So? Did you notice? It’s a small detail but I am plenty excited to have made just a little piece a .com! Cheers! Applause! Taking a bow! The holidays have come and gone and we are making our push in to the new year. I’m excited about it. I have already started working on my New Year’s resolution which I’d prefer to call a goal. The word resolution seems to have built up a negative connotation as if I am surrendering myself to something I have loathed during the past year and that’s just not the case at all. Check it out here. I am also very excited about the work ahead of me in real estate. I’m halfway through my six month coaching session which I think was perfectly timed to keep me working through the holidays and then starting the new year on the right foot. The new year is also crunch time for fundraising for Fashion With A Passion so if any of you would like to contribute in some way or become a Fashion Fairy don’t hesitate to ask me how!
Are you going to get to the FOOD?? I know, I know. I have been cooking! Before I get into what dessert I made for Christmas this year, I want to share with you some foodie gifts I received and am looking forward to using here on justalittlepiece.com! Have you ever seen what a Mexican fiesta looks like in the form of a basket? If not, here you go!
I am all set with a bottle of Tres Agave Tequila, tortilla press, Amor Y Tacos (taco etc. cookbook), spices, margarita glasses, Mexican cokes, and chilies! It is huge!
We even received some homemade tamales from another family!
I love serving tamales with eggs in the morning. I like to put one or two eggs over easy on top so that when the yolk breaks it runs straight down into the tamales!
Now you can’t have a Mexican fiesta without margaritas and you can’t make margaritas without having a salted rim!
Isn’t that the most adorable salt-box ever? It is the perfect size for my hand to swoop in and grab a pinch for cooking. I had actually never heard of these until I went to a friend’s house and saw her trusty salt-box next to her stove. It just makes perfect sense to have one.
Okay! I’ll get to the chocolate already! Geez! With much unnecessary trepidation, I decided to make a buche de noel for Christmas dessert. Something about rolling a cake was quite terrifying but it wasn’t at all. My cake didn’t even crack! For my first attempt at making a yule log, I chose a recipe from Portuguese Girl Cooks because of the beautiful presentation and the fact that it included two of my favorite things: chocolate and espresso. I didn’t have almond flour or instant espresso powder and I followed the instructions fairly closely without using a scale which she had recommended. Instead of using espresso powder I simply used room temperature espresso to taste. I only used all-purpose flour and I used dark chocolate instead of milk or semi-sweet. Everything she says about the buttercream looking curdled half-way through is correct. The cream will look pretty unappealing until the end. The whole dessert is easy to divide into a couple of days or all at once.
I was very pleased with the outcome and I realize none of you are going to rush out to make this any time soon considering it is no longer the holiday season but if ever the time comes when you want to make a roulade, don’t be shy. However, I could not have done this without my good friend, the Kitchenaid stand mixer!
justalittlepiece 