Have a Blue(berry) Christmas.

Great recipe from this morning's Times, courtesy of Rose Shulman...

Oatmeal Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes:

These are denser than ordinary whole wheat buttermilk pancakes. Make up a batch, freeze them in packets of three, and thaw in the microwave for a quick, substantial breakfast.

You'll Need:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Process:

1. Combine the milk and rolled oats in a bowl, and set aside.
2. Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the buttermilk and whisk together. Then whisk in the vanilla extract and the oil.
4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and quickly whisk together. Do not overbeat; a few lumps are okay. Fold in the oats and milk. Let sit for one hour, or refrigerate overnight.
5. If necessary, spray the hot griddle with pan spray. Drop by 3 to 4 tablespoons onto the hot griddle. Place six or seven blueberries on each pancake. Cook until bubbles begin to break through, two to three minutes. Turn and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute on the other side, or until nicely browned. Remove from the heat, and continue until all of the batter is used up.
6. Serve hot with a small amount of butter and maple syrup.

Yield: A dozen pancakes.

Advance preparation: You can keep these, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze for up to a few months.

Rudolph the Red Nosed ____________ .

The NYC Parks Department brought a couple of reindeer into Central park today for kids (and infantile adults like yours truly) to pet. Needless to say, I was inspired. Thus, some Etsy finds to celebrate Santa's transportation department...

Seedy.

I am very near completion of knitting a scarf I have been working on for about two weeks now, and am determined to finish at least one more prior to Christmas. However, I would very much like to learn and master the seed stitch for the next one; I just love the chunky, Early American look of it!

Christmas List

My mother asked me to hurry up and come up with a Christmas list. I have thought and thought (there's really no stand-out item that I desperately yearn for), and here is what I have come up with:

Hail to the (Holiday) Chief

There is no danger in me stating that no one does the holidays better than Ms. Stewart. Her website is chock full of wonderful ideas for edible treats, homemade gifts, and decorations. I tried many of them out for Thanksgiving (the pinecone, feather-plumed turkey placeholders were by far the most popular of my Martha-inspired creations), and cannot recommend them enough. There's nothing like gathering in the kitchen for Martha Craft Time! As an added homage to Martha, I have included a clip from my favorite of all Martha episodes...

Holiday Hydrangeas

I know it - I am odd. I am likely one of the only girls on this earth whose favorite flowers are hydrangeas. My mother (who might as well be Martha's second-in-command) and I got into a rather heated debate tonight regarding the utility of my choice flower during the holiday season. I, loyal hydrangea-lite that I am, was insistent that they can be used with equal enthusiasm during the winter months as during the spring and early summer. My mother laughed.

Thus, proof:

Snugglies.