31 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 10 {Food in a Jar}

Welcome to Day 10! You can find the other 31 Days posts here.

 

A couple years ago I gave Potato Soup in a Jar for some gifts and the recipients loved it!  It was pre-blog so unfortunately I don't have pictures or a source for some of the recipes I saved.  It's a simple, tasty gift and if you make a lot of them it is very affordable and doesn't take too long to assemble.  All you have to do is put the ingredients in a jar and attach a tag with instructions.  I will share some recipes and examples I found on Pinterest.

Potato Soup Mix



1-3/4 cups instant mashed potatoes


1-1/2 cups dry milk


2 Tb. instant chicken bullion
 (or vegetable for vegetarians)

2 tsp. dried minced onion


1 tsp. dried parsley


1/4 tsp. ground white pepper


1/4 tsp. dried thyme


1/8 tsp. turmeric


1-1/2 tsp. seasoning salt



Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Makes 6 servings. Place in 1 quart canning jars. 


Attach these instructions to the jar: 
To serve: place 1/2 cup mix in soup bowl and add 1 cup boiling water. Stir until smooth.

I didn't try the next one but it seemed to be pretty easy (both for you and the recipient).

Layered Three Bean Soup

Layer the ingredients in a two-cup jar, in the order given, lightly packing down each layer with a spoon before adding the next layer.

1/4 cup mixed dried vegetables

1/4 cup split peas

1/3 cup romano beans (or cranberry beans)

1/3 cup white navy beans

1/3 cup pinto beans

1/4 cup pearl barley

3 tablespoons beef bouillon granules

3 tablespoons dried onion flakes

1 tablespoon celery seed

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 bay leaf

If you have any room left in the jar, add a few more beans, peas, or vegetable flakes to fill the jar completely to the top.  


Attach these instructions to your jar:

Empty jar contents into a large soup pot. Cover with 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for two minutes; remove from heat, cover and let soak for one hour.

After soaking time, stir in two more cups of water and bring soup back to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1-½ hours to 2 hours, or until beans are tender. If soup thickens too much during cooking, add more water as required. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving.


Cowgirl Cookies in a Jar 

Image Source: Bakerella

Layer the following ingredients in a jar:

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup & leveled

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup cooking oats

3/4 cup m&ms (red and green would be great for Christmas!)

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Attach these instructions to the jar:

Stir all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add 1 slightly beaten egg, 1/2 cup butter (melted slightly in the microwave) and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Roll cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.  Makes about two dozen.

Brownie Mix in a Jar

Image Source: AllRecipes.com

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/4 cups white sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt in a quart jar. Layer remaining ingredients in the order listed. Press each layer firmly in place before adding the next layer. NOTE: Be sure to wipe out the inside of the jar with a dry paper towel after adding the cocoa powder, so the other layers will show through the glass. 

Attach these instructions to the jar:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan. 

2. Empty jar of brownie mix into a large mixing bowl, and stir to blend. 

3. Mix in 3/4 cup melted butter and 4 eggs. Mix thoroughly. 

4. Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan. 

5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. 

6. Cool completely in pan before cutting into 2 inch squares.

There are a lot of soup/cookie in a jar recipes out there so if you're looking for something specific it probably won't take long to find them on google.