Home Made Snow Globes & Coconut Macaroons

Last weekend we made home made snow globes using recycled jars, distilled water, glycerin and glitter. The result was amazing! Here are the directions as well as some of our photos:

Almost any jar works for this project: Baby-food, pimiento, and olive jars are good choices. You will also need oil-based enamel paint, sandpaper, epoxy,  distilled water, glitter, and glycerin.

Look for plastic or ceramic figurines (metal ones are prone to rust) at flea markets and hobby or model-railroad shops. Synthetic evergreen tips are available at many floral-supply stores.

Sand the inside of the lid until the surface is rough. With clear-drying epoxy, 

adhere the figurine to the inside of the lid, and let the epoxy dry.

Fill the jar almost to the top with distilled water; add a pinch of glitter and a dash of glycerin to keep the glitter from falling too quickly. Don't add too much, or the glitter will stick to the bottom of the jar when it's flipped. Screw on the lid tightly, being careful not to dislodge the figurine. 

Turn the jar over and back again and let it snow.

I have always loved snow-globes and it was so cool to make them from recycled jars! I think it is a very easy way to make a home made Christmas gift and a very fun process...

Cookie Of The Day: Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons 
Recipe courtesy of: Real Simple

Makes 32 macaroons| Hands-On Time: 30m | Total Time: 2hr 05m

Ingredients:

• 1 14-ounce package sweetened shredded coconut (about 5 cups)
• 4 large egg whites
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325° F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut, egg whites, sugar, flour, salt, and vanilla.
3. Drop packed tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.
4. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until lightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
5. When cool, dip the bottom of each macaroon in the chocolate and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Store the macaroons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.

You can also make these without the chocolate coating...they are so, so, so yummy!