Day 4: Mint Hot Chocolate Homemade Hostess Gift

mint hot chocolate for the hostess

On the 4th day of Christmas, j. sorelle gave to you…a potted mint homemade hostess gift.

We love the refreshing taste of mint with our water and cocktails in the summer, so why not incorporate it in our favorite warm drinks in the winter, like hot chocolate? The idea of sipping a mint hot chocolate warms us up, and it will warm up the host/hostess too with the potted mint plant hostess gift we shared with Momtastic.

It’s minty fresh, y’all. Check it out.

{image via j. sorelle}

DIY Peppermint Serving Tray

diy peppermint serving tray

I am officially obsessed with these candy serving trays…and guess who I got the idea from?!

Hosea Rosenberg, founder and chef of BlackBelly Catering.
Yes, he’s alsoĀ the Top Chef Season 5 winner šŸ™‚
Jenna and IĀ met him at Anne Be’s Five party a few weeks ago, and he was kind enough to share this creative idea with me!
{Thanks, Hosea!}

This DIY serving tray is adorable to serve your holiday cookies, apps or drinks! It’s an easy {and cheap} way to add a little something extra to your holiday treats.

Ā Hosea’s beautiful creation at Five:

Mint Serving Tray

You’ll need:
Brach’s Starbright MintsĀ {we bought mints from Candy Crate}
a cookie sheet
parchment or wax paper {I used wax paper, but heard parchment paper works better!}
your oven

How To:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place wax paper on cookie sheet
3. Arrange mints in any design you wish on top of wax paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet {allowing extra room on the sides}
4. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes
5. Take out and allow to cool on cookie sheet {cools in approximately 5 minutes}
6. Remove wax paper from bottom {be careful, tray is fragile and breaks easily}

Voila! Ā A beautiful serving tray!

jennawalkerphotographers_080

{Don’t forget your wax paper underneath the mints!
… lesson learned on this tray because it never made it off the cookie sheet in one piece!}

diy starlight mints

candy-cane-peppermint-serving-tray

melted peppermint serving tray

melted-peppermint-serving-tray

diy-peppermint-serving-tray

sending love…

love-melted-peppermint-serving-tray

{images via Tutto Bella & Jenna Walker Photographers}