Father's Day

What do you get for your Dad of the Year?

How about a cake made of ice cold beer...

This was one of the easiest craft gifts ever.  It took 30 beers, 3 cake rounds from Hobby Lobby, some ribbon, Washi tape, bakers twine, and 2 cake pop sticks.  Done and done.  Voila!

Homemade Apple Butter

This year's Christmas craft is apple butter.  I was shocked at how many people didn't know what I was talking about when I told them I was making it.  I grew up on the stuff.  To clear things up if you don't know what it is...
1. No it is not apple flavored butter
2. It's like jam but apple and cinnamon flavored
3. You can use it on toast, for pb&j, on vanilla ice cream, in oatmeal.  The possibilities are endless.

• 12 apples- peeled, cored, and sliced (an apple slicer makes this really easy)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp all spice

Step 1:  Throw everything in the crockpot on low and cook over night.  I let mine go until the apples were really soft and falling apart.  I left it on low all night and most of the next day.  

Step 2:  Crack the lid or remove it and turn crockpot up to high to cook off the water and thicken it up.

Step 3:  Put in blender and blend until smooth.

Christmas Candy

It's that time of year again.  I'm making holiday English Toffee for gifts.  This year I used walnuts instead of almonds because they came already chopped at Target so it saved me a step :)
My recipe is here.

Gift for a new Mommy-To-Be

I just found out that someone very special is joining the club!  I'm so excited to start celebrating her pregnancy. 

I made up a gift bag of hand-me-down and new items for her.  It is filled with things that worked for me (or didn't work for me) that she might want to try.  

What's Inside:
Fit Pregnancy Magazine- to stay fit and healthly for baby
Pregnancy Books- to start reading up on pregnancy
Tums- for possible heartburn
Water- to stay hydrated and not bloated
Cocoa Butter Lotion- to start fighting the battle against stretchmarks
Massage Gift Certificate- to relieve stress now or to relieve sore feet and back later
Belly Band- for her expanding waistline

Could also include:
Maternity store Gift Card
Hand-Me-Down maternity clothes
Items to relieve morning sickness
Anything you found helpful during pregnancy or have leftover that she might find helpful

Vanilla Extract

I love handmade gifts.  I think they are so much more special than something purchased at Target (not that I don't love Target).  This year I made homemade pure vanilla extract.  The most important part is the beans.  I got the beans on Amazon and opted for the Madagascar Bourbon variety.  There are tons of different types of vanilla but these were the most recommended online.  Good quality is very important and they can be expensive so shop around.

I got the jars at Save-On-Crafts.  The recipe is 3 vanilla beans (split down the middle but leave attached at one end) for every 8oz of vodka.  So just stick the beans in the jar with the vodka and keep in a cool dark place, like your pantry, for 2-3 months.  

I did these for Christmas this year but I made a few extra to keep around for hostess or housewarming gifts. It seems like I have been needing a lot of those lately.

English Toffee

• 1c white sugar
• 1/2 lb. butter (2 cubes)
• 1 tsp. water
• 1c chopped nuts (I usually use almonds)
• 1 bag of chocolate chips
• Candy thermometer

Toast almonds in a fry pan and set aside.  Cover a cookie sheet with foil.  In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the butter, sugar, and water.  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until temperature reaches 330.  It will seem like it takes forever and then happen really fast at the end and can burn easily so don't take your eyes off of it for a minute.

When it is exactly the right temp and color, pour onto the foil covered cookie sheet.  Then sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and wait for them to melt.  It will take about a minute and you can tell they are melted when they look shiny.  Then spread them out with a knife and sprinkle the toasted nuts on top.  Wait for it to cool and break into bite size pieces.  

Engagement Gift

I'm having lunch with the bride-to-be today and I wanted to get her a little something to help her celebrate her engagement and get her on her way into the crazy world of wedding planning.

I wrapped some wedding magazines around a bottle of champagne and tied it up with a matching ribbon and made a cute sparkly tag to hang on the bottle.