Well, it seems like it's time for me to wish you all a Merry Christmas again. And since I haven't pulled it together enough to give you a Merry Christmas recipe, I will tell you what I'm making (and gifting) this year. Surprisingly (or not, since this is where I post all of my favorite recipes), many of the things I am making for the holidays are recipes I've already posted on this blog.  

Christmas Eve

Usually my family does a big Ukrainian meal on Christmas Eve. We're talking perogies, sour cabbage rolls, cornmeal, nalysnyky (crepes stuffed with cottage cheese and dill), piroshki (buns stuffed with cottage cheese and served with dill sauce), etc. In the past, I have cooked a pared down version of this. However, this year my father-in-law and sister-in-law aren't arriving until around 7pm on Christmas Eve, so we are having a meal of appetizers. Peanut will be thrilled to be having a sanctioned meal of "snacks". On the menu will be:

• Cranberry Hazelnut Crackers with a variety of cheeses
• Homemade Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers 
• Bacon Wrapped Scallops
• Shrimp cocktail
• Hummus and a raw veggie platter
• Wisconsin summer sausage, pickles and olives

Christmas Dinner

I'm not straying too far from my comfort zone here. I'm sticking with pretty much the same menu I made last year, and probably what I make for almost every holiday feast:

• A baked, glazed ham
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• My mother-in-law's cabbage rolls (ie. the best cabbage rolls ever - good thing my Granny doesn't have the internet and won't be reading this!)

Christmas Baking Platter

In the past, I have gone a little crazy baking tons of treats for Christmas. This year I did not, for a couple of reasons. One - I still have baking left in the freezer from last year. Obviously we don't eat it all. Two - Hubby and I have been making a serious (and fairly successful) attempt to cut back on sugar lately. So this year I only made three of my family's very favorite treats:

• Cornflake Squres - it just isn't Christmas to me without them
• Butter Tarts - another treat that has been part of Christmas for me as long as I can remember
• Homemade Eatmore Bars - a new addition to my Christmas baking repertoire. But everyone loves them and they're super easy, so why not?
• Also a few Wisconsin Kringles that I bought before Operation Sugar Reduction that I will cut up. Can't go wrong with Kringle!

Gifts

I am the first to admit that I am a horrible, horrible gifter. I just don't think to give gifts like a normal person does. I have showed up to baby showers, birthday parties, etc. without a gift in hand several times. And don't get me wrong, I don't expect other people to give me gifts either. But I did make an effort this Christmas and made up a little something to give to people. So pretend to act surprised when I give you:

• Homemade Body Butter - great for everyone because it's super versatile. Can be used by anyone, anywhere on the body to add a little moisture.