Hmmm...what's new?

Well, I know its been a couple weeks, but I promise I will be more faithful with blogging every week now that the holiday season is winding down!

Lots of fun stuff going on with the Jensen's...Bradley and I have recently remodeled our bedroom and I was able to be a part of Teresa's annual Bridal Show in Algona, IA. She has also done some remodeling to her bridal salon and it looks tres' chic!
Bradley and I support her business by being partnered with her on her "associated business" page. Brad took pictures of the show and I'm sure Teresa will put those up in a week or two. (check it out!) http://www.teresasbridals.com/associated_bus.htm
But the show was just tons of fun and I was so impressed by a fellow woman business owner...she is really quite savvy and has a such an evident passion and talent for what she does!

Something else fun last week was the celebration of Bradley's birthday! I made him a lemon-raspberry cake and had his family over for a chili supper. Then later that weekend we had some carrot cake with my family as we celebrated Bradley's birthday...again :0)

Next priority....Europe trip. If ANYONE has been to Switzerland, Italy or France, and has some helpful travel trips (in general) or tips for those countries...I would really appreciate it. I will be there close to 4 weeks taking notes on the culture, their views and reactions to chocolates and confections, as well as shadowing chocolatiers there. I hope to bring back the trends and time-honored practices put to use there!

Any comments or tips, please let me know!!

A New Year!

Happy Holidays! I hope you've had an enjoyable break from the workings of everyday life and have had time to reflect on your last year as well as get excited for the year ahead. I can't believe how fast 2007 flew by...a gazillion recipes, hundreds of orders and one chocolate school later we are making our way into 2008.

I'm so excited for the unknown opportunities that await us in this coming year and for the chance to offer new and innovative chocolate treats as well as time-honored favorites (including the possibilities of a small line of buttercreams, dipped dried fruit, cordial cherries and new ganache flavors!) Also new happenings may be a line of gift box towers, a more informative catering section for special events, easy to use features and updates to the shopping cart and specialized cakes. Look forward to new ideas to be brought back from Europe after I do chocolate/pastry shadowing in Italy, Switzerland and France in Spring '08.

Enough business talk though....I would love to hear how everyone's holiday was! I was lucky enough to spend time with my family in California as well as a mini-holiday with my other family, the Jensen's. Both holidays were full of fun, food and games, as well as adventures at Disneyland, the ocean while kayaking and at the airport....(gotta love traveling in the winter!) Thanks to my wonderful family for coordinating such a fun and memorable trip, and best wishes and all my love for your upcoming New Year!
As to my loyal clients and friends, thank you for your support this last year, as well as for all your sweet comments! (I hope to have some type of customer feedback page this year to highlight your kind thoughts...as I appreciate them dearly!) And a big thank you to my supportive and loving husband, as well as to my wonderful and uplifting family...without you this year would not have been as fun or as successful as it was!
Have a Happy New Year and take time to reflect on all that this year has to offer you!

Fun yet Hectic

The last couple weeks have flown by in a haze...I guess that's what happens when the holiday season rolls around.

A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of catering a dessert buffet for Sergeants Pet Care in Omaha for their quarterly celebration. What a wonderful company that's been around for over 100 years! They offer everything from flea and tick control, to treats and toys! They even offer health and grooming tips on their web site ( http://www.sergeants.com)

I worked with Karen, who was an absolute sweetheart...and had fun planning a menu full of goodies! (just a few shown below)
Also, you remember that sister of mine? I went to Norfolk to visit her for the weekend and stopped by her clinical site, went to a service at First Baptist Church, had fun in a kick-boxing class and went to a charming winery, Cuthills Vineyards in Pierce, NE....( http://www.cuthills.com)

We were able to chat with co-owner, Holly Swanson, and sample an assortment of red and white wines, all of which were fragrant and delicious.

After the weekend, we had a busy week of deliveries and shipments during the short holiday week, and now am enjoying Thanksgiving with my fabulous family in Algona.

I hope your holidays are off to an enjoyable start, but don't forget about the order deadline of December 12. If you would like your holiday orders ready to ship for Christmas, make sure to order before the 12th and write in the "comment" section that this is a holiday order, otherwise it will be processed as normal.
All orders after the 12th will be processed the first of January. If you'd like more information, click on the banner on our homepage
( http://www.thechocolateseason.com)

Enjoy your Turkey Day leftovers and have an awesome rest of the weekend!

Sister Sara

So, I wasn't quite sure what to write about this week....I was thinking about the upcoming Legacy Ball in Algona that I'm donating to as well as attending...(it's a fundraiser for the hospital) then I thought about the new holiday keepsake boxes that will be appearing later this week...but all that was clouded by thoughts of my sister Sara.

Sara just started her rounds of clinicals for physical therapy school. She will graduate in May, but before she walks across the stage, she will have worked in Nebraska, Wisconsin and Texas. In the next 6 months she's gone, I'll probably only see her a couple of times.

This is quite a shock for me, considering she's been living with my husband and I for a couple months, but it seems much longer than that...(in a good way!) The house just doesn't seem the same without her, and I know the dogs are depressed and missing Aunt Sara :)

Who can live without her coming home at odd hours, leaving mounds of her PT books around the living room, or having to look at several outfits before she decides on the pink shoes with black sweater, instead of the red shoes with cream sweater....

All I can say is that my days seem just a little bit more lonely without her and my life doesn't seen as full without her REALLY random stories...and even though her stuff is still at my house (for now)...it just serves as a reminder that I will never again have those moments of her and I going to the grocery store or me coming home and seeing the dogs all over her on the couch while she tries to study on my laptop....
So this week I just want to remind you to appreciate the little things and really take a look at your life and those you love who are in it...because your life changes every day and you don't get a second chance to just stop and take it all in....so start today.

PS- Good Luck to Sara during this difficult and exciting time in her life! You'll do famously and I'm sure you'll make lots of friends and learn tons that will prepare you for your promising future....I'm so proud of you!

Are you ready for some....cookies?

I don't know what's been going on this last week...but I guess everyone is in the mood for cookies! Of the several I've had already, two in particular stand out because they came from some very special people in my life.

One was from my best friend, Nicole. She, and the lovely people of Scottish Rite Park, had some fun contests last week and the ultimate winner received a custom basket. The winning team also receives something special this week...football shaped cookies, with the winning team's colors, gold and black, of the Iowa Hawkeyes.This proved to be slightly challenging in that the request was for a shaped chocolate chip cookie...and well, I found it's hard to shape a chocolate chip cookie because
A) the dough isn't stiff like a sugar cookie B) the chocolate chips cause the cookie shape to bake unevenly...causing the original oval shaped cookie to bake into a fatter, rounder, version of a football. :0)Well, I still think they turned out cute...especially with the finishing touch of detailing in white chocolate.

Another impressive cookie order was one from Priority Envelope. My sister Amanda and two of her sweet friends, Laurie and Jessica, placed an order of popcorn, ghoulish apples and cookies...lots of cookies....(taking advantage of the discount cookie special...smart girls!)It was fun making dozens of several varieties and packaging them with ribbon and just seeing tons of cookies...I hope they enjoy them as much I as enjoyed baking them (with love!)Hope you're all enjoying the final days of October and look forward to a new product in November...just in time for the holidays!!!

Two down...one to go!

The countdown is on....of my favorite Fall things! I just recently had a wonderful day at Vala's Pumpkin Patch with my husband and the weekend before I enjoyed an authentic and wonderful s'more at the Chi Omega Alum exchange! (it was burnt and everything!) Now the last thing to accomplish? Eat some pumpkin pie! Mmmmmmm.......

This Saturday was tons of fun with my hubby....we started off going to the last official Farmers Market in the Old Market where we bought green beans, a couple squash, fresh tomatoes and.....enchiladas? Yes...only Brad and I would buy enchiladas at a Farmers Market! I also got to taste my first Pancrepe! Yum!!!

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the pumpkin patch...complete with afternoon rain showers! We ended our marvelous day with a movie at home....and all I can say is wow...i love my crazy, sweet, off-the-wall, kid at heart, handsome husband....who ate a really huge hot dog at the pumpkin patch! (off the topic...but seriously...it was huge) :0)
Hope you're all crossing off your favorite "to-do's" of Fall and I wish you an awesome week!

PS- a big shout out to the lovely ladies at Creighton's Gamma Phi Beta! Thanks for inviting me to speak about the world of chocolate...it was fun giving you a presentation and I hope you had as wonderful time as I did! You girls are super!

What a Fun Request!

Last week I had tons of fun in the kitchen...especially with a certain order from my friend Kim! (this friend, actually, is semi-responsible for helping my husband and I meet..if she hadn't told him to leave his office and meet me out front...well...who knows what would have happened!)

So Kim and her beautiful girls must have been in the mood for some Halloween chow because that was the theme of their order. They were able to sample the cookies n' creme apple and ghoulish apple, which entitled them to free caramel corn. Since they got caramel corn, Kim ordered rocky road popcorn for her friend and some decorated sugar cookies and truffles for her friends and family (both of which, of course, were decorated to be like Halloween characters)

Making truffles look like a pumpkin, mummy and Frankenstein proved to be a fun, yet challenging request...but I was excited for this opportunity to deviate from the norm!

I hope you enjoy these pictures of my final creations for this wonderful family and a big thank you to Kim, Rick, Bailey, Riley and Samantha for allowing me to be artfully stimulated with these fun, fun projects! You guys are the best! xoxoxo