It is hard to believe that January has almost passed!  Where does the time go?

Crochet: This month has been a break from my regular Nerd Wars crafting, so I've been on my own to select projects to complete.  I recently created a baby blanket for a friend using some left-over yarn, so it ended up being "baby car seat" sized instead of "crib" or "bed" sized.  It still it turned out pretty cute, I think.  I have also attempted my first pair of gloves.  I have only the fingers left to complete.  By following the directions, they seem a little big on me, so I will probably adapt the pattern in the future for female recipients.

The new Nerd Wars tournament begins Feb. 1, and I will be joining a new team this time: Team Stargate Command!  I am very excited to work with this new team! 

Cooking:  This month I have been following the "blood type" diet, choosing not to eat foods that may interact negatively with my blood type.  This has been challenging only in that my favorite comfort foods are forbidden!  Well I can still have chocolate, but there are no tomatoes, no avocados, no hummus!  No chicken or pork.  And no cinnamon!  I am finding that, well, I'm not sure it was worth giving up tomatoes and cinnamon for a month!  (Those are the two items I miss the most.)

It has, however, pushed me to be a little creative.  For example, I recently obtained a great white chili recipe that calls for the forbidden chicken, so I substituted turkey, and it turned out delicious!  Going forward in February, I think I will continue avoiding wheat and corn, chicken and avocados (mostly), but I need my tomatoes!

Think about it.  If you don't eat tomatoes, you can't have tomato pasta sauce, no ketchup, no salsa, no regular chili.  Many vegetable dishes in restaurants I frequent have tomatoes in them.  All I want is a giant bowl of tomato pasta!  Which I will in February!


white chili

Now that Christmas has passed, I feel like I can breathe again!  It has been such a busy holiday season for me.


Crochet:  This month I have, of course, been focused on holiday crochet.  In particular, I enjoy making amigurumi animals during the holiday season.  What is amigurumi?  They are Japanese-style crocheted stuffed animals.  I have made several snowmen in this style in the past as well as a penguin.  This year I completed another snowman and my first reindeer.  Both turned out so cute!  And both have served as Christmas gifts this year.  One day I may keep one for myself.


Cooking:  Again, the theme this month has been holiday.  I have focused primarily on baking Christmas cookies.  Here I have a picture of what I consider my "signature" cookie, and I'm calling it a trailmix cookie because, well, that's really what it is, trailmix in a cookie - oats, nuts, dried fruits, and white chocolate.  Mmmmm.  They're very popular with my social circle, so I find I make multiple batches of them through the season.

And I am not the only one in my family who enjoys holiday baking.  While visiting my sister over the holiday, we made not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR bar style cookies and treats, all in one day!

(If you're wondering what happened to my writing, so am I!  Perhaps it will return with the new year.)