Cinnamon Applesause Bread

Great for a mid-morning or afternoon tea. Low in fat and cholesterol, this healthy snack bread is sure to become a staple.

Prep time: 15 min  *  Total time: 70 min  * 18 servings

Ingredients

1 ½ cups flour

1 T baking powder

1 ½ t ground cinnamon

¼ t salt

1 egg

1 cup chunky applesause

¾ firmly packed brown sugar

2/3 cup milk

2 T oil

1 ½ cups bran flakes

¼ cup chopped nuts if desired (I used walnuts)

Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Beat egg in small bowl; stir in applesause, sugar, milk and oil. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened (batter will be lumpy). Stir in bran flakes and nuts. Pour into 9x6-inch loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray. 

Bake at 350 F for 35 - 55 minutes depending on your oven, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. I suggest checking it after 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool on wire rack.

Note for easier slicing, wrap bread and store overnight.

Top with lowfat vanilla or pina colada yogurt for a real treat.

120 calories, 23g carbs, 12g sugar.

Vintage Tin for Storing Herbs

A recent treasure that I picked up for a dollar was a vintage Grennan fruitcake tin from the 1930s. I love to collect these tins (old and new) and I have many of them; most are Christmas tins. I use them for storing herbs and mixing potpourris in. If they are new, I use them for storing holiday goodies like cookies and fudge. 

top view Grennan fruitcake tin

side view Grennan fruitcake tin

This tin is now filled with bags of dried chamomile, rose buds, rosemary and lemongrass and when I have harvested and dried all of the flowers and herbs I will be using in my next batch pf potpourri, I will mix the potpourri in the tin and store it there until it is ready to bag up.

Recycled Easter Basket becomes Shabby Chic Treasure

Have you ever wondered what to do with those old Easter baskets that pile up in the closets year after year? Or maybe you spied one at a yard sale? Well don't pass it by, don't throw them out. With just a little magic they can be transformed into lovely shabby chic decorative items, and if they happen to be vintage then more's the better.

A 1960s vintage Easter basket, painted and recycled into shabby chic decor

All you need is a can of spray paint in your favorite color. Get outdoors on a sunny windless day and spray away. Within minutes you have a beautiful new item for your decor. Once dry, add a lining of matching material if you like (depending on what you are going to do with the basket). I chose a sheer creamy synthetic to go with my pink basket.

(I will let you in on a little tip: this basket gets recycled again and again, it's last coating was blue; white before that, and the original natural wicker before that).

It is fun to paint and experiment with baskets and they supply so many decorative as well as practical uses. 

From Olives to Spice Jars

It is always better to store spices and herbs in glass than in the plastic containers in which most spices come. Unless you want to go and spend a lot of money on a matching set of spice bottles, make your own, or rather recycle your own. 

Small olive jars make the perfect spice jars. The jars I use measure five inches for the smallest size and six inches for the larger size. This is handy because usually there are some spices that are used more and more often and others not as much or as often so you may fill them as your need dictates. It is also handy to make your own set if you purchase in bulk (which I often do, depending on the spice or herb). By purchasing bulk, the herbs and spices are fresher, you are saying no to plastic that is harmful to us and the planet, and you save lots of money.

If you even use one small olive jar a month, within the year you will have a set. After emptying your jar, soak it in hot soapy water to remove any labels and glue. If there is residue remaining from the glue after soaking, scrubbing with a steel wool pad usually removes it. For tough jobs, re-soak and re-scrub. If there is still any residue, try some nail polish remover. Rinse and dry thoroughly before adding herbs or spices. 

If you are crafty, you may want to decorate your lids. Be sure to include a label either on the jar or inside with the contents, so that you are sure to know which is which later on. It's a good idea to add the date somewhere as well so that you know when to re-stock. Age, heat and sunlight are hard on herbs and spices and will cause them to lose color, strength and flavor. 

Add to your collection as you go. Need another spice jar? No problem, get another bottle of olives. The bottles I buy cost around $1; you get the jar, and the olives.  Making your own spice set from olive jars will keep your herbs and spices fresher and attractive for display.

Cheryl Bruedigam

Coffee, Tea &Soul

May Flowers

May your joy bloom with the flowers of May.

C. Bruedigam

A Mother

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." Tenneva Jordan

Most mothers have been there and it is a tiny sacrifice in comparison to those that go unnoticed, those that are tucked neatly away with the school ribbons, children's awards, and leftover Christmas wrapping paper. Our children will never know the sacrifices that their parents have made until they too are parents and are faced with the same heart-tugging bond of sacrificial, unconditional love.

Wishing a happy Mother's Day to mothers worldwide. Blessed is your loving spirit and honored soul.

C. Bruedigam

Crafty Decorated Jars

Quick and easy decorative jars make great gifts for the holidays!

Jars have become my obsession. I cannot stand to throw them out, I keep them in all shapes and sizes. Glass is beautiful and more and more rare as our use of plastic grows. 

One thing to do with jars is to decorate them with various themes. This is an easy, decorative and inexpensive craft project that requires few supplies. It may be as simple as placing silk flowers inside the jars, to elaborately decorated jars with mosaic tops. Decorating the jars can require as little as a few ribbon or lace scraps, some pretty beads or silk flowers.

Supplies to get you started:
glue gun
scotch tape
scissors
ribbons
lace
assorted fabric scraps
assorted beads or jewelry pieces
post cards or pictures
bits of sea shells or anything small and pretty
yarn if you would like to crochet the top covers

From just these few supplies you will be able to make your own beautiful, decorative jars. Use your imagination! They may also be filled with anything from baking goods to candles or potpourri to pine cones or sea shells. They make wonderful gifts that the women on your list will love.

Below are some of the jars I have done:

fabric-covered lids

mosaic button-covered lids

silk flowers

crocheted lids

bead-covered lids

I hope you enjoy decorating your jars as much as I do! Share your ideas and photos with us on Facebook or in the comments.

Until next time!

C. Bruedigam