And what makes this auntie squeal with delight this Christmas Eve?

Seeing Baby V bedecked in the knit cardi I made her before she was born!

The smile means she loves it!

…and that is the best Christmas present this year!

~~ Merry Christmas dear friends ~~

For goodness sake, how did Christmas come to be a mere three weeks away?  I am in a bit of denial about that… but hey, I will use any excuse to do some kitchen experimentation   Christmas baking is one of my absolute favorite ways to “deck the halls”!  (well, it’s really the only way I do it anymore… don’t decorate anymore!)

Luckily, I have some delightful new vegan cookbooks to try out, including the oh-so-great Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. (Seriously ya’ll.  This book rocks my socks.  I daresay, more than its predecessor, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.)  It’s got it all – 100 recipes for cookies, brownies, bars (including breakfast bars) and everything else that makes you smile and comes in sweet bite-sized pieces.  Lots of photos and a huge variety of flavors too.  I have made 4 recipes from it already and want to make them all!

Care for an amazing minty + chocolate brownie?

It’s fudgy and delicious and you would never know it was vegan (of course, I *like* to know that it is vegan!) but you could sneak it in as a slightly healthier surprise on your holiday table or at that office party potluck…

It’s adapted from the Espresso Fudge Brownies (pg. 130):

• 3 oz semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
• 5 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine (I used Earth Balance sticks)

• 2/3 cup sugar (I used natural cane sugar)
• 1/3 cup nondairy milk (I used almond milk)

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1.5 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder
• pinch of salt

Line an 8×8″ square metal pan with aluminum foil (enough to turn over the side lips of the pan) Apply a non stick spray or grease with shortening. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chocolate and margarine in a large glass mixing bowl. Microwave at 50% for 2 minutes until chocolate is soft enough to melt in with the margarine when stirred. Stir until smooth and add sugar and combine.

In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk together the nondairy milk, cornstarch and vanilla and peppermint extracts until foamy. Stir this into chocolate mixture, using a spatula, until combined. Sift in flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt until moistened. A few lumps are okay, so do not overmix. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, getting as much as possible and smooth out evenly to the edges of the pan.  (I added some vegan chocolate chips to the top of mine, they melted into the batter but kept their shape.  Just an added touch for a chocolate-lover like myself!)

Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the center and comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs (no gooey batter!). Place the pan on a wire rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 brownies.

Do you have a holiday baking ritual? I always enjoyed baking and decorating sugar cookies with the little green and red sprinkles and the silver balls, as well as the yummy fancy cookies like “buckeyes” and chocolate covered pretzels and nuts.

I’d love to hear what you have planned for your holiday sweets

Well, my little sister is married. Here’s how it happened (yes, a picture-heavy post is ahead!)

Thursday: Setting Up / Decorating

Entitled: My sisters are tulles

Hanging Wreaths :: Aisle Decorations

Friday: Bachelorette Brunch / Decorating Hall / Rehearsal at Church

All of the ladies met up and went to brunch at a local diner (hey, it was Sarah’s choice!) Afterward, we headed to the reception hall in order to set up the tables and chairs and number the tables. We went back to my parents’ house to prepare for the rehearsal at the church and the dinner following. We ran through the ceremony twice at the church and had a lot of fun doing it Andrew’s family hosted the rehearsal dinner at a lovely restaurant in nearby Annapolis. (It was so great that I didn’t take a single photo…)

Saturday: Wedding Day!

I snagged Andrew for a few seconds to get a photo with my new brother! I have to say, they have been together for so long (six years) that the wedding just made it official. He was already a part of the family After the lovely ceremony, we did some photographs, and then headed to the reception hall. It was a perfect crisp fall day; complete with a light breeze and falling leaves. Couldn’t have hoped for anything better!  We got inside and had a lovely meal waiting for us, some fun music, and a perfectly delectable cake to photograph.  Mimi and I had a lot of fun putting together a list of the “Top Ten Things that Andrew Needs to Know About Living With Sarah” to share at the reception (a little sister roast) and it was so funny – we got the intended reaction out of Sarah! 

 Everything turned out so well!  They are so happy together!  When they return from their honeymoon, they will be heading to their new apartment in Virginia. 

[The whole wedding photo set is here!]

Congratulations Sarah and Andrew!!

I forced myself to finish these two socks so at least I could have a pair… albeit, not a matching pair.

1/2  Noro Silk Garden socks  – 1/2 of Laila’s Socks

The lovely Noro Silk Garden sock yarn was purchased before the yarn was even on the market – I lucked out at an NYC yarn shop.  The sock is a 4 x 1  ribbed pattern because I wanted something simple.  I started the Laila’s sock back in April, and just now finished sock one.  Of course, now that it is done, I am completely loving and admiring it, but I have zero desire to cast on for sock two anytime soon.  *sigh*

I am hoping that the sock love will roll back around in time for Socktoberfest… but the thought even crossed my mind that Socktoberfest may have reached expiration. With the amazing amount of KALs and Ravelry, it doesn’t seem like there is room for this sort of thing anymore. And that is okay with me.  I would even venture to say that that takes some of the pressure off… but it also means that these socks may not get mates until the year 2012.  I am not making any final decision here… just throwing it out there.  So, if you strongly object, let me know.  If you agree, let me know too.

~

My sister’s wedding is about 11 weeks away, set for October 18th. (Remember their engagement story?) Quantifying it this way makes me realize that I had better hurry up and get my bridesmaid dress… but it also means that my parents’ home is becoming wedding central.  When I went over last weekend, mom and I worked on ribbons for the wedding favors, and she showed me the lovely wreaths that she finished to decorate the church windows.  Sarah’s colors are autumnal, reflecting the season, and mom’s wreaths turned out so beautiful.  She made a total of six using a twig base and synthetic leaves, fruits, and berries.  I brought over some herbs from my garden to add to the wreaths.

Addressing and mailing invitations… planning center pieces for the reception… oh yeah, and I still need to get my dress and Kris needs to get fitted for his tuxedo.

I can’t believe how fast this year has flown by…

The Calorimetries for my nieces were a last minute addition to the Christmas gift pool. Perhaps it was a quickie stashbusting solution or perhaps it was Auntie Lolly’s subversive way of countering all of the rampant consumerism and making a simple hand knit piece… or a little of both. Either way, the little headbands were a success!

M and K’s Calorimetry Headbands

Pattern: Calorimetry, Knitty Winter 2006
Yarn: K’s is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky (ivory) held together with a leftover Opal self-striping sock yarn scrap /M’s is Dale of Norway Free Style (eggplant) held together with a mohair glitter novelty thread leftover
Needles: Size US 6 needles

I modified the headbands to fit their smaller heads by following the notes from NuttyIrishmanKnits. I cast on only 80 stitches instead of the 120 called for, and only completed half of the short row repeats – I think I only did 7. I sewed small mother-of-pearl buttons on the back, and they fit both girls very comfortably. M even wore hers all day! (K is sometimes a little too rambunctious… can you tell by that silly smile?) K’s front tooth was barely hanging on… we thought we may be able to get her to sing “All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”, but it held on throughout the day.

It was a wonderful holiday with both of our families ~ with my family, it was the first time for all of us to celebrate together in many years – with the addition of my brother-in-law who is recently back from his year-long military deployment. It was the first Christmas to spend with him, and it was so special because of it.

~I do hope that your holiday was meaningful as well~

PS – Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband/life partner/best friend/photographer/”sounding board”, Kristopher~