Winter Bun

In spite of having shelter and a heater lamp, poor Mr. Peanut had enough of the cold. He has taken up residence in his old cage in the living room until spring arrives. The kitten had not had much interaction with him before, so she is absolutely fascinated with him. I think she likes having a "friend" to interact with when we are at work. Of course, she also thinks it is ok to chew on her new friend, so anytime his pen is open or he is out in the living room, they have to be watched closely. He really doesn't seem to mind her all that much unless she is poking at him in the cage or trying to steal his food, which she almost always is. She is a bit of a spoiled jerk at times. She now refuses to sleep in the bedroom at night, and prefers to sleep on an afghan next to his cage.

Scotch Eggs

Amazingly awesome and very filling. Don't let the size fool you. This is probably all you will need for breakfast. I am always looking for creative ways for us to get lots of protein at breakfast, since this has been our biggest meal of the day lately. I wouldn't recommend eating this very often since you are eating a quarter pound of sausage in one sitting, but it is so yummy it should be tried at least once. I was able to make good use of my Christmas electric skillet for this one. Allrecipes.com has a great video to go along with this one. Note: The recipe calls for 1 qt of oil to deep fry the eggs, but I used just enough to submerge the eggs in the skillet, and flipped them halfway through the cooking process. (We do not own a deep fryer.)

Ingredients:
1 lb pork sausage
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
1 T flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1 qt oil for deep frying

Mix together the pork sausage and Worcestershire  Mix in the flour, salt, and pepper. Divide the sausage into 4 equal parts. Mold each part around one of the eggs. Dip the balls into the beaten egg and then the bread crumbs. Fry at 365F for 5 minutes, or until deep golden brown.

Milk Art

I read about milk paint on Flipboard, and immediately wanted to give it a try. It probably would have worked a little better if we didn't drink skim milk, but is cool nonetheless. This would be a great project for kids. All you need is milk, food coloring, and a light colored plate.

Kitten's First Snowfall

It is so fun watching the kitten experience things for the first time. She has been fascinated with all of the snow we have gotten this year.

Lion Brand Tweed Stripes Scarf

This has been one of my favorite scarf patterns this year. It is so simple, anyone can make this one. I was able to make a scarf in just a couple of hours, and the pattern in the yarn is just beautiful. I used a size K hook and about 1 1/2 balls of yarn. If you don't like super long scarves, you could probably get away with using just one ball. I purchased this yarn at Meijer. The pattern can be found on the Lion Brand site. Note: You will need a lion brand account to view the pattern, but it is free to sign up. These scarves were a big hit at the holidays.

December Belle

Just some shots of the baby from December. It is amazing how much she is growing. 10lbs seems like a lot for a baby kitten.