Gifts in a Jar

This can be used as a practical craft at a club or a gift to give leaders and mentors! Get the jars donated (or buy them at a Thrift Store). You can have the recipe attached to the outside of the jar for either a soup or a cookie. Go to www.allfreecrafts.com/giftinajar/index.shtml for ideas of different recipes. Here is a sample:

ane's 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; see note at right)
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.

Provide the following cooking instructions, or attach the free printable label (shown below, at right), to your jar:

Jane's Three Bean Soup
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.