Back to the subject at hand...the holidays. Omigoodness...what fun :) I love the holidays because there are certain clients I only get to work with on a seasonal basis, and it's such a joy to reconnect with them and see how their businesses have grown, and how that reflects in the growth of The Chocolate Season. For example, the 4-6 weeks that made up our holiday season looked something like this: 
32 lbs of butter, 878 truffles, 26 lbs of fudge, 168 ounces of caramel corn, 82 pounds of couveture chocolate and hundreds of hours of love and dedication! :) And that's just a taste of what our kitchen was producing!
But I also love the holidays because they bring opportunities to revel in family traditions, make new memories and enjoy each moment as it comes. 
One of the best parts about the holidays is looking around at your family, making "Christmas Pizza" or catching someone laughing a joke
...and it brings me such a sense of peace and happiness at how simple life can be.And as family time was winding down, work started up again with a catering job in Algona. Ed and Becky Berg were throwing their annunal Pharmacists Mutual Holiday Party,
and asked me to prepare an assortment of appetizers and desserts, with some finishing touches like homemade sangria and apple cider, several wine choices and a freshly cut floral arrangement (by yours truly!)
Oh...you want to know what was on the menu? :P Well, we had a 5-cheese platter, veggie tray, several types of crackers and toasted baguettes, spinach-feta-bacon stuffed mushrooms, prosciutto purses (melon, wrapped in prosciutto, tied together with a chive), toasted baguette slices topped with honey goat cheese, sugared strawberries and balsamic glaze, baked puff pastry filled with brie and apple compote, funnemark fudge, assorted truffles and a several chocolate raspberry-ginger mousse tortes. *yum*
Yes, the holidays are a time of planning, prep work and lots of production, but in the end, the relationships I get to renew with customers, new friends and clients I meet (some here in NE...some in London!) and time spent with family make it all worthwhile in the end!
So I hope your holidays were full of fun, love and insane amounts of chocolate :) as well as an eager anticipation for all that 2009 will bring!
Best wishes always-
