Happy New Year!

Smørrebrød has become my perennial favorite at New Year's Eve. They are easy to make, taste great and create a variety of choices for the party table. This year, I cut out decorative shapes from the cheese and ham slices with cookie cutters so the sandwiches looked not just pretty but also kind of fun.

Winter Breakfast

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. A fragrant, hot breakfast is a great way to kick start your day, especially in wintertime. My ultimate favorite is oatmeal. I like keeping it simple and just add some honeyed apple and cinnamon to it. Here you can vote for your favorite topping.

In The Mood for Christmas

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat,
Please to put a penny in an old man's hat;
If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do,
If you haven't got a ha'penny, God bless you.

/Nursery Rhymes by Mother Goose/

"Brown paper packages...

... tied up with strings. These are a few of my favorite things." It's so exciting to find new ways for using recycled products and everyday household items to wrap a gift. Last year, I put pages from old magazines and calendars to use by repurposing them into festive gift wrap; this year, I used brown paper from cut-up grocery bags, leftover wallpaper, newspaper pages and cut-out images from confectionery boxes. The possibilities are endless. Take a look - Gift Wrapping Ideas by Martha Stewart.

The Snowman

"I remember that winter because it had brought the heaviest snow that I had ever seen. Snow had fallen steadily all night long and in the morning, I woke in a room filled with light and silence, the whole world seemed to be held in a dream-like stillness. It was a magical day and it was on that day I made the snowman."

/Raymond Briggs: The Snowman/