Elle's Kitchen: Christmas Eve Wurst

I Couldn't Help Myself

Earlier in the day I had veggies, beans and tofu but tonight

I wanted a special treat for Christmas Eve.

I got this recipe 20 years ago from my German friend Muck.

1 small bottle ketchup or about 1 1/2 cups

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teas. mustard

1 tbls. vinegar

dash salt & pepper

keilbasa

Cut keibasa on the diagonal and simmer in the

 above mixture until heated through.

Soon we'll be gathering presents and heading across the backyard to begin the celebrations with my Mom and sister.  We are having an hors d'oeuvre buffet which is just another way of saying we will Nosh til We Drop!

The Christmas Letter Debate

Murphy Family Update 2010

To Update or Not To Update?

I have lived far from family and friends for 20 years.  I am also not the best person when it comes to keeping in touch.  Prior to facebook, Christmas may have been the only time in a year that I was in touch with some people.  So I write a Family Update each year and enclose it with my Christmas card.  Some people can't stand them, I know, and I don't put them in your card if I know you don't like it.  But on the other hand I hear from many people about how they can't wait to hear the news each year.  I personally like them, I want to know what is new in your lives, where you have gone, things you have done...

What do you think of family letters?

Me Time

Sometimes we all could use a little Me Time!

When you work in a creative field, the line between I am working and I am enjoying myself can become very blurred.  I think it is wonderful that I love what I do but I must be careful or I end up working ~ all the time.

That is how Me Time was started.  I needed to have some time to be with other people, out of my studio, and working on non-work projects.

We meet once a week and it is very informal.  People show up when they can and work on whatever creative thing makes them happy.  Sometimes we have a crowd and sometimes it is, well, just me at Me Time.

This winter I decided to work with woolens and embroidery.

This was today's project.

And as a special bonus, a lovely couple from Florida stopped in and asked if anyone would have any use for these old wooden spools of thread.  The shop owner said she knew the perfect person ~ it was me!

For my birthday a few weeks ago Rob gave me this

 beautiful spool cabinet and I need to fill it up. 

Travel Tales: La Granja, Spain

The Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso

After touring Segovia we hopped on a local bus filled with grandmas and

school children and headed into the hills to visit La Granja.

We arrived at the Palace with a large group of Spanish senior citizens and requested a tour in English.  We were the only English speakers so we had a private tour of the palace.  It is a restrained baroque style building with a large collection of beautiful tapestries.

The palace is surrounded by extensive French style gardens.

Our guide told us not to miss the gardens but be sure to exit the grounds before the gates were locked because...



...there are wolves.

We kept an eye on our watches.

Evening Star

Evening Quilt Guild

Tonight was the evening quilt guild Holiday Pitch-In.  I have heard Indiana described as one giant pitch-in and from the selection of treats tonight, one can see these quilters have had a lot of experience when it comes to pitch-ins.

I brought the mini red velvet cupcakes that are on the pedestal

all the way in the back of the photo.

The beautiful centerpieces were made by Dawn, owner of

The Quilt Shoppe in Anderson, Indiana.

Many people participated in the ornament exchange.

This was the ornament I made,  I made it when I was in Europe with my friend Olivia.

Then we had Show & Tell.

As we were leaving the snow was beginning to fall,  could tomorrow be a snow day?

Elle's Kitchen ~ Holiday Treats

Sweet Things

Every year my daughter Katie makes treats as gifts for all her friends.

We spent the day together in the kitchen, working, talking, dancing to the Waitresses' Christmas Rapping.  We were productive and had fun.

Pizzelles dusted with sugar.

Murphy Munch,

homemade caramel corn with sugared pretzels and drizzled with chocolate.

Pretzels covered in chocolate.



The Exchange

Ornament Exchange 2010

I know a talented family that does a handmade Christmas ornament exchange and this year I had the honor of being asked to participate.

We met out on their 75 acre farm.  They have a beautiful house filled with their handcrafts and treasures from their travels.  We feasted, laughed and made merry.

Then we exchanged the ornaments.

Judi's

Jennifer's

Dawn's

Jill's

and mine.