6 months when stored in the refrigerator. 

I bought a dozen 10oz hot sauce jars and filled them all with only 2 batches, so 1 batch would give you around 7 cups. I gave about half away as gifts, you just have to be sure you tell people to put them in the fridge.

Permanent Marker Mugs

Right before turning the oven on

Since adding homeschooling Mr. R. and Miss E. to my list of jobs, I have struggled with including more of the extracurricular activities (art, music, etc.) into their school week. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day for me to get everything done, so when I do fit some such activity into the day I want it to be a little big and definitely memorable. This was one week where I really wanted to do a fun art (well, more craft than art) project with the kids.

Fingerprint Fall Trees

This Fall I embarked on a new adventure...homeschooling Mr. R. (K5) and Miss E. (K4). This new adventure brings many joys and struggles. It is a continual learning process for me - learning how to teach each child (as they are VERY different in learning styles as well as personalities), learning how to balance family, school, work, church, and hobbies, and learning how to lean and depend more fully on God for wisdom and strength. Anyway, today after finishing up all our books for the day I decided to do something fun (and messy because to children the level of fun is directly related to the amount of potential for mess). So I got out the brown permanent marker, some cardstock, and the red, green, and yellow finger paints.

Draw a wispy tree on the cardstock with your brown marker

Then pour a puddle each of the red, yellow, and green finger paint into styrofoam bowls or onto paper plates.
Show the kids how they can get different colors, a marbled affect, etc. by combining the paints.

Let them create a fall scene of falling leaves using the paint and their fingertips :o)

Miss A (3), Mr. R (5), Miss E (4), and my pictures (in order from top left to bottom right)

There are lots of things that you can do with these pictures.

1. You can laminate them and use them for place mats during the fall season.
2. You can frame them.
3. You can make a smaller one on folded cardstock and write a note to someone on the inside. 

Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

Here is a list of my favorite kitchen gadgets and appliances, things that I would have a hard time living without. With Christmas coming up, these are some good gift ideas for that someone special in your life who likes to cook.

Aerobie AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker - I have fallen head over heads for my aeropress. It is really easy to use and even easier to clean, which is great for this busy mom who dislikes doing the dishes. We use it to make delicious Americanos every morning for breakfast and I even use it to make lattes and mochas since it's way cheap than buying a good quality espresso machine.

Slow Cooker - I have a whole month's worth of crockpot meals and they really do make the day a bit less stressful. I have several sizes but my 6-quart programmable gets used the most.

KitchenAid Mixer - the hubby bought it for me with his first big Christmas bonus the second year we were married, I was due any day with our first child and he wanted to really surprise me. It gets used a TON in our house with all the baking that I do. I use the whisk attachment to make up some killer whipped cream, the bread hook for all kinds of homemade breads (pretzels, dinner rolls, breads), and the paddle attachment for pretty much everything else. We just recently purchased the pasta roller attachment (which is really fun to do with the kids) and I'd love to get the food grinder and sausage stuffing kit.
From 11/24/14-11/28/14, Kohl's is having a HUGE pre-Black Friday sale on these babies!

Coffee Grinder - fresh ground coffee tastes incredible, so much better than pre-ground.

Large Griddle - these come in handy for French toast, pancakes, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc. when you have a larger family or company.

Large Sauté Pan, cast iron skillet or stainless steel pan with a lid  - we use one of these three items every Saturday morning when the hubby cooks up his traditional breakfast skillet.

Meat Mallet - I finally got one of these and I love it.

Waffle Maker - you have to make waffles from scratch or sweet potato waffles but do not use a pancake mix as it just does not taste as yummy. There is also a recipe on Pinterest for hashbrowns using your waffle maker. Who woulda thunk it?! :o)

Cuisinart Food Processor with a cheese grater attachment - I hate how long it takes to grate a block of cheese and my wonderful hubby bought me one for our anniversary in 2011. I use it for way more than just the grater as it is amazing!




Disclaimer: I have not been paid to advertise any of these products. I just really, really love them and think that you will, too! Of course, this post may contain affiliate links in case you choose to increase my meager income by your purchase. :)

TOH 3-Book Set + Free 1-yr Subscription + Free Shipping

I follow a few "Deal" blogs and happened to see a post yesterday on Pocket Your Dollars that made my heart beat a little faster...a Taste of Home deal.I am slightly "addicted" to cookbooks and foodie magazines (yes, I have more than I could ever find time to read through in their entirety).

Now through 4/29 you can get TOH's Family Meals & Church Suppers 3-Book Set for 19.93 (74% savings). Along with each purchase you also get a free 1-yr. subscription to Taste of Home. Plus, you'll snag free shipping if you use code LST82 at checkout. It's a GREAT deal for yourself or for a gift (Mother's Day, Wedding, Birthday, Housewarming, etc.).

So who are you going to buy one for?

Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We've had a very enjoyable Christmas spending time with family both yesterday and today. I enjoyed cooking the hubby yesterday for Christmas Eve dinner with his family. The adults enjoyed conversing while the kids had lots of fun playing with their cousins.

Gifts are not the main focus of Christmas for us but here are a couple of cooking-type gift ideas that were a big hit -

• For the hubby (a big Bobby Flay & Throwdown fan), I got Bobby Flay's Throwdown! Cookbook.
• For our 5 year old niece who is starting to get into cooking we got the Usborne First Cookbook and I made a pink Barbie apron.
• My BIL collects Star Wars items and so we got him Wookiee Cookies: A Star Wars Cookbook. We were really pleased with how well the cookbook was put together. It was very creative and fun.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar

I needed a $10 lady's gift for our church's staff Christmas party but have always hated giving the "usual" gifts - store-bought bath baskets, perfume sets, etc. This year I had an epiphany! Why not give a set of jar mixes and some Christmas potholders? I thought it would be a nice homemade alternative to the "usuals". I made up one jar of my "Dreaming of a White Christmas Soup" (I also included a can of the cooked chicken mentioned in the recipe) and another of "Peanut Butter Swirl Chip Cookie Mix" (which I found at www.meals.com and have included below). That way, the person who receives my gift will get both dinner and dessert in a bag. :o)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels (peanut butter chocolate swirl chips, white and semi-sweet swirl chips, etc.)
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Place flour mixture in 1-quart jar. Layer remaining ingredients in order listed above, pressing firmly after each layer. Seal with lid and decorate with fabric and ribbon.

RECIPE TO ATTACH:
Preheat oven to 375° F. Beat 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) softened butter or margarine, 1 large egg and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until blended. Add cookie mix and 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional); mix well, breaking up any clumps. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Maybe next year I'll make up some Red Beans and Rice Mix for my gift. Want to create jar mixes from your own favorite recipes? Learn how here.

Want a few more jar mix recipes? Check out some of these sites:

• http://www.mixesinajar.com/
• http://www.allfreecrafts.com/giftinajar/index.shtml
• http://www.food.com/recipe/Rainbow-Cupcakes-Gift-Mix-in-a-Jar-254104

"Dreaming of a White Christmas" Soup

This is a recipe that I found for making "Jar Mixes" as gifts. I gave one to my parents for Christmas last year and my mom said it was really good.

1 package (2.75 ounces) country gravy mix
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 tablespoons dried celery flakes
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
2 1/2 to 3 cups uncooked wide egg noodles or other pasta

Pour gravy mix into wide-mouth quart jar. In small bowl, stir together bouillon granules, onion, celery and parsley. Pour into jar to make second layer. Add noodles. Close with lid; attach gift tag and decorate.

Attach a recipe card that says:
Empty contents of jar into a 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven. Add 8 cups water; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to medium; add one 10-ounce or two 6-ounce cans cooked and chopped chicken. Cover and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Makes 8 servings.

I am going to try this recipe with the following changes (so I don't have to make up the jar first):

• 1 package (2.75 ounces) country gravy mix
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules (I will substitute 6 cups of chicken broth for the bouillon and only use 2 cups of water instead of 8 cups)
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion (I will add 1/2 a large onion, minced)
• 2 tablespoons dried celery flakes (I will use fresh celery, minced)
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups uncooked wide egg noodles or other pasta
• I will substitute leftover roast turkey for the canned chicken

Want a few more jar mix recipes? Check out http://www.mixesinajar.com/.