Saturday, December 26, 2009

Happy Holidays

I knit these little bunnies last year, but they're so cheerful on our mantel that I thought they deserved another chance to wish everyone Merry Christmas.
I don't have much knitting to show off since I've been cooking since last Wednesday, although I did knit my friend Julie a little mitten as part of a swap we did, but I forgot to take a pic of it before I sent it. I also knit a little sweater ornament for a non-knitting friend, using a pattern From the Wool Room. It's knit from the top down, and I think it may be my favorite "tiny sweater" pattern. I've tried a lot of them.


Russ and went to Solvang last Monday to buy some medisterpølse (Danish sausage) at Nielsen's Market for our Christmas Eve dinner. We also made a little stop at Olsen's Danish Bakery for some Kringle. Russ isn't too enthused about going to the touristy shops, but I did get a chance to buy a few little Danish paper ornaments.


I can understand why Ronald Reagan and Michael Jackson would have wanted to live around Solvang. The view from the mission is so beautiful. We always take the backroads home just to enjoy the beautiful landscape.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Catastrophic Crab Dip

I have quite a few Christmas cookbooks, but my favorite is the Mystic Seaport Christmas Memories Cookbook. Last night I decided to make a crab dip recipe from it for a potluck at school. This doesn't sound like it should have been a dangerous endeavor. It was, however, the indirect reason that I ended up in the emergency room in Bakersfield forty miles away. As I was reaching for the crab in our refrigerator, I somehow snagged my wrist on the lid of an olive can and trying to catch the can, I ended up with a deep, two-inch gash on my wrist. It didn't bleed or hurt that badly, but it was scary looking. I remember looking up at the clock as I realized that I was going to need stitches; it was nine o'clock, the time that our small town's urgent care center closes. So, Russ, who had already gone to bed, and I headed to Bakersfield where we sat endlessly in the waiting room. I think my big mistake was telling the triage nurse that my pain level was a three on a ten-point scale. I should have said "eleven!" Finally, after five hours of waiting, and having answered "no" to four different nurses and/or doctors who questioned whether my slit wrist was self-inflicted, we headed home through the foggy night. When we got home at 2:30 a.m., there was the crab dip in the fridge. Paige had gone ahead and made it for me. She had gone to bed, but Kai was sleeping on the couch waiting for us to get home. What a nice ending to an unpleasant evening.

Crab Dip

3 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 -2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
4 hardcooked eggs, finely chopped
12 - 16 oz shredded crabmeat

1. Process cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, lemon juice, and Worcestershire Sauce in food processor until smooth.

2. Fold in crabmeat and chopped egg. Pour in oven-proof casserole and refrigerate until ready to serve.

I served my cold, but you may also heat in a 350 degree oven until hot and bubbly. You may serve with sourdough bread or crackers.

Hopefully, you will have an injury-free experience preparing this wonderful dip.

I had plans for spending my evening knitting yesterday. Typically, because I have had so much work to do, I feel like knitting all the more. I'm almost finished with the "cableyoke jacket" sweater from Debbie Bliss's Simply Baby. I just need to buy a zipper. I really like this pattern. It was really easy, but the cables kept it from being boring. I'm proud to brag that I used stashed yarn to knit it. It's wool, but that's about all I know. I've had it forever. I think I bought it to knit a Christmas sweater from McCall's Knitting Magazine back when it was one of the only knitting magazines around.
This is turning into kind of a random posting, but I had to show off my mailbox cover. I think it's the perfect design for someone who loves knitting. I'm hooked on the mailbox covers from House to Home Ideas. Russ asked me today if I was part of a club with them where I get a new one every month...mmmmm. that sounds like a great idea.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Knit Cupcakes


I love Vegan Yum Yum's Knit Cupcakes. I've tried to make them a couple of times, and I've been only moderately successful; they're not easy. One thing I've learned is that Albertson's must not sell marizpan too often because both times I've bought it, it was hard as a rock. World Market, on the other hand, has nice, soft marzipan. I "knit" my cupcakes for a little knitting get-together with some people from work. I'm pretty happy with them, but I think I still need more practice. Luckily, I bought several packages of marzipan!