Instant Pot Cabbage Rolls

My husband loves cabbage rolls.  He came into the kitchen, and he said, "Ooooh!  Cabbage rolls! You know who makes the BEST cabbage rolls?"  Me: *side eye* "You better watch it."  He responded, "Andy's mom's cabbage rolls were the BEST!  I ought to give her $50 to make a big batch for us.  They're SOOO GOOOOOOD!"  Fast forward to after dinner...He ate those words, quite literally, because THESE were the best cabbage rolls...even according to my hubs.  Now, I can't say I've ever seen a "beautiful" cabbage roll, but they do TASTE amazing.  Next time, maybe before digging in, I should stage my food.... Nom. Nom.

Instant Pot Cabbage Rolls - by Dawn in an 8 qt. Instant Pot
1 lb ground turkey (or pork)
1 lb ground beef (80/20 or 70/30, but not super lean)
2 lg egg
1 C uncooked white rice
Garlic, minced
2 T butter (or oil)
2 C shredded carrots (food processor or wet chop in blender...if you've not seen this, just wait!)
1 large onion, minced (or wet chopped)
1 C chicken stock
2 large onions, sliced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 C sour cream
Salt & Pepper
2 heads of cabbage
Sour Cream for garnish
Dill


Cabbage:
The cabbage needs to be "softened" one way or another.  There are several ways to do this.  I have found that if you cut the core out of the head(s) of cabbage and put it in the freezer for 24 hours, and then allowing it to defrost, it creates soft leaves that aren't mushy and completely disintegrating.  Then, you also need to cut the hard center "vein" out of each leaf as you take the cabbage apart leaf by leaf.

I've *heard* that you can cut the core out and place the head of cabbage in your Instant Pot with 1 cup of water for 3 minutes on manual high pressure.  I tried this...once..., but my outer leaves were literally falling apart and the inside leaves weren't steamed/cooked.  So while I lurve my IP, I didn't love it for softening the cabbage.  You can also soften them old-school style by putting the cabbage head(s) in boiling water.  You'll still need to cut that hard "vein" from the center of each leaf so that you can roll your cabbage rolls. 

Wet chop?  Well...confession here...I do not own a food processor.  I had one, and it broke the first time I used it, and I have never replaced it.  I've got crazy cool attachments for my KitchenAid Stand Mixer and this awesome blender that has the Ice AutoPulse function, and I've got old school kitchen tools that get me through just fine.  I *have* found that while my KitchenAid attachments work great for grating cheese, they do NOT work as well with carrots.  
(That's quite the carrot cake story - that involved plastic shreds from my attachment to be dumped into my cake batter and noticed *just* before I put them in the oven.  I could have died!  My sweet husband (knowing how frustrated I was) offered to run to the store to just pick up some shredded carrots along with a few other items on our list.  He returned WITHOUT the carrots, so he proceeded to hand-grate all of the carrots I needed for the cake, because quite frankly, I was OVER the cake.)

So, fast-forward to now, and I'm a busy mom, and although I think you keep more of the onion and carrot flavor by doing them all by hand, I'm not going to lie and say I do it that way all of the time.  Throw the carrots and onions in the blender and cover with water.  Use the "Ice Auto-Pulse" function until they are sufficiently "grated."  Strain the water, and you have "grated" vegetables.  Seriously, SO easy!

  Add olive oil to the inner pot of your Instant Pot and saute your strained carrots and onions.  I recommend cooking these until they are caramelized to really add some tremendous flavor.

Add your crushed/diced tomatoes, sour cream, salt, pepper, and dill to the vegetables and heat through.  

Meanwhile, place your meats, eggs, uncooked rice, garlic, and salt & pepper in a bowl.

Add 2 cups of the veggie sauce to the meat and mix well to combine.  Set remainder of veggie sauce aside.

Pour 1 C Chicken Stock into the empty inner pot of the IP.  Place the "cores" or "veins" from the leaves along the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching the bottoms of the rolls.

Place  ~1/3 Cup of meat/rice/veggie mixture into a softened cabbage leaf and roll tucking the ends in as you do to create a little package.  Place the rolls on top of the cabbage in the pot.  Once the bottom is filled, pour 1/2 of the remaining veggie mixture over the cabbage rolls.  Repeat with remaining meat and cabbage leaves, followed by the veggie mixture. Top it all off with sliced onions.

Be sure the valve is set to seal, and turn your Instant Pot on to Manual High Pressure for 15 minutes and do a natural release when it is finished.  (Alternatively, you can do 18 minutes and quick release with very similar results.) 

Instant Pot Cabbage Rolls - by Dawn in an 8 qt. Instant Pot
(Click for printable recipe)

1 lb ground turkey (or pork)
1 lb ground beef (80/20 or 70/30, but not super lean)
2 lg egg
1 C uncooked white rice
Garlic, minced
2 T butter (or oil)
2 C shredded carrots (food processor or wet chop in blender...if you've not seen this, just wait!)
1 large onion, minced (or wet chopped)
1 C chicken stock
2 large onions, sliced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 C sour cream
Salt & Pepper
2 heads of cabbage
Sour Cream for garnish
Dill


Remove core and soften cabbage (Instant Pot, freeze & defrost, or boil.)

Grate carrots & onions (wet chop or use food processor.)

Add olive oil to the inner pot of your Instant Pot and saute strained carrots and onions.  Cook until caramelized.

Meanwhile, remove center "vein" from each leaf. 

Add crushed/diced tomatoes, sour cream, salt, pepper, and dill to the vegetables and heat through.  

Meanwhile, place meats, eggs, uncooked rice, garlic, and salt & pepper in a bowl.

Add 2 cups of the veggie sauce to the meat and mix well to combine.  Set remainder of veggie sauce aside.

Pour 1 C Chicken Stock into the empty inner pot of the IP.  Place the "cores" or "veins" from the leaves along the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching the bottoms of the rolls.

Place  ~1/3 Cup of meat/rice/veggie mixture into a softened cabbage leaf and roll.  Place the rolls on top of the cabbage in the pot.  Once the bottom is filled, pour 1/2 of the remaining veggie mixture over the cabbage rolls.  

Repeat with remaining meat and cabbage leaves, followed by the veggie mixture. Top it all off with sliced onions.

Be sure the valve is set to seal, and turn your Instant Pot on to Manual High Pressure for 15 minutes and do a natural release when it is finished.  (Alternatively, you can do 18 minutes and quick release with very similar results.) 

Instant Pot Jacques Pepin style Potatoes and Pesto Chicken

If you've met my husband, then you'll know he's more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy.  If you've eaten with my husband, you'll also know that although I wouldn't call him a picky eater, he's fairly vocal about what he loves and will tell me if something's not his favorite.  (Respectfully of course - he just really loves food, and his food choices reflect that.)  I'm here to tell you that THESE POTATOES are his favorite.  They are SO easy.  They involve a little more work than some other potato recipes, but they're a heck of a lot easier than...oh...say...scalloped potatoes.  For that reason, I secretly love that he's deemed these his new favorite.

Dawn's Instant Pot Jacques Pepin-style Potatoes

Wash up some small potatoes.  I've used Baby Creamers, small red potatoes, and small golden potatoes with success.  Throw the potatoes in your IP, pour in 2 cups of chicken stock, add 2 Tablespoons of butter, and salt & pepper.  You *can* add whole garlic cloves if you wish, and I highly recommend it.  I like to do 4 huge garlic cloves or 8 normal size.  Seal the pot, make sure the valve is closed, set your IP manual High Pressure for 3 minutes.  

 As soon as it is finished, quick release the pressure.  (Otherwise your potatoes will explode and not be nearly as pretty.)  Remove the potatoes to a greased baking sheet (but leave the garlic in the liquid), and gently flatten them slightly.  They will each "pop" just a little.  (I use the flat side of a meat tenderizer, but you could just as easily use the bottom of a glass.)  Brush them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper (and garlic powder if you want.)  Slide them into a 425 degree oven or under a broiler (but pay attention) just to give them a little color, crisp, and depth of flavor.  Keep an eye on them, because if you cook them too long, they'll get rubbery and not be the creamy goodness they should be. 

 While your potatoes are in the oven, turn your Instant Pot to Saute and reduce the remaining chicken stock, "melted" garlic, and butter down until you have enough to toss the cute little 'taters in.  Remove the sauce, pour over the potatoes, sprinkle with parsley & Parmesan, and serve!

 Seriously, these are so good and go with ANYTHING....Well, almost anything.

Dawn's Instant Pot Jacques Pepin-style Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs Small potatoes
• 2 C Chicken stock
• 2 T butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• 4-8 Garlic cloves or garlic powder *optional
• Parsley and Parmesan for garnish

Cooking Directions:

1. Wash small potatoes. (Baby Creamers, small red potatoes, and small golden potatoes)
2. Place potatoes in IP
3. Add 2 cups of chicken stock, 2 Tablespoons of butter, garlic cloves, and salt & pepper to the IP.
4. Seal the pot, make sure the valve is closed, set your IP manual High Pressure for 3 minutes.
5. Once complete, immediately quick release the pressure according to manufacturer's directions.
6. Remove the potatoes to a greased baking sheet, and gently flatten them slightly. (I use the flat side of a meat tenderizer, but you could just as easily use the bottom of a glass.)
7. Brush them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper (and garlic powder *optional*)
8. Place into a 425 degree oven to slightly brown.
9. While your potatoes are in the oven, turn your Instant Pot to Saute, and reduce the remaining chicken stock, butter, and "melted" garlic down
10. Remove the sauce, pour over the potatoes, sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan, and serve!

I was really in an Instant Pot mood, and after I used it to make my potatoes, I also used it to make chicken thighs.  (Yeah, yeah, it's clear that I live near a Costco.  I'm not an affiliate for them.... I wonder if that's even a thing?  We tend to have a lot of Kirkland brand in our house.)

Instant Pot Pesto Chicken

Okay!  So, pesto chicken!  Again, this is super easy.  Like so easy that I had time to make a salad and butter some bread for sides while this magically cooked in my Instant Pot.
I used 8 chicken thighs (that's 2 packages from Costco, Ha!) and nestled them in my IP.  I mixed 1 1/4 cups of chicken stock, 3/4 cup of prepared pesto, 1/8 C Ranch, and some pepper and poured it over the top of the chicken.  I added 6 whole cloves of garlic and some fresh thyme from my herb garden.  (Read: pots on the back patio that I use to grow herbs.  It's too dang hot here to grow basil and mint in the sweltering sun.)  
Seal up the pot, make sure the vent is closed, set it for manual high pressure for 9 minutes. When it is finished, turn the pot OFF and let it naturally release pressure for 6 minutes.  Then quick release the remaining pressure.  Again, you can remove the chicken and use the saute function to cook down the sauce.  I served the chicken with some of the pesto sauce and freshly grated Parmesan.

Instant Pot Pesto Chicken

Ingredients:

• 8 Chicken Thighs
• 1.25 C Chicken stock
• .75 C Prepared Pesto
• 1/8 C Ranch Seasoning
• 6 Garlic Cloves
• Fresh Thyme
• Parmesan, freshly grated

Cooking Directions:

1. Place 8 chicken thighs in Instant Pot
2. Mix 1 1/4 cups of chicken stock, 3/4 cup of prepared pesto, 1/8 C Ranch Seasoning, and ground pepper
3. Pour over chicken
4. Added 6 whole cloves of garlic and fresh thyme
5. Seal the IP, make sure the vent is closed, set for manual high pressure for 9 minutes.
6. When it is finished, turn the pot OFF and let it naturally release pressure for 6 minutes.
7. Quick release remaining pressure.
8. Remove thyme stems and discard.
9. Remove the chicken and use the saute function to cook down the sauce as desired.
10. Serve chicken with the pesto sauce and freshly grated Parmesan.

Instant Pot Beef Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

Have you missed me?  I've missed you.  It's just been crazy busy, and I've been trying to really focus on being "present" where I need to be.  I feel like I have a bit of a better balance personally, and I'm excited to get back to blogging and share some things that friends and readers have been asking me about...a lot.

So...this whole Instant Pot craze?  (Or choose your brand of pressure cooker / multi-cooker.  I'm not sponsored by any of them, so it "makes me no nevermind."  *That was in my best Southern drawl.*  I'm from Texas, so it's a pretty serious drawl.  I once ordered "Sprite" at a drive through and got "fries." Spriiiiiiiiite.....friiiiiiiiiies apparently sound a little alike.)  I digress.  Yes, I really love my IP.  I use it for entrees, soups, rice, Jacque Pepin potatoes, yogurt, and more.

Confession:  I actually own two Instant Pots.  I have an 8 qt. that I use at home, and I have a 6 qt that we use in our travel trailer.  I might have a bit of an obsession.

That being said, yes, I *do* love to cook and bake, BUT...the whole purpose of the IP recipes are to make things a little easier and less work for those of us who don't have time or those that don't like to cook.  I'm hoping to share some of the recipes that I use in my kitchen to make this whole process a little less daunting.  (You need to read through your manual and understand the sealing, pressure release options, and safety measures.  I am not responsible for you using your specific model correctly.)  Confession #2: I owned an old school pressure cooker, but I *never once* used it, because it scared the bejeebers out of me.  Once you understand the IP, it's EASY (and not scary at all.)

So let's get to it!

Instant Pot Beef Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

"Sunday" Beef Pot Roast that doesn't take ALL. DAY. LONG.?  Yes, please!  There are a few tricks to make it TASTE like you spent all day on it, and it makes this IP recipe a little more involved than most of the others I'll share, but hopefully this helps you get comfortable with some of the features.

Gather your ingredients (or most of them at least...they aren't all pictured here.)  Pat your roast dry and generously season it with salt and pepper.  Put oil in the Instant Pot and select "Saute."  This part is important if you want it to taste like you REALLY invested time in your roast.  Yes, it's going to take some extra time, but I *promise* that it is SO worth it!  LET IT SEAR FOR AT LEAST 5 (to 8) minutes per side.  You want a dark brown "crust" on all sides.

OH!!!  Huge tip here (especially if you have a bigger IP like my 8 qt that's pictured): Get a set of LONG TONGS!  They are life-changing when working in the IP with hot oil and searing food.  My hands don't end up with 2nd degree burns if there's extra moisture that makes hot oil pop.  Drying the meat is important, but these help!  These are often used for grilling, but they are amazing when working in the IP, too.

 

Look at that crust!!!  Isn't it pretty?  It smells *so* good.  Remove the beef and set it aside.  Yes, the bottom of the pot looks like you should clean it out before you move forward, but PLEASE DON'T!  There's great flavor in there.  Throw your onions in, and as you saute them (yes, still...and you *may* have to press Saute again if you really sauteed all sides for at least 5 minutes.)  Scrape up the brown bits as the onions cook and help naturally deglaze the pan.  Again, I know this is longer than most IP recipes take, but in comparison to ALL DAY?  This is totally a win!  No, it's not a super-fast weeknight meal, but you can do it after you come home from a morning at church and a lunch out and still have it ready way before dinner time.  Once the onions are sauteed and really soaked up that meaty goodness at the bottom of the pot, add pressed garlic, tomato paste, bay leaves, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, red wine (if using), and SOME carrots - not all of them, unless you like mushy carrots.  

These carrots are for flavor for now, we'll add carrots and potatoes later when it also gives you a fail-safe to check your meat. ;-)  I know, you're learning, and this is more stressful than you want it to be, but I've got you!  Set your pot to Meat, High Pressure, for 60-80 minutes.  (I do 80 minutes if I have the time.)  You'll get to check your meat before you "commit" to your veggies.

Confession #3: Guys, I'm nervous!  I haven't blogged in so long.  Blogging has changed in that time, and I'm hoping that you are enjoying this.  PLEASE tell me what you love, what you miss/want, and what *ugh...yes* even what you don't want that I'm doing.  The overwhelming response to my personal Facebook post makes me realize how many of you WANT to see these, but I want to make sure that I'm sharing the pieces you want. 

Get 1/4 Cup of cold water and add 2 T of cornstarch.  Swirl them into a slurry in a small saucepan.

When you hit the 60-80 minutes, you can Quick Release (turn the valve for the quick steam release.)  Again, if you have the time, natural release is actually preferred, but not mandatory.  Once it has released, open and add the small potatoes and 2 inch or "baby" carrots that you want.  Set on Manual High Pressure for 3 minutes.  Quick Release again when it's finished.

The top image (below) has the uncooked carrots and potatoes.  In the bottom image, you can see the carrots that I put in at the very beginning next to the ones I just added a few minutes ago.  The more brown carrots have been cooking for over an hour under pressure and disintegrate, but the more orange carrots are perfect!

You can ladle out a cup or 2 of your "juices" from the IP, and add them to your saucepan.  Heat on the stove and whisk.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Remove once it's thickened.  You have an amazing sauce for everything!  OR you can add the cornstarch and cold water mixture to your IP and select saute to do it right in the pot.

Serve your potatoes, carrots, beef, sauce, and fresh parsley.  So yummy!

Author: Dawn Earley

Instant Pot Beef Roast

prep time: 10 mins  
cook time: 2 hour  
total time: 2 hours and 10 mins

Ingredients:

• Beef Chuck Roast
• 1-2 T Canola Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 onion, sliced into strips
• 5-8 cloves of garlic
• 2-3 T tomato paste
• 3 bay leaves
• Rosemary, minced
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce 
• 2-3 C beef stock (2 if using red wine)
• 1 C Red wine (if using)
• Small Bag of peeled and cut Carrots (divided)
• 15-20 Small potatoes (red, golden, or even fingerling)
• 1/4 C Cold Water
• 2 T Cornstarch
• Parsley

Instructions:

1. Pat your roast dry and generously season it with salt and pepper.
2. Put oil in the Instant Pot and select "Saute."  LET IT SEAR FOR AT LEAST 5 (to 8) minutes per side.  You want a dark brown "crust" on all sides.
3. Remove the beef and set it aside.
4. Add onions to the IP, and as you saute them, scrape up the brown bits as the onions cook and help naturally deglaze the pan
5. Add pressed garlic, tomato paste, bay leaves, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, red wine (if using), and SOME carrots (just for flavor)
6. Set your Pressure Cooker to Meat, High Pressure, for 60-80 minutes
7. When cooking is complete, you can Quick Release (according to manufacturer's directions) or if time permits, natural release.
8. Add remaining carrots and potatoes.  Set the pot to Manual, High Pressure, 3 minutes.  (If you like your carrots more al dente, then only do 2 minutes.)
9. Mix water and cornstarch.  Set aside until the pot completes the 3 minutes of high pressure.
10. When the 3 minutes is complete, do a Quick Release of pressure.  Ladle 1-2 C of the cooking liquid into the saucepan with the cornstarch and water.  Cook and stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens.  OR* add the cornstarch and water mixture directly to the IP liquid.  Select saute and allow the sauce to thicken in the pot.
11. Serve roast, potatoes, carrots, sauce, and parsley garnish

DIY Disney Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse Ears

There are so many really creative Disney Mickey Mouse ears for your Disney vacation on Pinterest.  I asked my family what they wanted, and here is what we created.  I purchased 12 sets of Mickey ears on Amazon, and used a combination of felt, fabric paint, ribbon (the pink flowery ribbon used on Piglet), sheets of glittery fabric (from Hobby Lobby), sequins, rhinestones, pins (Route 66 and the pirate skull), fabric, beads, and glue...lots and lots of glue.  Which is your favorite?

Wall-E and Eve

Iron Man & Captain America Mickey Ears

Sequined Tigger Ears

Belle-inspired Minnie Mouse Ears

Glittery Minnie Mouse Ears

Piglet Minnie Mouse Ears

Cars Inspired Lightning McQueen and Mater Mickey Ears

Captain Jack Sparrow Mickey Mouse Ears

Elf on the Shelf: Free Printables on Dropbox

You guys are clearly VERY busy with Elf shenanigans!  I received an e-mail from Dropbox notifying me that they have disabled all of my public links due to "Excessive traffic."  I'm working to have this resolved.  In the meantime, ALL of my Elf printables are still available for download in my store.  I sincerely apologize for any frustration.  Hopefully, you still read and find inspiration here for your own scout elf!
(If you are unable to make the store to the right of this post work, you *may* send me an e-mail after sending the appropriate amount in payment via PayPal, but I BEG you to include what you are purchasing AND your e-mail address in the notes.   Otherwise, I have to go search PayPal transactions to try to find yours and then locate your e-mail. I will continue to process orders placed that way through December 22nd at 8 p.m. CST.  The turn around isn't immediate as it is with the automated e-mails in the store, but I will do my best to be as quick as possible.

Elf on the Shelf: Wise Man Costume - Printable Template

Maybe your Elf has already "held baby Jesus" or read the story of Christmas in my printable "Bible," but you're looking for a new way for your Elf to bring the focus back to the story of Christmas.  Our Elf decided that he wanted to trek with the Wise Men to celebrate the birth of Christ.  With a small bit of felt, I was able to (suprisingly quickly) make this Wise Man costume for our elf.  (It took me longer to create the printable and write this post than it did for me to make the costume!)  You can follow the same instructions as the ones I created for the Elf Sports Jerseys.  

I cut the front AND the back on the fold for my elf, but if you want to be able to overlap and "cinch" the costume, then by all means follow my template to cut 2 for the front.  I cut a strip for a "belt" and then cut small slits at each end to create "fringe" as well.  For the crown, you can follow the design or make it look more like the crown I already had made for our elf.  I tied it in a knot in the back and then trimmed the "tails."

Check out all of my other Elf on the Shelf ideas and printables, too!
You can buy ALL of my Elf on the Shelf printables for easy download in the store on the right side of the page.

As always, I encourage you to create some of the "super special" Elf surprises, and then trade them with your friends and neighbors so that the joy (and efforts) are shared!!!

By all means, share this, pin it, print it, blog about it, but please link back to this post. 

Elf on the Shelf: Elves Love to Write - Printable Mailbox, Notecards, & Envelopes

Your elf has so many adventures that s/he may want to send some letters to the friends in the North Pole.

Check out all of my other Elf on the Shelf ideas and printables, too!
You can buy ALL of my Elf on the Shelf printables for easy download in the store on the right side of the page.

As always, I encourage you to create some of the "super special" Elf surprises, and then trade them with your friends and neighbors so that the joy (and efforts) are shared!!!

By all means, share this, pin it, print it, blog about it, but please link back to this post. 

Huge thanks for the elf clipart from Creative Clips by Krista Wallden https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Krista-Wallden

Elf on the Shelf: Free Printable Elves love to Read

Does your Elf like to read?   S/he needs a North Pole Library Card and Reading Log!

There are a ton of Christmas themed books that should be on her/his shelf to read.  Here are a few that came up with a Google search.

Check out all of my other Elf on the Shelf ideas and printables, too!
You can buy ALL of my Elf on the Shelf printables for easy download in the store on the right side of the page.

As always, I encourage you to create some of the "super special" Elf surprises, and then trade them with your friends and neighbors so that the joy (and efforts) are shared!!!

By all means, share this, pin it, print it, blog about it, but please link back to this post. 

Huge thanks for the cupcake clipart from Creative Clips by Krista Wallden https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Krista-Wallden

Elf on the Shelf: Elf Drum Kit Printable

Is your Elf a little drummer boy (or girl)?  Well, then do I have the printable for you!  Print this one out 3-4 times and wrap 3 or 4 cans with the red drum wrappers.  Leave 2 or 3 of the cans standing up, and lay the final can between 2.  Affix the "Rockin' Elf" circle to the top/bottom of the can that is on its side.  If you have a few of the middle pieces from Ball jar lids, you can poke a small hole in the center of 2-4 of them. Use rubberbands to hold chopsticks or fun Christmas pencils to the upright cans and rest the lid pieces on the tops of the chopsticks/pencils.  Use miniature candy canes as drumsticks.  (Or large toothpicks or Q-tips.)  Now, your Elf has a full drum kit!

Check out all of my other Elf on the Shelf ideas and printables, too!
You can buy ALL of my Elf on the Shelf printables for easy download in the store on the right side of the page.

As always, I encourage you to create some of the "super special" Elf surprises, and then trade them with your friends and neighbors so that the joy (and efforts) are shared!!!

By all means, share this, pin it, print it, blog about it, but please link back to this post. 

Huge thanks for the candy clipart from Creative Clips by Krista Wallden https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Krista-Wallden

Elf on the Shelf: Elf Door

How does your Elf get into your home?  How about his/her very own Elf Door?  I've created a free printable that you can print on cardstock and adhere to posterboard or cardboard for a more sturdy door.  I'd love to see how you decorate YOUR Elf door.  

You can pick up the light up Christmas light necklaces and outline the door, set up Christmas village trees beside the door, add cottonball or marshmallow snowmen or snow drifts, or cut the door so that it opens and put a picture of the North Pole behind it!  

Check out all of my other Elf on the Shelf ideas and printables, too!  You can buy ALL of my Elf on the Shelf printables for easy download in the store on the right side of the page.

As always, I encourage you to create some of the "super special" Elf surprises, and then trade them with your friends and neighbors so that the joy (and efforts) are shared!!!

By all means, share this, pin it, print it, blog about it, but please link back to this post.