Christmas Recipe Card Holders

I made one of these Recipe Card Holders about a year ago and thought I would make some more this year!  Our church actually did something pretty neat this year called a reverse offering.  With the money I received I made these Recipe Card Holders and am selling them for $20/each.  100% of the proceeds will be given back to the church and goes towards missions, rehab projects in the community, and other ministries through the church.  They did this last year and it was great to see how God multiplied the money given!!

Send me a message if you are interested in purchasing one and we will work out the details!  Or if you are crafty and would like to make your own check out the tutorial here!

Tissue Paper Flowers and Mason Jars

I am visiting the wonderful city of Hesston, KS.  It has been so nice to spend time with family and enjoy this Christmas.  There has been LOTS of cooking going on!  Here I am carving the turkey!

For anyone who is near Hesston, KS I found some great buys at their Et Cetera second hand shop!  It is such a cute little shop!  I spent less than $10 and found some great items I will be working on over the next few weeks.  Stay tuned for some awesome revamps!!!!  I am super pumped about them!!

For now I wanted to share a great inexpensive gift idea!  My very creative Grandmother gave these out to each of her grandkids this year and I just had to share!

These are mason jars filled with peppernuts!! Aren't they SO cute????  My Grandma made them, so I don't have any other pictures, but I just had to share this idea!

How to:

Fill a mason jar with your favorite candy, hot cocoa or hot cider mix.  Close lid. 
Layer 10 pieces of tissue paper and cut a circle large enough to cover the top of the lid plus 1 inch for the "flower" effect.
Place tissue on top of jar and hold in place with a rubber band.
Pull tissue paper apart to fluff the flowers.
Cover rubber band with jute or other ribbon and add your tag!

I love the idea of three of them together delivered in a cute little box!  It reminds me of a window box filled with flowers.

So brilliant!  Thanks Grandma for this great idea!

Super Yummy Chocolate Bark!

I thought it was only appropriate to start out the blog with chocolate!  We are having family over this weekend and I couldn't wait to try out this recipe from Food Network Magazine.  It was super fun and super quick!

Start with 1 pound each of bittersweet chocolate, semisweet chocolate and white chocolate, and whatever crunch toppings you like. (Some Ideas: Almonds, Walnuts, Peanuts, Peppermints, Banana Chips, Pecans, Raisins, Cranberries, Marshmallows, Dried Fruit etc.)

Chop the chocolate into 1/2 inch pieces with a large knife.  Place all but 1 cup of the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. (For swirled bark, put all but 1/2 cup of each chocolate in 2 separate bowls.)

Microwave 30 seconds, then stir with a rubber spatula.  Continue microwaving and stirring at 30-second intervals until melted, 3 to 5 minutes total.  Immediately add the reserved chopped chocolate to the bowl(s); stir vigorously until melted and shiny.  Don't worry if there are a few small unmelted pieces.

Pour the chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet (baking sheet lined with foil, shiny-side up, smooth out creases); use the rubber spatula to spread it into a 10-to-12 inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick.  (For swirled bark, pour the 2 chocolates side by side on the baking sheet, use the spatula to swirl them together.)  I used the top of the spatula so it made a cleaner swirl. A plastic knife would work well too!

 Add your toppings!  Press your crunch toppings into the chocolate.  For the white chocolate I used crushed candy canes and marshmallows, for chocolate I used walnuts and I left the swirl plain.

Let the bark harden completely at room temperature, about 1 hour.  I did stick mine in the freezer for a few minutes to help it harden.  Break into pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks.

I just love these! They're so festive for Christmas and YUMMY!  I think next time I will try peanuts with the semisweet chocolate for a sweet and salty treat!