14 
Tagsyear in yarn!
Wow, this was the Year of Crochet for me! It’s no wonder, given I was working at a crochet magazine for the bulk of the year, but even I’m surprised by how much I had the hook in my hand in 2010.
snowed in!
As many of you have heard—since it’s been all over the news, Twitter, and Facebook—the East Coast got socked with a blizzard the Sunday after Christmas. It’s too bad it couldn’t make for a white Christmas, but it sure did make things pretty. During the day on Sunday, when the snow was falling but there wasn’t enough on the ground to play with, I was consumed by an uncontrollable burst of creative energy that had me bouncing off the walls. I tried starting a blanket, but the yarn wasn’t right. I sewed for a few hours. And then I pawed deep into my yarn stash, came up with a skein of bulky, and I cast on for a hat!
cherry winks!
It’s all baking around these parts right now, but it’s no surprise, right—it’s the holidays! It’s baking time! Today on our snow day I decided to finally make some cherry winks. These are a traditional holiday cookie in my family, but I realized today that I’ve never made them myself. Mom always made them without me, or before I came home to visit. I love them best!
clementine cake
Years ago—when I was still in high school? maybe college—my mom and I were watching cooking shows one afternoon and saw Nigella Lawson make this clementine cake. It was near the holidays and mom had clementines in the house, of course, and if I remember correctly, she made one immediately after seeing the episode. Over the years she’s made it more than once, but I never had.
Clementines are so perfect this time of year—I’ve always associated them with Christmastime—and I recently bought a crate of them. Though I ate practically one a day, I still have a lot left, so this cake is perfect, as it uses up 5! Though it doesn’t have what we might consider “traditional” Christmas flavors, it’s still one of those scents and tastes that is very, very December.
let them eat cake!
Sometimes, when you’re charged with bringing a dessert to a party—a frequent request in the holiday season, especially—you just don’t have the energy to bake layers upon layers, frost everything, etc. etc., despite your desire to impress everyone with your baking prowess. Sometimes you want to make a tried and true recipe, but you still want to knock their socks off with the look of the cake.
These cakes are for you! I provide you with recipes for two simple cakes, and homemade pdfs for you to download and cut out. Get ready to wow them all.