Food Gift Recipes
Homemade Dog Treats
Homemade Dog Treats are easy to make and will delight your furry friends－with ingredients you approve of! Many years ago, when my then-two-year-old son was recovering from a tonsillectomy, our dog Angus got sick. Really sick. I vividly remember walking my older son to the bus stop one cold winter morning. My husband had just left…
Easy Hand & Body Sugar Scrub
This customizable, boutique-worthy scrub is effective, economical, and smells good enough to eat. It also makes a thoughtful gift that can be made in minutes! Dry, cracked, or otherwise flaky skin isn’t the most exciting topic of conversation, although I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who deals with it. But guess what?…
Birdseed Ornaments
It’s hard to come up with the perfect gift for parents, teachers, neighbors, aunt and uncles, and family friends. Birdseed ornaments are fun to make and economical, too — and your feathered friends will thank you! 🐦 At first glance, a recipe featuring birdseed might suggest that I’m dishing up unappetizing diet fare as punishment…
Homemade Cold Remedy
The holidays are full of family, friends, and good cheer. All the fun and festivities, however, seem to go hand-in-hand with a present none of us want—the common cold. There’s no joy to be found in the common cold, and I’ve long been intrigued by any home remedy that claims to alleviate its symptoms. Several…
Morning Glory Baked Oatmeal
The warm, spiced flavors of the classic muffin find their way into a satisfying baked oatmeal for a nourishing, make-ahead way to start your day! In October of 2015, Kim asked via email if I happened to have a recipe for morning glory baked oatmeal. Kim mentioned that her brother had purchased something similar…
Elisabeth’s Granola Bark
Granola bark is a cross between a thin, crunchy granola bar and those big clusters of loose granola that everyone digs for. Lightly sweet, it’s loaded with healthy whole grains and protein-rich nuts and seeds. School is back in session, so the lunch-packing factory is once again open for business. Given the amount of…
John’s Dilly Beans
This is a simple canning process requiring no fancy equipment. You can even use a stockpot instead of a canner. As I unpacked my older son’s duffle bag after his first summer at camp 10 years ago, I found a small glass jar carefully nestled among the dirty socks and damp towels. When I…
Homemade Chai Concentrate (for iced or hot chai lattes)
To all the coffee drinkers out there, stay with me! 😀 When my teenagers took a liking to iced chai lattes from our neighborhood coffee shop a few years ago, I figured it was time to come up with an economical DIY version. While it may require a trip to the market in…
Chocolate Caramel Matzo Brittle
Sweet, salty, and crunchy, this traditional Passover treat will be a crowdpleaser any time of year! Good recipes have roots in the most unexpected places. Standing on the sidelines of a lacrosse game last year, the grandmother of my son’s good buddy and teammate mentioned a seasonal recipe she likes to make for family…
Healthy 5 (or 6) Ingredient Blender Muffins －sweetened with whole fruit
These satisfying muffins are sweetened with whole fruit and offer a convenient grab-and-go breakfast or snack. And as with a good banana bread, the options with this easy recipe are endless! Sugar. It’s a major buzzword these days because so many of us eat too much of it. Generally speaking, I’m a healthy eater, yet…
Crock Pot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup (with freezer bag option)
Crock Pot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup is classic comfort food that’s wholesome and easy to make. Freezer bag option provides added convenience. We all have days that don’t go as planned. Computers crash, kids get sick, or the car doesn’t start, but we still have to eat. An easy recipe is especially welcome…
Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
When it comes to justifying dessert, I’m never at a loss. Ice cream has calcium, right? And cobblers are loaded with wholesome fruit. Holidays provide ample opportunities for rationalizing a cookie here and a piece of pie there…and we only live once! Yet in the big picture, the healthy lifestyle I strive for is a…
