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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Baking: The Obsession, The Desire.

Cousin #9 and me!
I love desserts. No it goes deeper than that. It's an all-out, all-consuming passion. Ask anyone who knows me...they'll tell you (or just roll their eyes in agreement).


In either case, this obsession began long before I was given the authority to resist.

I got my Easy Bake Oven at 7. Much to my disappointment I wasn't able to make a batch big enough to feed...well anyone, I mean, if we're being honest.

My grandmother always had more baked goods around for us kids than should be legal. Ah, the good old days of the "cookie jar." I remember shaking the clear glass container in hopes of finding a hidden treasure. My grandmother had us so strung-out that my brother began referring to our visits with her as "cookie days."

As I got older, I discovered that not only did I enjoy eating desserts (which really is a great and wonderful discovery in and of itself) but I also enjoyed making these delectable treats. I was 8 or 9 when I started making muffins from scratch on Saturday mornings. I remember knocking on my parents door, waking up my mom to ask her baking questions. Still to this day I don't understand why one must make a "well" in the flour mixture in order to mix in the eggs, etc.

...Skipping to the present. I love to bake. And I love to try new things. I'm not afraid. That's one of the reasons I love baking because you can take a risk. Nothing earth-shatter or life-altering will happen as the result of a failed baking attempt. AND as an added bonus--most baking disasters still taste GOOD, even if it is "runny" "lumpy" "grey" or has contracted any other host of baked good diseases.


While it's true I enjoy trying new things, I also enjoy making things easier on myself. I've been through the whole "must make everything from scratch to be legit" phase and frankly -- I'm over it. It makes baking such a chore when you spend all day on a cake that should've taken an hour. I'm all about buying the boxed cake mix and pre-made frosting and then dressing up the desserts to give that special "touch."


That's what I'll be doing with this blog. I'm going to be chronicling my adventures in baking: one cupcake, cream puff, and creme brulee at a time. Hopefully, you will get inspired yourself to take some risks and to get creative. And don't be afraid to take little shortcuts...if it will make the experience more pleasant then I say--DO IT.

If all else fails, at the end of the day, we'll at least have a bowl of delicious tasting--albeit strange looking--goopy goodness with which to drown our baking sorrows.






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