feelin crafty

This year, in an attempt to be crafty while saving a few dollars, I decided to make a few gifts for my sisters. We're not supposed to be exchanging gifts, since we are doing a secret santa gift exchange, so technically I'll say these are from "Lilyan." Hopefully they won't read this until after Christmas, otherwise the surprise is ruined! Oh well, I just had to share the great ideas I came across for my gifts:

Bandana Aprons - found from the DIY section of Ashley Ann's blog. (Not only is she creative, but she shares the same first and middle name as me...one of many reasons why I love her site)

These were so simple, it makes me wonder why I haven't thought of this before? Oh, that's right, because I am not creative in the slightest....although I do aspire to be! Anyways, all you need is some Heat n' Hold tape, Fray Check, ribbon, and a bandana. Follow the instructions from the link above and voila! An instant apron that is basic, chic, and costs about $5 to make.

Recipe in a Jar - found from the Dec 2009 issue of Food Network magazine.

Now this idea, although simple in thought, is not so simple when trying to find specific ingredients. Did you know yellow lentils are NOT the same as yellow split peas? Or that blue cornmeal is IMPOSSIBLE to find anywhere? After numerous trips to numerous grocery stores (Whole Foods, Wegmans, Giant, Safeway & Bloom) I finally found yellow lentils (Toor Dal) at Grand Mart. I have yet to find blue cornmeal, so I finally settled with yellow cornmeal. Once I got all, or most, of the ingredients I needed, I assembled 3 Recipes in a Jar by layering the main ingredients and attaching a recipe card to each.

Blue Cornbread with Pineapple

• 4 chopped dried pineapple rings (found at Whole Foods)
• 1 c. dried blueberries (found at Wegmans)
• 1/2 c. fine yellow cornmeal
• 1 c. blue cornmeal (I substituted with additional yellow cornmeal)
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour + 2 tsp. baking powder + 1/2 tsp. baking soda + 1 tsp. salt

Recipe card:

• Butter an 8- or 9-inch sq baking dish and line with parchment paper. Stir the Blue Cornbread with Pineapple mix, 1 c. buttermilk, 2 eggs and 4 Tbs melted butter in a large bowl until just combined. Pour into prepared dish and bake at 425 until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 25 mins. Cool, then slice into squares.

Curried Lentil Soup

• 2 bay leaves
• 1 dried chile pepper
• 2 tsp. tumeric + 1 1/2 tsp. curry powder sealed in a plastic bag
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
• 1 c. red lentils
• 1 c. yellow lentils

Recipe card:

• Heat 3 Tbs. butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 4 smashed garlic cloves and 1 diced red onion; saute 6 mins. Add the contents of the spice bag, the bay leaves and chile pepper from the Curried Lentil Soup mix and cook about 3 mins. Add the rest of the soup mix and 8 cups of water or chicken broth; simmer until the lentils are soft, about 1 hour. Season with salt.

Super-Chunky Christmas Cookies

• 1 c. toasted shredded coconut (I used shredded coconut and toasted it in a pan on low heat)
• 1 c. semisweet chocolate chunks
• 1/2 c. chopped cashews (I left these out)
• 1 c. white chocolate chips
• 3/4 c. red and green M&M's
• 1/2 c. Dutch-process cocoa powder (found at Wegmans)
• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour + 3/4 tsp. salt

Recipe card:

• Beat 1 1/4 c. sugar and 1 stick butter with a mixer until fluffy. Beat in 1 egg and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Add the Super-Chunky Christmas Cookie mix and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet and back at 350 degrees until set, about 12 mins. Cool on a rack.

This is such a great gift because you can use any recipe that you love. Of course it helps if the recipe is appealing in a jar. Now it's time to test out these recipes on my own. I'd hate to give a gift that disappoints!