Showing posts with label SIMPLE GIFTS FOR...THIS.THAT.AND THE OTHER. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SIMPLE GIFTS FOR...THIS.THAT.AND THE OTHER. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Landen's Peach Cobbler


Several years ago, I dropped in on my twinsie. As we sipped on tea and chatted, my nephew offered to make a peach cobbler for our family. I was so very excited. I don't know of many pre-teen boys that would offer to do something so sweet for their Auntie! Anyway, needless to say, it was THE BEST peach cobbler I had EVER had. No kidding. It was devoured by my family that night. So, I asked him if he would send me the recipe so that I could share it with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as our family enjoyed it!

PEACH COBBLER {IN A BAG}
Adapted from Betty Crocker


PEACH MIXTURE:

1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs. cornstarch {I used Clear Jel and skipped the cooking part}
one 29 oz. can of peaches {I used four cups of fresh peaches…about 6 large}
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or pure almond extract

BREAD MIXTURE:

3 tbs. shortening
1 cup self-rising flour
1 tbs. sugar
1/2 cup 2% milk


Heat oven to 400'. mix 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and the cornstarch in a 2-quart saucepan. stir in peaches and vanilla. cook stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. boil and stir 1 minute. pour into ungreased 8x8 square pan; keep peach mixture hot in the oven.

Cut shortening into flour and 1 tablespoon sugar until mixture resembles fine crumbs. stir in milk. drop dough by six spoonfuls onto hot peach mixture.
bake 25-30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
I hope you all enjoy this!


MY VARIATIONS:

When I pick peaches, I like to pick enough to enjoy a few cobblers throughout the year, so I put all of the peach mixture ingredients into a Ziploc bag and label it with what I need to add for the topping and baking instructions. All you have to do is to REMEMBER to get it out of the freezer and whip up the topping. Sprinkle with cinnamon and coarse sugar.

FAVORITE VARIATION: I HAD TO ADD THE 1/4 cup PEACH SCHNAPPS TO THE MIXTURE. NO WAY AROUND IT. It just puts it over the top!

SECOND FAVORITE VARIATION: Add 1/4 cup pure Orange Juice to Peach mixture. Seriously, just try it. You would not believe how it brings out the flavor of the peaches.

Now, every time I make a peach cobbler I remember the hospitality extended to our family through my nephew. It inspires me to want to share a freshly baked peach cobbler with someone I love!!  Another reason to teach your boys how to bake!!

Thank you, LANDEN! I LOVE YOU!

Who has nurtured you? Who can you think of who might need to be nurtured?

Ezekiel 34:26 "I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing."

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

French Theme Week: Homemade Brioche in a {burlap} Bag






One of my very very favorite things about blogging is being able to share my dearest of friends with all of YOU! I am beyond blessed with the friends God has blessed me with and I count it an amazing privilege that they are to be enjoyed by so many others!

My spunky friend, Linda, who does NOT have a blog...but should...has the sweetest foreign exchange student staying with her. We met Laura this summer at our ANNUAL 1812 Overture gathering on the waterfront! She is from France and has the sweetest personality. You just can not help but to fall in love with her. She loves.loves to cook and to bake. Her contribution to the twilight picnic was brioche. It was so eggy and buttery that it instantly took me back to one of our visits to France! The only thing missing was the quaint pastry shops and the cobblestone alleys!


So, this is easy easy easy...especially if you have a bread maker.

I used our Kitchen Aid and it worked out just fine and dandy!


Laura's Brioche

Brioche
For the Bread Machine

1/3 c. warm water

3 eggs

2 egg yolks {Save the whites for brushing on top of bread after it has raised}

3/4 c. butter, softened

3 1/3 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

2 t. active dry yeast
1 t. Sea salt



*Place the first 7 ingredients in the bread machine. Select dough cycle.

{DON'T PANIC!! Just place ingredients in bowl of stand mixer if you don't have a bread machine}

*Turn finished dough out onto a floured surface. {A ROULPAT is GREAT for this}



*Divide dough in 3 equal parts and braid, tucking in both ends. {I made four mini loaves...two to enjoy with dinner on our adorable anniversary bread boards and two loaves to share!}





*Let rise for 30 minutes.

*Preheat oven to 325*.

*Using a silicone pastry brush, paint egg white over dough.

*Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bread is golden brown.



For a fun little gift that is frugal and cute:

Can you tell I am really trying to use up my scraps???

Fold burlap to make a pouch and glue gun seams.

Cut a piece of burlap for a handle. Make it as thick or as thin as you would like.

Wrap Brioche with saran wrap and then in newsprint. Wrap with twine if you are bored and have nothing else to do!

Take a piece of fabric and stamp whatever you would like to personalize your Burlap Brioche Bag.

Glue gun around the outside of your fabric pouch leaving the top open for fresh herbs.

Deliver and Enjoy!






Merci, LAURA!

Shared with: freckled laundry, not so simple housewife, comfy in the kitchen, at the picket fence, teach me tuesday, simple country life

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Leftover Buttercream?





Hope you are all having a great weekend! I realize we usually do not have leftover buttercream sitting around, but if you have a bit or a ton leftover OR if you want to make some...you could make buttercream sandwich cookies! I am always way too much and since I also had sugar cookies in my freezer, I decided to make up some cookies and keep them frozen! You never know when you may need a little last-minute gift for a friend!!

You could even use Graham Crackers, from s'more making...or these waffle sandwich cookies from Trader Joe's! Just some ideas for a sweet weekend!

Happy Saturday!!!








Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Sweet Pea Baby Gift {giveaway}





I am so excited to share this giveaway with YOU! It is a SWEET PEA baby gift made just for your little sweet pea or to be given away as a gift.

*To enter the giveaway: simply leave a comment on this post!

*FOLLOWERS will receive an EXTRA entry!

*Giveaway ends on Friday, May 6th at midnight {Pacific Standard Time}.

*Winner will be announced on Saturday, May 7th.

This gift package includes:

2 plain white burp cloths
1 personalized baby spoon {for ornamental purposes only}-up to seven letters
1 gift tin with 12 personalized bookplates for baby's library
1 handmade felt sweet pea with tag

This gift is already assembled and will be shipped ready to give away or KEEP!

The winner will have several color selections to choose from!


PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE FOLLOWING WHEN YOU COMMENT...thank you!

I can't wait to see who wins!

For those of you who are wanting a recipe...here you go!



Photo credit: My BFF Kim @ blubelstudio.com



Spring is HERE and that means outdoor party planning, picnics, bridal showers, luncheons and baby showers are being planned.

It is a good idea to have a few go-to recipes that will not disappoint and that are easily prepared in advance. We all know the "day of" is filled with enough last-minute challenges as is.

Although there are quite a few "curry haters" out there, this is a chicken salad even they will love and picky children will not {hopefully!} complain.

Happy Planning!






Baby Shower Curry Chicken Salad
Lisa Pearson


Ingredients:

6 cups cooked chicken, chopped

2 8oz. cans water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1 ¼ cups Best Foods Mayonnaise

1 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. curry or to taste



Directions:

*Mix all ingredients together except water chestnuts.

*May be refrigerated overnight.

*Add water chestnuts before serving.

*Note: If I am boiling chicken breasts, I figure on one chicken breast per cup.

*You may want to add a bit more mayo before serving if needed.

Enjoy!



***************GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED********************GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED************



Shared with: women living well, stuff and nonsense, pink saturday

Friday, December 3, 2010

Neopolitan Pecan Bars




Yesterday was "mommy day". Riss was back for the night on Wednesday night...so we had a festive shrimp fettucini dinner...so fun...well, I woke up to a little bug snuggled up to me yesterday morning=sheer delight! I will never get tired of bringing her Nutella toast in bed! My children still love to eat in bed which is something my Momma did for us! It is fun to think they will be doing the same with their children one of these days. Never underestimate little random acts of kindness! They may become TRADITION!

My son forgot his lunch at home and normally it is "too bad, soo sad"...but he texted me and then called and I thought to myself "how many more times am I going to be able to do this?" So, I ordered his favorite take-out food, picked it up and ran it to him before driving downtown to watch my hubby play in a basketball benefit tournament. EEEEEKKKK! I know sometimes being a Momma can be so demanding, but it feels good to be able to nurture your family...especially when it is easy to put them on the back-burner. So, if you are feeling frazzled...try loving on your family...it is sure to charge your batteries. Even if it is tucking them in at night...you will be sure to feel like you just got a big ole shot of vitamin D!

Riss got Nutella toast, Caleb got Wu's and my hubby got these...according to him, they are "quite possibly the best dessert!" Mr. Pearson says that about everything...but he was pretty convincing!!! "He" wants to make them for all the guys at work...that would mean "me"! Good thing they are easy!

This is a combo of two different recipes...

{In attempt to make it healthier, I had to add something in from Trader Joes!}

Enjoy!

Neopolitan Pecan Bars

1 package plain graham crackers, crushed or Trader Joes waffle cookies, crushed

1/3 cup pecans, chopped {optional}

1/2 cup salted butter, melted

1 large Tablespoon flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups sweetened coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons water

1 tsp. vanilla or ½ tsp. peppermint extract

one drop of red food coloring...this will be pink!

Mix the graham cracker crumbs, pecans, butter, sugar and flour together
and press into the bottom of a greased 8x8 inch pan.

Bake at 275* for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven.

Turn heat up to 300*.

Mix the coconut and sweetened condensed milk and
spread on the baked crust.

Bake for 40 minutes until golden
brown around the edges

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Beat the butter, powdered sugar, water, vanilla {or peppermint} and food coloring
until light and fluffy.

Spread frosting on cooled bars.

Refrigerate until frosting is set.

These can be cut into little squares…because they are very rich.

Embellish with coconut





Shared with: comfy in the kitchen

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream {Christmas Gifts to Give}









I know it isn't even Halloween yet, but some of you want to start thinking about Christmas gifts. If you aren't one of them...you are welcome to visit this post at the beginning of November. How is that?

I am the luckiest ducky in the world because my hubby is one fantastic cook and he teaches me things all of the time. I am his "official taste tester" and he is mine! {Amongst other friends and neighbors}.

Last night, he finally perfected his Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream. TO.DIE.FOR. and the best part about it is that he is sharing it with all of you. Now, we are all lucky little duckies {even though I don't believe in LUCK!}

Thank you, Honey, for workin' on it until you got it "right"! Such the sweetie you are!!!

Here is a fun idea for Christmas gifts or for entertaining during the Holidays. This is great because it can all be made up ahead of time. When dessert time rolls around, all you need to do is to pull out your tray of Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream containers. You may want to make two different sizes. The good news is there is no mess {YAY!} and no clean-up...EVEN BETTER!

Your guests will feel completely pampered and pleasantly full!




Scott's Famous Peppermint Ice Cream

Scott Pearson



INGREDIENTS:

2-1/2 cups milk

2-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2-1/2 cups half & half

1-1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp. TORANI PEPPERMINT SYRUP

5 cups whipping cream

2 cups crushed peppermint candies


DIRECTIONS:

• Heat milk until bubbles form around pan.

• Remove milk from heat

• Add sugar and salt, stir until dissolved.

• Stir in remaining ingredients.

• Place into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions.


This is such a versatile recipe! Eventually you will come up with your own variations.


Packaging Ideas:

As soon as the ice cream is made. Pour into whatever containers you plan on gifting and place in freezer until needed.

I used Garnish products {soup containers and baker's twine}

I placed four embelished containers in a Take-Out drink container {My friends and family collect these for me year-round! THANK YOU!}

I placed ceadar clippings around the containers and attached a sweet little label with the family's initial to a branch. That is it!


What are some ideas you have for Christmas this year?



Shared with: stone gable, comfy in the kitchen

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Pat-A-Cake {Quick D.I.Y. Cake}




No need for spendy cakes. I can't think of much else I would rather do than to widdle the morning away making a birthday cake with a little helper...{BTW, Trader Joes has THE.MOST.ADORABLE packaged cake mix boxes that TASTE amazing and the graphics are to.die.for! I think they could sell it to me with pickled pigs feet and I'd still buy it for the box!!}

Here is what you need:

A sweet.fun.energetic.little helper

A cake mix and a few ingredients

Your favorite frosting

Bake Your Cake.

Let it cool.

Wrap it and freeze it. This makes it sooooo easy to frost!

Unwrap the frozen cake and set 1st layer on a serving plate, waxed paper boars, cake plate...

Frost a bit.

Set 2nd layer on top of frosting.

Get a knife or spoon and pat the frosting on the cake in an upward motion, creating little peakes or waves. This takes no skill whatsoever.

Take two lollipop sticks and stick 'em into the cake. Tie twine, ribbon, string or whatever you have {twisties, dental floss :) on one end. Add paper punches of leaves, different shapes, candy corn, Froot Loops etc. Tie to other pole. That is it. Just think. No lines, no ordering, a fun baking day, memory making, and the satisfaction of having saved a bit of money.

Now, I really want to hear from you? Do you bake from scratch or are you okay with buying a box mix? Be honest!!! :) It took me awhile to not hide the box mix under the organic sugar, butter, milk and oats. BUT it saves so much time!

Happy Thursday!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Peanut Butter and Nutella S'MORES



Here is a really fun gift to put together or to be enjoyed by your own family! Everybody LOVES S'MORES, but unless the Hershey's bars are kept cool...you can have a real mess on your hands.
Have you EVER tried unwrapping melted chocolate with children who have had to be patient all day long for their Fire Pit Treats before bed? I have and let me tell ya...it is NOT what sweet dreams are made of! It's Not really that bad, but here is a great alternative. Take the the top graham cracker and spread peanut butter on it. Then, spread Nutella on the other half. Roast your marshmallow and sandwich the marshmallow between the two. Okay. It is a bit more time consuming and a bit messier, but your children and adults are going to be raving about your S'MORES forever!

No Fire Pit? Backyard Burn Ban? {lucky for our family my hubby, the firefighter, is Mr. Safety Monitor!} NO PROBLEM!

S'MORES on the SILPAT:

Preheat oven to 400. Place Graham Crackers on SILPAT-lined perforated baking sheet. Put marshmallows on top of each Graham Cracker and bake for about 4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with a Graham Cracker that has been spread with NUTELLA.

Your Shopping List:

Any Box or container for packaging
1 brown paper lunch sack for lining the bottom of your container...can be wadded up to help start fire!
1 package CAMPFIRE GIANT ROASTERS MARSHMALLOWS {FAT FREE AND GLUTEN FREE} unless you have nothing else to do and you make your own marshmallows!
1 package TRADER JOE'S Old Fashioned Cinnamon Grahams {Use the original Graham Crackers and regular-sized marshmallows for making your S'MORES in the oven...Trader Joe's brand tends to get a bit soggy.}
kindling wood {this is the perfect thing to have your boys put together...it will take them hours and hours}

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

"His eye is on the Sparrow" baby gift package

 


NEW!!!! Please e-mail for questions and orders.

Also available: "CUTE AS A BUTTON", "LITTLE CUTIE PIE", "LITTLE SWEETIE PIE"
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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Simple Gifts For...This. That. And The Other

 

Please e-mail me for custom orders, color options, gift ideas and prices.
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Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Soda Fountain Gift




How many of you remember the craze of Soda Fountains? Raspberry Flips, Pink Sodas and Patio Punch Soda's were all the rage. Well, here is a fun, frugal way to give an Italian Cream Soda to go as a gift.

This can be given as a shower gift, a graduation gift {teenagers love these!}, a birthday gift, a teachers gift etc.

They are great baby shower gifts as well. It is fun for the Momma-to-be to be able to take something home for the rest of the family or hubby to enjoy as well. You could even include a gift certificate for a pizza to be enjoyed on a day where cooking is not at the top of the "to do" list.

These Italian Cream Soda gifts are very fun to embelish. You can use colors or a theme to customize the gift.

As mentioned before we are talking FRUGAL, so I made mine for under $10.00.
white gift bag: .79 {Party Depot}
2 12x12 sheets of scrapbook paper: $1.00 {Paper Zone}
napkins: $1.00
straws: $1.00 at the Dollar Store {on hand}
cups: $1.00 {the Dollar Store}
Torani Syrup: $3.99 {Cash-n-Carry}
Club Soda: .87 with deposit {Winco}

Ribbon I had on hand.

DIRECTIONS:

Club Soda:
Cut scrapbook paper into 6x6 square.
Remove label from Club Soda.
Glue 6x6 sheet on to Club Soda bottle being sure to cover any leftover residue from original label.

Drink Tags:
Use any size craft punch and punch drink tags out of scrap paper from cutting down your 6x6 sheet of paper.
Punch a small hole with a regular sized hole punch for straw.

Straws:
Place a handful of straws into standard cellophane bag or tie together with ribbon.

Italian Cream Soda Label:
Cut second sheet of 12x12 paper into 8 1/2X11.
Print label with Italian Soda directions.


I put enough for 8 into each package, but always more straws. They are inexpensive and fun to have extras. Can one ever have too many straws?

Suggestions if you are NOT on a budget:

*Add a glass straw dispenser with colorful straws.

*Add cookies or biscotti to carry the Italian theme.

*Add an ISI whipped cream maker...you get the idea!

For Christmas: make it fancy with silver and gold decorations.

For a whimsical Christmas gift, you could include red and white striped straws, napkins and homemade biscotti etc. HAVE FUN!

Enjoy!

Shared with: Skip to my Lou,

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

MOTHER'S DAY GIVEAWAY





I am so excited to share this giveaway with YOU! It is a SWEET PEA baby gift made just for your little sweet pea or to be given away as a gift.

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post!
Giveaway ends on Friday, May 7th at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time.
Winner will be announced on Saturday May 8th.

This gift package includes:

2 plain white burp cloths
1 personalized baby spoon {for ornamental purposes only}-up to seven letters
1 gift tin with 12 personalized bookplates for baby's library
1 handmade felt sweet pea with tag

1 gift box

The winner will have several color selections to choose from! This will be FUN!


GIVEAWAY CLOSED!


Linked to freckled laundry