Baking is a Virtue.

I love to bake. I love everything about it. I love the
fact that I can convince myself that I am really a magician
turning a little bit of this and that into something so
delicious and yummy.

I have always been fascinated by baking ever since I watched
that tiny little bulb in my easy bake oven turn out tiny cakes.
Who knew back then that I would be baking baby cakes for a
living. I love the smells, the textures and especially the
taste testing at the end of the day.

Most of all, I love the fact that baking is teaching me
patience. To most people I come across as a space cadet,
but I am always juggling projects, running around and my
mind is spinning faster than I can communicate in words.
Griff often reminds me that my sister and I have a secret
language that only she and I understands and that I need
to slow down when I am explaining things to other people.
I am sure he is right about that.

Its a big joke around our house that I am no longer a great
cook, but I am the master at baking dinner. That's right
I can't make dinner, butI can BAKE dinner. I make Lasagna,
Frittatas, Baked beans, Baked potatoes...anything as long
as it is baked. Thankfully Griff is a master multitasker
and an excellent chef and baker.

BUT when it is time to bake, I am all business. I
get in my ready for prime time TV mode. I am a firm believer
in Mise en place (Mise en place, literally translated from
French, means "setting in place." When cooking,
the term is used to describe preparation done before starting
the actual cooking process.)

I get all my little containers together and I have
everything cracked, poured, and measured and ready to go.
It may take more time in the beginning, but it ALWAYS
saves you time in the end. The last thing you want to do
is realize you are out of something or that you have to
separate your eggs as your mixer spins round and round.

Over mixing is NOT a GOOD THING. I have never seen a recipe
that says over-mix these cookies and they will be extra tasty.
Reading the recipe first is crucial in baking. It's like
architecture. You can't build something without the plan.

I think one of the most important lessons Jane (my mentor)
taught me was to KNOW your DOUGH. Sure your recipe says
cream butter and sugar for two minutes, but how do you
KNOW that it won't take 2 1/2 minutes today or maybe even
4 minutes if your a using a different mixer.

If your baking a cake, you have to be patient and wait
long enough to incorporate enough air to achieve that
crumbly texture that you want a cake to have and you
have to know when to stop mixing or you will have a tough
yucky mess that you won't want to eat and you certainly
won't enjoy. You have to have the patience to know when to
add the eggs and you have to add them one at a time so
that they can incorporate into the batter gradually.

You have to be patient enough to follow the steps in the
order the recipe is given and not jump around because you
had to go crack some eggs or you didn't realize you had
to sift your ingredients.

The steps are listed for good reason and I think it
simply requires patience to follow a recipe. Baking
also requires planning. You have to make sure that your
ingredients are at the right temperature otherwise
you have to know how to trouble shoot and that just comes
with practice. You also have to have patience to learn
from your mistakes.

All of these things and knowing your dough will certainly
make you a seasoned baker and will certainly teach you
patience.

At the end of the day I get to enjoy my Double Dipped
Chocolate Cake after dinner !!!...(I love Chocolate)