Toasted Pecan Pie Crust Mix Gift with Free Printable

Get a head start on those holiday hostess and teacher gifts now with this easy to make Toasted Pecan Pie Crust Mix Gift...

I am sort of a sucker for fun foodie gifts for the holidays.  I love making and giving them. And I love receiving them.  

I mean first of all, food is universal. We all eat it, right? ;)

So you can whip up cookie mixes or make fudge (or this Toasted Pecan Pie Crust Mix), and they make the perfect gifts for anyone on your holiday list. 

Everyone has seen the layered cookie mixes in jars by now, right? I mean, you really can't even open Pinterest these days without at least seeing one or two on that first page. Baking cookies is always synonymous with the holidays.  

But pie baking is too! Except that it usually takes a little more effort to make pies. But gifting this Toasted Pecan Pie Crust Mix takes a little of the work out of that holiday pie making for those favorite hostesses, teacher, and foodies in your life... :)

Cinnamon Spiced Apple-Cranberry Jam

I purchased the book Food In Jars before I even knew that it was based on a blog by Marissa  McClellan.  I just started to learn to can this past summer, and I am hooked.  So when I happened upon this book at Sam's Club while I was there shopping with my mom one day, I had to pick it up.

Later that afternoon when I was on Twitter gloating about my new cookbook find, a friend of mine said, "You know Food In Jars is a blog, right?"  What?!?  Stop the presses!  So, I am now a faithful follower of Food In Jars. :)

I immediately spent the evening after I bought the book happily earmarking everything I wanted to make (yeah, a lot of this book is dog-eared at this point ;) ).  One recipe that I knew I had to make for the holidays is her Apple-Cranberry Jam.  I added my own little spin on it with the cinnamon to make it a little more festive. 

What you will need:

11-12 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (I used a mix of Cameo, Suncrisp, & Fuji.)

4 cups of fresh cranberries

6 cups of sugar

Zest & juice of 2 lemons

3 small cinnamon sticks (about 3 inches long each)

I am not going to get into all of the canning basics with this recipe.  If you need a few tips or are a beginner, check out my post of A Few Tips From a Canning Novice to the Canning Newbies or take some time to peruse the Resources Page on Food In Jars.

Be sure to sterilize your jars and lids.  I like to do this in the dishwasher.  Just leave the jars in your dishwasher to keep them warm until you are ready to fill them.  This recipe made four 16 oz jars for me.  

Combine the apples, cranberries, sugar, & 1 cup of water in a large pot or dutch oven.  Over high heat, bring it to a boil.  Add the cinnamon sticks.  Allow it to boil for 15-20 minutes.  The apples will become soft and the cranberries will pop open.

Mix in the lemon juice and zest.  Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for another 10-15 minutes.  I let mine simmer for about 20 minutes because I was aiming for a thicker consistency, more like a cranberry sauce than a jam.  (I actually used some of this instead of cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone loved it. ;) )

Ladle your jam into your hot jars and add your lids and rims just until finger tight.  Process in boiling water for about 10-15 minutes.  Remove from the pot and allow it to set up on a counter overnight before moving them.  You should hear the reassuring little pings as your jars cool letting you know that your jars' lids have sealed. 

Add a festive bow or some twine and you have a perfect hostess gift or a fabulous jar of homemade jam to add to a gift basket for your favorite foodie! :)

What are some of your favorite gifts to can for the holidays?

~Let Me Pintroduce You~ A Thanksgiving Holiday Edition

Who all is hosting Thanksgiving dinner for their families this year?  *Raising hand*   This will be my first time in YEARS hosting Thanksgiving for my parents, my sister, and my little family.  For quite a few years now, we have kept my family's Thanksgiving dinner small and intimate.  Usually my mother hosts it, but since we have finally moved back home after living out of state for years I decided this year would be my year.  I do not get to host and entertain as much as once I did when I lived in Columbus.  And I miss it...  So, I have been busily planning the menu and the decor for the past couple of weeks.  I *think* I just about have my dinner menu set.  But I am definitely still working on the table setting. ;) (Pssssttt... did you see Jodi's from Blue Skies and Apple Pies post on my blog yesterday about Setting a Gorgeous Thanksgiving Table on the Cheap?)
I have some fabulous new sponsors on my sidebar this month (and also have a few awesome bloggers who decided to stick with me for another go-round ;) ).  And almost all of them have some great holidays and fall inspired Pinterest boards! Today I would like to pintroduce you to Jodi from Blue Skies and Apple Pies (yep, the very same lovely blogger who guest posted on my blog yesterday) and Janelle from Domestically Seasoned (my awesome Friendship Bread sponsor this month).
Let's get hyped for the holidays, shall we? ;)
Holiday Board from Jodi at Blue Skies and Apple Pies Here are a few highlights from Jodi's board...

Pretty Thanksgiving Set Up

Unique Thanksgiving Table "Runner"

And because we all need to get started on those homemade holidays gifts... like NOW!

Gift Ideas Board from Janelle at Domestically Seasoned

Here are a few highlights from Janelle's Board...

Baby Jar Snowmen

Filled with hot cocoa mix, marshmallows, & mints- cute! :)

Reindeer Fudge

Interested to see what I may be serving up on my Thanksgiving table this year?  Then you need to take a peek at my Planning the Thanksgiving Spread board. ;)

Didn't you just love the ideas these lovely ladies pinned above??  Make sure you give both Jodi and Janelle a follow on Pinterest! They both have lots of boards with terrific ideas pinned. :)

And make sure to enter my Blog Makeover from Blog Sites by Suzy Giveaway while you are over here in my neck of the blogosphere. ;) My friend Suzy (the very same designer who gave my blog it's fresh new look!) is giving away a Custom Blog Design Package (a $50 value!) to one of my lucky readers. You must be on the Blogger platform to win. :)  Good luck!