Bûche de Noël

I came, I made my best attempt and I somewhat conquered.  Take it easy on me, this was my first go-around and it was a little scary.  This cake was my Everest and it did not disappoint in time consumption.  After being afraid of this cake ever since my Mom brought it home from the bakery when I was in middle school, I have put off attempting this for far too long.  Then, a few weeks ago I took a cooking seminar/class solely on making the Bûche de Noël.  I wasn't thrilled with the buttercream look that the cake in our class turned out to look like so I went back to the Martha Stewart magazine that I had been carrying around for the past year with the recipe and a picture to match that looked just like the cake my Mom brought in for Christmas every year.  I am not going to even attempt to write down all of the directions that went with this so click here for the recipe.  If you attempt this, good luck and may your attempt take less time than mine! 

Whole-Wheat Quinoa Bread

Whole-Wheat Quinoa Bread

During the holidays, working in an office can be an amazing test of will power.  Working in my office can be an extra challenge because of all of the vendors that send in tin after tin of popcorn and baskets full of every cellulite inducing treat you can possibly think of.  Add in number crunching fun, people upset because this economy has been brutal to my industry and the stress can lead to some serious cravings throughout the day.  So, I made this bread and have been taking it to work to nibble on when I get ravenous instead of diving into the chocolate maddness.  It has worked, somewhat.  I have a sweet tooth that won't stop so I have to give in every once in a while.

This is truly a hearty bread that is almost a meal in itself.  Toast, throw a pat of butter on it and that is really all you need.  I found this recipe in the New York Times and it is a bit of an undertaking.  That said, if you are a sucker for fresh baked bread, it is well worth it.  Enjoy!  xo - AJ