Hello everyone! Don't forget to come see us tonight at the Christnkindlmarkt at This Is The Place Heritage Park on Sunnyside Avenue. This traditional german outdoor market is a wonderful tradition for families. There are real live reindeer, a wonderful Santa, too many delicious food choices, and beautiful unique Christmas gifts galore! Come warm yourself around the fire and watch some fun entertainment. This will be one event in Salt Lake City that you won't want to miss!

Saturday December 5th from 10am-9pm

Location: This Is The Place Heritage Park
2601 E. Sunnyside Avenue, SLC UT 84108
Admission: FREE!

I spy the Lavender Apple Booth!

We will have all of our best products ready for the hard to buy for loved ones on your Christmas lists. We have soaps, oils, jellies and jams! Honey, spices, lotions, and scrubs. 

And if you can't make it tonight, there is still time to order online and get your gifts shipped before Christmas! www.lavenderapple.com 

Thank you and we hope to see you at the market!

So many of my friends are currently scouring the internet looking for delicious and easy side dishes for their holiday meals. During the Christmas season, so many things we eat are heavy and rich. A nice light side dish or roasted vegetables is not only a welcomed contrast to everything else on our plates, its the perfect comforting way to keep our holiday waist lines in check. 

When it comes to roasting vegetables, technique is key. It is so easy to turn your flavorful crunchy friends into mushy lifeless limp versions of their former selves. Luckily Peggy has a wonderful recipe for roasted asparagus for us. Its quick, easy, and simple. 

Ingredients: 

1 pound fresh asparagus

1 tbs. olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 450. Trim the woody ends off of the asparagus. Spread the spears in a single layer on a large cookie sheet. Make sure the spears aren't touching so they will roast rather than steam. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roll, to coat evenly. Roast the asparagus until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Shake the pan half way through cooking to ensure even roasting. 

See? Easy, simple, and tasty. Enjoy!

If you are looking for a wonderful roll recipe for the holidays, look no further. Peggy is known for many wonderful recipes, but her delicious homemade rolls are always on the top of my list. They are soft and buttery, and the perfect accompaniment to any meal.  

Ingredients: 
2 tbs dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
4 cups flour

Directions: 
Dissolve yeast in water in a large bowl, let stand 5 minutes. Beat eggs well and add to yeast. Scald your milk and stir in sugar and salt. Let cool until warm. Add to yeast mixture. Add half of your flour, beat well with a fork. Gradually add the remaining flour to the dough. Keep the dough rather sticky. Lift the dough out of the bowl and grease the bowl on all sides. Knead the dough for about 2 minutes. Cover and let rise 1 hour. Punch down dough, knead for 15 seconds. Then let rise for another hour. Form into roll shapes and place in buttered pans. Let rise for another hour. Bake at 375 for 12-17 minutes or until light golden brown. Yields 1 1/2 dozen, but Peggy always doubles or triples the recipe because they get eaten so quickly!

Enjoy!

Christmas has always been a big deal around the Nelson household. There is always great food, a wonderful smelling Christmas tree, and special holiday decorations to make the spirit bright. In addition to sharing wonderful holiday recipes with you this month, we are also going to be sharing with you some fun Christmas traditions, and easy and fun ways to make the holidays special. 

Our first fun Christmas craft we'd like to share with you, is making a nativity set out of rocks. This is the perfect craft for those of you with toddlers who don't want to see your heirloom nativity sets get broken. Just make sure you get rocks that are large enough they can't be swallowed, but small enough they won't smash any little toes. 

There are so many expenses that accompany the holiday season, so creating a fun family heirloom that is free and fun is a wonderful treat. Simply pick out the number of characters you would like to create and then paint the rocks accordingly. I found it was easiest to draw the characters out with a sharpie, then just paint inside the lines. Get creative! This is also a wonderful craft to get older children involved in helping as well. 

We'd like to thank all of our friends who supported the Lavender Apple Farm during Small Business Saturday. Don't forget to order your Christmas gifts early this year so they ship in time for the holiday! www.lavenderapple.com