This and That: December

:: Ack! The time. It slips away from me. I believe in my last post I said I would be back "later on today," when in fact I must have meant "in two days." My bad.

:: Question: What do you do if you need to spend all of your time making Christmas presents in order to finish them by the time you hop on a plane to Seattle? If you answered "take a three hour time out to bake some bread" you're right!

I made some great bread at the beginning of the week, which is a big deal for me. Any time the mood strikes me to make something leavened I have to jump on it. The mood carries with it my courage and I definitely need courage for yeast. I've been allowing my house to slowly self destruct since Operation Handmade Holiday commenced, so all I could do was eek out a tiny section of counter space for the kneading and rolling. And honestly, I have no idea how our kitchen manages to get so messy. It's like it dirties the dishes without us! I took a picture of the kitchen as evidence for you.

We're finishing up the last of this Buttermilk bread today and it is still delicious warmed in the microwave with lots of butter and jam. I should really give you the recipe sometime. Also, if you answered the question correctly please send me your name and address to claim your prize. I wouldn't expect to get anything though...I'm too busy baking bread and making presents for other people.

:: Thank you, thank you for your kind comments on the post about knitting! A few of you mentioned that you were interesting in commissioning some knit items from me and I would be more than happy to oblige. Just send me an email (there's a link on the left sidebar) and we'll chat.

::N8tr0n and I made latkes benedict last week. First you take a latke, and then shove it off any Kosher path it may have been on by placing a piece of ham on top of it. Top that with an egg, and then smother it with a dairy-based sauce. Really, I felt like I should just be calling them round hasbrowns instead of latkes, the blasphemy was so blatant. Anyway, the point of telling you this is to tell you about the sauce. Gramma Jo's Hollandaise Sauce. The sauce that will make you madly search your fridge for things you can dip into it. Asparagus and cauliflower are nice, but all you really need is a vehicle to get this stuff to your mouth. You will eventually settle on a spoon. It's okay. I understand.

I shall now give you the recipe. (I really hope the California family doesn't disown me for this but I have a firm belief in no secret recipes, and also in spreading awareness that combining butter and lemon could probably bring world peace) Are you ready? Here goes:

Melt 1/2 Cup butter
Lightly beat 2 eggs and pour into butter stirring continuously
Add 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice (best if they are lemons straight from your grandma's tree in California but you know...whatever...you do what you gotta do)
Microwave the mixture for 1 minute. Remove from microwave every 15 seconds and stir until it is a creamy-saucy consistency. (sometimes it might take an extra 15 seconds...sometimes it might not take a full minute)

This little recipe is like magic. I love how easy it is and how cool it is to see the liquid suddenly turn into deliciousness. You're welcome.

:: Three of my friends and I had a toy exchange last week. We all brought toys from our homes that our kids didn't play with anymore and exchanged them for other toys that we wanted. It was a huge success! I feel like I made out like a bandit, and the best part is, I think everyone else did too!

:: Thanks for all of the encouraging words and excitement about Operation Handmade Holiday. I will most certainly be posting pictures and possibly tutorials of all of the things I made after the recipients have them in their hands.

:: In a few moments we're leavin' on a jet plane to N8tr0n's old stomping grounds. Bainbridge Island (and yes my yarn shop) awaits. N8tr0n just came downstairs to tell me that the forecast for Seattle is rain forever. He likes to prepare my psyche. I'm so looking forward to spending this Christmas with my husband's family, my super hip sister-in-law, and my adorable nephew. Am anticipating much sock-ed feet cousin races up and down the halls. I'm so fortunate to be blessed with great in-laws...they make going to an airport at Christmas time worth it. :)

:: Finally, I'm taking a little blog break. I hiatus, if you will. That also includes a hiatus from reading blogs, so I apologize in advance for missing all of the inspiring last minute holiday posts I know you are all dreaming up right now. I want to relish these last few days before Christmas without sticking my face in front of a computer screen. I'll be back after Christmas, and you won't even know I was gone. In the meantime, here is my Christmas card to you:

Mele Kalikimaka y'all. Thanks for reading.