Happy Christmas!

Yay, Christmas Day! Yay for sleeping in, opening gifts, and family brunch! Yay for spending the day in jammies, inside the cozy house surrounded by loved ones!

Yay, that I can start knitting on my Hanne Falkenberg kit, Ballerina! Cast on this AM, and ready to go....
I am using size 1 needles, with the sport weight yarn that comes in the kit. Will be making the size M/L and watching for the sleeve growth everyone who has knit this complains about.
Anyway, I am now on row 4 :) Got a long way to go, but nothing except time in front of me....

Here are some bulk photos of the Christmas scarves and hats:

Keep in mind the blue set was shipped prior to the photo shoot! I feel productive :)




New on the needles (besides Ballerina): Hemlock Ring Blanket, cast on today! And my miter blanket that was just an idea, is back on the front burner, as I probably have enough yarn for the whole blanket....Wheeee!

One more thing:
focus on scarf #11 (or was that 12?) Who's counting anyway.... It's the gray one in this photo:

Simple Rib Scarf:
Made in K1P1 rib, cast on 22 stitches, and knit with a double strand of Cascade 220 heather on size 13 needles! Was done in 2 days (work-days, where I knit on lunch or after work!!!) Why didn't I do all the scarves like this!? Very cushy and warm, very fast :)

I should have taken a photo of our brunch; we make do-ahead casseroles every Christmas day. They are put together the night before, then refridgerated, to be popped into the oven on Christmas morning to bake while opening gifts! There's nothing more fun than sitting down to a hot brunch of delicious food right after opening presents!

First, the

Stuffed French Toast

16 oz cream cheese, cubed
16 slices bread, cubed & decrusted (or use 14 slices of Texas Toast)
12 eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup (or substitute honey)
2 c. milk
2 t. vanilla extract

Place half of bread cubes in a greased 13x9x2" glass baking pan. Sprinkle the next layer on of cheese cubes; next, layer the remaining bread over the cheese. Beat eggs with syrup and milk, pour over bread. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes, or til done. I like to sprinkle liberally with freshly ground nutmeg before baking. Serve hot with a large spoon to scoop onto plates; drizzle with maple syrup. Serves 8 people! Decadent! Yum!

Next:

Brunch Casserole

12 eggs
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/8 t cayenne pepper
approximately 22-30 oz frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed (You're supposed to use shredded hash browns, but diced-up hash brown patties work just as well; 22 oz was plenty.)
2 c (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 large onion, minced/chopped
1 c cubed, fully cooked ham

In large bowl, mix eggs, milk and spices. Stir in all remaining ingredients; pour into greased 13x9x2" baking pan or casserole dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight if necessary, or you can cook it immediately. Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

My recipe mods: add color with diced red and green bell peppers +/- fresh herbs. In our family, half of us are vegetarians (we eat fish and eggs) so I usually pour the eggs into the baking dish, sprinkle the ham over one half of it and press it down into the mix. Then I sprinkle dillweed heavily on the vegetarian half, cuz my DD and I love dill with eggs, but my DH and DS don't! Custom casserole, yummy! Serve hot for brunch. Serves 8. Mmm mm!

So, after the above cholesterol fest, I am ready to begin the new year with a new desire to lose some w****t. Don't want to jinx myself. But I will be working out at home again :)

I hope to be blogging a bit more regularly now the holidays are under way...but I do have to work the rest of this week, and New Year's Eve too.