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!).

***

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.

***

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. 

***

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!!!

Christmas Open House, Day 6

Hi, y'all! Christmas is a week from today... where has this year gone?! When I got the Christmas decorations put up, Mr. Wonderful said, "It feels like we just did this." I said, "We did." It's been a challenging year at our house, with some family members dealing with some serious health issues, and I've even had one of my own (though not serious, thankfully). I'm sure a lot of you can relate to that. As stressful as it has been, I was determined to enjoy Christmas. That's part of the motivation for me opening my Christmas home to y'all. To spread a little joy, a little stitching inspiration, a little good food. As stitchers, we know how much pleasure can be had from very simple things... a pretty freebie, a few new skeins of DMC in our favorite colors, a fresh cookie, a snowy day, a finish... It's the little things that get us through the big things. Whatever your year has been like, whatever is going on right now, I hope that by spending a few minutes here, you've been able to enjoy the Christmas season, even if just a little bit. And now... ornies!

2010, his. For some reason, the background on this one has always reminded me of a creamy, swirly coffee drink. Yes, I often think with my stomach:

Mine. If you've followed this blog for a while, you know about my Button Up Birdies obsession. This is the one that started it all. I think I have two left to stitch:

2011, his. I was surprised when he picked this one. Usually I know when I flip through the magazine which ornament he will pick, but not this year:

Mine. We endured a deployment in 2011, and this ornament is always bittersweet to me. I chose it because of the colors--red, silver, blue--and because the swirls reminded me of waves, of the thousands of miles of ocean that separated us. Even still, it's one of my favorites:

*sniff* We're gettin' a little mushy around here, aren't we? How about some food? Yesterday I posted our Christmas brunch menu, and today it's time for taters. This is the only part of the menu that has to be done the day of, but it's easy so it's no problem. I could eat these like candy.

Spicy Country Potatoes

5 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized pieces (leave the skin on!)
1 medium onion, chopped (I wear Mr. Wonderful's combat goggles for this)
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 c. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Toss potatoes and onions in oil; add seasonings and toss to coat. Bake about 35 minutes, stirring a little every 10 minutes or so.

***

Today's freebie is a nod to my obsession with all things candy cane. If Halloween/autumn is Pumpkin Spice Everything Season, and Thanksgiving is Cranberry Everything Season, then Christmas is Candy Cane Everything Season. Candy Cane cocoa (I'm hoarding it), candy cane Chapstick (Mr. Wonderful's favorite), candy cane coffee, candy cane tea, and on and on and on. It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's Candy Cane Everything Season.

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Christmas Open House, Day 5

Today is our 14th wedding anniversary. We got married at this time of year because it was at the beginning of Christmas break for Mr. Wonderful's school, and he would have a couple of weeks off. But we both love Christmas so much, we probably would've had a Christmas wedding even if school hadn't been a factor. What better way to celebrate our anniversary and Christmas every year than by adding handmade ornaments to our tree!

2008 ornaments, his:

Mine (we were stationed in California at the time... lots of sea otters!):

2009, his:

And mine:

Today's recipe brings us to Christmas brunch. At our house, we open gifts on Christmas Eve, because we're grown-ups and can do whatever we want and because I can't wait 'til Christmas morning. There. It's out there. I can't wait. It's me, not him. Anyway, since all the excitement is on Christmas Eve, our Christmas Day is pretty low-key, and that includes a low-key meal. So we have brunch. All the preparation can be done the day before, which has the added benefit of distracting me from the goodies waiting for me under the tree. If I sound like a six-year-old, it's because when it comes to Christmas, I am. Here's our menu, which I'll be sharing over the next few days:

Southwestern Breakfast Casserole

Spicy Country Potatoes

Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Syrup

Lemon-Orange Rolls

I came up with this menu, and if I do say so myself, it's scrumptious. It's a lovely balance of spicy, sweet, rich, light, savory, and citrus-y. It's my favorite special occasion meal, and I'm happy to share it with y'all.

Southwestern Breakfast Casserole

6 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2" strips

2 (4 oz.) cans chopped green chilies

1 lb. sausage, cooked and drained

1/4 c. minced onion or fresh to taste

1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 c. milk

6 eggs

1/2 tsp. EACH: salt, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper

a couple of Roma or Campari tomatoes, sliced

paprika

In a greased 8" square baking dish, layer the following: 1/2 the tortilla strips, 1/2 the chilies, 1/2 the sausage, 1/2 the onions, and 1/2 the cheese. Repeat layers. In a bowl, beat with a fork: milk, eggs, and spices until well-mixed; pour over casserole. Top with sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with paprika. If not baking immediately, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until set in the center and eggs are lightly browned. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

***

Now that we've got the casserole ready, let's stitch! Two very pretty freebies in only one click. They're simple, but I've seen these stitched up in hand-dyed threads and they're beautiful. Be creative and use your favorites!

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Christmas Open House, Day 4

We're halfway through my Christmas Open House Week, and I hope y'all are enjoying it as much as I'm enjoying sharing a little bit of what Christmas is like at our house. Let's go look at the tree!

2006, his:

Mine:

2007, his:

Mine (another favorite!):

Now let's go to the kitchen! Today, I've got... CAKE. Yes. And not just any cake. This is my favorite chocolate cake in the whole world. Maybe even the universe. Yep, probably the universe, too. My mom has been making this cake for me for as long as I can remember. And it's not what you might expect. It's not super sweet, or gooey, or slathered in rich frosting. It's just a wonderful, moist, chocolate cake... with an unexpected ingredient. Which I will now reveal. By the way, I have no idea why it's called what it's called. There is no whiskey in it... happily.

Scotch Chocolate Cake

Sift together: 
2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda

Bring to a boil:
1 stick butter (1/2 c.)
1/2 c. Crisco
4 Tbsp. cocoa (1/4 c.)
1 c. water

Pour boiling mixture over dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon. Allow to cool a bit (you don't want to cook the eggs!) before adding:
2 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix well. Pour into a greased pan and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. If you're using a 9x13, it'll bake a little faster. If you're using a bundt pan, cool the cake 10-15 minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate.

This cake really doesn't need any icing or glaze, but if you want to pretty it up a bit you could lightly dust it with confectioner's sugar. 

***

Today's freebie would be a super quick stitch and would make a great little ornament or last minute gift. Every time I see it I wonder why I haven't stitched it yet! Enjoy!

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Christmas Open House, Day 3

We're havin' fun now, aren't we?! Everybody in the Christmas spirit? All full of cookies and covered in orts? Good!

We're up to the 2004 ornaments. Here's Mr. Wonderful's:

And here's mine, another one chosen with Shadow in mind. This one looks a lot more like him, and he used to sit and look out the window, just like this:

2005, his:

Mine. This is one of my favorites... I gave myself a big ol' "Atta girl!" when I accomplished the finishing on this one:

Now for today's recipe. We always have something Mexican or Mexican-inspired on Christmas Eve. When we were back home in Texas, it was always tamales. Where we're from, people place orders for their Christmas tamales way in advance or stand in line at their favorite little hole-in-the-wall, family-run Mexican restaurants. It's not uncommon around Christmas to be asked, "Got your tamales?" Unhappily, where we live now, tamales are pretty hard to come by. Since so far I've been too lazy busy to make them myself, I usually make some sort of Mexican casserole for Christmas Eve. But since Mexican + Christmas Eve probably seems weird for y'all, I decided to share a different Christmas recipe that is a tradition in our family. It's Percolator Punch and I was raised on it. I even served it at the reception for our Christmas wedding. And it'll be perfect with all those cookies we've just made.

Percolator Punch

2 c. cranberry juice
4 c. water
2 Tbsp. Red Hots (those little cinnamon candies)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 c. orange juice
1/2 c. sugar
1 Bigelow Constant Comment teabag

Put everything in a percolator or a slow cooker and serve it when it's nice and hot.

***

 Ah! All snuggled down with hot punch and cookies... and a new freebie, since I know y'all have already finished the first two I posted. Here's Merry Christmas Deer. This design could be customized in so many ways with different colors and embellishments. Have fun stitching it... don't spill your punch!

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Christmas Open House, Day 2

Welcome back, y'all! Thanks for all the sweet comments about our ornaments and our tradition. It really is one of our favorite parts of Christmas, and our ornament tree is one of our treasures. I'm so happy to be able to share it with y'all. 

Let's get going, shall we? Because I know everyone is just waiting for the cookies. Here's 2002, my ornament:

Mr. Wonderful's choice for that year was a very detailed Santa. I don't remember why I didn't get it stitched, but it's on the to-do list. One of these days...

Here's 2003 (it used rayon floss... never again!), his:

And mine. The choice was inspired by our first kitty, a 10-year-old adopted sweetheart named Shadow. We adopted him in September of 2003.  The kitty on this ornament is way too skinny, though. Mr. Shadow weighed 14 pounds, had long hair, and had the most luxurious fluffy tail ever. 

Speaking of being ample and luxurious, how about another cookie recipe? I see y'all nodding your heads vigorously. Good. 

Now, we're from Texas. And being from Texas, Christmas means traditional Mexican foods. Hold on, let me be honest. Actually, every day of the year means traditional Mexican foods, but even more so at Christmas. This recipe for Mexican Wedding Cookies (polvorones) has been taste-tested on one of Mr. Wonderful's professors, a native of Mexico City. When Mr. Wonderful asked him if they were good, he said, "No..." {gasp} 

"...they're excellent." {Whew!} You may wonder why in the world I had the temerity to bake Mexican Wedding Cookies for a Mexican, but as we say in Texas, "It aint braggin' if you can do it." 

Mexican Wedding Cookies

1 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. water
2 c. flour
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar

Cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the vanilla and the water, then add the flour and the pecans. Cover and chill the dough for about 3 hours. When ready to bake, shape dough into little balls, a little smaller than a golf ball, maybe about two-bites big. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet (or parchment paper) at 325 for 15-20 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool. When completely cool, roll in the confectioner's sugar. Yield: about 3 dozen.

***

Now dust the powdered sugar off your face and hands and let's stitch. Here's a very sweet little freebie for a Christmas-y pinkeep. 

***

BONUS adorableness! Remember our little black visitor from a couple of weeks ago? Well, it snowed a few days ago and I managed to get a picture of him sharing a snowy table with one of his little grey cousins. I'm calling him Smudgy.

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Christmas Open House, Day 1

Wanna come over and stitch and eat?

Today I'm kicking off a little project I've had in mind for a while, a Christmas Open House here on my blog. Y'all are invited to drop in every day for the next week. Each day I'll be posting pictures of my stitched Christmas ornaments, a tried-and-true recipe that's a Christmas tradition at our house, and a link to a Favorite Christmas Freebie. How does that sound? Ready? Let's go!

Every year I stitch a Christmas ornament for Mr. Wonderful (which he chooses) and one for myself. I've been doing this for all of the 14 years we've been married, so we have quite a few. The only ones missing are his 2002 and my 2012, but I'll get those made up eventually! 

***All of the ornaments are from the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament issue of that year.***

Here's 2000, the year we got married a week before Christmas. His:

Mine:

Here's 2001, his:

And mine:

Now how about some cookies? Who doesn't need a really good basic sugar cookie recipe, especially at Christmastime? This is a great recipe. These cookies aren't too crisp, and you can customize the flavor, if you like. But maybe the best part, if you're into decorating, is the icing recipe for these cookies. It's perfect. It sets up firm enough to stack the cookies when they're completely dry, but it still has a soft shine. Very easy to work with, especially if you use a little craft paintbrush to brush it on. If you want, you can thin it out and drizzle it.

Sugar Cookies

Cream together: 2/3 c. butter
                               2/3 c. shortening
                               1 1/2 c. sugar
Stir in:                  2 eggs
                               2 tsp. vanilla extract
Combine:             3 1/2 c. flour
                               2 tsp. baking powder
                               1 tsp. salt
                               1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional, but I use it unless I'm making another flavor)

Stir the dry mixture into the creamed mixture until dough comes together. Roll into walnut-sized balls and flatten with a glass dipped in sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet (I use parchment paper) about 2" apart and bake 10-12 minutes at 350, or until the bottoms are light brown. Remove to racks to cool. Yield: about 3 dozen.

Sugar Cookie Icing

Stir together until smooth: 1 c. confectioner's sugar and 2 tsp. milk
Beat in (with a spoon): 2 tsp. light corn syrup and 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract (and coloring, if using)

Beat until smooth and glossy, adding milk 1/2 tsp. at a time for desired consistency.

***

Okay, now that you've got your cookies in the oven, how about a little something to stitch?
Here's a freebie I stitched up last year. It's still in the finishing pile, but maybe I'll get to that next week. Here's Jingle, Sparkle, Joy. 

Come on back tomorrow and see what we've got to eat and stitch!

Merry Christmas, y'all!