Saturday 5 January 2008

Let the Excuses Begin!


Well what a December! Firstly we seem to have a dozen events at work that need organising - the one for 600 including 300 children was a challenge. The first part of the month disappeared in a round of finding 300 presents, wrapping them, labeling them and then creating the grotto to house them. Good fun but with normal work, the ever present dissertation and general Xmas panic i have been distracted.

I thought I had plenty of time to do the Daring Bakers challenge, end of the month to make a yule log - easy! The suddenly it was Christmas Eve, still no need to panic I thought I don't need to post until the 28th. Where the heck did I get that date from? I must be unable to read or I simply make things up to suit me not sure but apparently everyone else understood the need to finish and report by 22nd December. Bugger.

However I was still in ignorance at this time so on Christmas Eve I popped out for drinks, ate food and then went to bed to wait for Santa. Christmas day at Ma & Pa's, great goose, great company then on Boxing Day on to Rob's sisters past Nottingham then back to work in Brum on 28th. No worries I will make the yule log tonight. Easy.

Genoise sponge turned out great, really light and fluffy I also added a little Tia Maria to the mix for a subtle coffee liqueur flavour. Yum. Then I read the post again, I swore loudly as realisation that I had well and truly missed the deadline dawned. I went out for a drink, this in turn led to several drinks which led to the sponge being covered and thoughts of finishing it the following day.

The following day came with a hangover and Rob's admission that we were going to his parents house that day. The sponge is covered for another day.

I finally managed to make the butter cream three days after the sponge had been baked. The butter cream was a bugger and after it curdled unattractively I did give up as the sponge was also past its best. I made coffee butter cream instead and I hit upon chocolate ganache for the filling. The butter cream was pale the ganache darker and so the butter cream became the filling.

It was OK. The butter cream I could have eaten on toast, the milk chocolate ganache not so great - note to self always use 70% dark choc - the sponge 2 days too old. Pants.

Never mind I though I will post it anyway just to show I tried. At this point the gods that watch over bloggers decided they were bored and felt the need to spice it up for me. My laptop broke, arrrrrrgggghhhhhh and maybe even a few exclamation marks (no more than 6, only the truly insane have more than 6)!!!!! (5, you can count them if you like). Harry, being a selfish Labrador would not lend me his - sorry I am too busy emailing my felicitations and gratitude after the festive period (he reads too much dickens). I was stuck, my blog burning with shame at just how naked it looked and me frustrated that you can not put a laptop through double glazing no matter how hard you try.

Any hoo new year, new laptop, new resolutions to clothe my blog with all things daring and some other bits besides. Pop back in a couple of months if you fancy and I promise there will be better photos - if Rob pulls his finger out, it really is shaming that he is a professional photographer - and more regular posts with delicious food. Well maybe more of a list of my clumsy disasters but at least you can feel smug that your blogs are so much better....

1 comment:

Christine said...

At least you tried it out!

Total bummer about the broken laptop, that's horrid. ARG!!! is absolutely correct.

Christina ~ She Runs, She Eats