Cookie8, I almost always end up rewriting recipes, so I can make them in the order I need to. (Starting with preheat the oven to...) The way some recipes are written, reading ahead is necessary, although not always an option. I find it makes the instructions much longer, which makes the recipe look more intimidating. The truth is, if I can follow it easily to the letter, I find my results are more successful. Sometimes, I'll rewrite a recipe several times before it's where I need it to be. You didn't really ask, but I always get out every ingredient, bowl, spatula measuring cup/spoons and mixer that I'm going to need before I even start. I measure it all, and set everything on a tray, so all I have to do is mix everything together. (If a recipe has multiple parts, I set up different trays.) That way, when you read through the recipe, it's all set up and easy to ''check off'' while you're baking. I hope you try again. Determination is a fine quality to possess! I have an easy one bowl chocolate cake recipe, if you need something to go to, that's tasty, easy and worthy of a birthday cake. I usually make it with a Cinnamon Buttercream Icing, and get requests for it often. Just let me know if you'd like the recipe. Deanna, I always use the recipe on the back of a bar of Bakers Sweet German Chocolate. It's no secret, but rather more time consuming to make as a cake, than anything else. It's our favorite as the buttermilk always makes it so moist, and it's a cake that only gets better with time. We always make it the day before, so the flavors have time to meld. It's also fun to anticipate eating it, when it looks so good sitting under a glass cake cover.

The length of ribbon you need will depend on the size of bow you want of course. So if you want an 8" bow each loop will be 4" and require 8" of ribbon. Multiply that by the number of loops you want (not less than 8) plus tails. If you make an experimental bow you will soon see how to estimate. You can use any width of ribbon but need more loops the narrower it is for a full look. IMO long tails look very nice on a wreath and with wired ribbon you can easily twist them to arrange nicely. If you want a double bow you'll need more but not necessarily double as your top bow can be smaller. I much prefer wired ribbon as I find it easier to use. With non-wired ribbon I always cut V's in the center of the bow so the loops are easier to tie together and arrange. At Christmas one year I made a simple single bow with long tails for my outside wreath with 6" wide plastic foil ribbon which was very easy to use. Just an idea as they would be very easy for children to do and look nice with greenery. If you have a Costco nearby they have the best price I've ever found for wide wired ribbon. I used to have a store and we did a lot of gift wrapping and Costco's prices were even better than wholesale. Save On Crafts is my go-to place for crafting ideas and instructions altho they don't tell how much ribbon for a bow but do give instructions for different types of bows. Here is a link that might be useful: how to make bows

Do I make My own You betcha...for me and my daughter and friends.. We have a sunbeam day old store, colonial, and pepperidge farm here that sells bread cheap and daily specials. I stock up and put it in my freezer. I love my cinnamon raisin english muffins. But the bread for 50 cents a loat I buy and make croutons! Do I have the recipes...LOL Also, instead of using butter I have found if you use butter flavored spray it saves cooking time and the croutons are crispier. They have an olive oil spray also, but I use olive oil and do not substitue on that. Here are some of my recipes I found that I use and love. Basic Buttered Bread Croutons 4 cups bread cubes 1/2 cup butter, melted Preheat oven to 350F Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. Pour the melted butter over the bread cubes and toss to distribute the butter evenly. Now I like to put my melted butter in my oil sprayer and spray the bread crumbs while I toss them. Either way works though. Place the bread cubes in a single layer in a baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 5 minutes for even toasting. Allow the croutons to cool completely, then store them in an airtight container. Freeze them for longer storage. Parmesan Croutons 4 cups Bread Cubes 4 Tbsp Olive Oil 1/2 tsp Oregano 1/2 tsp Salt 4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese, finely shredded Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss cubed bread with olive oil. Bake until the croutons are a light golden brown. As soon as the croutons are removed from the oven, toss with oregano, cheese and a little salt. Cool completely and serve. You can also store in an airtight container or freeze until needed. Spicy Croutons 4 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 1/2 tsp chilli sauce 1 Tbsp Crushed Pepper Flakes 4 cups bread cubes (add more chilli if you want it hotter) Preheat oven to 350ºF Warm oil slightly on stove top in large pan. Add chilli sauce and flakes to oil, mix WELL. Add bread to mixture and toss to coat all the cubes. Transfer to baking sheet and cook in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Cool completely and serve. You can also store in an airtight container or freeze until needed. Italian Croutons 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon dried basil 1 pinch salt 4 cups bread cubes Preheat oven to 350ºF Warm oil and butter until melted on stove top in large pan. Add seasonings and mix well. Add bread to mixture and toss to coat all the cubes. Transfer to baking sheet and cook in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Cool completely and serve. You can also store in an airtight container or freeze until needed. Parmesan Italian Croutons 4 cups bread cubes (great with french bread or homemade bread) Toss bread in mixture of 4 Tbsp Butter, melted 3 Garlic Cloves, finely minced 2 Tbsp dried basil 2 Tbsp dried thyme 2 Tbsp Parmesan, grated Preheat oven to 350ºF Warm butter until melted on stove top in large pan. Add garlic and seasonings and mix well. Add bread to mixture and toss to coat all the cubes. Transfer to baking sheet and cook in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Cool completely and serve. You can also store in an airtight container or freeze until needed. Savory Croutons 1/4 c. Olive Oil 1/4 cup Mayonnaise 1/4 cup French's® Honey Dijon Mustard 1 Tbsp Green Onion, finely chopped 1 Garlic Clove, minced 3/4 tsp dried Oregano 5 cups Bread Cubes Preheat oven to 350ºF Heat Olive oil up in large pan. Whisk in Mayonnaise, Mustard and other ingredients until well combined. Add in the bread crumbs and toss until coated. Transfer to baking sheet and cook in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Cool completely and serve. You can also store in an airtight container or freeze until needed. Garlic/Lemon Croutons 1 Tbsp extra-virgin Olive Oil 1 Tbsp Garlic, finely minced 1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped 1 tsp zested Lemon Peel 12 thin baguette bread slices Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix first 4 ingredients in small bowl. Brush over baguette slices and place on baking sheet. Bake croutons until crisp, about 5 - 10 minutes. Cool completely and serve. You can also store in an airtight container or freeze until needed. These are great with seafood salads, soups and salads! Peppered Croutons Yields 4 to 6 servings ½ Loaf Day Old Bread 1 Stick Butter 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper Method - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dice bread and place in bowl. Melt butter and pour over bread, add salt and pepper. Toss well to coat bread. Place on sheet pan and bake in oven 15  20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely and serve. You can also store in an airtight container or freeze until needed. Jalapeno Croutons 2 TBSP Butter 2 Jalapenos cored and chopped 3 garlic cloves peeled 2 TBSP Olive Oil 2 cups small bread cubes salt Preheat oven to 375º F In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the garlic cloves and jalapenos and cook, stirring often without browning, for 6 - 7 minutes. Remove the garlic and chiles from the oil and discard. Add the bread cubes to the skillet, tossing to coat them evenly with the oil. Place on baking sheet in oven and cook until lightly browned stirring occasionally. Season with salt and use warm. Cool completely and serve. You can also store in an airtight container or freeze until needed. Sesame croutons 6 slices Firm bread 2 TBSP Butter 2 TBSP Olive oil 1 TBSP Asian sesame oil 1 TBSP Sesame seeds Cut crusts from bread. Dice into 1/2-inch cubes. In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat butter, olive oil, and sesame oil. Add bread cubes and sesame seed, stirring until well coated with butter mixture. Transfer bread cubes to a rimmed baking sheet and spread in a single layer. Bake in a 300º F oven until lightly browned and crisp (25 to 30 minutes). Cool completely and serve. You can also store in an airtight container or freeze until needed. Onion Croutons 6 slices French bread, crusts trimmed 2 TBSP bacon drippings 2 TBSP olive oil 1/4 tsp onion powder 1 tsp poppy seed 1/2 tsp sesame seed, toasted 1 TBSP very finely minced onion Cube bread; set aside. Heat remaining ingredients together in a 12" skillet over medium heat; stir in bread cubes until well coated. Remove from heat; spread mixture in a single layer on a rimmed ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 300 until golden and crisp, about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely and serve. You can also store in an airtight container or freeze until needed. Sun Dried Tomato Croutons 6 slices French bread, crusts trimmed 2 TBSP butter 2 TBSP olive oil 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp ground pepper 3 TBSP sun dried tomato well minced in processor Cube bread; set aside. Heat remaining ingredients together in a 12" skillet over medium heat; stir in bread cubes until well coated. Remove from heat; spread mixture in a single layer on a rimmed ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 300 until golden and crisp, about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely and serve. store in an airtight container or freeze until needed. Here is my granddaughters favorite for a snack... Cinnamon croutons... 2 tablespoons softened butter 4 slices white bread 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar ..DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). spray butter flavored pam onto both sides of each slice of bread, and cut into cubes. Place them in a bag or bowl, and pour the cinnamon sugar over them. Shake or stir to coat. Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then stir and continue baking for 10 more minutes, until toasted Ceasar Salad croutons 1/2 bulb garlic, peeled 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 3/4 (1 pound) loaf sourdough bread, cubed 1 cup ghee What is ghee? this is ghee .. DIRECTIONS Combine garlic and oil in a small saucepan. Simmer until cloves are a light gold color, about 15 minutes. Pour oil through a fine sieve, squeeze all juice from cloves, and then discard the solids. Set garlic oil aside. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking sheet. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake, turning bread cubes periodically, until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. In a large, non-stick skillet, melt 1/3 cup ghee with 1/3 cup garlic oil over medium heat. Cook toasted bread cubes in batches until light to medium golden brown, turning frequently. Add more ghee and garlic oil as needed. Turn out into basket lined with paper towels, and drain for about 20 minute

Here's my basic recipe, which you can vary as to the amount of spiciness desired: Guinness Beef Jerky Marinade (This amount of marinade is sufficient for about 5 to 6 pounds of beef, which I find fill my Nesco dehydrator's eight trays fairly full) 5 to 6 lbs lean beef, sliced thinly--see Note 1 2 bottles (12-14 oz each) Guinness Stout 2 tablespoons kosher salt OR 3 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce--see Note 2 2 tablespoons garlic powder 2-4 tablespoons hot stuff --see Note 3 optional: liquid smoke, 1 to 2 tbsp In a large bowl pour stout and add salt, whisking to dissolve salt and decarbonate the stout. Add the garlic powder and hot stuff and mix well. Put the beef strips in the marinade by handfuls, swirling around to make sure all surfaces have come in contact with the marinade. Place the beef in a nonreactive container (a stainless stockpot works fine), pour the remaining marinade over the beef, mix well and refrigerate for at least an hour (more is better--overnight is fine). If you have time, mix up the beef strips every so often in the marinade. Place the strips flat on the trays and dry to your desired amount of dryness. I prefer crisp to leathery, but do it however you want. Note 1: Before slicing the beef, trim all extra fat off the surface of the meat. I like to use round roast because it's very lean; whenever possible, slice the strips across the grain. Slicing it with the grain results in a stringy final product. Eye of round costs a little more, but is very lean and also is very easy to slice across the grain, and that yields a less stringy product. Don't use a fatty cut of meat because it won't dry as thoroughly and won't have the storage properties of a leaner cut. (The fat can turn rancid.) Note 2: I have found mushroom flavored soy sauce at an Asian market. It works great in this recipe. Note 3: For the hot stuff, cayenne works well; you have to judge for yourself how hot your particular cayenne pepper is. (Mass market cayenne from brands like McCormick is relatively mild; powdered chili peppers from a Mexican or Indian market will be much hotter.) If you’re unsure, go easy with the hot stuff. You can always sprinkle a little more hot stuff on the finished product if you wish. I have used chipotle powder with good results; 4 tablespoons in this recipe makes a quite hot product, and 2 tbsp makes a pleasantly zingy one. If you want something quite mild, use sweet Hungarian paprika which would make a product not at all hot but would still have a good flavor. You can also use smoked Spanish paprika (‘pimenton’) which comes in three degrees of hotness (sweet, bittersweet & hot). If you use that, though, or chipotle powder, don’t use any additional smoke flavor. --Don't use a hot sauce that's vinegar based (like Tabasco or Sriracha)--the vinegar taste will be concentrated in the finished product. The finished product can be stored in plastic ziplock bags in the freezer, and can be moved to the fridge when you open one. I find that a quart ziplock bag holds one Nesco tray's worth of dried jerky. Note that this recipe does not contain any curing agents like nitrates or nitrites, so I can't vouch for what would happen if you left this jerky at room temperature for several days. Storing it this way, though, I've never had any of it go bad. That's partly because it tastes so good, a bag never lasts that long once I open one.