Another Gift in a Jar- Hot Chocolate Mix

Hot Chocolate



Keep this mix on hand for a tasty and frugal way to warm up your holiday season.



Hot Chocolate Mix
5½ cups dry milk powder
1 cup plus 2 T. sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

Combine all ingredients. Stir well.
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Makes 7¼ cups.

* I placed mix in a pint canning jar. Put a label on with instructions and tied a bow around the jar.
There you have it.....instant Christmas Gift!




To Make Hot Chocolate
1/3 cup hot chocolate mix
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract



Bring water to a boil. Add mix and blend well. Add vanilla. Serve warm.


Makes 1 serving.
 
 

 
 

Another Soup Mix in a Jar

Beef Barley Soup Mix in a Jar


1 (1 pint) jar
3/4 cup medium pearl barley, separated
1/2 cup dried lentils
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1/4 cup dried minced onions
1/4 cup instant beef bouillon
2 tablespoons dried celery flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic

Layer soup kit ingredients in jar in order listed, using half of barley first and then remaining barley at the top. Close jar securely with lid. Attach cooking instructions.

Beef Barley Soup
1 (2 pound) boneless beef chuck, cut in 1/2-
to 3/4-inch pieces or 2 pound lean hamburger
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Contents of gift jar
10 cups water

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat and brown the meat. Pour off drippings. Add the contents of soup kit jar and water to Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours or until beef is fork tender.

Discard bay leaves.

Yields 8 servings.

Another super easy layered soup mix! I made a few of these today for some Christmas Gifts. These are in a pint jar. I think these would be perfect for the mail man, hair stylist and more!

Soups in a Jar

I did it!

I made the soups in a Jar.

I made a few for gifts and

the rest will go in my food storage.

The soup mixes were easy to put together

and they are pretty to look at too.

I vacuum sealed the lids for longer storage too.

Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Chicken and Brown Rice

Chicken and White Rice

5 Bean Soup Mix

I might make this for Christmas Gifts!

CREAMY WILD RICE AND MUSHROOM SOUP MIX RECIPE


Having this tasty, pre-measured chicken soup mix on hand is a great way to prepare a delicious meal whenever time is short.

DIRECTIONS:
GIFT JAR INSTRUCTIONS:
Layer the ingredients in the order given into a wide mouth one quart canning jar.
Pack each layer in place before adding the next ingredient.
Cover the jar tightly with a canning jar lid.
Attach a gift tag on top of the jar with the cooking directions on it.

MIX INGREDIENTS:
2 packages (2.75 oz. each) country gravy mix
2 tablespoons chicken flavored instant bouillon granules
1 1/2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 tablespoon dried celery flakes
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 cup wild rice
1 1/3 cups white rice or brown rice
1/2 cup wild rice

COOKING INGREDIENTS:
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms
14 cups water

COOKING DIRECTIONS:
Place creamy wild rice and mushroom soup mix into a large soup pot.
Add mushrooms and water.
Heat to boiling then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Stir occasionally.

Cinnamon-Applesauce Ornaments

I saw this recipe for Cinnamon- Applesauce ornaments and it brought back memories of my youth. I remember making these in Girl Scouts!!

Cinnamon-Applesauce Ornaments

Just mix 1/2 cup cinnamon with 1 cup of applesauce to make the dough.

Place it between two pieces of waxed paper and roll with your rolling pin to about 1/8" thickness.

Peel off the top piece of wax paper and cut out shapes with cookie cutters.

Add a small hole at the top of each shape with a straw or skewer and let them dry overnight, or until completely hard.

You can also put them in a 150-degree oven for about an hour.

Remove, cool and thread a ribbon through the small hole to hang.

Creative tips:
*For extra "sparkle," mix in decorative glitter.

*Make your own shapes by trimming the dough with a table knife following around patterns you've cut from cereal box cardboard.

*After cutting out shapes, use a drinking straw to create holes for jewelry or ornaments.

*Use toothpicks to make smaller holes for threading. Leave in dough until dry and remove.

*For a wall hanging, thread a colored ribbon through the shape.

*For a brooch, decorate with fabric paint and glue a metal clasp pin to the back (available at craft stores).

*Decorate creations with acrylic paint or fabric.

*The creations can be used as decorations on a gift box or bag.

Merry Christmas from The Barber Bunch

Homemade Holiday Gift Idea

www.realsimple.com

Coconut-Pecan Muffin Mix

Makes: 1 gift (4½ cups in all) Total time: 5 minutes

What You Need
1½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 7-ounce package sweetened shredded coconut (2 2/3 cups)
¾ cup pecans (chopped)

What to Do
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugars, and salt. Mix in the coconut and pecans. Keep at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Handwrite or download the following instructions on a gift tag or label to include with your gift: “Heat oven to 350º F. In a large bowl, whisk together 3 large eggs and ¾ cup canola oil. Add the muffin mix and stir just until combined. Divide among the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin lined with paper liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.”

How to Package Your Gift
Transfer the mix to a resealable paper bag.
Wrap with ribbon and affix with a label and a gift tag with the baking instructions.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from The Barber Bunch

St. Anne's Hill Tour

"A Dickens of a Christmas in St. Anne’s Hill”

Feature Tours of Historic Dayton Homes

Dayton, Ohio – One of the most popular events of the holiday season, “A Dickens of a Christmas in St. Anne’s Hill” holiday historic home tour,will make its biennial return December 11, 12, and 13, 2009 with guided tours of some of Dayton’s most beautiful historic homes. The tours are led by guides costumed in period dress and feature live entertainment followed by a visit to the beautiful homes in the historic St. Anne’s Hill neighborhood, each decorated for the season.

The tours will conclude with a delicious old-fashioned dessert and a visit to the gift shop.Tours begin every half hour, starting from 4:30-8:00 p.m. on
Friday,December 11th; 1:30-8:00 p.m. on
Saturday, December 12th; and 1:30-6:00p.m. on Sunday, December 13th.
Tours last approximately two to three hours, including entertainment, home tours, and dessert.

Tickets this year are $18 each, and may now be ordered online at http://www.stanneshill.org/.

Due to the popularity of the event, the schedule of tours sells out quickly and advance tickets are required.The 2009 tour will begin at the High Street Gallery, located at 48 High Street. The tour will conclude with a tour of the popular Bossler Mansion, a landmark structure built in 1869. This magnificent home is considered Dayton’s best example of Second Empire architecture. Guests can snack on a classic dessert, browse Victoria’s Parlor Gift Shoppe, walk by the newly renovated Stivers School for the Arts, and enjoy a view of Downtown Dayton.


About St. Anne's Hill
“A Dickens of a Christmas In St. Anne’s Hill” is the Miami Valley’s oldest continuously running historic home tour, having debuted in 1983. Proceeds from the tour will benefit the St. Anne’s Hill Neighborhood Association,and are used to maintain the neighborhood’s historic character.
The St. Anne's Hill Historic Society is celebrating their 35th Anniversary, commemorating the evolution of the neighborhood since it became a registered historic district in 1974. The St. Anne's Hill Historic District neighborhood relies on the efforts of the volunteers in St. Anne's Hill Historic Society, its residents and the community to insure its continued success and growth.The neighborhood of St. Anne's Hill is a historic community within the City of Dayton, located one mile east of the downtown area just beyond the Oregon District. The area was part of the original out-lots of the City of Dayton, which were plotted in 1815 by Daniel C. Cooper, an early settler of the City. Although not settled for several decades, by the1830's the first documented use of the name "St. Anne's Hill" for the area is found in newspaper advertisements promoting the sale of nursery stock from a greenhouse in the area.

Please help us spread the word!
http://www.stanneshill.org/

My Family Christmas

Matt's Family Christmas

Matt's Family on Christmas Day

Merry Christmas

from

The Barber Bunch

We here at the Barber Bunch are wishing you the merriest Christmas and a blessed New Year!

12 Things of Christmas

Twelve Things of Christmas

1. Real tree or artificial? Artificial

2. When do you put up the tree? Weekend after Thanksgiving

3. When do you take down the tree? First weekend after the new year

4. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Mostly gift bags but if it won’t fit in a bag, Wrapping Paper. My family circulates gift bags. There are some that we have been using for years

5. When do you start Christmas shopping? January of the New Year. It is easier to budget that way

6. Who is the hardest person to buy for? My Dad

7. Easiest person to buy for? My Mom

8. Angel on top of the tree, or star? A Santa

9. What is the worst Christmas gift you ever got? A Calendar and a bag of M&M's from my Ex Husband.

10. What is the best gift you received as a child? I remember one Christmas where I wanted some boots and I got them. I was so excited

11. What is your favorite food to eat at Christmas time? Cookies, Cakes and Sweets!!

12. What do you want for Christmas this year? I want to spend time with friends and family.

Wanna play along?? Copy this and put your answers in your blog or answer in the comment section

Merry Christmas!