Posted in DIY, dressing, Mason jars

Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Grapefruit Vinagrette

While perusing my blog, I noticed an absence of homemade salad dressings. I make my own on occasion but haven’t shared any recipes.

During winter, citrus fruits are the stars of the fruit world. They are refreshing. The vitamin C in citrus fruits is great for you.

So I decided to use the grapefruit I had at my house to make a vinaigrette. The result was pure deliciousness.

A hint about juicing fresh citrus fruits:  place the fruit in the microwave for 10 seconds. This causes the fruit to release its juices.

I used the grapefruit vinaigrette on top of a simple salad of spinach, kale, goat cheese, and slivered almonds. Yum!

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Happy eating,
Traci

Posted in christmas making and baking, DIY, Drinks, Holiday/Christmas, Mason jars

Eggnog Creamer

If I could describe this creamer, I would say yum!

I made a batch of this on Monday evening.  The next morning, my coffee maker decided not to work.  😦  Finally, my husband was able to get it to work on Wednesday afternoon.  We don’t know why it stopped working and why it began to work once again.  Crazy.

Wednesday evening, I had a cup of coffee with this creamer.  It was even better than on Monday.

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Posted in christmas making and baking, Cinnamon, coffee, DIY, Holiday/Christmas, Ingredients, Mason jars, Molasses, whipping cream

Gingerbread Coffee Creamer

It costs $4.25 for a tall (small) Starbucks’ gingerbread latte.  You can make this creamer for half that price.  You’ll get the same great flavors found in gingerbread.

Molasses, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger are flavors you associate with gingerbread.  So those are the flavors I put into my homemade creamer.

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Posted in Carrots, Ingredients, Kale, Lunch, Mason jars, Recipes, Spinach, Tomato

Mason Jar Salad

I’ve seen this idea floating around but have never tried it. I always have issues figuring out what I want to eat for lunch. Even though I love salads, my salads for lunch are often lacking. So this week, I decided to try this.

In a quart-size Mason jar, I put dressing, shredded carrots, broccoli slaw, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, raisin, dried cranberry, almond pieces, kale, spinach, and Swiss chard. As I prepare for school, I pack some bacon bits and Feta cheese to top the salad. This past weekend, I got myself a plate to stay in my room, so when I dumped the salad onto the plate, the dressing distributes over the salad.

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I made them last Saturday and ate the last one yesterday. A few pieces were thrown away, but the majority was still yummy!

Stars of the recipe:

  • Quart-sized Mason jar
  • Your favorite dressing (2-3 Tbsp.)
  • Harder skin veggies (celery, carrots, etc. . .) – cut into bite-sized pieces.
  • Softer skin veggies (tomatoes, bell peppers, etc. . .)  – cut into bite-sized pieces
  • Favorite nuts and/or dried fruit like cranberries or raisins
  • Lettuce or greens

Steps:

  1. Put the dressing in the Mason jar.
  2. Next, you place the harder-skinned veggies. (These can stand being next to the dressing for an extended amount of time.)
  3. Place the softer-skinned veggies next.
  4. Then you would put the nuts and/or dried fruit.
  5. Finally, pack in the greens/lettuce, ensuring it’s packed to the top.
  6. Screw the lid tightly.
  7. Place in the fridge, making sure not to tilt the jar.
  8. When it’s time to eat, dump the salad on a dinner-sized plate.
  9. Place any other toppings on top.
  10. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

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Posted in breakfast, Lunch, Mason jars, nectarine, peach, plums, Salad, Snacks

Stone Fruit Fruit Salad in a Glass Jar

Last weekend, I was perusing Pinterest looking for Mason Jar salad recipes.  On one of the sites, I saw a suggestion that you could do the same sort of thing with fruit minus the dressing.  I was intrigued, so I decided to try it.

I put those fruit salads together on Saturday afternoon, and they were still as good on Wednesday as they were on Saturday.

stone fruit salad

Stone Fruit Fruit Salad

Stars of the recipe:

  • 4 oz. Mason jars (I made 5, so I needed 5 jars.)
  • 1 med.  plum
  • 1 med.  peach
  • 1 med. nectarine
  • Fruit Fresh
  • Opt.  You also could put apricots in it.

Steps:

  1. Cut the plum, peach, and nectarine into bite-size pieces.  (I wish I had a great cutting method around the stone.)
  2. Evenly place the pieces in the jars filling to the top.
  3. Sprinkle some Fruit Fresh over the fruit.  (This prevents it from turning brown.)
  4. Place the lid on as tight as possible.
  5. Place it in the fridge until you are ready to eat it.
  6. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

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I added blueberries to this one.