Moonshine Kitty + Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Hanukkah, for those who celebrate! I've been doing some holiday crafting, and by little, I mean a real little. My niecelet AJ has been feeling poorly, and it's Hanukkah, so I sat down and made her a kitty.

This is based on the pattern for "Steve" from Denyse Schmidt Quilts. The kitty perhaps looks even more unwell than AJ's been feeling, what with her wonky eyes, crooked head, and general drunken demeanor. Thank goodness she's supposed to be "folk arty," which to me means "made after several swigs of moonshine" or, as Adrian suggested, "by firelight alone." I am not good at sewing. It was the cause of poor grades in Home Ec, along with that one time we put a cup of salt in the hot cocoa instead of a teaspoon.

I did have to embroider the mouth twice because the first time it was Just. Too. Scary. for a 5-year old. Sadly the corduroy isn't that forgiving, so now Moonshine Kitty has a shadow mouth.

Whoops! Well, looking delightfully handmade is all the rage these days.

In related news, Curtain up! Light the lights! It's the first night of Hanukkah!

If you're celebrating, Happy Festival of Lights. Have an extra latke for me!

And I leave you from an image from this year's Spiders holiday party, hosted Chez Fig and Plum. There was gløgg. And a pumpkin stuffed with everything good. And this delicious concoction too. It was a good time, as you can see.

No, that is not a can of original Four Loko you see.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Herbs

Finally, a photo for my beloved favorite recipe for roasted brussels sprouts, originally posted here. It's adapted from Second Helpings from the Union Square Café by Danny Meyer and Michael Romano.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Herbs
Serves 4

6 oz. bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces
1 lb. brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed - larger sprouts quartered, smaller sprouts halved
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano, sage, or thyme (we used thyme)
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
pepper to taste

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  
• Cook the bacon in a large ovenproof saute pan over medium heat until the fat is rendered, 6-7 minuts. Toss in the brussels sprouts and stir to coat. Add the chosen herb, salt and roast in the oven, stirring now and then during the last half of cooking, until the sprouts are tender, about 25 minutes.
  
• Remove from oven, stir in the lemon juice and pepper, transfer to a warm platter, and serve.
  

Meyer and Romano say that back in the day, a side of brussels sprouts was a dependable way to kill sales of a dish, but that they have noticed they are now winning people over. As for me, I DESPISED them until recently, when I discovered that it was not the sprouts but (sorry Mom) my mother's way of cooking them that was to blame. Poor sprouts: for all these years I blamed you!