Everyone loves the crispy goodness of Rice Krispie treats. Mold the treats into a basket, add Easter candy and you have created a fun addition to your Easter celebrations!
What do you need?
Fresh batch of Rice Krispie treats
Muffin Tin – you will be using it upside down!
Candy – lots of candy!
After mixing up a batch of Rice Krispie treats, cool slightly then mold the Rice Krispies around the underside of a greased muffin tin. I used a standard size muffin tin and a mini-muffin tin. The mini-muffin tin worked best. The baskets made with the standard muffin tin held up pretty well, but if not eaten quickly enough they will start to sag!
You will need to alternate holes on the muffin tin to have room for the bowls!
Rice Krispie Treat Baskets
After the bowls set up, I removed them from the muffin tin and decorated them with melted chocolate and pastel sprinkles!
If using sprinkles, you will need to gently press the sprinkles into the Rice Krispies in order for them to stick!
Rice Krispie Treat Baskets
I filled my eggs with an assortment of candy and to some of the bowls I added “grass”. The grass I made by slicing the green and blue Dot Candies that I had on hand. Any type of green jelly candy would work wonderfully. Just slice them into thin pieces, clump a few grass blades together and add them to your baskets!
Rice Krispie Treat Baskets
This is an easy treat to send to college students, friends and family for a tasty Easter surprise!
If you want other ideas for a college student or anyone else on your Easter list, check my other posts:
Refillable Felt Easter Eggs! Who wouldn’t like a basket filled with these?
Refillable Felt Easter Eggs
I wanted to try something new this year so I came up with a way to make an egg that could be filled with goodies! The eggs are designed to take the place of Easter baskets for those occasions when Easter baskets for everyone is not practical! Times when grandma invites friends, family and neighbors to Easter or when you wish to send a little something to five college roommates!
These adorable eggs are made out of felt and have a velcro closure so the egg can be filled with Easter grass, candy, money (for the poor college student), gift cards, movie tickets… The sky is the limit!
Creating the eggs involves simply cutting 4 pieces of a single pattern piece (included in the post – of course!); sewing 3 seams; turning it right side out and attaching an adhesive velcro closure! It is that easy, until you get to the hard part – What to fill the eggs with?
What do you need?
Felt
Adhesive Velcro Closures
Filler – Definitely Easter grass and candy! The rest is up to you!
Felt for making Fabric Easter Eggs
Head over to your local fabric store and select a few pieces of your favorite felt colors. Because the pattern piece is 8″ long, a quarter of a yard is a good amount to buy. I purchased a quarter of a yard of the above 4 colors and it cost me $4! Felt is perfect for a project like this! It’s inexpensive, easy to work with and comes in so many wonderful colors!
With my total felt yardage of one yard, I was able to create 18 of these 5″ eggs!
A printable pattern piece can be found here : Egg Pattern
Each egg requires 4 pieces and I cut out two at a time because of the thickness of the felt. Any more than that and I can’t squeeze my scissors!
If you check the pictures you will see that I made some of the eggs a single color and mixed the colors on others! Put them together however you like!
Refillable Felt Easter Eggs
Put two pieces together and pin one of the sides. This is the side you will be sewing first!
Felt Pieces for Fabric Easter Eggs
Sew the two pieces together on the one side. Sew where the dotted line on the pattern piece indicates. I used a 1/4″ seam.
To prevent your seams from unraveling, “knot” the ends of the seam by using the backstitch to overlap a few stitches! Backstitching at the beginning and end of your seam will create a strong seam that will not unravel!
Sew the other two pieces together in the same manner.
Felt Pieces for Fabric Easter Eggs
Open up the pieces you have just sewn and pin them, right sides together. Sew around the outer edge of the egg where the dotted lines on the pattern indicate.
The rounded flaps are not sewn. The flaps will create the closure at the bottom of the egg.
Refillable Felt Easter Eggs
As you can see in the above picture, after you turn your egg right side out there will be 4 rounded flaps. After filling your egg, fold two of the opposite flaps down creating a seal at the bottom of your egg!
Attach the adhesive velcro closures on the last two flaps and seal up your egg!
You are almost done!
To finish your eggs. I created fun Easter tags for you to print for free!
Using embroidery floss and a large needle, I ran a double piece of floss thru the top of my egg and used that to tie on the gift tag!
You can find free printable copies of the Easter Gift Tags here!
Click here for small tags (shown in picture) that print 9 to a page – Easter Tags
Click here for large tags that print 3 to a page – Large Easter Tags
If you want other ideas for a college student or anyone else on your Easter list, check my other posts:
Gather your Peeps because it’s time to make Easter Bouquets!
Adults will love the Peeps Bouquet because it is so darn cute; college students will love it because they love anything from home; kids will love it because they love Easter Candy!
What do you need?
Peeps
A Container Filled with Foam
Bamboo Sticks
Ribbon
Easter Grass
Easter Bouquet
The container I used came from Target. If you look in the “dollar” section of Target, you should find seasonal containers that will work perfectly and will only cost you $1!
Fill your container with floral foam except for the top inch. Leave that for Easter grass and candy filler! I used wrapped chocolate eggs as my filler!
Buy Peeps of any color! Today you can find them in lots of fun colors – pick your favorites!
Skewer the Peeps with your bamboo sticks and arrange them in your foam filled container. I broke off the ends of some of the sticks to get a nice variation in heights! Fill in around the sticks with Easter grass and add additional candy if you like!
Bow for the Easter Bouquet Gift
Attach your bow to a bamboo fork with floral wire! The fork makes it easy to attach your beautiful bow to the Easter Bouquet!
Easter Bouquet
How fun and easy was that?
Easter Bouquet
Need Easter tags for your Easter Bouquet or any Easter gift?
You can find free printable copies of the Easter Gift Tags here!
Click here for small tags that print 9 to a page – Easter Tags
Click here for large tags that print 3 to a page – Large Easter Tags
I love gingerbread and what could be better than starting the day with rich, moist, wonderful pancakes! These Gingerbread pancakes can be prepared gluten-free and are full of molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and the special ingredient – buckwheat! Top them with luscious whipped cream and everyone will be coming back for more of these hearty and delicious pancakes!
I was challenged to make this recipe from my sister who is very good at varying her diet. I tend to get stuck in a rut with cooking so I was up for the challenge.
This recipe includes two ingredients you may not commonly use – Molasses and Buckwheat!
Molasses is an excellent sugar to use when baking and blackstrap molasses is the healthiest because it contains the least amount of sugar and the highest concentration of vitamins and minerals. Who knew sugars could be healthy, but don’t go crazy with it as it is still a sugar!
Buckwheat is gluten-free and is very good for you! I have to admit, until now I have never been a fan of the flavor of buckwheat. In this recipe though, the buckwheat seems to enhance the dark richness of the molasses!
Buckwheat – you have a new fan!
Blend the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just mixed! A few lumps are fine!
Lightly oil a griddle and heat over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto your pan. The pancake will begin to form bubbles. When the bubbles on your pancake begin to pop and the edges look dry, flip the pancake and cook until browned.
Gingerbread Pancake Recipe
My favorite topping for gingerbread is whipped cream, but the pancakes would also be delicious topped with apple sauce!
If you wish to use maple syrup on your gingerbread pancakes, skip the brown sugar in the recipe. I added the brown sugar because I knew I would be topping my fabulous pancakes with whipped cream! Yummy!
Some of the most important people in our lives are the ones that prepare fabulous food for us to eat! Here is a simple DIY for a scrubby kitchen cloth that anyone who washes dishes will love! These cloths are wonderful for scrubbing pots and pans, but the best part is that they are machine washable! So go make a bunch and say Thank You to all the wonderful cooks in your life!
DIY Kitchen Cloth Scrubby
What do you need?
Scouring Pads
Kitchen Cloths
Bias Tape
Making a scrubby kitchen cloth!
The scouring pads are a bit stiff to sew, but if you rinse them out a few times they will soften a little bit!
Sewing the Scrubby
I cut my scouring pads into 2 & 1/2 inch circles and sewed bias tape around the edges. Make sure you use a heavy duty needle and sew slowly!
Sewing the Scrubby
When you get close to overlapping your bias tape, cut the tape so there is one inch of overlap. Fold the end of the bias tape under 1/4″ and pin into place as the picture above shows! Finish sewing!
Last step – Pin your bias tape trimmed scouring pad onto a kitchen cloth. I pinned mine 1.5″ from both edges of one of the corners. Sew the outer edge so the scouring pad is now attached to the kitchen cloth!
Voila – A Scrubby Kitchen Cloth!
Finish off your gift with some fabulous hot pads!
A kitchen gift for your favorite cook!
The hot pads shown here have a neoprene face that provides great grip and insulation. I own a few of these and they are wonderful! My one word of caution is – follow the washing instructions! That sounds easy enough, but how many of us do it?
I threw one of mine in the washing machine & dryer which resulted in a small tear in the neoprene layer. It is now essentially useless! Just follow the instructions – hand wash ONLY and they will be a wonderful addition to anyone’s kitchen!
Have fun making and using your Kitchen Cloth Scrubby!
Now everyone is going to want to do the dishes!
Here is a delicious, elegant and beautiful breakfast to prepare for company or for those you love the most – your family! If you can make scrambled eggs you can prepare these wonderful soufflés!
What do you need?
1/2 small onion – diced
1 small green pepper – diced
1 jalapeno – diced (optional)
9 eggs
4 sliced cooked bacon – crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 sheet of puffed pastry
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a muffin tin by spraying with cooking spray.
Puff Pastry for the Egg Soufflé Crust
On a floured surface, roll out the puffed pastry sheet until it is a 12″ X 16″ rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut the pastry into 12 – 4″ squares.
Puff Pastry for the Egg Soufflé Crust
Line each of the holes of your muffin tin with one of the pastry squares
Dice onions and peppers for the Egg Soufflé Recipe
Sauté the onion, green pepper and optional jalapeno in a small frying pan coated in oil until the onions become translucent. (Coconut oil is my favorite!)
Egg Soufflé
In a medium sized bowl, whisk the eggs and add the sautéd peppers and onions. Season with salt and pepper.
Egg Soufflé Recipe
Using a large spoon, distribute the egg mixture evenly to the pastry lined muffin tin.
Top each of the soufflés with the shredded cheese and bacon.
Egg Soufflé Recipe
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the soufflés have puffed and the pastry is golden brown.
I love popcorn, but popcorn drenched in a peanut butter glaze and drizzled with chocolate creates such a decadent, crunchy snack that you should be prepared to make a second batch! The peanut butter glaze is very simple to prepare and uses just two ingredients. For those who want a healthier option, I have included that as well. Both recipes are delicious!
Because we have a peanut butter allergy in our household, I have used almond butter instead of peanut butter. Luckily, this recipe will work with any kind of nut butter!
What do you need?
12 cups of Popcorn
1/4 cup Peanut Butter or Almond Butter
1/4 cup White Chocolate
4 oz Chocolate ( milk or dark) for drizzling
The makings of a peanut butter glaze!
Into a small microwavable bowl, mix the peanut butter and white chocolate. Microwave 30-60 seconds or until the peanut butter is warm. Remove from the microwave and stir until the white chocolate has melted and the two ingredients are combined.
After spreading out your popcorn in a shallow pan, drizzle with the peanut butter glaze!
You can toss the popcorn gently with a spoon to help distribute the glaze!
Peanut Butter Popcorn!
Melt 4 oz of the chocolate of your choice and drizzle it over the peanut butter glazed popcorn.
Allow the glaze and chocolate to cool and enjoy!
Peanut Butter Popcorn!
Now for the Healthier Peanut Butter Popcorn Recipe!
This healthier recipe is just as tasty as the first, but it does not set up as well. If you are hoping to keep your peanut butter popcorn around for a day or two, I would suggest using the first option. If you are like me and the popcorn disappears in less than 30 minutes, then this is a great option for you!
Place 1/4 cup of peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a small microwaveable bowl. Heat for 30-60 seconds. Remove from the microwave and mix together until the coconut oil has melted and the two are combined. If you would like to sweeten the glaze, add up to 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Drizzle your peanut butter glaze over the popcorn and finish it off with a chocolate drizzle. Allow your popcorn to cool and enjoy!
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, these Mini-Chocolate Cakes filled with Almond Paste are delightful! I prepared them by baking cake batter in a mini-muffin tin along with almond paste and then covering them in a luscious layer of chocolate!
Your Valentines would love to receive these as their Valentine’s Day treat!
Mini-Chocolate Cakes Filled with Almond Paste
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
Dash salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup hot water
8 oz Almond Paste sliced into 1 tsp pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare mini-muffin tins by spraying with cooking spray. This recipe will make 30-36 mini-cakes!
Dry ingredients
Step One – Sift together dry ingredients
Step Two – Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until fluffy.
Step Three – Add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Slowly add the hot water to the batter and beat until mixed well. Add the rest of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until just combined.
Place 1/2 tablespoon or so of batter into each mini-muffin well. The goal is to have enough batter to cover the bottom on the muffin well. Into the batter, press 1 tsp of Almond Paste!
If you have never used Almond Paste before, it is wonderfully tasty stuff! You can find it in the baking aisle of your grocery store. It is sold in tubes and cans and is very easy to work with. For this recipe, slice the almond paste into 1 teaspoon pieces that will fit on top of the batter in the muffin tin!
You will most likely have a little extra Almond Paste left over after preparing this recipe. I recommend eating it quickly before the kids see it! It is that good!
Top the almond paste with 1 tsp of batter. Don’t worry if it doesn’t spread out evenly, it will in the oven!
Bake for 9-12 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Do not over bake!
Mini-Chocolate Cakes filled with Almond Paste!
After the mini-cakes have cooled in the pan for at least 5 minutes, carefully remove and allow to cool upside down!
Mini-Chocolate Cakes filled with Almond Paste!
After the mini-cakes have completely cooled. Drench in your favorite dipping chocolate!
Mini-Chocolate Cakes filled with Almond Paste!
Allow to cool & enjoy!
Here is a printable recipe!
[gmc_recipe 2158]
Mini-Chocolate Cakes filled with Almond Paste!I linked up to iheartnaptime!
Need a simple, yet personal gift for the New Year! Well, I have one for you! Gather your candles to create our New Year’s Wish Candle!
Recently, my daughter and I were visiting friends and we wanted to present them with a gift for the new year! We decided on labeling a candle with a wish for each member of the family with the idea that burning the candle then makes the wishes come true!
The wishes for this favorite family ranged from good luck on a college search to may you have many wonderful bottles of wine. Yes – those wishes were for different members of the family!
What do you need?
Candles
Paint Marker
Tape – to keep things straight!
Any candle will work for this project!
If you need a guide to keep things straight, apply tape before writing on the candles! Electrical tape works well because it is narrow and can be stretched! Also, it is sticky, but not too sticky.
I purchased a metallic Sharpie brand paint pen. The Oil formula worked very well on the candles. Occasionally, I found it necessary to write on plain paper to remove any wax that accumulated on the tip of the marker!
Here is the candle we made for our friends with their personalized wishes. The candle was originally in a jar, but it was easily removed by freezing the candle. As the candle freezes, it shrinks and will simply pop out of its jar. After we had written on the candle, we returned it to its jar, wrapped it in beautiful tissue paper and we had a wonderful New Year’s gift!
If you enjoy a wonderful glass of wine then you are probably like me and delight in giving your favorite bottles as gifts! Since we all like our gifts to be beautifully wrapped, what better way to present a bottle of wine than to wrap it in a lovely wine bag! This post also includes free printable wine gift tags!
Wine bottle gift bags are incredibly easy to make and for those of you who claim to be “non-sewers” this is the perfect project for you to begin your sewing adventure!
What do you need!
1 yard of a medium weight woven fabric – Decorator fabrics are my fabric of choice!
One yard will make 5 wine bags!
Courage! Yes – You can do this!
Here is a how-to video for making wine bags! This is the easiest way to learn how to create this fun and easy project!
Step One – Lay out your 1 yard of fabric and cut 8.5″ strips lengthwise. If your fabric is at least 44″ wide, you will be able to cut 5 strips of fabric that are 8.5″ wide and 36″ long from one yard of fabric.
Step Two – Taking one of your strips of fabric, fold it in half with the right sides together.
In sewing terms : Right side = printed side.
Pin along the long edges and mark the bottom fold with a pin.
Now we are going to create a pleat at the bottom fold to create a nice “boxed” bottom to our bag.
Step Three – Using your bottom fold pin as a marker, measure 1.5″ and create a new bottom fold. Remove the pin that originally marked the bottom and replace it in the same spot catching both layers of fabric. Do this on both sides of the bottom fold.
Now you will notice extra fabric on your top layer, just flatten this out and you will see how easily the pleat is formed at the bottom fold. Remove the bottom fold pin again and re-pin it so it now goes through all 4 layers of fabric.
On the other side, do the same thing – Remove the bottom fold pin and re-pin it so it goes through all 4 layers of fabric.
Step Four – You are now ready to sew your bag! Stitch 5/8″ seam on each of the long ends making sure to use a few back stitches at the start and end of your seams so your stitching will not unravel. At the top opening, finish the fabric edge with a zig-zag stitch to prevent it from fraying.
I am fortunate enough to have a serger therefore, I used that to sew my seams and finish the top edge of my bag. This is not necessary!
Time to create a hem at the bag opening.
Step Five – Fold the top opening of your bag over 2.5″ and pin it in place. Stitch the fold in place using a straight stitch 3/8″ from the edge.
Turn your bag right side out and Voila! – A Beautiful Wine Bag!
I do iron the bottom box pleat on the bags. It is not necessary, but it does finish it off nicely!
Now go take an adventure to your local fabric store and find a beautiful fabric to create these wonderful bags! Don’t forget the ribbon to tie your bag with!
A ribbon with a bow will require 42″ of ribbon and a ribbon with just a knot needs only 24″.
For additional fun, include an adorable wine tag with your gift – they are free!
Click here to print – Wine Tags!
