Terracotta Pot Bread

One of my most favorite stores in the world is the Terrain in Glen Mills, PA. For anyone that has eaten at their Garden Cafe, you know the bread is served in a terracotta pot, quite fitting for the garden center. I decided I wanted to learn and replicate this unique way of serving bread, before I even realized they came out with a kit, sold HERE. It would make for a great gift this holiday. Otherwise, try it out on your own like me. It will be worth it if you are making the bread for more than 4 people. I purchased my pots for around $0.70 each. Either way, using the kit or DIY, this bread will make your dinner guests smile this holiday. xo RCN 

WHAT YOU NEED:

3" diameter terracotta pots (bout mine at A.C Moore)

Bread dough, I used Italian loaf dough from the deli Bakery at ShopRite. If your grocery store does not already sell premade dough cut into individual serving size, ask the Bakery department, they may have loaves of dough behind the counter ready to sell (like the pizza dough)

Sea Salt

Rosemary

Olive Oil

Crisco  

Holiday Ribbon

SEASON THE POTS:

If buying the pots at a craft store or garden center (not a bake shop), like AC Moore or Lowe's, be sure to rinse and season the pots in advance. Cover the exterior of pots with Crisco and the interior of pots with olive oil. Place onto cookie sheets so the pots are easy to handle and move inland out of the oven. Bake the pots on 425F for 20 minutes. Repeat steps 2-3x for a good season. 

BREAD DOUGH:

Follow instruction on the bread dough packaging. If using loaves of dough, be sure to let rise for a few hours in a warm setting, covered with damp towels. Once dough has risen, cut into equal size, approximately 2.5" by 2.5" (or slightly smaller) pieces. One loaf should make about 10 pots.

BAKE:

Butter or spray with baking Pam, the interior of pots one last time and then drop a piece of dough into each pot. Place pots back onto baking sheets and follow baking directions on dough package (should be around 15-20 min at 400-425 or until risen and golden brown). Once removing pots from oven glaze with A LOT of melted butter, sea salt, and fresh cut rosemary before serving. For a final touch trim pot with festive holiday ribbon to add to your table setting ambience. Enjoy!

Father's Day Gift Guide

Stubhub Giftcard

E cards available online

Chances are pretty high that Dad is into some sort of sport or music. How about an online gift card to Stubhub, where he can purchase tickets to an event that fits perfectly into his schedule. Or, if you know what date and time works, just order the tickets direct on Stubhub and surprise him on Father's Day!

Beach Chair

hayneedle.com

Maybe Dad frequents the beach or goes once a year. Either way a good beach chair makes all the difference whenever he is sitting facing that ocean blue. As an avid beach goer myself, I recommend a throne must include a head rest, wooden sturdy arms with hard cut out drink holders (otherwise the soft kind are too flimsy for bottles and cups), and the height can't be too low to the ground, but also not too high. This Copa chair marks all the checkmarks! Happy beaching with Dad.

Joe's Stone Crab

Overnight delivery

Joe's stone crab is the famous establishment in South Beach, Miami known for their Florida stone crab claws. If you have never had stone crab claws, well you are missing out! You can order online for overnight delivery to just about anywhere. Choose your size and quantities and join Dad on Sunday for a perfect seafood feast. An order of the key lime pie is also a really good idea!

SanDisk IXpand flash drive

Shop Best Buy

This is a great gift for the guy that takes a lot of pictures and videos on his phone. This flash drive allows transfer of files (big too) quickly from phone to any computer (or opposite) by using a USB port.  The best part about this, is that Dad's phone or your phone or anyone that uses this flash drive, does not have to have their phone synced with the computer device you are transferring to and from. It doesn't link with iTunes or anything, it just simply drops the files you select from your phone or computer.

Chef Buddy 19 pc Grill Tool Set

Shop Home Depot

If Dad has a grill and likes to grill, maybe it's time for a shiny new set of grilling tools. Nothing like an organized and fresh set of tools, even ones for the grill. Wrap up a few fresh cuts from the local butcher and join Dad for a cookout to celebrate him.

Columbia Shirt

columbia.com

Whether your Dad likes to fish, hang at the beach, or just spends the occasional Saturday outside mowing the lawn or watching a soccer game, these shirts are perfect. They are comfortable, and lightweight with a vented back for cooling. It's the shirt you want to be wearing for pretty much any outdoor Summer activity. And, they come in 19 colors! My Dad lovesss these shirts, so will yours.

Pizzacraft PizzaQue Oven

Shop at Walmart

This pizza oven is the quickest and best way to get a nice homemade crunchy pizza. You'll be happy to achieve the perfect crust in just six minutes once this bad boy gets rolling. Z and I gifted this to our families for Christmas and they love it! We have already tested it out quite a few times at the Nord house. Add on the PizzaQue oven stand/legs as a second gift to help make this a more permanent fixture on the back patio. Also available at Walmart.

Golf Outing

Find a course near you

Take Dad golfing. Go somewhere nearby, it doesn't have to be the fanciest course. Heck, you don't even need to know how to play. If Dad enjoys golf, he'll love to teach you and spend an afternoon or morning just spending time with you and sharing something he loves to do. (but maybe go to a driving range or for a trial run before - if you are any bit' as competitive as me)

Harry's Shave Kit

Order online here

So most Dad's shave, right? It's always worth it to change up products once in a while, even Dad. S,o why not give Dad a new option that he'll likely fall in love with, like Harry's? You can order him a kit all ready to go and then if he likes it, you can order him the plan or subscription for his bday or next holiday!

Dress shirts

Shop Bloomingdales

If Dad often dresses up, (for work) then a dress shirt is likely something he'l like, a lot, because he can never get enough of them. If you know Dad's size, it'll be easy, just keep in mind if he likes a pocket, button down collars, patterns or solids? Also to note, try to stay clear of the all too many "trim fits" out there, unless Dad really is super trim! A tie, is a perfect add on to this gift. Wrap it all up together and gift complete.

Garment Bag

Shop at J.Crew

For the traveling Dad. A garment bag is sometimes all Dad may need for the quick one night trip he does for business, or for the suit he is packing for the wedding this weekend. I gifted Z one a few years ago and he has gotten a lot of use out of his.

Omaha Steaks

omahasteaks.com

Steak, poultry, seafood, you name it, Omaha has it. Select Dad's favorite sirloin cut, bacon wrapped, or not. And how about a nice bottle of wine or cheese baked potatoes to go along with? It may seem cliche, but Omaha has been known for some pretty killer meat that I'm sure Dad will enjoy, especially if he likes to grill and cook, too.

Magazine Trees

I learned how to make magazine trees years ago, thanks to Martha! I have put my own spin on it over time, always changing up the embellishments and decoration each year. This is one of the easiest craft projects to make over the holidays and it's great for kids too! Select a favorite holiday movie on Netflix and get to folding. You will have a recycled forest before you know it. Watch the youtube video and pictured steps below to create a magazine tree (or few!) of your own. Have fun! xo RCN

Step 1. Select a magazine, the larger the magazine, the longer it will take to fold, but the bigger it will be. Be sure to massage and flatten out the binding as much as possible. This will come in handy as you fold more and more. The pages will become more flexible to manage.

Step 2. Fold cover down to make the top edge of magazine lined up with binding of magazine.

Step 3. Fold the same cover once more so that the folded edge then lines up to the magazine's binding.

Step 4. Fold bottom edge that is sticking out, underneath and parallel to bottom of magazine edge.

Step 5. Continue steps 1-4 repeatedly until all pages have been folded.

Step 6. Once you have come to your very last fold, (the bottom edge of the last page), you will take that small cornered edge and tuck it into the bottom edge pocket of the page/cover that is next to it. Refer to images below and video for complete understanding.

You are complete with folding. Now, onto the decorating. For the embellished tree pictured below, I used glitter, ribbon, and extra/old Christmas decorations I was doing away with. First, I applied tacky glue to the top of the tree with a paintbrush, followed by sprinkling glitter on top. Then, using hot glue, I attached the bells, bows, and pinecones. This tree is quite eclectic, a bit' like my home. How did you decorate your paper trees? Send me a shout out in the comments below, would love to hear your ideas!