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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 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. 
Click on this form for a printable pdf!
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!
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This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you. All opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for your support.  I love reading with my kids. I love sharing my love of books and reading with them. My son recently got his first library card and he was so excited. I was excited too because, as Arthur says, “Having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card!” (He checked out EVERY Pokémon book that library had in stock. Literally.) So I thought today I would share some of my favorite Children’s books we’ve been reading lately. 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!   I ordered this for my fact loving son and didn’t expect it to be as thorough as it is. It’s actually a pretty hefty book with timelines on so many different subjects. It includes your typical historical things like the Ottoman Empire and the Civil Rights Movement. But it also includes a timeline on games played throughout history and spy work through time. Of course I also love the inclusion of science with timelines on our understanding of physics and chemistry. A super cool book!!  Little Critter Books By Mercer Mayer Another bonus as there’s so many of these books! I used to enjoy them as a kid too. My son randomly said to me, “I love Little Critter books mom. They’re just so fun!” And I have to agree. The cute pictures help to tell the story. Plus looking for the other critters like the spider or mouse on every page is another way to enjoy these books.   Ok I know I’m decades behind but I hadn’t ever read this book until this year! My mom and sister have read the whole series, but I never had. I am in love with Anne Shirley. It’s an insanely wonderful book. I regret not reading it sooner. I did watch the PBS series when I was younger though and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you haven’t read this yet, do yourself a favor and read it.  Fun, creative and funny! That’s how I would describe this book. It’s my son’s favorite so we do end up reading it quite often. But it doesn’t get old because the pictures are great and it’s fun to get into the character of the narrator. There’s also a sequel that I haven’t read but my son has and says he loves it just as much. So if you’ve got a dragon loving kid, a taco loving kid, or just a fun loving kid this is a great choice for you! So what about you, any kids book recommendations? Let us know in the comments below. Other Kid's Book Recommendations:
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you. All opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for your support.
Making jam is something that I have been doing for many years. Sometimes people wonder why I have so much jam in my pantry. To me, jam is a staple, there are just so many things you can use it for besides your morning toast or lunch time pb&j. Since we are working on publishing our jam recipe book, I thought I would get you ready for that event by letting you know about some of the unexpected ways that you can deliciously incorporate jam into your meal plans. (They aren't all dessert recipes!) Most of these recipes are from our own blog, but I'm also going to share a few that I am hoping to try soon!
ÆBLESKIVER: We have two versions of these delightful Danish bites posted on this blog. A very authentic version posted by Alicia, made in an ÆBLESKIVER pan, and some less authentic ones made in a cake pop pan. Both are delicious filled with a jam flavor of your choice!
Jam Thumbprint Cookies: I loved making these with my mom as a kid! It is fun for kids to make the indentation with their thumbs and then to fill it with sweet jam. I recently made some of these for the jam class that I taught so that people could try a variety of jams that are going to be in my jam e-book! They look so pretty on the platter and everyone loved them. We've also shared a 3 ingredient version of these cookies on the blog using a cake mix and pudding! Also delicious!
Strawberry Shortbread Cookies: These cookies are a little more work, but totally worth the effort! The jam with the creamy lemon filling is such a delightful combination! 
Jam Muffins: These muffins are just as easy to make as regular muffins, and extra tasty! My grandkids love them!
Monte Cristo Sandwiches: Another use in a breakfast food that I adore! A combination of French Toast and a sandwich, why wouldn't ya?
Cake Filling! Strawberry, Raspberry or Cherry jams are all great choices as a cake filling. Check out how I did a vegan cake with a jam filling for Maddy!
I am dying to try out this Blackberry Jam Pie from Windstone Farms. They don't even have a picture of it, but it sounds so delicious. I just canned some Blackberry Jam, so I might whip this up today! I'll take pictures and show you if I do.
Jam Swirls in cheesecake, bundt cake and yogurt are all wonderful used for jam!
The Seasoned Mom shares a 3 Ingredient Apricot Glazed Chicken that looks fantastic and so easy to make! You may have all you need to make it in your pantry already! Finally, most of us have heard of adding grape jelly to your meatball sauce to make a sweet and savory appetizer meatball. I came up with a different version using Apricot Jam. I'll share it below! You can use your favorite meatballs, whether homemade or from the freezer section of the grocery store. This recipe has the version of meatballs that I made the other night, plus the wonderful sauce. I hope that you enjoy it! 
Keep an eye out for our new e-book, Jam in 3 Winks! You are now armed with idea of how to use your sweet creations!
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I am teaching a jam making class this weekend, so I was looking at fruit prices to see what kind of jam I was going to make. Blackberries are in season and I've found some good prices on them, and if you know me, you know that I love blackberries, so blackberry jam is a no brainer! I decided that I should put together a post that shares with you a collection of the great blackberry recipes that we have loved here on the blog!
I've already canned some blackberries in pint jars all by themselves this season. These are great to have on hand for a quick pie, cobbler or ice cream topping. They don't last long in our house!
Speaking of cobbler, blackberries and peaches make a great mix in my mom's old recipe that we love!
We can't forget blackberry pie either! It is just so sweet and delicious! Those home canned blackberries make it a cinch.
One of my personal favorites is this recipe for Blackberry Lemon Marmalade. It was the first marmalade recipe that I came up with all on my own. I was so proud of how great it turned out!
I made this No-Bake Blackberry Cheesecake for Lindsey's wedding reception. It was one of her favorites!
As a twist on regular lemon bars, I came up wit this recipe for Blackberry Lemon Bars. They are so good, absolutely to die for! I've talked about them a lot on the blog. If you haven't tried them, you must!
Those are my personal favorites. There are a few other recipes that are also great if you search "blackberries" in the search bar, but these are ones you definitely need to try! I'll post the jam recipe soon, after I get through teaching the upcoming jam class! Wish me luck!
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Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! 
Click this link and visit 3WinksDesignShop on Etsy. Find our Hot Cocoa Bomb Idea Book, our For the Love of PIe e-book and more of our creations!
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