Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

Growing up in the Midwest, I've drunk my fair share of hot cocoa. I mean, there's nothing like coming in from a hard day of trudging up a snowy hill (after the fun sliding down part) over and over again, or building a snow fort, or having a snowball fight, to a mug of steaming chocolate. It's a winter time staple!

But the thing is, ours always came from a round, lined cardboard canister of Swiss Miss. Well no, sometimes we had the boxes with individual packets. And I won't lie, I always liked the kind with the crunchy, dehydrated marshmallows. Or, if somebody didn't get to the bag, we'd pile on soft mini marshmallows—and that was good, too.

Create a Family Cookbook: Recipes, History and Tradition

A couple of months ago, I mentioned my partnership with Land O’Lakes, whose tagline is ADD A LITTLE GOOD™, which started me thinking about ways that I could bring good to others as an individual. There are all sorts of ways to bring good to others, from something as large-scale as volunteering in the community to something as simple as holding an elevator door for someone.

I decided that moving forward on a project that I've been planning in the back of my mind for years was a great place to start. I've been wanting to create a family cookbook. But when I say cookbook, I mean more than just a recipe collection. I mean a book that holds memories, photographs, history, tradition...and maybe even a few secrets. But also, recipes.

Stencil Printed Tea Towels and Crates for Culinary Gift Giving - a guest post by Margaret Peot, author of Stencil Craft

I'm thrilled to welcome artist, writer, costume painter, and author Margaret Peot to the blog today as a tour stop for her new book, Stencil Craft. Not only has Peot painted costumes at Parsons-Meares, LTD for Broadway projects like Aladdin, The Lion King, Wicked, Turn Off the Dark, Will Rogers Follies, Shrek the Musical, Phantom of the Opera, and Mary Poppins, as well as dance, film circus, arena and ice shows—she also taught costume painting at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts for ten years.

Peot's books include The Successful Artist's Career Guide, Alternative Art Journals, Make Your Mark and the award-winning Inkblot: Drip, Splat and Squish Your Way to Creativity, plus the release of two new publications this year, Crow Makes a Friend and today's feature, Stencil Craft!

Today Margaret is showing us how she makes Stencil Printed Tea Towels and Crates for culinary gift giving, a project that I plan on putting to use many times in the near future. Welcome Margaret!

Flavored Sea Salts {DIY}

I hate to tell you this, but there is just over a month left until Christmas.  The time has come to to make a plan.   Will you brave the Black Friday madness or shop like mad from the comfort of your own home on Cyber Monday?  Maybe you've already been picking up little gifts here and there.  Maybe you're way ahead of me and your shopping is already done.  If so, you have my admiration.  I, however, am still trying to shake off the holiday denial.  Why does it always come so fast!?

Now, as much as I love to shop, I also love making gifts from my kitchen.  Last year it was homemade extracts and all-in-one beer bread kits.  This  year it's homemade liqueurs and do-it-yourself flavored sea salt.  Next year I'm thinking do-it-yourself flavored sugars, lip balms, and sugar scrubs.