Thanksgiving

White Chocolate Ginger Scone Mix In A Jar

42 · Nov 6, 2018 · 6 Comments

This post is brought to you by Ball® Fresh Preserving Products by Newell Brands

When it comes to Holiday gifting, I wholeheartedly believe the best friend, neighbor, co-worker, and teacher gifts come wrapped in a jar. Don’t you? Scrumptious jellies, jams, preserved fruit, and veggies. Not to mention; candies, cookies, fudge, cupcakes, rolls… I could go on and on. I LOVE what you can do with a simple Ball® Mason Jar. This year, I’m working on all kinds of fun gifts for the Holidays that will look spectacular gifted inside of a jar. One of my favorites is the White Chocolate Ginger Scone Mix in a jar. It’s really easy to put together a whole bunch of these gifts and really not expensive at all. It’s always a bonus to save a little money during the holidays.

To put these together you will need to gather a few ingredients, grab some classic BALL® WIDE MOUTH QUART JARS and in no time you’ll have a bunch of scrumptious gifts to share with your friends and neighbors. Here’s what you need…

White Chocolate Ginger Scones Mix Supplies

BALL® HOME CANNING FUNNEL

2 tsp Ginger, ground
3 3/4 cups All-purpose flour
2 Tbsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/2 cup Brown sugar, packed
1 tsp Cinnamon, ground
1/4 tsp Cloves, ground
1/4 tsp Nutmeg, ground
1/2 tsp Salt

1 cup White Chocolate Chips

3 – Quart size wide-mouth Ball® Jars

Printed copies of the baking instructions and labels on card stock paper

Ribbon

Greenery

Instructions

Now, this project makes 3-quart jars, however, feel free to double, triple… quadruple the recipe to make however many you need.

One tool I find invaluable when creating gifts like this is my handy funnel. I love this thing! It’s specially designed for wide mouth mason jars and it helps so much with keeping the mess down, not to mention wasted ingredients.

I like to line up my jars like an assembly line and then layer each ingredient.

I start with the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In a small bowl, I combine those three ingredients and then evenly distribute them into the 3 jars.

Next, I add the brown sugar, then the spices & salt.

Then, top it all off with the white chocolate chips.

Now is the extra fun part, decorating the jar. I have two options for you here. If you are a Cricut owner and would like to use my Cricut cut files for the jars, you can access those HERE.

The graphics for these labels will be different than the printable labels, however, they are both just as classy.

If you would like to print your labels, HERE is the link to be able to download this printable label, jar topper & mixing directions.

Now, all you have to do is add your jar toppers to the lid and tie your label on with ribbon along with a sprig of greenery.

Snowflake Lantern Holiday Gift Idea

768 · Oct 17, 2018 · 7 Comments

I’m not sure if there is anything more glorious than the thought of the first snow each year. I don’t care if you love or hate snow, the first snowfall of the year is always a fun event.

The autumn is full of fun treats like all things pumpkin, apple preserves, hayrides through the pumpkin patch and so much more.

Towards the end of the autumn festivities there arrives a great anticipation in the air… when will it snow? I feel like no matter what part of the country you live in, snowflakes are truly magical. I’m thrilled that this season’s Ball® Keepsake Collectible Holiday Jar is an ode to the stunning snowflake!

I decided that a fun way to use this fun collectible jar is to make snowflake lanterns that are perfect for dressing up your home for the winter season or, as a fabulous holiday gift.

I can just imagine an army of these snowflake lanterns lining the walkway up to your home this winter season, warmly inviting your friends into your holiday gathering.

Won’t that be pretty? Let me teach you how to make them.

Snowflake Lantern Supplies

This project is pretty simple and doesn’t really require much in the way of supplies. Here is what you’ll need.

There are three different options for the Ball Mason jars. You can get a 4 pack of Keepsake Ball Mason jars, an 8 pack of regular Ball Mason jars, or a 24 pack of Snowflake Holiday jars. Now that I’ve redone this project a few times, I recommend the Snowflake Jars.

You can make these every Christmas! The snowflake jars add a really nice touch.

Ball® Snowflake Holiday Jars (24 Pack) This is the best option!
Regular jars in a set of 8
Regular jars set of 4
decoupage glue & Foam Brush Kit
Epsom salt – 1/2 cup for every 4 pack of jars
2 1/2 inch circle vinyl sticker (optional)
decorative sand filler (optional)
small candles
3/8” black ribbon
greenery with small berries
hot glue gun with sticks

Snowflake Lantern Instructions

This first part of the project will be super fun to do with your older kiddos. Grab your Ball® Keepsake Collectible Holiday Jars, decoupage glue, foam brush, stickers (if you are using them) and Epsom salt.

You’ll want to protect your work surface and have some type of container big enough to fit the jar into along with a large spoon at the ready.

Fill your container with the Epsom salt half way.

Place your sticker over the snowflake to protect that area from the decoupage glue and Epsom salt.

If you don’t want to bother with the sticker, that’s totally fine. I made mine using my Cricut Maker or you can order them online. I prefer the sticker method because it creates a nice crisp line for the circle window of the lantern.

You are more than welcome to freehand a circle around the snowflake with your foam brush. Just know that your lines won’t be as perfect.

Cover your jar from below the rim down with the decoupage glue. Do not place glue on the bottom of the jar or on the jar threads.

Using your large spoon, carefully cover the jar with the Epsom Salt. Make sure not to touch the surface of the jar with the glue on it. It will make for uneven coverage of “snow” on the jar. I also found that rolling the jar in the Epsom salt really didn’t give the desired effect as well. You really want to pour the “snow” over the decoupaged jar to create the nice snowy effect.

Let your jars dry, undisturbed overnight.

This is a great project to make an assembly line. Grab a friend or your older kiddos and go to town and make a bunch of these fun gifts for friends, neighbors, teachers, bosses… I could go on and on. I LOVE that it could be a great holiday gift that doesn’t involve sugar!

The following day, carefully remove your vinyl sticker. You may want to use a toothpick or tweezers to help get the sticker removal started.

Also, you may want to wear eye protection, the Epsom salt tends to fly in this stage of the process. I managed to have a little piece fly into my mouth and it was NOT tasty. So…eye protection and keep your mouth closed.

Now you’re ready to decorate your jar. Fire-up your hot glue gun and prep your ribbon and winter greenery. I found my greenery at Michaels. It was a little wreath that I disassembled, and it worked perfectly.

I hot glued the greenery just above the lip of the jar that leads into the jar threads. I found that a little hot glue dot helped to secure the bottom section of the greenery to the jar creating it a nice frame around one side of the snowflake window.

Next, I tied the ribbon around the top of the jar, covering the hot glued section of the greenery, and tying a little knot. After that, I snipped off the ends using the inverted point technique.

Then, fill the bottom of the jar with a 1/4 cup of either Epsom salt or decorative sand.

I found the Ball® preserving funnel came in handy here.

After I placed the little candle into the jar, I lit-her-up!

These snowflake lanterns made from the Ball® Keepsake Collectible Holiday Jars look snowy and beautiful. All ready to usher in those Hygge winter nights!

5 GREAT Thanksgiving Recipes

9 · Nov 21, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Are you gearing up for Thanksgiving? We sure are at our house. Everyone has placed their orders for their favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Most of the shopping has been done and we’re gearing up for a scrumptious day.

Last week, I had a fabulous opportunity to travel out to Denver for a fun early Thanksgiving with some blog friends at WhiteWave Foods. You may not be familiar with WhiteWave Foods, but I’m sure you are familiar with some of their brands. One of my favorites is International Delight! They also have other great brands like Silk, Horizon Organic, Earthbound Farms and many more.

Now, I’ve been an International Delight Ambassador for several months now and they invited me to help cook for their WhiteWave Foods Thanksgiving. Of course I said yes, and set to work to create a fun dessert using International Delight for the feast.

But before we get to dessert, here are some of the other Thanksgiving recipes that my co-chefs brought to the feast.

Lisa from Wine & Glue brought a tasty Bacon Jalapeño Creamed Corn that was scrumptious! This recipe is great for Thanksgiving and any time of the year really. It’s lovely with the Horizon Organic Milk & Cream.

Lisa from Veggies don’t Bite made a Thanksgiving recipe that absolutely blew my mind! I came home raving about it. VEGAN SCALLOPED CAULIFLOWER is my new favorite Thanksgiving dish. This creamy veggie dish doesn’t have a lick of dairy in it and you would NEVER know. You’ll have to check out the recipe to see what magic she created using all plant based ingredients like Silk Cashew Milk. AAAAmazing!

Next, we had a lovely Roasted Acorn Squash Rings from Nosh & Nourish. Again, another totally plant based dish that was out of this world using some great organic ingredients from Earth Bound Farms.

Now, onto the sweets! Kat from Mama’s Losin’ It made lovely Pumpkin Bars that were a scrumptious alternative to Pumpkin Pie!

Last but not least, was my recipe. A mini version of my No-bake Pumpkin Cheesecake using International Delight Simply Pure Vanilla Creamer.

You can grab the recipe and watch the video on how to make this simple & scrumptious treat HERE. All I did to make it mini was to make it in disposable baking cups that are a bit larger than your standard cupcake cup and super sturdy.

All-in-all it was a fabulous WhiteWave Thanksgiving Feast! I LOVED trying all of the new recipes and can’t wait to make them for my own Thanksgiving and throughout the year!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of WhiteWave Foods. The opinions and text are all mine.

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

11 · Oct 20, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Love it or hate it, pumpkin is the flavor of Fall and no-bake pumpkin cheesecake is the way to enjoy the season. Give your oven a break and make cheesecake!

The minute the air has a slight chill it time to whip out the boots, scarves and all things pumpkin spice. From lattes to muffins pumpkin has become the official flavor of Fall. Our family is rather ambivalent on the subject. We don’t run out mid August and start stalking the Starbucks guy asking when the PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) release date will be, but we do enjoy a good pumpkin muffin or dessert. We especially LOVE pumpkin pie around Thanksgiving.

I have been hosting our family’s Thanksgiving for several years now and yes, we love pumpkin pie but… I don’t love the pies taking up precious oven space on that all important day. I wanted to come up with something just as tasty, but easier to make. Preferably, I would rather not have to bake it at all! That’s when I came up with this SCRUMPTIOUS no-bake pumpkin cheesecake using my favorite International Delight Simply Pure Vanilla Creamer as a base for the cheesecake.

If you haven’t tried it yet, Simply Pure is just that… Simply milk, cream & sugar. Here are the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS: SKIM MILK, CANE SUGAR, CREAM, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: NATURAL FLAVOR, GUAR GUM.

What’s Guar Gum you ask? Well, it’s a natural food additive produced from the Guar Beans that helps to make Simply Pure nice and creamy. It stabilizes the other ingredients, acts as a thickening agent and doesn’t allow ice crystals to form. You eat it every time you eat ice cream too.

I chose Simply Pure Vanilla for the no-bake cheese cake but, if you’re head-over-heels for all things pumpkin and want to amp up the pumpkin game, you can always use International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer. International Delight has all kinds of fun ideas that you can use their tasty creamers with. You know… Creamer isn’t just for coffee! Follow them on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest to find all kinds of fun recipes.

This no-bake cheese cake is so easy to whip-up that you might even find yourself whipping it up for an everyday treat, not just a holiday one. I put together a quick video to show how easy it is to make this tasty dessert.

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

Save Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

4 hours

Total time

4 hours 20 mins

This new take on pumpkin pie will win the day and save the oven! You might even find that you make it for a special treat anytime, not just the holidays.

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

50 ginger snap cookies
5 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups Simply Pure Vanilla Creamer
2 packets unflavored gelatin
2 - 8 oz. packages room temperature cream cheese
15 oz. can pumpkin puree
3-4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch of salt
Whipped cream

Instructions

Place 40 ginger snap cookies into a large Ziplock bag or the food processor. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, crush the cookies into a sand like consistency. If using a food processor, pulse a few times to get the consistency of sand.
Place crushed cookies into a large bowl and combine with melted butter. If using the food processor, add the butter and pulse to combine the butter.
Spray a spring form pan with cooking spray and pour the cookie mixture into the pan. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, pack the cookie mixture into a nice layer of crust. Set the crust aside.
In a small bowl, pour ½ a cup of Simply Pure Vanilla Creamer and whisk in the gelatin packets. Set aside and allow the gelatin to bloom.
In a medium sauce pan, pour the remainder of the Simply Pure Vanilla Creamer and place over medium heat. Add the room temperature cream cheese and gently stir to combine the two ingredients.
Once the cream cheese has melted into the creamer add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, sugar vanilla and salt. Whisk together and let come just to a light boil and then remove from the heat. Make sure to continue to stir occasionally.
Remove from heat and taste the mixture to make sure you have the right flavors. If you prefer your cheesecake a little sweeter, add more sugar. If you like it with a little more spice, add more pumpkin pie spice.
Pour the cheescake mixture into the spring form pan and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
When ready to serve, make up some more cookie crumbs with the ginger snap cookies reserving 6-8 for garnish. Sprinkle the crumbs onto of the no-bake cheesecake and then decorate with whipped cream clouds topped with cookies.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

Thanksgiving

Snowflake Lantern Supplies

Snowflake Lantern Instructions

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

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