My Christmas Village: Day One

 

Welcome, welcome, welcome to my 11th Annual Christmas Open House! I'm so glad you're here! Settle in for a week of Christmas stitching and some simple recipes to make your own holidays a bit more cozy, or to give as quick and easy gifts. The sewing room and kitchen are open!

I've always liked the tradition of setting up a Christmas village but have never had one of my own, partly because I've never seen one that was just right for me, and partly because they take up a lot of storage space I don't have.

This year I chose to just make my own Christmas village using the Hometown Holiday series by Little House Needleworks, but with a very special twist: I personalized each and every building. The result is a very unique little village that is just right for me. Come along for a visit!

The very first chart in this charming series is a house you can personalize with your family name, so that's where I started. I stitched my village on 28 ct. raw linen, and pretty much used the suggested threads, except I always used DMC 3865 for the snow and snowflakes, for a brighter look. The raw linen cord I used for finishing was from Hobby Lobby, and I've been hoarding it for years. Sadly, it appears it's no longer available.

I've spent almost my entire life on military bases, so my village had to have a Main Gate. I renovated the fire station and added a Military Working Dog to guard it, in tribute to these remarkable dogs that have been helping keep me safe for over 50 years. Mr. Wonderful says when he was in Afghanistan, he always felt calmer when the dogs were around. I agree. When you see them, you know things are under control. They have their own memorial in Texas.

Our first recipe this week is one of our Thanksgiving favorites. This Honey & Spice Glaze really perks up turkey. If you don't like heat, don't be alarmed at the ingredients. It's very nicely balanced and isn't hot. Since there are only two of us, I use a 3 lb. turkey breast and this recipe makes plenty of glaze, but if you have a larger one, you'll want to increase the amounts. Also, because it only takes a couple of hours for a small turkey breast to cook, I glaze it before I put it in the oven and have never had a problem with the glaze getting too brown or burning. If you're worried about it for a longer cooking time, just wait to glaze until later in the cooking process.

Honey & Spice Glaze for turkey

1 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground allspice or ground cloves

1/8 tsp. cumin

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 TBsp. honey

1/2 tsp. cold water

Gift bag/basket idea: Mix the spices together in a small container, and add a cute little jar of honey, along with the recipe.

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We're off and running... er... moseying through town. Fill up your cocoa mug and come on back tomorrow to see where we go next.