Easel Card Tutorial and Lemon Muffin Recipe

For the last five weeks, I've been teaching a class at our local homeschool co-op called Paper Crafts.  I must admit I've been hard pressed to come up with creative ideas that are challenging enough to take up the hour-long class period but are also simple enough that they can do the project with little help.  This Friday we'll be making Easel Cards.  I put one together tonight and think it will be just perfect for the kids this week!

Start by cutting a 12x12 piece of cardstock into thirds so you have 3 pieces that are 4x12.  You will only be using one strip for the card so one piece of 12x12 will make 3 cards!  Score the paper at 4", 6" and 8".  I use the track of my cutter as a guide and use this multi-tool from Martha Stewart to score my lines.

Fold the paper at the score lines and adhere one 2" piece to it's nearest 4" piece on the inside.

Stand up the glued piece to look like an easel.

Decorate the face of the card in your own creative way.

You can use anything you'd like to act as a "stopper" for the standing piece.  Buttons and foam-backed embellishments work great.  I used this cute egg embellishment and was reminded of the Cadbury commercial where the bunny lays the Creme Egg!  I loved that commercial as a kid...I wonder if it's still on?  (We haven't had cable our entire marriage so I really have no idea!)

When you've finished your card, why not send it to a friend and invite her over for tea and Lemon Muffins?  (Recipe below)

Lemon Muffins  (makes 12-18)

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup sour cream or yogurt 

2 large eggs
5 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Mix the dry ingredients together and then make a well for the remaining ingredients.  Mix until combined and spoon into muffin pans.  Bake at 375°F for 15-20 min. or until the muffins are light brown on top and done inside.  Let cool in pan for 5 minutes or so and then turn out onto a wire rack.  Yum!

Super Easy Petits Fours

My recipe for Easy Petits Fours is, by far, my most popular post. I have people coming to that post every single day! So, here you go!

When you're done reading the recipe, please make sure and read about my blogging friend, Cindy at Blessings From Cindy, and the gorgeous craft idea she came up with! Her Craft Blotter is so easy---you could make one today for a Christmas gift---and make one tomorrow for yourself!

For several years, I would make these really easy petits fours for different church functions. Here's how you can make a simple petit four with basic ingredients and supplies you likely have on hand.

 Begin with a boxed Pound Cake mix and the ingredients mentioned on the back (eggs, water, etc.)  You will also need a package of vanilla almond bark and food coloring if desired.

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.  I like to spray the pan with nonstick spray or water first to help the paper stick to the pan and not roll up.  Mix your cake ingredients according to the directions on the box, spread batter into pan, and bake at 350 for 15-20 min. or until done and lightly golden brown.  

Let the cake cool completely and then cut it into squares with a sharp knife.  You will likely not cut into the parchment paper but if you are concerned about that you can turn the cake out onto a cutting board and remove the paper first.  Pound Cake is very easy to cut into nice squares thus eliminating the need for an actual petit four pan.

When cake is completely cooled, break half the package of almond bark into a bowl and microwave at 30 sec. intervals, stirring in-between.  I like to add some oil or shortening too to make dipping easier.  When it is completely melted, you can mix in some food coloring if you'd like.

Using a fork, dip the cake into the coating to cover it completely.  The coating gets thicker as it cools so you may find yourself having to spoon the coating onto the cake and then tap the excess off on the side of your bowl.  Transfer the coated petit four to wax or parchment paper.

If you desire a decoration on top, add it as soon as you place the cake on the paper to cool.  Almond Bark sets up pretty quickly and you want your decoration to stick.  I found these pearly candies at Target in the Easter section.

Once the coating has hardened, you are all done!  I got several compliments on these today from my homeschooling mom friends!  In the past, I've taken the time to fill them with jelly or frosting.  This makes for a much taller petit four, but one could always cut the cake in half before filling---although this will make it less stable as the cake will be pretty thin.  Have fun making these and make sure to send me pictures of your own creations!

Make sure and visit Cindy's blog, Blessings from Cindy to learn how to make this adorable Craft Blotter:

   Cindy's instructions are super easy and the project is made from things you probably already have around the home! Thank you, Cindy!

Super Easy Freezer Jam: No Canning Supplies Required!

My basil tutorial seemed to be such a hit that I thought I'd come back with a second easy one: freezer jam.

Many people would like to make their own jam but are intimidated by the process of canning and the initial cost investment that it requires. Let me say that canning your own food is very, very simple once you get the hang of it and I'd be glad to write up a tutorial if there is enough interest. However, I want my readers to be able to enjoy their own fresh berry jam without worry so I'd like to present you with a few simple steps to making your own freezer jam with no canning supplies required! This method does not take very long---in fact, I made some the other night and it was done before my bread machine finished it's 58-minute cycle!

Please be aware that this tutorial is for BERRY jam only. There are different processes in canning different jams but this process will work with any kind of berry: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.

Please also be aware that this tutorial is for FREEZER (or refrigerator) jam only. It is very important that you refrigerate or freeze this jam as soon as it has cooled. This will not be safe in your cupboard or pantry and consumption of it will lead to serious food-borne illness. It is VERY safe and delicious when it's been refrigerated or frozen.

You will begin by thoroughly washing any amount of any berry. If they're freshly picked, you'll want to look them over good for any bugs. My bushes are in a shady part of the yard that stays wet for days after rain so there are a lot of slugs and snails hanging out there. I have to check thoroughly for tiny offspring that like to hang out on my bushes! (Ewww...!!) You will probably have the best results if you have at least 2 cups of berries---but really, you can do this with any amount.

Next, place your berries into a bowl and crush them. You can use a potato masher, a pastry blender, a fork, or your bare hands if you don't mind stains! I found out that my Pampered Chef Mix 'N Chop tool works excellent for this. If you don't want seeds in your berries, you can push them through a mesh strainer sieve...but I just keep them in there. It takes less time and I get more jam that way! Besides, if you take out all the seeds then it's not jam anymore...it's jelly!

After this, you should measure your berries to see how many cups you have. You'll need equal parts berries and sugar. So, if you've got 5 cups of berries then you'll need 5 cups of sugar.










When you have an idea as to how much jam you're going to have, you'll need to round up containers. You can use regular canning jars with lids and rings---they work just fine in the freezer and the ring over the lid forms a tight enough seal for the freezer. Again, please don't leave this jam in your pantry as it will not be sealed tightly and will form deadly bacteria. You can use any container that has an airtight seal for storing your jam in the freezer. I've used Rubbermaid-type and Pyrex glass containers with the plastic lids with great results. If your jam is going right into the refrigerator, you could even just pour it in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerated jam will keep for about a month---if it lasts that long!

Now it's time to cook. Mix the berries and sugar together in a large pot. I use a 16 qt. stock pot; however, not everyone has one of those! You can use any kind of saucepan but you'll want to fill it no more than half way. So, if you've got a lot of jam to make but a small pot, you'll just need to do it in batches. You are going to be boiling your jam for awhile, creating foam and splattering. If you've got your pot too full then you run the risk of boil-overs or burning. Burns from boiling sugar are some of the most painful burns!!

When your pot is about half full (or less) with the jam/sugar ratio, grab something to stir with that will keep your hand up as far as possible from the boiling jam. I have a long-handled wooden spoon that works well in my stock pot. You can use any kind of wooden, bamboo, or nylon tool. Pampered Chef scrapers work good for this. If you're not sure you've got the right tool for this, use whatever you have but wear an oven mitt to protect your hand from splatters. If you don't have an oven mitt, wrap a dish towel around your hand!

Put the pot on to cook over med-high heat. At first, you'll only need to stir until the sugar has dissolved. Let it sit there and cook until it begins to boil. Once it begins to bubble, you'll want to start watching it and stirring every now and then to make sure nothing is sticking. I don't have a problem with sticking but it all depends on the quality of saucepot you're using and how well it's distributing the heat. I stir anyway just to be on the safe side!

Once it's come to a good boil (bubbles across most of the surface) then you'll want to start timing. Don't start timing until this point because your jam will turn out a lot runnier than you'd like. (If for some reason this happens, use it for pancake syrup or ice cream topping! Again---keep it refrigerated!)

If you want your jam fairly runny (falls off the sides of the spoon when you spoon it from cooled jar) then you'll want to boil about 10 minutes. If you like it firm then boil for about 20 minutes. The longer you boil it, the firmer it will become after cooling. Important: keep in mind that the jam firms up A LOT during cooling. Do not expect to boil your jam until it reaches it's desired firmness because it will probably crystallize on you once it's cooled and it will not be edible! (Well, it might make some super sweet hard candy? Might have to try that after all...!!!)

Once you've boiled it your desired amount of time, you can either pour or scoop it into your containers. I like to use a soup ladle to ladle it out into the containers and then scrape the rest out with a spatula. You'll want to do this right away as it doesn't take very long to start becoming firm. Make sure and leave a couple inches of room at the top of the container as the jam might expand during freezing and you don't want to burst the container or the seal. If your pan is small and you're doing it in batches, it's fine to ladle the next batch on top of what you've already got in the containers.

You should let the jam cool uncovered in it's container until the container feels just slightly warm to the touch. Then you can mark it, cover it and place it either in the refrigerator or freezer. I like to mark my jam with the kind of jam it is, as well as the date I made it. It is very important that you write some sort of note on the container that it should remain refrigerated if you think you might forget or if it's possible that someone else might use it. I wrote "unsealed" on mine---that way I know that I've not actually "canned" it in a pressure or hot water bath so it's not safe without refrigeration.

I hope this tutorial has proved to be helpful and informative. I would be more than happy to answer any questions or provide further tips to my readers. You can contact me on my profile page.

Enjoy!

GIVEAWAY: I'm hosting a giveaway in honor of my new Wednesday linking party. Click HERE for up to 5 chances to win!

Linking up today with:

How to Freeze Basil: Easy Tutorial

                         
I adore basil. It is my most favorite herb! In fact, I love it so much that the name Basil has been on my "names for little boys" list since 1999!

I just finished putting some freshly picked basil away in my freezer and thought my readers would enjoy an easy tutorial!

It's only recently that I've begun to use fresh basil and while the dried-in-a-jar variety is fragrant and delicious, it doesn't hold a candle to my homegrown!

You will know that your basil is at it's best "picking state" when it gets buds on it and begins to flower. 

 Clip as much off as you want but leave a few leaves to soak up the rays for more plant growth! Something to keep in mind with basil: the more you clip, the more you get as basil grows back two new stems for every one that is clipped!

Pick off the big leaves and carefully wash each one. Be aware that little bugs like to hide in the shady places under the dark basil leaves. Wash both sides and run your fingers along to wipe off any dirt or....baby snails!

Take a moment to look for any that might be trying to get away!!

When you've washed all the leaves, place them in a colander and shake or use a salad spinner if you have one.

Then lay them out in a single layer on paper towels or napkins and pat dry--soaking up as much water as possible.

Next, place the leaves in a food processor, if available, and pulse until they're the size you prefer. I don't have a food processor so I used my Pampered Chef Food Chopper.

You'll want to add a little bit of olive oil to the basil to keep it from turning black in the freezer. (It doesn't affect the taste...just the appearance) If you are using a food processor, you can add it in as you're chopping the basil. I just poured some in the bowl when I was done chopping with my food chopper and mixed it up with a spatula. The amount you'll need will vary depending on what you plan to do with your basil, but I just used enough to cover each piece.

Finally, you'll want to decide how you're going to divide it up to freeze. It is wise to freeze each recipe size separately. I divided mine up to have a couple good spoonfulls in each container. I plan to put it in pasta sauce and my pasta sauce must feed a family of 9!

You can freeze your basil in small containers, if you have them. I used these two:

Notice they're not fancy! I got one at the Dollar Store for my daughter's baby food and the other is a little Rubbermaid-type lunch box one. You just need something that will be airtight to avoid freezer burn. If I didn't have these two containers, I would have used sandwich bags and then just placed all the bags into one large freezer bag.

**Update: Several readers have mentioned another great freezing method. You can also measure your basil out into ice cube trays and freeze it that way. Then, once it's frozen, pop all the little cubes into a freezer bag to be taken out individually for soup, sauce and more! I will be designating a tray specifically for this as I imagine the tray would eventually take on the wonderful aroma and color of basil! (Though that little taste of basil in lemonade or iced tea might not be too bad??)

Herbs will keep for many years but you'll get your best flavor if you use your basil within the year. Here are a few facts about basil:

**Basil comes from the Greek language and means "king". Basil has been called the "King of the Herbs"

**Basil is highly poisonous to mosquitoes, (Yay!) but safe for rats (bummer!)

**Basil is thought to be a great treatment for arthritis and has antioxidant and anticancer properties.

**Basil will affect the taste of tomatoes if planted too close together. This could be a good or bad thing--depending on what you're doing with your tomatoes!

"Any one can Bake!" -- Blue Monday

Today I'm linking up with Smiling Sally for Blue Monday! Visit her blog for more Blue Monday participants!

A couple months ago, my mom gave me a box of recipes and cookbooks that belonged to my great-grandmother, Annabelle. We are pretty sure that a good majority of them belonged to her mother, Tresa Baker. Tonight, while looking for something blue to share with you all, I spied this promotional cook book put out by the Royal Baking Powder Co. in 1927. Since Grammy Annabelle was only 12 years old then, I'm assuming this was my great-great grandmother's book.

The book is titled Any one can Bake and the cover features a picture of kitchen items and the words, "Price $2.00" at the bottom. It is in really nice shape with a tight binding and glossy pages---several of them are in color. OldCookbooks.com lists it to sell for $38.50 for an excellent copy and $14.50 for a super beat up copy.

Not only does it feature lots of great recipes, but it also has many, many tips and ideas for table setting, menu planning, entertaining and nutrition (page 42 is titled: "Cookies--Wholesome Sweets for Children").

In the section labeled "Menus and Menu Building", the following sentence is used: "Similar vegetables such as macaroni and white potatoes or macaroni and rice or potatoes and rice should not be served at the same meal." Now who can tell me what is wrong with that sentence? Ha! Also, the following are listed as "combinations to which we have become accustomed": corned beef and cabbage, pig's knuckles and sauerkraut, roast duck or goose and apples, roast pork and applesauce, roast veal and tomatoes, buckwheat cakes and sausage, fish and cucumbers. I can honestly tell you that if buckwheat cakes are what I think they are then that is the only of those combinations that I've heard of or eaten! However, even though I thought we had not one more meal in the house and were in desperate need of a grocery shopping trip, now that I know fish and cucumbers are an acceptable meal, I can unthaw those few salmon patties in my freezer and serve them with the handful of cucumbers I've got in the fridge!

A menu plan "that will interest the 16-Year-Old" on page 87 prefaces it's choices with the following: "Every young girl is anxious to give a party that is different and to be assured that her boy and girl friends are going to have as fine a time at her home as at any other. The kinds of cake or sandwiches or other dishes that the boys like will always be the ones decided upon." Ha! I won't write them all out now but I can say that most of them involve coffee and toast!

My favorite part of the book is the very last page, "Hints for Young Housewives". There were a couple of really great ideas, as well as some that I'd already had to learn from trial and error! I liked this idea for keeping a round, cut cake fresh: "cut the desired number of slices from center of cake. Push the two remaining pieces close together like a whole cake and it will keep moist and soft for several days." Duh...I can't believe I haven't thought of that yet!

All teasing aside, I really think this book will come in handy as I plan to invite the ladies of our church (all but a handful of them are great-grandmothers) over for a get-together now and then. I'm sure it will really bless them to have me make up some of these recipes that they probably remember having as a child or preparing as a young wife.

Enjoy your Blue Monday!

Vintage Thingie Thursday: My Strawberry "Stuff"

It's my favorite day today: Vintage Thingie Thursday!

I decided to pull out all my strawberry stuff and see if you all can help me to identify and date it! I have been (very slowly) collecting strawberry themed items as they make my home seem so cheery and relaxed. I suppose I'm sorta partial to them to since one of my mom's favorite stories about me is how I'd call them "bah-shoos" as a baby. I can not find a correlation between that baby phrase and the word "strawberry" but it must have made sense when I was little!

The only item that I can identify by maker and date is the hand-painted wooden Munising bowl. According to information I found online, this bowl dates from sometime between 1940 and 1955. Apparently, they're popular and collectible and I probably shouldn't have been tossing my keys into it for the last few years as my once pristine bowl, (which I thought had been recently painted and was not worth more than the $1 I paid for it at a yard sale) is now missing some of it's green leaf paint.

Last week I found the little recipe card holder at our local Salvation Army. It's a handmade block of wood with a clothes pin attached and a cute toll painted strawberry design. Not only does it fit with the theme I'm trying to collect for my kitchen, it also is a functional piece that I didn't really know I needed until I found it! The recipe card features a great chili recipe that I got from Weight Watchers--I'll tag it onto the end of the post for you all!

I don't remember where I found the little sugar bowl or the strawberry printed cloth but I'm assuming it was sometime during my yard sale adventures of the last few years. I have found several "look alike" sugar bowls on ebay but they are all separated into pieces and the base is always a separate piece. This bowl is attached to the base and looks to be a little older than those I've seen online. The cloth has raised felt strawberries and doesn't seem to actually be vintage. **UPDATE: one reader just suggested that my "sugar bowl" was actually a jam jar with similar ones being found on ebay. She's right! Although I did not find my exact jar on ebay, there are several there that are similar. Thanks for the tip---is it obvious that I'm from the "packaged foods" generation?? Who woulda thought there'd be a specially made vessel just for holding jam!! Ha!!

The platter looks very similar to both the Mikasa Strawberry Festival and the Sheffield Strawberries and Cream designs but is not exact and is unmarked.

I thought some of you might like a challenging treasure hunt for the day so make sure and let me know if you can identify any of these pieces!

Before I close with the chili recipe I promised, I'd like to show you all the picture of baby Liam in the blue jammies I blogged about last week.

Unfortunately, I've not had a chance to sew him some masculine receiving blankets as I just found out he was a boy...well, the day he was born!! So, he's got sister's flowery blanket on---but he's okay with it...he knows he's a manly man!

Thanks to all who sent well wishes! We're so glad to have a new little boy in the family---even if they do outnumber us girls now!

Thanks for visiting my blog today for Vintage Thingie Thursday! To see more vintage items from other participants, click here.

Jan's 6 Can Chili

1 can fat free refried beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pkg. chili seasoning mix
onion, green pepper, other veg. (opt.)

Mix all together and cook on stove or in crock pot until hot! 2 Weight Watcher points per cup.

Granola (or Muesli) Bread Recipe...YUM!

I recently made this yummy Granola Bread using Muesli that I got at the co-op. It was super good and really dense so it went a long way (ie: actually fed everyone with one loaf!)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter 1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs 2 mashed bananas
1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour (OR 2 c. white)
1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. granola 1/2 c. chopped nuts
1/4 c. raisins

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and bananas. Stir in granola. Add flour, soda, salt, nuts and raisins. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 40 min. Cool on rack.

Black Beans and Rice...Mmmm!!!!

Black Beans and Rice
adapted from the MOMYS cookbook, courtesy of J. Wilson


I made this the other night and my family was so impressed! It's often a difficult thing to please eight people with the same meal, but even the baby enjoyed this one! The way I've written it out will serve 10-14 people so you may want to divide it or freeze half if you're not feeding that many!

*4 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*4 c. chicken broth (I used water and bouillon cubes...cheaper that way!)
*2-3 c. diced smoked beef sausage
*1 tsp. dried oregano, 1-2 tsp. cumin powder
*2 TBS. red wine vinegar
*8 c. cooked rice
**This recipe also calls for 1 diced onion and 1 diced green pepper but I did not add these to ours.

In a large stock pot, saute onion and bell pepper (if using) in oil until tender. Add garlic and ham and saute a few minutes longer. If you are not using the onion and pepper, just mix all ingredients (make sure meat is pre-cooked) except rice in a large stock pot and cook 1-1.5 hours. Stir occasionally. This will thicken the longer you cook it--especially if you leave the lid off. I left the lid on for the first half hour and then took it off for the rest. Serve over rice or mix cooked rice in at the end. This is good with cornbread or other country bread.