Christmas Open House, Day 7: The Finale!

Wow. That week went by fast. It's the last day of my Christmas Open House, but not the last of my December posts. I've still got our 2014 ornaments to show off next week, and I've been doing some finishing and will be putting together a post about how I finish my ornaments. So don't forget to drop in and see what else I've been up to. 

I've really enjoyed sharing our ornaments, our traditions, our favorite recipes, and some favorite freebies with y'all. I hope y'all have enjoyed it, too. Thank you to all who have left such sweet comments here, and to all who have visited, whether you've commented or not. It's been fun... maybe we'll do it again next year!

Here's Mr. Wonderful's 2012 ornament. I think the sheep sold him:

Can't remember why I didn't finish my 2012 ornament, but it's one of only two that are missing, and is--of course--on my (lengthy) to-do list.

And finally--for this week, at least--the 2013 ornaments. His:

And mine... I love this little guy:

Today I'll be sharing the last couple of recipes for our Christmas brunch menu. The first is our favorite fruit salad ever. Very simple ingredients, very simple to prepare, but lovely! It makes a bunch, so it would be great to take to a gathering. And it looks pretty.

Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Syrup

1 small cantaloupe, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pint-1 quart of fresh strawberries, quartered
1 pint fresh blueberries
2 c. red seedless grapes
(you can fiddle with these amounts, based on your preference)

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. grated lime zest
1 Tbsp. lime juice

Combine sugar, water, honey, lime zest and juice in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for one minute. Remove from heat and cool completely; cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. To serve, drizzle syrup over individual servings of fruit salad (a little goes a long way!).

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Okay, now these... these are just divine. I make these every year on Christmas Eve day, and since the recipe makes too many for us to (in good conscience) eat by ourselves, I deliver little plates of the extras to the neighbors. These are like little bites of sunshine... perfect for a cold winter day!

Lemon-Orange Rolls

16 oz. hot roll mix
1/4 c. butter, softened and divided
2/3 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. orange zest
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
2 c. confectioner's sugar
1/4 c. orange juice

Make the hot roll dough as directed on the box. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. For each portion: Roll the dough into a 12" x 8" rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread with 2 Tbsp. of softened butter. Stir sugar and fruit zests together and sprinkle half the mixture over the buttered dough. Starting with the long edge, roll up the dough like a jelly-roll and cut into 1" thick slices. Place in greased muffin tins, cover and let rise about 20 minutes. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Remove to racks to cool. For glaze, stir together confectioner's sugar and orange juice and drizzle over cooled rolls. Yield: about 2 dozen.

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This last freebie is another one I haven't gotten stitched yet, but I love. It was taken down and unavailable for a while, but was re-posted some time back. I've seen it stitched in several different ways and finished as an ornament and it turns out so pretty. Here's Christmas Eve Flight. 

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Lastly, I'll leave y'all with a couple of pretties. These are the roses delivered Wednesday on our 14th anniversary. One of the many, many reasons Mr. Wonderful is Mr. Wonderful.

And of course, Miss Tiger Lily. You didn't think I'd have a week-long Open House without a Tiger Lily sighting, did you? Unpossible.

"Wake me up when Santa gets here."

Thanks so much for coming to my Open House! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!