WAFFLE MIX IN A LOVELY JAR

This is a very inexpensive yet lovely Christmas gift and is a nice way to say Merry Christmas.  This is just a mason quart canning jar with a water-slide label of a beautiful deer, but you could chose any label you like.  If you saw my post of the Snowman Cookie Jar I noted that I had added another image on the label as to not waste the label.  If you print the waterslide labels you can save them for later if you have NOT put the coating on them.  Once you put the coating on them you have to use them or they will crack. Click on the link above to go to the Snowman Cookie Jar and find instructions for the waterslide label.

Anyway the jar is filled with a really yummy waffle mix that is very easy to put together.

 

You start out with a simple mason jar.

 

These are all the ingredients needed for the waffle mix, Baking powder, corn starch, AP flour, baking soda, salt and sugar.

Recipe: 

7 1/2 cups AP flour (I always use King Arthur, worth the $)

2 1/2 cups corn starch

5 tablespoons of sugar

5 teaspoons baking powder

5 teaspoons table salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Put all these ingredients into a large bowl and using a wire whisk, whisk until all the ingredients are combined.

To make a batch of waffles for every 1 1/4 cups of the mix add the following:  1egg, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/3 cup melted butter and 1 tsp vanilla.  Mix the we ingredients and then fold into the dry and make yourself some really yummy waffles!

  This jar has enough waffle mix for two batches.  If you do not want to use the jar you could just put the mix into zip lock bags, print out the instructions on a label and affix to the zip lock and put them into gift bags and maybe add some real maple syrup and you could call it "Breakfast in a Bag."

Cooks note:  I have only two recipes that call for this much corn starch and they are both yummy, this one and Junior's Cheesecake and well, that is over-the-top good and my favorite cheesecake but that's another post another time.

On my post of November 29th (Cookie Jar Gift) you will find instructions for the waterslide label.All I did here is add the label to the jar, tie on the gingham ribbon, a little greenery, a snippet of tinsel ribbon, add the instruction label and it's all done.

Resource

Mason Jar, grocery, craft and $ stores

Label, full page Avery white label

Ribbon, Michael's

Tinsel ribbon, Martha Stewart crafts

Greenery, Hobby Lobby

Holly Graphic on top label, Google "free holly graphics"

Deer Image, The Graphics Fairy

Waterslide Label, Papilio Inkjet Clear Waterslide Decal Paper 10 Sheets

Thanks for stopping by!

THE RADKO ORNAMENT TREE

Every year I do at least two trees and when I do my Radko tree I usually try and do it a little different each year.  This year I took my inspiration from Kristen's Creations and I really like the look, thank you Kristen.  It is so hard to get a good photograph of a lighted Christmas tree if you are not a professional photographer but I did my best.

 Here is what you will need - 4 rolls of mesh (this is for a narrow 8ft. artificial tree if your tree is different you will have to change the amounts) two rolls each of three designs of ribbon, approximately 25 red picks, 8 multicolored picks, star garland and a package of chenille pipe cleaners.

 The first thing to do is to make the bows.  I used 60" lengths for the bows around the tree and 120" for the bows on the top of the tree. The bows on the top are double bows, in other words you create the bow, then another and then using a pipe cleaner tie them together.  To make the bows just leave a tail and fold back and forth and then crimp the ribbon and tie off with the pipe cleaner, if the tails are not equal just trim one end.  When making the bows for the top you use more ribbon because you want long tails that  you will tuck into the tree.

 

 Next make the topper by gathering all of the multi-colored picks and several of the solid colored ones and then add clipped sections of the star garland, tie them together with a pipe cleaner to hold them firmly.  Since I have an artificial tree I just took the top section and added the ribbons and then the topper BEFORE putting it on the top of the tree.  That way I did not have to use a ladder and it was very easy to get it all straight.

Next add the mesh, just roll it out and attach to the tree, with the artificial tree you can bend a little (one without a light) branch every so often around the mesh to make it look like a bow. Now you can add the bows randomly around the tree. You do not have to attach them as they have the tail from the pipe cleaner and you can just push them into the tree. Then add the remainder of the picks and you are ready for ornaments.

 After the ornaments are added, just add your tree skirt and you are done.  Really this did not take me a long time.  I have to thank my dear DIL Lindy for being so sweet and so tall and helping put the ornaments on the very top for me.

Resource

Ribbon, Hobby Lobby
Picks, Hobby Lobby
Chenille Pipe Cleaners, Michael's
Star Garland, craft store

Thanks for stopping by!



 

HELLO DEAR DECEMBER AND AFTER THANKSGIVING DINNER

"May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; The Spirit of Christmas which is peace; The heart of Christmas which is love."

Ada V. Hendricks

Since we still had out-of-town guests and I did not host Thanksgiving we had a gathering of 13 on Saturday.  The dinner had a couple of culinary challenge, two who are on restricted sugar diets and one gluten free.  Here is what we served:

Crudites with sour cream dip

Roasted Nuts

Olives

Carmalized onions with fresh sage & pine nuts on toast

Baked Ham

Green Beans w/bacon

Oven roasted Idaho gold potatoes

Oven roasted carrots with spices and Whey Gold

Rolls

Butter

Water, wine, milk

Banana Cream Parfaits w/almond cookies

one with candles for Bob!

 

 My dear husband who is also my helper at a meal like this only had one request and that is "No spiral ham, they are always dry." I have to admit he was right and a regular ham is just as easy. We chose a shank and just scored and put in whole cloves and then I made a very simple glaze using Edmond Fallot grainy mustard mixed with a little ground cloves and Whey Gold sugar.  Whey Gold sugar is a natural product that can be tolerated by diabetics and others that cannot have refined sugar in their diet, the Gold is a replacement for brown sugar. Brushed the ham with the glaze and baked according to the instructions that came with the ham, when it was heated through, brushed some more glaze on the ham.  I have to admit hubby was right, it came out perfect and was the way ham should be, not one bit dry and the leftovers have been great too.

I was doing my best to not make this meal a big deal so I took some short cuts.  The green beans were created by using about 1/2 cup of the real bacon bits (I get mine at Costco in a bag) browning them in a large sauce pan to bring out the flavor and then just adding (3) cans of French cut green beans, salt and pepper and let them sit on the stove for quite a while.  They are delicious, so simple and I always get compliments.

To roast the gold potatoes I just scrub them (they are small, oval potatoes) cut in half and put them in a plastic bag and olive oil, fresh ground pepper and sea salt and shake the bag to mix and put them on a cookie sheet with a Silpat mat and bake them at 400 degrees, giving them a shake once in a while until fork tender.  For the carrots I did the same thing but added some more of the Whey Gold brown sugar and my secret ingredient - pumpkin pie spice - cannot give amounts because it depends on the amount of carrots you are using. Roast them in a 400 degree oven until fork tender.

The dessert was a challenge as it was in lieu of a birthday cake. Had vanilla ice cream (actually low-fat frozen yogurt) for my sweet Alex who needs gluten-free.  The recipe for the Banana Cream Parfaits is a little complicated and has quite a bit of sugar so I substituted the pudding part by using (3) packages of vanilla instant pudding and pie filling and using cream instead of milk and adding (6) sliced bananas after it is mixed and spreading it equally in twelve footed dessert dishes instead of parfait glasses.  Put this in the fridge (can be made the day before), make your coconut-short bread cookies (I made the day before) and just before serving dinner make the topping - 2 cups creme fraiche, and about 1/4 cup of the Whey Gold brown sugar, stir well and add (4) sliced bananas. Add the topping to the pudding, then sprinkle with cookie dust (some of the short bread cookies that you put into a zip lock and smash) & put a cookie on the side.

Coconut short bread cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (3oz)

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

Preperation:

Preheat oven to 325, spread coconut on Silpat lined cookie sheet.  Bake until coconut is light golden, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.  Cool completely.

Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended.  Mix in salt and vanilla.  Beat in flour in 2 additions.  Stir in toasted coconut.  Gather dough together, divide in half.  Flatten into discs, wrap will plastic wrap and put in fridge about 1 hour.

Roll out to about 1/4" thickness and cut out with, small round cookie cutter. Gather scraps and roll them out  - bake on Silpat baking sheets about 20 minutes, cool on baking sheet 10 minutes.  Store in airtight container.

Resource
China, Danish Fern by Burleigh, England, Martha by Mail
Glasses, Kohl's
Flatware, World Market
Napkin Rings, Antique Farmhouse
Ceramic Turkeys, World Market
Candles & Holders, Williams Sonoma
Individual Salt & Pepper, Restoration Hardware
Table Cloth, Bed, Bath and Beyond
Table Runner, TJ Maxx 

Thanks for stopping by!