I Cooked!

Departing from my usual tradition of serving frozen lasagna, I actually cooked a big holiday meal. I think I've been spending a little too much time watching the Food Network, lately! Here’s what I served - along with links to the recipes. It was all delicious, but very, very rich...

Squash Stuffed with Apple-Almond-Cherry Basmati Pilaf (recipe)
Mashed Potatoes (recipe)
Sweet Potato Casserole (recipe)
Green Bean Casserole (recipe)
Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Rosemary (recipe)
Coleslaw from Kathleen’s wonderful blog (recipe) – the yummiest coleslaw ever! Kathleen maintains three beautifully written blogs illustrated with great photos: Eggs in My Pocket, about life on her farm, Yesteryear Embroideries showcasing her creative and inspiring needlework and My Country Kitchen where she shares the tastiest recipes!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Here is a quick, easy and delicious recipe for fresh cranberry sauce I found online, here. I’ve never made it before and OMG – it tastes just like cranberry sauce should taste! I’m doing the happy dance! I was able to use fresh rosemary from my herb garden. Here it is cooling down awaiting refrigeration. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Almost Done...

I’m just finishing up a few things on “The Gardener” before he is uploaded to Etsy, but here’s a sneak peek as he sits on my work table. The sled is staying here, I think. I found it the other day in a box of Santa-making supplies – I had forgotten I had it. Anyway, he can sit anywhere as his legs (and arms) are wired.

Another Santa in Progress...

Here is another Santa I’ve been working on for the past week or so. This little guy is meant to be wired to a wreath – an experiment I’ve had in mind to try for awhile, now. I made him very flexible and lightweight so he should be easy to manipulate.

Another Embroidery Framed...

I finished another of my little embroidery pieces by stitch mounting it to heavy watercolor paper and adding a double mat and frame.

More Progress on Santa...

I finished the vest for the gardening Santa by adding a wool felt lining and buttonhole stitching the raw edges. I’m really pleased with how it all worked out. I just need to add his beard and hat - and he’ll be ready for his close-up. The photos below are not quite true to color - I used regular fluorescent lights.

I have a couple more Santas in varying degrees of doneness – but I’m seriously running out of time! That studio move took much longer than expected – boxes had to be loaded, lugged upstairs and unloaded - I’m still looking for doll-making supplies that got lost in the shuffle. Oh, but I’m having so much fun. I love this time of year!