Holly from the King Caesar House. How appropriate for the end of Christmas week.

See you next year!

Bagels were not mainstream when I was growing up in the late 60s and early 70s. But my mother’s best friend was Jewish so I was eating bagels long before they were a popular breakfast food. I was also eating noodle kugel and Goodman’s Noodle Soup and potato latkes, in case you’re wondering. But this post is about bagels. Specifically, Zeppy’s Bagels.

This Jewish bakery has been in existence since 1925 and you can read more about it here. I’d never actually been there myself until I had Dale drive me there the other day to take the photos for today’s post because nowadays you can buy Zeppy’s bagels at the grocery store. But, as I said, you couldn’t buy bagels just anywhere when I was a kid. Or, at least, not good bagels. So, on Sunday mornings before church my dad would drive to Randolph and get Zeppy’s bagels. My favorite was onion but I’d settle for egg if the onion bagels were sold out. I liked Temptee Whipped Cream cheese – you know, the one in the pink tub – the best. With lox, please, although that was only on special occasions. And don’t toast it.

And you know what? An onion bagel with lox and cream cheese is still one of my most favorite things for breakfast. So much so that it’s what I requested for breakfast on my wedding day. Both times. Ahem.

And from Zeppy’s, of course.

I think all the shopping, wrapping, baking, cooking and entertaining has turned my brain to mush. I can’t seem to get my act together today for a coherent post so you’re going to get one of the Random Wednesday variety.

*It’s hard to get a shot of the grandchildren that’s good of both of them. Especially when one is 18 months old and the other is much more interested in his new video game than in having his picture taken.

*The only knitting I’ve been doing is plain stockinette on an Opal sock. I can’t even seem to muster the energy to work on a very basic red scarf.

*The new wheel is fun but, like any new wheel, it’s going to take some adjustment. I have a hard time getting it to spin consistently in the same direction. Any advice from you hitchhiker owners?

*Yarnival submissions are still open but only until January 1st. If you haven’t entered yet, now is the time.

And finally, because my random stuff doesn’t seem all that entertaining:

My Fortune Cookie told me: The skeletons in your closet are rattling. Get a cookie from Miss Fortune

I didn’t make my usual 7:00 am posting time today. You see, I usually write my posts a day in advance and then they are ready for posting in the morning. But the weekend was such a whirlwind of Christmas activity that I never got a chance. Forgive me for being late?

Our Christmas was wonderful. Family and friends gathered at our home on Christmas Eve to eat and celebrate with us. We had traditional Swedish foods, of course, and mostly just spent the evening enjoying everyone’s company.

Christmas morning got off to a slow start. You know you have a teenager when she doesn’t even got up until 9 am on Christmas! We spent the morning opening gifts, drinking coffee and eating leftovers. Then we spent the afternoon leisurely preparing the prime rib and some side dishes for dinner at my father-in-law’s house. Thirteen of us gathered for an early evening dinner and it was so nice to have everyone together at the same table! The food was fabulous, everyone helped and it was a great meal.

Let’s see. What’s left to tell you? Oh, my gifts. I got some wonderful things from Dale and the kids and other family members. In the end, everything fit in my new, gigantic L.L. Bean bag.

Well, everything except this.

My new Hitchhiker Wheel. Thanks, Dale.

I still get excited about gifts under the tree! Merry Christmas to all of you!

I may not knit for Christmas but I do plenty of other things to get ready for the holiday. There’s wrapping and baking and cooking. Some of that’s done and some it still left to be done.

The wrapping is done. Yes, I make my own bows. So what.

The baking is partly done. Wednesday I made Polish Tea Cakes, Peanut Butter Balls and Dropped Sugar Cookies. Today I’ll be making Chocolate Crackles (thanks to Kim and Cindy), Gingerbread Men (thanks to Minty Fresh), Spritz and fudge. Someone at work the other day observed that a Gingerbread Man is her idea of a perfect man. I think she’s got a point there.

The cooking is barely started. I’ve made the Chex Party Mix but there’s a lot left to be done. I’ve got to make Swedish meatballs and baked beans and deviled eggs and finger sandwiches and more for Christmas Eve. I don’t vary the menu much from year to year because if I change it people get upset that their favorite thing isn’t there. So, I’ve learned to pretty much leave it alone.

Christmas dinner will be a prime rib, oven roasted potatoes and some sort of vegetables. The meat is ordered and let’s face it, it doesn’t get much easier than “meat in a pan” so there’s not much to stress about over that. I should have help from various sisters-in-law with the side dishes so it will be a very simple meal.

And that’s that. How are your Christmas preparations going?

If you’ve been around this blog for a while you’ll know that I don’t knit for Christmas. I used to, but then I smartened up. I gifted too many things that went unappreciated and my knitting time is way too precious to knit for people who don’t “get” what it means to receive something hand knit. So, I save my hand knits for birthdays. And only for the birthdays of those who get it.

The nice thing about this is that when Christmas rolls around, I’m the one who winds up with new socks.

Vesper Sock Yarn. Peaks ‘n Valleys pattern from Knit Socks. This makes my 18th pair of completed socks in 2006.

Happy Christmas to me, me, me.

We did some time traveling on Sunday and went back to December, 1863 to celebrate Christmas the way the Civil War soldiers did. The weather was fairly mild and I was able to work on my second red scarf while chatting with friends, drinking hot chocolate, and trying my best to look “period correct.” Here’s a recap of the day:

We roasted chestnuts on an open fire. I’ve never done this before and it was pretty cool. People loved seeing them cooking and they were absolutely delicious when they were done.

We strung popcorn and cranberries. This is Sarah, my friend Wendy’s daughter. She had a regular “pattern” going with the popcorn and cranberries and managed to finish 2 really pretty garlands before the afternoon was over.

We had a visit from Civil War Santa. During the Civil War the famed cartoonist Thomas Nast drew a rendition of Santa Claus in patriotic attire. Our friend Willy made this outfit himself and he really loves visiting the troops. Those are handknit socks he’s offering to the soldiers!

We even ended the day with a visit to the field hospital! Poor Dale. He’s had an infection in his finger for several days. Little did he know that dinner at Blogless Sharon’s house would include surgery on his finger by our good friend, Dr. Al! But we fortified him with some good bourbon and he handled it with his usual good nature and grace.

It was nice to get together with friends and celebrate in an old-fashioned way. I sure do feel fortified with the Christmas spirit.

I would say that Jan is truly the Muffin Man Aunt. She makes loads and loads every year for her family’s Thanksgiving gathering. Me, I’m not all that crazy about muffins. They’re good but I don’t get excited about muffins the way I do about a donuts. Or mashed potatoes and gravy. Ahem.

Now and again, though, I do bake muffins. And last week, when I had an early morning meeting with Scrooge and Marley (aka the Town Administrator and Town Accountant) to discuss the library’s FY 2008 budget, I decided that blueberry muffins would be a thoughtful bribe gesture.

The recipe is from an old Penzey’s catalog and I think they are the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever had. Not too sweet and bursting with blueberries.

Blueberry Muffins

1 3/4 cups flour
1 TB baking powder
4 TB sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
5 TB butter, melted
2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 425. Combine flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl, set aside. In another bowl mix the eggs, milk and melted butter. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Fold in the blueberries. Insert paper muffin cups into a 12 cup muffin tin. Fill the cups to the top with batter. Sprinkle generously with more sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Eat.

Every year for Christmas my sister-in-law Mary makes me a wreath. She gathers the greens and the other decorations herself and always comes up with something spectacular.

This year, she has outdone herself. Thanks, Mary.