Thankyou dinner

Now Baking turned one in July. Around that time I started thinking I'd like to have some friends over for dinner who had supported me in the first year of my hobby business to thank them. After much date-changing, last night we had the dinner here.

Even though it was the night before she left Switzerland for good, Teige was there. As well as Lucinda and Christine C. I know it's daggy but I gave a speech thanking each of them individually for their support and input. Lucinda and I spent a lot of time talking about my vision for the business before it started and contines to be my baking consultant. She loves baking and it's great to talk 'business' with her. Christine has been supportive all along and is open and generous with her potential offers and ideas. And she came up with the name Now Baking at my birthday dinner last year. And Teige was my first-ever customer, ordering a Mud Cake with Satin Chocolate Glaze (still a popular cake) and having faith. Her background is sales and she is very creative so I have also benefitted from chatting with her.

I had hoped we could sit on the balcony for dinner as it's been so warm lately. But late in the afternoon we had a big thunder storm. We spent a bit of time out there, till the rain returned. And what did we eat? Garlic olives, curly cheese and cheese rounds (tete de moine and sbrinz), garlic toastbreads, plus baguette pieces dipped in olive oil and dukkah. Then salad nicoise. Followed by an Onion and Blue Cheese Tart (love this tart). And for dessert, Chocolate Expresso Cake (from this month's delicious. magazine), Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies and Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl. Plus Apricot and Coconut Balls to take home.

After they left, I rang Jen while I was cleaning up (more fun to do the job while chatting) and it was 2.30am by the time I went to bed. No interruptions from the kids, but yikes...only four hours sleep. Worth it but.