Cookies In A Jar How-To

I love making hand-made gifts, especially at Christmas time.  I just think they're heart-felt, and people seem to really like them.  From a budget perspective, they're usually more cost-effective too.

I also think mason jars are totally adorable.  They are starting get overused, but I still love them.  So, I decided to make our friends Cookies In A Jar.  I used this recipe as a starting off point: somethingturquoise.com.  They turned out really cute, so I thought I'd share them with you!

Here's what you'll need:

(This is for one mason jar.  Multiply by how many of these you're making.)

1 12 oz. mason jar (with lid)

3/4 cup packed flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips (you could use any kind of chocolate candy or nuts you'd like)

Directions:

(Tip: Even though it might be tempting to measure out all the ingredients for all the jars, you should do each jar individually.)

1. Measure out 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt into bowl. Gently mix together.  Pour into bottom of jar.  (Tip: You can make a funnel out of paper to make it easier, and not get on the sides.) Pack down.

2. Measure out the 1/3 cup brown sugar.  Pour into jar, and pack down.

3. Measure out 1/3 sugar.  Pour into jar and pack down.

4. Measure out 1/2 cup chocolate chips.  Pour into jar.

(Tip: you could use red and green M&Ms, or other colored ones, if you're making these for a baby shower, or party.  You could add nuts too.)

(Tip 2: If it doesn't fill the jar to the top, add a little more.)

5. Screw on lid, and voila! :)  

Okay now for the baking instructions.  I made labels, that I cut out, and glued to the top of the lid.  Here's what they said:

Directions:

Empty contents of jar into mixing bowl. Add 4 tbsp of butter (room temperature), 1 egg and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract.  Beat until smooth. Put batter in freezer for 15 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Roll dough into balls (makes 10 cookies), and place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Now for decorating.  You could cut out a piece of fabric, put it on the top, and wrap baker's twine around it.  Or, you could do what I did:

I made little labels out of Crayola air dry clay.  Once they dried, I stamped the word "joy" on it, and wrote our friends' name on the back with a Sharpie.

Get A Sister, Throw A Party!

Oh, happy, happy day!!!

My brother did the best thing he could ever do - he gave me a sister!

In August, we all went up to beautiful New Hampshire, for the fabulous event.  Of course, my mom and I, jumping on a chance to let our creative juices flow, decided that the Rehearsal Dinner was going to be as beautiful and special as they are.

The wedding color was guava, which is this amazing shade of corally pink.  My latest color obsession is aqua, and the two just happened to go so perfectly together, that we couldn't resist.

To make matters even more splendid, Target's summer picnic line was just these colors.  Let the planning commence!

We got:

- Blue Ball mason jars (9) for vases

- Ball mason jars (40-ish) for glasses
- Target's summer serve wear (bowls, platters, etc.)

- Aqua/pink/ivory candles

- Short vases

- Pink striped paper straws

- Aqua striped paper straws

- Ivory napkins

- Raffia

- Mini chalk boards

- Mason jar shaped drink dispenser

- Silver plastic silverware (we were staying in a rental house, and didn't know what they had)

- Pink/aqua/silver/ivory balloons

- My grandmother's doilies, hankies and lace tablecloths
- Flowers (baby's breath, cherry blossom branches, hydrangeas, roses)
- Brown paper labels
- Letter stamps, aqua and coral ink pad
- One really cool surprise...

The lady whose house we ended up staying at actually used to be an food editor for Woman's Day magazine, so you can imagine how AWESOME her house was!  So, there really wasn't much we needed to do to make it look pretty.  Or shabby chic.

Nonetheless, here is what we ended up with: 

The surprise!!!

See those cute pink ice cubes floating around in the lemonade?

Well, they are strawberry ice cubes.

Do the look too yummy not to try for yourself?

Here's what you're going to want to do:

Get...:

- Ice trays 

- Strawberries

- Lemonade

- Mint

- Blender

Do...:

- Blend together the strawberries, mint and a little bit of lemonade, freeze, and serve.  It's super easy, looks and tastes yummy, and your guests will think it's the cutest thing ever.  Also, as it melts, it turns your lemonade into strawberry lemonade, not watery lemonade.  

Score!

So, Katie, welcome to the craziest, and most loving family the world have ever known!