Tag Archives: christmas

cookie jar mix

Cookie Jar Mix

Christmas time is the best! We all enjoy this season’s festive decorations, happy moods and the magical time of complete and total mental breakdowns!!!! AHHH! Just kidding.

But part of the wonder of Christmas is seeing your kids experience it all. Santa Claus footprints, the reindeer food and the hopes of snow. Unfortunately, Florida or Texas (where Santa will be visiting us) won’t be having a white Christmas this year and one little 5 year olds dreams will be crushed. Maybe it will be cold at least!

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That being said, Christmas cookies are always a must. I love making cookies with my kids…. (obviously check it out here or here). This year though, I decided to do a cookie jar mix in pint size jars. We gave them to our preschool teachers, neighbors, family and friends. They were super easy to make and both kids loved helping. I just set up an assembly line of ingredients and made sure each one had the right amount. Of course we had to taste test a few recipes to make sure they were going to be ok, haha! But you could just swap out for the basic color m&m’s for any holiday or event, you know, like a Tuesday.

M&M Cookie Jar Mix

Layer in jar:

1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each, baking powder and baking soda
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup M&Ms (red & green for Christmas!)
1/4 mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup light brown sugar (spread with back of teaspoon to press down)
1/4 cup white sugar

*If any room remains at top, add a few more chocolate chips!*

Cookie Jar Mix Cookie Jar Mix

Instructions:

Screw on lids tightly. Add a festive square of fabric and tie with cord or ribbon under lip of jar rim. I printed a card to include the recipe. Here is my directions:

Empty cookie mix jar into a mixing bowl; mix well. Add 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 beaten egg and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Mix until blended. Roll or scoop into 1″balls and place 2″ apart on uncreased cookie sheet. Bake @ 375 until edges are browned, 12-15 min. Cool 5 min and transfer to wire racks to cool. Enjoy! Yields 1 dozen.

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They are incredibly easy to make from the jar. I still love my cookie scoop for these! It’s so much easier than rolling out the cookies and having them be different sizes and getting your hands dirty! No thanks.

I adapted this from Bakerella‘s recipe.

Cookie Jar MixCookie Jar Mix

IMG_3872 Cookie Jar Mix

Cookie Jar Mix
Author: 
Recipe type: baked goodies
 
This mix can be made in a jar to give away or keep for a rainy day. It includes instructions for the cookie jar mix as well that can be printed.
Ingredients
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp each, baking powder and baking soda
  • ¾ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • ¼ cup M&Ms (red & green for Christmas!)
  • ¼ mini chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar (spread with back of teaspoon to press down)
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • *If any room remains at top, add a few more chocolate chips!*
Instructions
  1. Layer above ingredients in a jar. Screw on lids tightly. Add a festive square of fabric and tie with cord or ribbon under lip of jar. I printed a card to include the recipe.
  2. Here are my directions:
  3. Empty cookie mix jar into a mixing bowl; mix well. Add ¼ cup melted butter, 1 beaten egg and ½ tsp vanilla. Mix until blended. Roll or scoop into 1"balls and place 2" apart on uncreased cookie sheet. Bake @ 375 until edges are browned, 12-15 min. Cool 5 min and transfer to wire racks to cool. Enjoy! Yields 1 dozen. Here is my directions:
 

Please let me know what you thought of the Cookie Jar Mix! I would love to hear from you!

Breakfast Strata

End of Christmas Break & Breakfast Strata

I hadn’t really intended on taking a month off of posting but things just kept happening (sound familiar?!) So at the end of the year, I thought, I’ll just start things back up when I can make the time again. Sooo that’s what I’ve done!

We had a fabulous Christmas and New Years. It was just awesome! Since we didn’t go home to Dallas this year, everyone came to us and you might think having houseguests for 2 weeks is tough but I really enjoyed it!

I spent a little time on Christmas Eve morning making this Breakfast Strata. We had a ham for dinner a night or two before and I was hoping to use some of the leftovers for this. It cooked while we opened presents and drank coffee (expect the kids!) and played with all the new present. It worked out perfectly!

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The beauty of this recipe is if you have a specific ingredient you want to use or don’t have you can make the filling different. If you want to use goat cheese, just swap it out. Combonations that also might work: Sausage and mushrooms; spinach and fontina cheese; or roasted red peppers and parmesan. Whatever you would like! My only suggestion would be to keep it under 3 flavorful ingredients.

Breakfast Strata

1 large loaf of French or Italian Bread (the big fluffy kind), sliced 1/2″ thick
1 stick of unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 lb. red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
salt and pepper
3 shallots or 1/2 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBL fresh rosemary, minced
1 lb ham, diced
1 cup dry white wine
12 oz monterey jack cheese, shredded
12 eggs
3 cups half and half
3 TBL minced fresh parsley

Breakfast Strata Breakfast Strata
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread out on 2 baking sheets and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. I switched and turned them halfway through the cooking time.

Breakfast Strata

Let bread cool and spread butter on one side of each slice, using 3-4 TBL of butter.

Breakfast Strata

Meanwhile, boil potatoes in water and 1/2 tsp salt over high heat. Cook until just slightly tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the potatoes.

Breakfast Strata Breakfast Strata

Melt 3 TBL butter in a skillet over medium heat and add potatoes. Cook until beginning to brown about 7 minutes.

Breakfast Strata

Stir in the onion and cook 2 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Breakfast Strata

Transfer to a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add ham and stir together.

Breakfast StrataBreakfast Strata

Add wine to skillet and simmer until very reduced, about 5 minutes, take off of heat to cool.

Breakfast Strata

Butter a 9x13inch pan (I had a slightly larger one)and place half of slices in the bottom in a single layer, with butter side up.

Breakfast Strata Breakfast Strata

Sprinkle half of the ham and potato mixture and 1/3 of cheese over the bread slices. Repeat with remaining bread slices, ham and potatoes and another 1/3 of cheese.

Breakfast Strata Breakfast Strata

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until combined then whisk in reduced wine, half and half, parlsey, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Breakfast Strata Breakfast Strata

Pour egg mixture evenly over all and sprinkle remainder of cheese on top.

Breakfast Strata

Wrap the strata with plastic wrap, very tightly. Weigh the strata down with a few sugar boxes or heavy books. (These beignet mix boxes are the perfect size and pretty heavy.) Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

Breakfast Strata Breakfast Strata

When ready to cook, unwrap the dish and let sit out on counter for 15-20 minutes. Bake uncovered for 1 hour and 20 minutes in 325 degree oven. Strata should puff slightly and pull away from sides. Cool for 5-10 minutes.

Breakfast Strata

Also, this is a great breakfast-for-dinner item as well! Its delicious for either!

End of Christmas Break & Breakfast Strata
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 large loaf of French or Italian Bread (the big fluffy kind), sliced ½" thick
  • 1 stick of unsalted butter, divided
  • 1½ lb. red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 shallots or ½ onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 TBL fresh rosemary, minced
  • 1 lb ham, diced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 12 oz monterey jack cheese, shredded
  • 12 eggs
  • 3 cups half and half
  • 3 TBL minced fresh parsley
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread out on 2 baking sheets and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. I switched and turned them halfway through the cooking time.
  2. Let bread cool and spread butter on one side of each slice, using 3-4 TBL of butter.
  3. Meanwhile, boil potatoes in water and ½ tsp salt over high heat. Cook until just slightly tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the potatoes.
  4. Melt 3 TBL butter in a skillet over medium heat and add potatoes. Cook until beginning to brown about 7 minutes.
  5. Stir in the onion and cook 2 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  6. Transfer to a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add ham and stir together.
  7. Add wine to skillet and simmer until very reduced, about 5 minutes, take off of heat to cool.
  8. Butter a 9x13 inch pan (I had a slightly larger one)and place half of slices in the bottom in a single layer, with butter side up.
  9. Sprinkle half of the ham and potato mixture and ⅓ of cheese over the bread slices. Repeat with remaining bread slices, ham and potatoes and another ⅓ of cheese.
  10. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until combined then whisk in reduced wine, half and half, parsley, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper.
  11. Pour egg mixture evenly over all and sprinkle remainder of cheese on top.
  12. Wrap the strata with plastic wrap, very tightly. Weigh the strata down with a few sugar boxes or heavy books. Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
  13. When ready to cook, unwrap the dish and let sit out on counter for 15-20 minutes. Bake uncovered for 1 hour and 20 minutes in 325 degree oven. Strata should puff slightly and pull away from sides. Cool for 5-10 minutes.
 

Please let me know what you think of the Breakfast Strata (or any other dish!) I would love to know hear your comments!