Apple cider scones

26 September 2016

Last week, I made apple cider scones and brought them into school for June’s teachers on the first day of fall. The scones were really delicious, if I do say so myself, and her teachers were really touched by them!

apple-cider-scones

It was a really good reminder for me. Sometimes I see things on Instagram or a blog and think, I could never have time to do that. I wonder if anyone thought the same thing when I posted on Thursday. But the truth is, from start to finish, the whole project took about an hour. I bought the ingredients with the rest of our groceries, I made the scones after June went to bed, and it took just a few minutes to find my white paint pen and draw the designs on the kraft paper bags. If I had bought a treat instead of making it, my time would have been down to about ten minutes. (BTW, store-bought treats are totally legit – no shame here!)

And you know the best part? The scones were delicious, but it was hands-down the personalized bags. The teachers were so wowed and clearly touched by them. I’m not saying that to toot my own horn (ha!), but because it’s a lesson I learned right after we had June. Lots of people brought us food, and we were grateful for ALL of it. But one friend went above and beyond in terms of presentation — she wrapped the Rice Krispees treats in parchment paper and twine, she poured the blueberries into a mason jar, the chicken salad and rolls were in a kraft paper box, and she even added a bottle of sparkling cider. I was blown away!

kraft-paper-bags

I have brought food to lots of people over the years, but it had honestly never occurred to me to do anything special with the presentation (and good presentation is practically what I do for a living!!). No more. My friend’s extra touches made me feel so taken care of and thought of and loved that ever since, I’ve tried to add a little beauty just because whenever I can.

The easiest way to do this? Make it easy! Keep simple supplies on hand, like ribbon, glassine bags, washi tape, fun pens, and kraft paper boxes. It sounds obvious, but once you have a collection, it only takes a few more minutes to make something pretty. I got a lot of mine from Jenny Hobick’s store (and it’s only appropriate that my scone recipe was from her, too, because she is the poster child for elevating everyday occasions! Lots of inspiration on her blog.).

Go forth and make things beautiful, friends! You are guaranteed to make someone’s day in the process :)

Subscribe
Notify of

9 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Kelly
September 26, 2016 7:44 am

I was thinking this reminds me of Jenny! Oh my goodness I love her elegant touches that are just so simple. Making her scone recipe is on my fall to do list, now I’m thinking I should deliver to some sweet neighbors. : )

September 26, 2016 7:48 am

I love this idea to make your food presentation extra sweet.. because you’re so right, it would make all the difference!

September 26, 2016 8:57 am

This is SO adorable… I love the personalized bag and the cute tape you sealed it with!

September 26, 2016 9:58 am

Great idea! I have brought quite a few meals over the past couple months to mom friends from my church moms group but I have never thought about decorating/making the packages pretty! Definitely something I want to try for the next time :)

September 26, 2016 1:46 pm

These are so festive and thoughtful Emily! Precious packaging is such a sweet touch that makes the recipient feel extra special and cared for.

September 26, 2016 9:23 pm

This mindset is so close to my heart, and is actually one of my favorite things about the blog world–continual reminders to go the extra mile to make things a little more special!

kayla
September 30, 2016 4:08 pm

i love this! amen to making everyday things just a little more beautiful. this is my philosophy for sending mail or putting a gift together. i’ve always got a little zipper pouch of good pens, washi tape, etc. in my purse so even if i’m mailing a card on the fly over my lunch break, i can still make it something special for a friend to find in her mailbox. :)

Emily Bull
November 9, 2016 3:36 pm

Hi Emily! I met you at dinner the last night of MTH. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to chat with me! I have to say that I made these scones over Halloween weekend and me and my family loved them! What surprised me was how simple they were! I don’t know why I thought they would take longer than an hour like you said from start to finish. I look forward to trying even more of your proven winner recipes! Happy Fall!