Who doesn’t love to stop by the cookie jar a couple of times a day? Cookie jars just bring warmth to your kitchen. In fact, most everyone has a special memory of their favorite cookies baking in the oven. For me, I have never found a cookie that I like any better than the chocolate chip cookie recipe right off the back of the Nestles Semi-Sweet Morsels package. Here at Emerson Creek Pottery, we have lovely hand-painted cookie jars to store your delicious cookies. Our cookie jars will brighten up your kitchen but we can’t guarantee that they will stay full for very long!

Influenced by the energy of Early American cobalt decoration, owners Priscilla Palmer and Jim Leavitt founded Emerson Creek Pottery in 1977. Priscilla developed the unique technique of applying natural pigments to an absorbent glaze with a Japanese Sumi-e brush. The spontaneity of the brush stroke, combined with the accuracy of design yields a distinctively recognizable style in all of our ceramics. Our deep love of the natural world provides a multitude of organic designs for all of our microwave and dishwasher safe, lead free and ovenproof pottery.

I had a salad in Portland, OR once with mixed greens, cranberries, blue cheese and these sugar coated pecans. It was so memorable that I had to recreate it at home!

1 egg white
1 T. water
1 lb. pecan halves
1 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Grease baking sheet.

In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, salt and cinnamon.

Add pecans to egg whites, stir to oat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread the nuts out on a prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.

These are delicious and tangy. The sauce makes your entire kitchen smell wonderful. I love making these for cocktail parties.

2 (8 oz.) cans whole water chestnuts, drained
1 T. cider vinegar
1 package of fully cooked bacon (or precook some bacon in your microwave)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut bacon slices in half. Wrap one half slice of bacon around one water chestnut and secure with a wooden toothpick.

In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, mustard and garlic. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat and cook for five minutes or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Carefully dip each wrapped water chestnut into sauce and place on baking sheet.

Bake 20 minutes or until sauce is thick and darkened. Place on serving platter and serve warm!

Makes 30 appetizers.

This recipe came from my friend Annette. Her grandma makes it every year for her family. I love giving it as a gift!

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer for two minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating five to seven minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Add vanilla, mixing well.

Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan or loaf pan.

Bake at 300 degrees for one hour and 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10-15 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Last year I started a new tradition for my family. My oldest daughter was in kindergarten and I wanted to do something special for her teacher as a Christmas present. I really wanted to give her something that was meaningful to us and something she could keep for years to come. I decided my daughter and I would bake her my friend Annette’s famous pound cake in the Emerson Creek Pottery Snowman Loaf Pan and wrap it in colorful plastic wrap all tied up with a bow. I tied a ceramic Snowman Christmas ornament to the ribbon the finish off the present. Her teacher absolutely loved the gift! She said she would remember my daughter every time she uses her loaf pan.

Can you guess what her first grade teacher is getting for Christmas this year? :+)

Walk into any store right now and it is hard to miss the fact that the holidays are in full swing! I love the flavors and smells of this season. Traditions play an important role in bringing back those elements of the holidays. Each year I try to add a few decorative things around my house that bring back old memories and also I add a few new items to keep things fresh. The first place I begin when decorating is with some inexpensive candles. I anxiously get my home “smelling” like the holidays with the warm flicker of candlelight. Pillar candles are a favorite of mine because they can burn for a long time. This year I am using the Emerson Creek Pottery “Cranberry Design” pillar candle holder to display my candles. I just love the look of cranberries this time of year. The decorating possibilities are endless with cranberries. I can choose candles that are cranberry red, evergreen or winter white and all will look great on the Cranberry pillar holders. They also make great hostess gifts if you are looking for something to bring with you to a holiday party. If you love decorating with candles as much as I do, check out Emerson Creek Pottery’s full line of pillar holders.

Emerson Creek Pottery has combined four of our top-selling items for your bathroom to be sold as a complete set. We realize that when organizing a bathroom most people purchase these four items: a ceramic jar, toothbrush holder, soap dish and a soap (or lotion) dispenser. By purchasing the complete set, you save $18. Sold separately all of these items together would cost $58 and you can now purchase all four items for $40!

Bathroom sets are available in all of our handpainted designs. Why not consider giving a bathroom set as a housewarming gift or treat yourself!

Are you like me and shocked by what you are hearing in the news about so many products being found to contain lead paint these days? As a mother of two young children with a baby on the way, I have found myself really focused on “green” products…particularly in light of all the items I use affected by lead paint. No longer do I have to worry about what is in my food, now I need to worry about what my food is being served on and if it is safe to use.

Emerson Creek Pottery has never used lead paint in their products. In fact, they have worked hard at not growing so fast that they lose sight of the quality put into their ceramics. This is particularly important to me now as I’m doing some redecorating in my home.

I’ve been wanting to redo my children’s bathroom for years now but haven’t taken the time to do it. Before the lead paint scare, I probably would not have had safety as one of my concerns in the design. Now it is a very real concern for me.

The first thing I’m going to do is re-paint my bathroom. The color I chose years ago has never set well with me. It is the kind of color that if I had a realtor walk through my home and tell me what I need to change before I could sell my house, I’m sure it would top the list. I think it is pleasing to the eye when rooms flow with colors that coordinate with each other. The color palette for most of my house would be described as Earth Tones. I’ve decided to try Benjamin Moore’s new Aura paint line for my bath. Their product is said to be eco-friendly and has a minimal oder.

I’m happy to say that Emerson Creek Pottery has now bundled their Ceramic Bathroom Sets so that customers can buy a set of four pieces and save $18 on the set. The set includes an 8 oz. ceramic soap dispenser, 4″ wide ceramic soap dish, 4″ high ceramic toothbrush holder and an 8 oz. ceramic jar that can be used for cotton balls or whatever you wish. I think the Pinecone design will look great with my new bath. Knowing that the products are safe to use and to have around my children is such a blessing to me. I hope you will consider using these products in your home knowing that they are made in Bedford, VA and your safety is our concern.

Who doesn’t like to see their name on things they use? Monograms show up on all kinds of products from linens to backpacks. Why, here in Virginia you can learn a lot about a person just by reading their personalized license plate!

Emerson Creek Pottery recognizes the appeal of personalized items. In fact, many of our fine pottery pieces can be personalized. So if your Nana always bakes her famous cookies for the grandkids, how about a personalized cookie jar that reads “Nana’s Cookies”. Or how about a personalized large frilly tray for a housewarming gift that says “The Smith Family”!

The next time you are trying to decide what type of thoughtful gift you can get that special someone consider a personalized hand-painted piece of pottery that will be both used and loved!