Christmas in July

I'm overdue for another update! The longer I'm keeping up with this journal the more respect I have for those serious bloggers who post daily because it really is a difficult task to come up with anything worth reading.

I have sadly bowed out of the Daring Baker community simply because I could not keep up with the monthly bake with everything that is going on right now. Though I have to admit the lack of world cup has returned some valuable time back to me. I am still baking, but without pressure.


I baked Stollen bread, the traditional German Christmas bread. My mom had brought home a piece of stollen bread a few weeks ago, and loved it so much that she insisted that I bake one just like it. I actually quite enjoy the bread as it has the texture of a panettone, sort of a cake and bread cross-over. Recipe found here.

Then, last weekend we took our car to get an oil change at my mom's friend's gas station. Being as she is, my mom couldn't bear to visit a friendly "empty-handed," so under short notice I was to bake something for her to bring. I had about 2 hours at most, and probably could've baked a cake in that time, but didn't really want to. I opted for a simpler 銅鑼燒 (DORAYAKI). I used Carol's recipe, here. I was not very satisfied with the result because the pancake part tasted too dry, unlike the moist honey cake-ish store bought ones. My mom thought it was good and that I was just being my usual perfectionist self. They were well received at the gas station, but I'm thinking what snack wouldn't at 4 pm in the afternoon?

Lastly, a little update on little Ruthie. She's almost 2 and is speaking a lot now. Her mom dropped her off on Thursday and she was crying when her mom left. I asked her  "you okay?" She said, "no." Alos, she was wearing jeans jumper, but her shirt was all wet (from the water fountain I later heard), so I unbottoned her jumper and changed her shirt. She held on to the jumper so it wouldn't fall down and followed me around and saying "I need help."