Hi everybody!  
     Here is what happened.  
     I had some key limes that I needed to use up.  I didn't have any avocados to make my favorite Avocado Key Lime Pie, so I decided to dream up something a little different.  I have always loved Lemon Chiffon Pie, so I thought, "Why not a Key Lime Chiffon Pie?"  Whelp!  This is how I did it! 

      This recipe is something you can probably whip up from basic pantry items, as long as you have the limes.  I did use actual key limes, but I am starting to think that I like regular limes better than key limes, so I I think that you could use either/or. 
       Key limes seem more tart to me, so if that is your taste, you are going to love this pie that is creamy, without the cream and sweet and tart all at once.  
     I say without the cream because the only dairy in this pie is 4 Tablespoons of butter!  To get that fluffy, creamy texture, I used Swiss Meringue.  I describe in the recipe how to make it, but I also gave you instructions in the Baked Alaska post. 

    Even though the pie itself doesn't have a ton of dairy, I think the next time I make it, I will put on a layer of Whipped Cream because it will help with the tartness.  I prefer the sweetness!  
​     Since I didn't have any whipping cream when I made this recipe, I added a few maraschino cherries on top just to give it a little something.  See the before and after below:

     After you put the pie all together, be sure to refrigerate it long enough to let it set. Um, we didn't wait that long, but it was still delicious! 

​In 2020, our family started the tradition of having a family reunion every 2 years. It’s a great excuse for us to spend some time together, and a great way for all the grandkids to get to know their cousins that they don’t get to see very often. 

If you’ve ever tried to plan an outing for a large group of people, you know how difficult, time consuming, and expensive it can be. I hope that by sharing our experiences and ideas, you can mitigate some of that on your end, and enjoy some time together as a family up in Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming!

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     I know, I know!  You can get on Pinterest and find loads of recipes for meals in a jar.  If you haven't looked, meals in a jar are shelf stable meals or desserts put together in canning jars.  They are generally shelf stable for about a year (or more) and they are a great way to have something quick to fix in a pinch AND meals in a jar make terrific gifts! All the preparer has to do is add water and any other perishables that the recipe may call for.

     Last week, I taught a back to basics jam making class to our church women's group.  Each class that was taught had optional crafts associated with them. I decided that for my class I would also offer a meal in a jar as the optional "extra!"    Well, the class went really well, we made a batch of strawberry jam, and I handed out samples of blackberry jam in these tiny jars! They were adorable as well as delicious! But, I digress...

     This soup in a jar recipe is one that I have had for a long time and I have tweaked it to be more to my family's taste.  The original recipe didn't even have garlic in it!  I mean, how can you have chicken noodle soup without garlic?  The ingredients are ones that you probably already have in your pantry, and if not, they are super easy to find and inexpensive.  And yet, when the soup all comes together, it tastes great!  My son and my husband both go back for seconds! Sure, it isn't your homemade noodle, grandma's handed down recipe, but it isn't bad at all for something really quick and convenient to make.  As you can see in the picture, I include a can of chicken with my gift, or pair the chicken with the jar in my pantry.  After that, all you need is 5 cups of water! 

     When you put the ingredients together in a jar, you will want to seal it to preserve the freshness of the noodles and the herbs and spices.  I used my Food Saver with an attachable jar sealer to do that.  I love this machine and sealing the jars is quick and easy! I purchased my Food Saver at Costco.  Be sure that you get one that is compatible with the jar sealer attachment. 

    I made labels for the tops of the jars by printing them on the Avery site.  You can use my pdf here. 

     I also made a recipe card that you can print, trim and attach to your jar.  It tells you how to prepare the soup from the jar.  Just click on it, open it and save it to print.

    Here are the directions for putting the soup mix together.  Isn't it great that it is in a pint jar? I love to use a wide mouth pint jar in order to hold enough noodles.  As you put your noodles into the jar, be sure to shake them down so that you fit in as close to 2 cups as you can.  Honestly, I shopped all over to find wide mouthed pint jars at the best price that I could for my class.  The best price I found was at Target, in store, not online! They were pretty hard to find though.  I bought the last boxes at two of the Targets that I shop at.  So, good luck! 
    If you don't have a Food Saver, you could simply put on the lid and use it within 6 months.  Or you could put in an O2 packet to help keep it fresh longer.  

    I mounted the soup recipe onto some decorative cardstock and trimmed it with decorative edged scissors and tied it to the jar with Baker's Twine.  I went old school! Sometimes that still works best!  
​      Everyone in the class had a great time and I was so pleased with how everything turned out. Do you have favorite "recipes in a jar" that make great gifts or quick meals?  Send me the link to your favorites in the comments below! 

    ​Ok the first one is actually a bonus because Ms Messner has actually written 6 of these books now (the sixth is being released in September and it’s about the ocean). I love all of them. The art is beautiful! The science is easy for the kids to understand. It’s a great way to learn about ecosystems! And at the end she always writes about what inspired her book and includes a glossary of the organisms in the book. You’ll for sure want to check these out!

    Little Critter Books
By Mercer Mayer
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    So what about you, any kids book recommendations? Let us know in the comments below. ​