teacher gifts and a TUTORIAL

My oven has been working overtime this week, baking bread for Teacher Appreciation lunches. With so many loafs to wrap and deliver, I thought it would be fun to try out a new bread bag.

The 5 Minute Bread Bag is great, but in situations such as these (large potluck lunches), where there is an abundance of food (and clean-up), it seemed more sensible to use a disposable bag.

So, I gathered some supplies from around the house and set to work... 

To check out the full TUTORIAL, click the button below:

I couldn't resist

making this warm surgery goodness...

cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread

what a great way to start the weekend. I hope you are having a delightful weekend too.

Here is the recipe.

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stormy weather soup

The stormy season has officially arrived around here - howling winds, driving rain, and power outages.  Which means baking and soup making are in full swing at our house.

I thought I would share one of our favorite soup recipes just in case stormy weather is headed your way as well.

 little hangs making bread to go with our soup

Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup 
 (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:
(I usually double it, so we have leftovers.)

5 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded

1/2 cup diced onions

1/2 cup carrots

1/2 celery

1-2 minced garlic cloves

1 (4.5 ounce) package quick cooking long-grain and wild rice with seasoning packet

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter

1.5 cups heavy cream/whole milk

This is how I cook the chicken: brown it first in a pan over medium-high heat, then add it to a pot of boiling of for 20 minutes, remove and shred.

1. in a large pot, sauté the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and 1/2 T. butter until the onions are translucent. 

2. Add the broth, water, and chicken to the veggies and bring to a boil.  Then, add rice (reserving the seasoning packet), cover and remove from heat.

3. In a small bowl, combine: salt, pepper, and flower.

4. In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, melt butter.  Stir in the contents of the seasoning packet until bubbly.  Reduce heat to low, then stir in the flour mixture, a little at a time.  Then, whisk in the cream/milk a little at a time until smooth, (not thick). 

5. Stir the cream/milk mixture in to the pot with the broth, and cook over medium heat until heated through, about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

A soup dinner at our house would not be complete without bread from this book - Delicious!  Do you have a favorite stormy weather recipe? 

u-pick

we had so much fun picking blueberries on our way to our vacation spot, that we had to make a second stop on our way home - for a grand total of 33lbs! Yum mm...
this is the wonderful organic farm we found here in Washington.  They have the biggest blueberries I have ever seen (raspberries are in season as well).  Oh, it is so worth the drive!

kid size energy bars

Waiting rooms are great place to find inspiration.  They are usually loaded with magazines (that I normally don't get to read), and I often come home with a new recipe to try.  My latest find is this recipe for energy bars - perfect for kids. 

With only 4 ingredients AND no baking, I thought it would be a perfect first time recipe - especially with little helping hands.  We tried the Peanut Butter Snaps version, and they are pretty good!

I would like to try a few more energy bar recipes soon - any suggestions?

baked, wrapped, and delivered!

  baked.

wrapped.

and delivered!

Thanks to all the wonderful teachers out there, we do appreciate ewe!

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Want to make your own?  Here is the Tutorial:

bread bag update

This morning I decided to finish up the last of my 6 bread bags, but wouldn't  you know it, I ran out of ribbon. So...

in a pinch I decided to reuse the hem pieces...

and it worked out great!  Add some Fray Check along the cut edges, and then insert the two unfinished ends of the hem pieces into the side seam of the bag, and sew! it's that easy.

custom soccer cookie favors

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back

My oldest son LOVES playing soccer, and lucky for him we have an indoor soccer center just a few miles from our house so he can play all year round.  The past two seasons my husband has been the coach, which has provided me with the opportunity to get a little crafty in the sporting department.

Last season, I designed certificates for each of the players, but this time I thought it would be fun to do something a little different... a little sweeter.  So, when I came across this tutorial and recipe, I knew instantly it was just what I was looking for.  The wrapper is a CD sleeve - Genius!  These soccer cookie favors were so fun to make, and even more fun to eat.  Yes, I sampled one four - you know, for quality control purposes.

I can see myself making many more of these in the future for birthdays, thank-you gifts, teacher appreciation... oh, the possibilities!

paper bread bag TUTORIAL

 

Sharing baked goods with friends and loved ones has never been so easy! This paper bread bag is created entirely form items found around the house.

For this project you will need:

- paper bag

- piece of cardboard - large enough to fit your word(s)

- sticky foam letters (I found these at Target a few years ago)

- glue (I used a Scotch Wrinkle Free glue stick)

- stamp pad

- writing utensil*

- ruler*

- scissors

- sewing machine

* these items are optional.

Stamp Instructions:

The first step is to decide what you would like your stamp to say.  I went for FRESH BAKED BREAD, but there are so many possibilities.

Next, draw parallel lines to use as guides when laying out your letters.  This is the part is optional, if you are comfortable with winging-it, then go for it.

Remove any unnecessary foam pieces.

Lay out the letters backwards on the cardboard before gluing to make sure everything looks right. Trim any excess cardboard.

 Carefully slide the letters off to the side, keeping them in the correct order.

Cover the cardboard with glue.

 Attach the letters.

Carefully peel off the paper backing, leaving the sticky side exposed (after the ink is applied the stickiness should not be an issue).

 Set aside to dry.


Bag Instructions:

Cut the paper bag to a size that fits the item you are packaging, leaving 1/2" seam allowance. 

Sew around three edges of the bag using a sewing machine (if you don't have a sewing machine, tape would work too).

 Trim the edges as needed.  I used pinking sheers to create a decorative edge.

OK, now for the fun part! Lets get stamping.

The glue is probably not totally dry, and you may want to let it set a while longer.  I, however, was a little impatient so I went ahead and used the stamp right away (and didn't have any problems).

 Dab ink onto the letters until they are evenly coated.

Flip the stamp over and press firmly on the back. 

 It is worth taking your time on this part.

 Carefully lift up the stamp and admire your work!

Repeat as needed. 

If you are curious about the bread, it is called Wheat Stalk Bread from this book.

Thanks for stopping by!