A Very Elloh Christmas and Other Etsy Buys

Now that all the Christmas gifts have been opened, it's time to unveil those that I bought on Etsy. As always, funky finds from the beloved Elloh played a starring role. I bought two of her wonderfully quirky screen printed dishtowels and an always crowd-pleasing heirloom of the future ornament for my sister. In turn, my sister bought two of her dishtowels for me. She also bought a print for her boyfriend, which turned out to be of the Presidential Facial Hair Hall of Fame, the very same motif that graced one of the dishtowels I gave her. Oh, how we laughed Christmas morning.

Abe Surfing Dishtowel given to me by my sister.

Ode to Julia Child and her Favorite Ingredient Butter Dishtowel, also from my sister.

And now we're up to the gifts I gave her.  Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner Limited Edition Ornament.

You're Gonna Make it After All Dishtowel

Presidential Facial Hair Hall of Fame Dishtowel. (Check out Van Buren, Honorable Mention, skulking at the bottom. :)

Lace Bow Necklace, Mama's Little Babies. My sister put it on that day. :)

Summer Berries and Cream Charm Bracelet, Kim Smith Jewelry Designs.  This one was for my mom.  She stared, turning it over in her hands as she said, "Somebody made this?" That's a compliment for handmade jewelry if ever I heard one!

Buffalo Wings and Celery soap by fellow EtsyNJian Robyn's Nest Boutique.  The bf thought these would be a riot for his sister (we haven't confirmed this yet, as we haven't gotten together for our gift exchange. But I don't think she reads this, so we're good :) In case you're wondering, they don't smell like wings. I actually had an extensive and sophisticated list of scents from which to choose. (In case you're wondering, I went with a nice vanilla blend.)

This lovely headband trio was for Mom and comes to us from EtsyNJ's own PurpleLicious.  Here we have the Black and White Houndstooth model.

Beige, Red, and Black Plaid Headband, PurpleLicious

Black and White Wildflower Headband, PurpleLicious

How charming is this Needle Felted Mama Bird and Nest? It's for the bf's mom, and it too hails from an EtsyNJ creator, Chimera.

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger in Paradise Pie

Once upon a time, I used to cook. I've been feeling a little guilty about my lack of culinary prowess lately, no small thanks to my current reading of Julie & Julia. You know you've reached the depths of laziness when you're reading about a woman who pulls the spinal cords out of lobsters when you can't even summon yourself to fry up a grilled cheese. Nevertheless, the other night I managed to make this appropriately named Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie, an old gem from my mom's recipe box. Attractive it isn't, as evidenced by its dubious photo. But this is one of those cases where looks are only skin deep. Not that you want to think of your dinner as having a skin. Anyway, if you love meat and cheese (and really, who doesn't?), then give it a try:

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (I mistakenly bought 2 and so even as I type this have a frying pan full of ground beef fermenting, untouched, in my fridge).
1 large onion, chopped (My inveterate laziness came into full flower here; I skipped the onion entirely, opting instead for the ever-trusty garlic salt.)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded cheddar (By all means, don't feel fettered to the lone cup.)
1/2 cup Bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9" pie plate. Brown beef and onion, drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate; sprinkle with cheese. In bowl, stir remaining ingredients. Pour into pie plate. Bake about 25 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

I'm glad to be back on the recipe-posting wagon, if only temporarily. But my inconsistent cooking and reporting thereof has made me rethink the overall feel of this blog. I mean, one day I'm posting about an arts and crafts project, then I'm on to reviewing books and movies, and finally, there are all those pictures of me in the crazy outfits. (I realize I'm neglecting to acknowledge a whole other faction of random writings, but to go into every weird thing I share would take too long.) The thing is, I'm fine with this mess. But sometimes I wonder what you think about it. After all, most of you started reading for the art and handmade business posts (thank you, fellow Etsy followers) and may not care about the clothes, reviews, recipes, Golden Girls homages etc. Similarly, the Photo Shoot Friday fans probably care only about what I'm wearing and don't want to know what I'm thinking. And then there are those people who may check in occasionally just because they know me. By being such a scatterbrain, I run the risk of fragmenting my audience, subsequently losing some of it along the way. Julie Powell of Julie & Julia fame, on the other hand, was a blogger extraordinaire, drawing a vast and loyal readership by recounting her challenging and often hilarious cooking adventures working her way through Julia Child's cookbook. To read her accounts is to feel the excruciating pain of her uphill climb. (Her own mother begged her to stop the project because she was killing herself.) But despite all of her myriad issues, culinary, social, psychological, and otherwise, she is unarguably and unflaggingly focused, managing to deliver a story that is uncomplicatedly cohesive. I don't know if I have it in me to be so creatively monogamous. And honestly, I probably won't even try. So this little ramble has been kind of unproductive.