Gifts In a Jar - Friendship Tea

We have some family friends that don't have a kitchen.  I'm serious.  They had an incident with a house fire more than a year ago and the kitchen still hasn't been completed.  Due to this situation, gift giving on our end was a little more difficult.  I wanted to make them some of the various Gifts in a Jar the girls and I have been gifting to friends and family.  Unfortunately, a kitchen is required for the baking or partial prep of the chosen gifts.

So, while brainstorming for ideas, Dad mentioned that their friends both drink tea and not coffee.

WOOT!

I HAVE my idea!

Friendship tea!  This yummy tea would be perfect in a jar, and only needs hot water - something I know our family friends DO have in their home!

And, due to the friends having given my girls many gifts and treats over the year, this would be a cute gift my girls could make for them as well.

There are many, many recipes for this tea online - Search for Spiced Tea, Christmas Tea, Friendship Tea and even the poorly named Russian Tea and you will be bombarded with recipes.  Some have sugar, some have none, some have lemonade, some only lemon flavoring, the combinations are endless.  Find a few that interest you.  Give a little and take a little.  Make it your own!  Then, make another batch, toss it in a jar and give it as a gift.  Your friend will love you for it!

Our batch of tea was the perfect size for one of my now emptied and run through the dishwasher Jewelry In Candles jars.  Due to the candle being soy, the recycled jars are perfectly acceptable to be used for food storage!

Friendship Tea
1 cup Tang
1 cup Lemonade (presweetened)
3/4 cup unsweetened, decaf tea crystals
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves

In a food processor, place all ingredients in bowl.  Pulse until mixed.  Store in airtight container.

When ready to serve, place 1 - 2 Tablespoons of mix in hot water.

This can also be made by placing all ingredients in a bowl and stirring.  I use the food processor as it makes the mix a little more fine and powdery and less of a mess when there are helpers in the kitchen.  Just imagine an open bowl, a spoon and a fight between a five and seven year old over who gets to stir.  Yes, pressing "pulse" on a food processor is a lot less mess!

Again, the sugar is 100% optional.  And if you can't find the presweetened lemonade, go ahead and buy two packets of unsweetened kool aid (the kind that will make 2 quarts a packet).  Then, just add some sugar to your liking, up to a cup, I would say.

Frosted Ice Box Rolls (Cinnamon Rolls)

Some of my favorite memories of growing up were from our family's Pizza Nights.

My Aunt Marilyn, Uncle John and their son, Craig would come out.  Sometimes, Dad's cousin Joe would join us.  We'd rent a movie from the local movie rental . . . I remember the excitement of knowing we had a movie reserved that we'd been wanting to watch for weeks! 

Rolled out dough all covered in cinnamon sugar goodness.

The pizzas were homemade - and we got to choose the toppings.

Then, every-so-often, we'd have cinnamon rolls.  My memories don't lend to there having been special reasons for the delicious goodies, but those rolls made our weekly pizza night into a Special Occasion.  I loved watching them roll out the dough with Mom's gold colored rolling pin, usually on her Tupperware mat.  Then, there was the sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar.  The yeasty smell would scent the house, cinnamon would then mix in.  Soon, our mouths were watering and though the homemade pizzas of our creation were good, we were all eagerly anticipating the minute those rolls would be pulled from the oven and the icing drizzled over them.

We liked the evenings Mom and Aunt Marilyn would get side-tracked and the rolls would kinda do a little more than "DOUBLE" in size.  They would puff up to the top of the cake pans, and you just KNEW they were going to be a little doughy in the middle, even when done baking.  SIGH.  YUMMY.

Jump ahead a few years and to the Holiday season when cooking commercials and family togetherness overwhelm.  A very popular national brand has been telling us that baking and cinnamon rolls are necessary to be part of the perfect family demographic. 

This message not-so-subtly got my 91 year old Gramma thinking.  She started hankering for a cinnamon roll.  With the usual Thanksgiving and then Crhstimas backing, neither Mom nor I got around to baking them. 

The week leading up to Chrismtas led to Mom and Aunt Marilyn discussing Christmas Dinner.  Aunt Mariyln would be hosting at her beautiful house - my girls absolutely LOVE the Christmas Eve Tradtion of visiting there - especially as their magial elf knows we typically have dinner in there and has left their Christmas Eve PJs under Aunt Marilyn's Tree before!  I was wrapped up in getting work (we were on overtime), Christmas Projects, Christmas Presents, Christmas Parties and Christmas Programs completed, so I didn't really join in on any plans.

Until Mom mentioned how Gram G wanted cinnamon rolls.

Not ready to bake yet!

Oh, heck ya!  Let's forget Chrismts Eve Dinner and just go straight to the Cinnomon rolls was my thought.  Sadly, Mom didn't agree.  Something might have been mentioned about me being close to 40 and acting wose than the two under 10 year olds.

So, I did back down from the all cinnoon roll meal plan, but wouldn't let the subject drop. 

It was worth being called a pest.  It rewally was!

Aunt Marilyn made homemade cinnamon rolls.

Gram G had one after dinner.  I still think we should've checked under the table or in her pocket because I have NEVER seen a cinnomn roll disappear so quickly, and that's saying a lot growing up with my brother and boy cousins and my sweet-freak Dad and Uncle John! 

My Aunt Marilyn shared the recipe - and I tried it at home today.  They turned out PERFECTLY.  After making them, some thoughts (well, ***suggestions*** from my Dad) are double the icing amount that is drizzled over the rolls and maybe the same for the filling.  If not double it, maybe 1 and 1/2 times it.

Additionally, do not let it rise in your Kitchen Aide mixing bowl.  This will need to double - and I had to dig out my Gigantor Tupperware bowl (I don't know the size right now, but I will check it out). 

Also, because I don't keep cow milk in the house, I was a smidge worried, but using unflavored, unsweetened coconut milk didn't affect this in any way that I could notice.  And the homemade butter was PERFECT in these!

Frosted Ice Box Rolls
(makes 24 rolls)

2 pkg dry yeast (or 3 T if you by in bulk as I do)
1/2 c warm water (105-115 degrees, hotter will kill the yeast)
2 c lukewarm milk (scalded) (I just let milk warm in small pan on stove while I let yeast proof)
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c vegetable oil or shortening
3 t baking powder
2 t salt
1 egg at room temperature
5-7 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Let proof 5-10 minutes, until bubbly. 

Stir in lukewarm milk, sugar, oil, baking powder, salt, egg and 2-3 cups flour.  Beat until smooth.  Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easty to handle.  Turn out onto well-floured board and kneed until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes).  (Here, I just had the dough hook on my kitchen aide and let it continue to mix on medium for about that length of time due to being sidetracked with Christmas presents). 


Grease Gigantor size Tupperware bowl and place dough in bowl.  Cover and let rise in warm place until dough doubles in size (this was around 1 1/2 hours for me, with the dough sitting in front of the burning fireplace).  Dough will be ready when indentation remains when touched.

Grease 2 13x9 cake pans.

Punch dough down.  Divide in half.  Roll into 12x10 rectangle. 

Put filling of choice on top of rolled dough   Starting at wide side, roll dough.  Cut into twelve even pieces.  Space slightly apart in cake pan.  Wrap pan tightly with foil.  Repeat with remaining 1/2 of dough.



*** This next step is optional - you can simply skip the Fridge step and let rise again. ***  Refrigerate at least 12-48 hours.  Remove foil before letting rise and then baking.  - If skipping the fridge step and baking immediately, do not wrap in foil. -

*** Now, back to the mandatory steps either after removing from fridge or after placing in pan and skipping the fridge step.*** 
Let rise in warm pan until double (around 1/2 hour).

Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes..

Frost with powdered sugar frosting.

Cinnamon Filling
4 T butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1 T and 1 tsp cinnamon

Spread softened butter on rolled out dough.  In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture over buttered dough.

Caramel Pecan Filling
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 c butter
2 T light corn syrup

Heat brown sugar and butter until melted  Stir in corn syrup.  Spread over rolled out dough.  Sprinkle with pecans.

Icing
1 c powdered sugar
1 T milk (almond milk works well)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Frost while warm.

Gifts In a Jar - Slow Cooker Country Bean Soup Mix

Two of our Soup Mixes ready for their recipe cards and ribbons.

This soup is great!  It can start out its life in a jar after sitting in your pantry where it has rested since you got together with a group of friends to make up some freezer/pantry meals or it can all come together for the first time in your slow cooker.

This past Christmas, we needed gifts for teachers, bus drivers and mail delivery persons.  After preparing a few jars of this recipe, I still had enough of everything left over to make our own meal!

I was glad I did.  Everyone really liked it.  And you know me, I love the simple recipes best!

If making this in a jar for storage, just add all dry ingredients to a Quart Jar.  When ready to cook, add contents of a jar, 6-8 cups water, browned turkey sausage and a 26 oz can of crushed tomatoes to a 6 quart Slow Cooker.

Slow Cooker Country Bean Soup
3 cups dried beans, any combination (for a prettier gift, use 1/2 cups of 6 different beans or even layer two different types of beans 1/2 cup at a time)
2 T dried minced onion
1 T dried parsley flakes
2 tsp beef bouillon
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Layer beans in 1 quart jar.

In small baggie, mix onion, parsley, bouillon, garlic, basil, oregano, salt pepper and red pepper flakes.  Tie with twistie tie.  Place on top of beans in quart jar.  Seal jar with appropriate tight-fitting lid.

Include tag when gifting:

Slow Cooker Country Bean Soup
1 Jar Country Bean Soup Mix
6-8 cups water
1 26 oz can diced tomatoes
8 oz smoked sausage links, browned and sliced

Remove seasonings from jar and set aside.  Dump beans in large bowl and cover with water.  Soak overnight.  Drain beans in strainer and discard water.  Rinse beans until rinse water runs clear.

Brown sausage links in skillet, and slice.

Combine soaked beans, water, tomatoes, sausage and contents of seasoning packet in slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours, until beans are tender.

Soup can be made thicker by using a potato masher to mash some of the beans and replacing mashed beans in slow cooker during last half hour of cooking.

Dill Oyster Crackers

I cannot recall the first time I had Dill Oyster Crackers.  I only know that it is a nice, simple recipe that is easily made and highly addictive.  Mom also would curse her coworker who gave her the recipe we would use.

I do remember Mom has a huge yellowish/gold Tupperware container that we'd dump the oyster crackers in before adding the dill mix.  We'd stir that goodness every half hour or so until all of the oil was soaked up by the crackers.

The crackers would never last for long, especially as we'd sample them each time they were being stirred - to ensure that they were tasting right, ya know!

Today, my girls helped with the tradition.  I'd been planning to make up some Christmas gifts in the weeks leading up to the Holiday, but I had a very insane last week at work as well as needing to finish up the knitted scarves we'd decided on for various teachers and friends, so the baking-type gifts didn't get made.  BUT - I have spare time this week, so we set to work making the Dill Oyster Crackers that will be late Christmas gifts!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know there are a bajillion recipes out there for this snack.  But guess what - I want to ensure that I have the one I like best where I can find it easily!

Dill Oyster Crackers
2 bags oyster crackers
3/4 - 1 cup oil
1 T dry dill
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 to 1 tsp sea salt (to taste)
1 tsp dry ranch dressing mix (can leave this out, I did for the first batch, and it's just as yummy as with it)

Preheat oven to 250F.  In small bowl, mix oil, dill, garlic powder, sea salt and ranch dressing.  Pour in roasting pan.  Pour both bags of oyster crackers into roasting pan.  Stir until all crackers are coated with oil mixture. 

Place roasting pan of crackers in preheated oven.  Stir every 20 minutes to ensure oil, seasoning mix coats crackers.  After hour is up, remove from oven and let cool.  Store in airtight container.

- if desired, crackers do not need baked in oven.  Instead, simply use large bowl, dump in crackers and pour oil mixture over crackers.  Stir cracker mixture every half hour until oil has soaked into crackers.

Slow Cooker Picadillo

A few years ago, I tried a stove top Picadillo recipe.  It was the green olives that tempted me. 

I LOVED it!  Even if the green olives would not have been in the recipe, I would have still enjoyed the meal.  Sadly, like usual for me, I misplaced the recipe.

Today, I merged two different recipes to try to recreate the Picadillo taste.  Sadly, although it was an okay taste, it wasn't the "I CRAVE THIS!" recipe I'd been hoping to locate.  I felt this needed more seasoning, to include salt as it seemed to be missing something . . . . I might also decide, should I make this again, to increase the amount of chopped olives to closer to a full cup,

I am posting what I did now so that I can compare it as I continue my search for that crave-worthy winner of a recipe.

Slow Cooker Picadillo

1 lb ground beef
26 oz crushed tomatoes
10 oz tomato sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
16 green olives, finely chopped
1 tsp olive brine
1 green pepper, finely chopped
15 oz black beans (I used some I had soaked overnight)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

In skillet, brown burger.  Place burger and all other ingredients in slow cooker.  Stir well.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Serve by itself or over brown rice.

Slow Cooker Chicken (and Alphabets) Soup

This is an old entry that I never put in "publish" status, so, don't mind the references to a much younger Miss Mia!

With the incredible cold spell we had going on during the early part of the week, I was ready for some warm soup.  Miss Mia and I decided a chicken noodle type soup would be perfect - especially if we used Alphabets instead of noodles.  This was also a good way to get some "school" in when I let her measure the various items for the soup . . . . It was nice having her home from school on those below 0F days, but at the same time, she was going a little stir crazy since she'd only just returned to classes after Christmas Break!

I actually made this recipe and split it in two so we could have a freezer meal for later this winter.  I'll give the measurements and you can dump 'em all in a 6 quart Slow Cooker - or be like me and split it between the slow cooker and a freezer bag.

Slow Cooker Chicken (and Alphabets) Soup

2 packages baby carrots, chopped bite size or smaller
1 head celery, chopped bite size or smaller
1 tsp minced garlic
2 onions, chopped
1 tsp rosemary
2-4 skinless boneless chicken breast (depending how chicken-y you want your soup)
2 32oz boxes chicken broth
2 cups water
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 of a small box Alphabets noodles (you could use more if you like lotsa noodles in your soup)

Dump everything but the Alphabets noodles in slow cooker.  Cook on low 6-8 hours (depending on which of my slow cookers I use, 6 hours might be long enough, but 8 hours might be better in the other, check your chicken to see . . . . Chicken should simply fall apart when poked with a fork).  Shred chicken using two forks (again, I am lazy and shred the chicken in the slow cooker.  My Hubster removes the chicken to a plate where he shreds it and then dumps it back in the slow cooker).  Dump in Alphabets noodles and cover.  Cook an additional 10 - 15 minutes, until noodles are cooked.

-frozen chicken can be use - the cooking time will be closer to the 8 hour time frame (again, depending on how hot your slow cooker cooks on Low).
- freeze soup in one gallon freezer bag.  lay flat in freezer.  when ready to cook, remove from freezer in am and place straight in slow cooker (take out of freezer bag), no need to thaw. 

Hubby's Favorite Crepes

I am afraid to say this because the All-American Police may come knocking at my door, but the Hubby does not like pancakes.  AT ALL.  He doesn't "get" that I would enjoy breakfast for dinner and cannot STAND my snack of pancakes smeared with Nutella.  I didn't know it was possible for someone to not like pancakes especially as much as he dislikes 'em!

So, when I decided on this recipe, I fully planned for a lot of leftovers to share with my Grams.

I was so wrong!

The Hubby LOVED this recipe and ate a good number of these yummy (and simple) treats!  I was amazed.  If only I would have known "flat cupcakes" would have been such a success! 

I will suggest making the Crepes ahead of time, especially if you have some bossy cooking judges who enjoy cooking contests on The Food Network a little too much and start counting down from 10 when you still have over half of the batter to cook . . .

Basic Crepes

~ adapted from Taste of Home April/May 2011

1 1/2 cups almond milk

4 eggs

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp salt

8 tsp butter - I didn't do this, instead using cooking spray in my crepe pan

In a small bowl, whisk milk and eggs.  Combine the flour, sugar and salt; add to milk mixture and mix well.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.  (YAH, I'll admit I didn't do this.  Shame on me!  Seriously, it didn't really affect my crepes too much - although the batter did sit in the fridge for around a 1/2 hour or so . . . )

Spray 8 inch nonstick skillet (a crepe one is best, if you have a hubby who actually reads Christmas lists and purchased one, even when he thought crepes were just a fancy way of saying "pancake") which has been warmed over medium heat; pour 2 T batter into center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly.  Cook until top appears dry; turn with non-metal spatula and cook 15-20 seconds longer.  The crepe may stick to pan, just use spatula and gently loosen crepe by working around the pan.  Remove to a wire rack - get all fancy and flip 'em out of the pan.

Repeat with remaining batter, spraying skillet as needed, if not using the 8 tsp butter.  When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between.

~ Crepes can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Hubby's Favorite Crepes

~ adapted from Taste of Home April/May 2011

1 pound sliced, fresh mushrooms

1 medium to large yellow onion

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk (I used almond)

4 tsp chicken bullion granules

1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup sour cream (I used Greek yogurt)

3 T apple juice

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken

1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence (or additional Italian Seasoning if cannot find Herbes de Provence)

Cook mushrooms, onion and butter over medium heat until onion is translucent.  Stir in flour, milk, bouillon granules, Italian Seasoning and pepper.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Stir in sour cream and apple juice.  Set aside 1 cup of sauce.

To the sauce in pan, add the chicken and Herbes de Provence.  Stir occasionally until chicken is warmed through.  Spoon filling onto 15 prepared crepes.  Roll crepes up and drizzle with remaining 1 cup of sauce.

I think I will try this, next time, without chicken.  I'll double the mushrooms and onions as I LOVE them!  I was also thinking of throwing in some Fresh Basil and/or some spinach.  Overall, this recipe was enjoyed by all and considered a definite Keeper!