Jars! Jars! They're everywhere.

Early on in our marriage, we ditched our regular drinking glasses (that seemed to break SO easily) and opted instead for an ever-changing collection of various canning jars. There's just something about sipping sweet tea from a Mason jar that makes it taste so much better! And no matter what plates we use, they always match. We'll never go back.

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But lately I've been seeing canning jars popping up literally EVERYWHERE else. And I love it. There's something about the sheer simplicity and availability of the things that's just so appealing to me. Apparently they're not just for canning anymore.

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Check out all these ideas! And be sure to refer back to my Pinterest Board on jars, as I'm always adding new ideas that I spy on there.

Portion-Controlled Desserts. I had no idea (till Pinterest came along) that you could do fun things like bake individual pies, cakes and cheesecakes in canning jars. It is built-in portion control, which is great if you're on a diet and craving just a little something but don't want to be tempted to eat that entire pie sitting out on your countertop.

Here's a peach pie. . .

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A cake. . .

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Cupcakes. . .

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Cheesecake. . .

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And this one is even a microwave lime cheesecake, which I've already tried. It was delicious and so convenient.

 
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Packing Lunches. You could also pack your lunch for work or make an entire picnic lunch in a few jars with lids. Just make a salad and some chili and cornbread and you're all set. And throw in a lidded jar of sweet tea. No messes! And it's so much more "green" than using disposable sandwich baggies!

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Kitchen Storage. Then of course you can use jars as canisters in the kitchen, like I recently did.

And you can add all kinds of cool labels to them.

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Or store them on a fancy tiered stand instead of the countertop.

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And you can even retrofit a jar into a soap pump next to the kitchen sink. So charming!

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Craft/ Office Supplies. Or you could use them in an office or craft area to corral things like pens, pencils, crayons. In fact, I was already doing this in our house. And then I saw this pin. . . chalkboard labels - I am in love with you!

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Or check out these organized craft areas. . .

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Family Room Fun. And I just love this idea of storing game pieces and puzzle pieces inside decorative jars on shelves in family rooms instead of the flimsy, unsightly cardboard boxes they came in.

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Bathroom Storage. They can even be used in bathrooms to store toiletries. 

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Candlelight. Mason jars can also be used as candle holders in many a centerpiece and as outdoor "lanterns".

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Double as Vases. Or these versatile jars can stand in as vases to hold everyday flowers.

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I just LOVE this idea of hanging one on the wall near the kitchen sink to hold blooms.

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DIY light fixtures. And why not incorporate them into quaint do-it-yourself chandeliers and pendant lights? Seems like they'd be perfect for the job. They're made to withstand heat, that's for sure.

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Formal Events. And what I think I love about them most is that they can even be used at formal events. Shown below, as vases on a Valentines Day party table.

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Or again, holding blooms, but, this time, flanking the aisle at an outdoor wedding. 

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Or how about personalized or pre-made drinks at wedding receptions?

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Random. And if all those are not reason enough to embrace the canning jar, how about a couple other random uses? For example, did you know you could replace a broken blender jar with one?

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Or set up your own terrarium?

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This ranks right up there with making  your own lightning bug "light" in the summertime.

And then there's the whole "Memory Jar" idea where you jot down memories throughout the year, tuck them in a jar, then read thru them at the end of the year.

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As you can see, the canning jar is so unbelievably useful. No wonder I've been reaching for them all the time lately. What do you use yours for? Anything besides, obviously, canning. . .? And, while we're on the subject, I've only ever canned green beans one day with my sister-in-law a few years ago. That's it. So, really, the majority of my experience with these jars has NOT been while canning.

A recipe that makes any meat taste better!

What do you think it looks like I'm making with the following ingredients...coffee, cocoa, kosher salt, garlic, onion powder, oregano, brown sugar, paprika, black pepper, etc.? Stumped?

The answer is:

A Coffee Rub. Believe me when I tell you that this can make just about any cut of meat seem like a gourmet meal.

Last Christmas at my Mom & Dad's house, Dad & I were watching the Cowboy Cook on RFDTV.... or whatever that show is called. He put a coffee rub on a beef tenderloin then grilled it. It looked amazing. So one day I decided to try to find that rub recipe online. After all, it is a merger of my favorite thing: coffee with Dave's: meat. It is a win-win. I'm not sure I found the Cowboy Cook's exact recipe, but I found this one on http://www.seriouseats.com/.

Since then I've used it on Pork Baby Back Ribs, Pork Country Style Ribs and even Venison Tenderloin!! It makes everything taste amazing!

Here's the breakdown:

2 tablespoons freshly ground coffee (I just used Starbucks French Roast ground coffee that I have on hand...it's not freshly ground but it's strong and works fine.)

2 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder (I use regular chile powder.)

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar (I have used dark or light.)

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder (I use minced garlic instead.)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder (I've used milk or dark chocolate depending on what I have on hand, either works.)

1/2 teaspoon coriander (I don't have this so I've never included it!)

This is enough for a large rack of ribs. I cut the recipe in half for baby back ribs and for a small venison tenderloin.

Just rub all over the meat, pushing into the meat if it's thawed at all, or if not, don't sweat it (and be sure to remove the membrane first if cooking ribs). Then you can either grill or smoke the meat or cook it in the oven. Dave's the griller in this family and he has been working whenever I've made this, so I've just cooked the meat in the oven. I generally cook at a lower temp for a long time. I think I cooked the country style ribs at 250-300* for about 2-3 hours or something like that. Be sure to put plenty of water in the bottom of the pan you're cooking the meat in so it doesn't get dried out and cover it with foil. Check the meat periodically to see if you need to raise/lower the heat to get it perfectly on time with when you plan to serve dinner. And check the temp of the meat with a meat thermometer to be sure it's done.

On this particular day, round about 4:00 I was frantically trying to figure out what to fix for dinner (as usual). Dave doesn't like to come home to nothing to eat. :) Go figure...So I went to the freezer and pulled out some frozen venison tenderloin (that we'd butchered and wrapped up ourselves last fall).

I mixed up the rub, put it all over the still frozen meat, plopped it in a 9 x 13 and filled the pan with a 1/4 - 1/2 inch of water. Then I covered it with foil and put it in the oven at 300* (and I didn't even wait for it to be pre-heated). 5 minutes of prep. Seriously. So easy.

I was sure it would be done around 6:00. It was. But Dave wasn't home yet. So I stuck the meat back in and reduced the heat to 200* to keep it warm. And he ended up working until 7:00 so by the time we pulled it out of the oven...it was a bit charred. Oops. All the water had steamed out of the pan in that last hour and it was drying out the meat. It was not terrible, but definitely could have been better if I'd watched it more closely (or if Dave had been home by 6:00). So, that's my advice. Watch it carefully.

I served it with garlic parmesan smashed potatoes (which were leftovers by the way) and green beans last night. And I'm going to use these meat leftovers in a salad for lunch today.

And Dave's having some leftover on a bagel for a quick sandwich at work.

What other rubs or marinades do you like to employ to create a super quick, easy dinner for your family?

Festive Fall Desserts and Other Fall Stuff

My husband, Dave, and I both love fall and pretty much everything that it symbolizes. We love the weather, the festivals, bonfires, and especially the food.

With the first gust of cool fall-feeling air, we are both just overwhelmed with emotion. We may still be here in Indiana about our regular careers and responsibilities, but our hearts are not. Tears come to our eyes. Because each year we realize another 365 days have gone by and we are once again not home with our families in Ohio during harvest. We both grew up on farms in the Buckeye state and harvest was a very special time of year for us. It's in our blood. And it is so hard to not be there.

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This weekend Dave shared with me that the cooler weather also causes him to begin thinking obsessively about deer hunting. He says each night he dreams of deer.

And I shared with him that it also causes me to want to bake / cook hearty comfort foods. There's just something about the autumn air that makes me want to gather my family in the warm house together and fix things like deer stew, chili, cornbread, pumpkin cookies, apple pie, etc. Even though most of the year we eat quick little meals like fajitas and tacos on weeknights and don't have dessert unless it's a quick bowl of ice cream, in the fall I somehow become my Grandma and I'm fixing cube steak, mashed potatoes, and baking sweets on weeknights! So basically, if you ever want to come stay with us, make sure it's in the fall. You'll get the best food by far.

So, all that being said, today I'm going to share with you some of the yummy fall desserts we've been having lately.

A couple weekends ago, we went to Stuckey Farm Market and Levi (our little 13 month old man) helped us pick a dozen Gala apples off the trees in the orchard. He also really enjoyed the tractor ride and running away from Mom & Dad in his new workboots. He is HOT STUFF in those boots.

We used the apples Wednesday to make an apple pie using my mom's recipe.

Mom concocted her special blend of spices sometime in her 20s when she was at home baking a lot with me and my sister and it always gets rave reviews.

And my own little tip on the apple pie is to peel the apples then use the Pampered Chef Apple Wedger  to cut the apple into wedges, but then cut the wedges into at least 4 even smaller tidbits. This causes your apples to cook more thoroughly while baking and results in a more tender apple pie. My husband's family cooks the apples on the stove before baking the pie and that of course makes them very tender, but I prefer just cutting the apples smaller to begin with and saving a step. Not to mention that I don't really like eating a pie with large wedges of apple that I have to awkwardly tear with my teeth while eating.

Running out of ideas for festive fall foods, I scoured Pinterest for more inspiration. It's my source these days. So we used the rest of the apples on Friday afternoon to make some very yummy Apple Cider Bread.

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Then Sunday night I made some Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting, also found via Pinterest.

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In years past, Dave & I have also made homemade caramel apples with nuts

 as well as Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

(which has a very yummy Ginger Snap crust)

and we also love classics like pumpkin pie and pecan pie, and have even tried pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, which are also delicious. Oh my, the possibilities are endless!

I'm linking this up the The DIY Showoff.