December 2014 Entries

Tis' the season to be...creative! I had a BLAST making this Bûche de Noël, from the mushroom meringues to the "mossy", sugary stranded halo around the log. I had no piping bag or tip for the meringue so used a ziplock bag and created a happy accident when the mushrooms turned out to be a little more whimsical than expected with their freely formed odd shape. I found myself smiling and laughing throughout the entire cake making and decorating process. It was the little things that made me happy, like egg whites fluffing up to the size of Texas (where I live) and the moment I put the first knot on my log and realized that this cake was actually coming together. Or when my dad screeched "MUSHROOMS?!" on a cake... and the look of sheer delight on my husband's face when he tasted the mushroom meringue and sponge cake for the first time. The biggest joy of all? I had never even heard of a Yule Log until Nigella's December Cookalong! Making it is an experience I'll never forget! As we say in Texas, Merry Christmas, YA'LL!