Christmas in September

This was the last day of class, and what a day.  We were in full swing for Christmas already putting the final touches on our Gingerbread houses.  The trees and windows are made of melted sugar and we had many fun decorating techniques. 

We then moved on to Buche de Noel which is a very traditional French Christmas cake that is rolled with chocolate filling and decorated to look like a yule log.  The decorations are white chocolate and marzipan...all edible.  This is quite delicious.  We made several and I am sure that these will be at the bakery some day.

During all of this baking and decorating, we had a short lunch of the Chinese barbecue buns that we made---Char-Siu Bau.  They are steamed and served plain or with dipping sauce.  They were heaven.  Here they are in the steamer getting ready and we gobbled them up.

And just like Santa's Workshop, we were baking to the last minute and were tending a batch of whole wheat sourdough bread today, which came out of the oven just before I had to leave.  We were in such a hurry that I did not take photos, but I am bringing some back to Wyoming.

This has been a great couple of weeks and today has given me pause to reflect upon the gifts I have been given.  Christmas in September is a cute phrase, but it has real meaning for me as I have been given many gifts: the gift of patience from my wife and famil as I explore this new career, Marda's gift of sharing her vast experience and talent with me, the gift of the Sauter's friendship as I enjoyed their company here and wild Oregon Chinook salmon smoked for dinner tonight, and the wonderful gift of hospitality form Bill and Donna Pfeiffer who let me stay with them while I was in Bend.  I am truly blessed, and tomorrow I move on to another chapter in this adventure.  So much has changed in the last year, and I am excited to see how the next year unfolds.  Stay tuned, and I will continue to update about how things are going with the bakery and the business and building remodel plans.

Merry Christmas!