Alright. It's one week until Christmas. But I don't need to tell anyone that, though, do I?
Are we all ready? I'm not, but I'm getting there! The shopping is done, even if the packages haven't all arrived yet (beginning to get a wee bit nervous, although I just spied the Mail Man heading down the other side of the street so I'm crossing my fingers). The gifts being made are almost finished being made. And the feast has been planned. I still have the shopping to do for the feast, but that can't be finished until shortly before the big day.
The Viking and I instituted a tradition of having a big, special Christmas brunch with just our immediate family when we were married. Dinner is always with extended family (mine), but Christmas morning and brunch is always just us. You see, The Viking specializes in brunch. I don't know how he does it, but no one makes eggs, bacon, sausage or fried potatoes like he does. I am the Mistress of Pancakes, one of the few foods I seem to have a supernatural knack for, but everything else is The Viking's. I always tell him he could put a sign out in front of our house every Saturday morning, "HOME-COOKED BREAKFAST. MADE TO ORDER. WHILE YOU WAIT." He'd make a fortune. And now that our children are 13 and 7, brunch has truly become a tradition, one they look forward to and cannot imagine Christmas without.
So, in the interest of simplifying Christmas this year, we have pared down the brunch without making it any less special. The Viking is making the eggs, of course, but I, instead of making my famous pancakes, am making my newly famous sausage rolls. Okay, in all fairness, they're not my famous sausage rolls. The recipe is actually Bob Evans'. But I didn't know that when I first made them. I make them all the time for Daria whenever we have one of our tea orgies and now they've earned a spot in the Christmas brunch menu, Bob Evans or not! Would you like the recipe? It's wickedly easy (one of the reasons I make them so often). Sure you would!
Wickedly Easy Sausage Rolls
1. Take one tube refrigerated crescent rolls and unroll without separating the pieces, pressing the perforations together to make a large rectangle of dough (Pillsbury now makes their crescent dough in one solid piece like this; I guess someone tipped them off). Turn rectangle so a long side is facing you (so...horizontally?).
2. Open one log of loose sausage meat (such as Bob Evans or Jimmy Dean) in whichever variety you prefer and spread it evenly on top of the dough, leaving a 1/4 to 1/2 inch edge on one of the long sides.
3. Roll the dough horizontally toward the long side with the edge and press to seal.
4. Cut with serrated knife into 1/2 to 1 inch slices, being careful not to squish slices.
5. Place slices on cookie sheet (prepared with either cooking spray or parchment) and bake according to directions on the package of crescent rolls or until dough is lightly browned and sausage is no longer pink.
Best enjoyed with a pot of tea and a freshly-baked scone with clotted cream and lemon curd.
You know, that gives me an idea: we always have cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, but I'm getting tired of making them from a can and my last attempt at making them myself was less than spectacular (unless you consider it a spectacular disaster, which it was) so I'm thinking maybe I'll just make scones instead! I make deadly good scones, especially if I add a little lemon zest or ginger to them...oooooohhhh yeeeeeeees I think that's just the thing.
Well, I must be off. I have more I'd like to share, but I have absolutely no camera access lately and, honestly, it depresses me. The situation will probably be rectified by Christmas as I can't imagine The Viking getting through a holiday without a working camera, so hopefully, I will be able to catch up soon.
Until then, I'm off to do laundry, tidy up and continue to paint some ornaments...
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