Baking and I

I have always like baking. Though I am not good at it but I like baking. Good, to me, means you can alter recipes, improvise recipes and of course create recipes. I have never done any of those. In fact, I follow exactly what the recipe says - not a mg more, not a mg less. I don't experiment when comes to baking. Let alone know the science of baking - why you fold instead of beat; why cream of tartar and not baking soda; etc. But I like baking.

I like baking more than I like cooking although baking is one of the many techniques of cooking. Maybe because I associate baking with desserts, or to be exact, cakes. I have been baking for many years, you know one or two cakes a year (heh heh).. but it only became frequent after I’ve become a stay-at-home mom. Apparently, when you are a SAHM you want to do pretty much everything. In fact if I could grow veggies and rear chicken, I would if that means cutting cost. But for now I just stick to baking own desserts first. Hence, I love baking.

One of the many reasons why I like baking is I like to nibble. Desserts aren’t diet friendly stuff and if you worry about the calories, stay away. Ignore the calories, you’d be happy snacking all day. For instance, you cut the cake in small pieces and leave it on the dining table. As you do your housework or pass by the dining table, you take one piece, munch munch munch and continue your work. Pass by again, you do that again. In my case, am actually drawn to the dining table rather than just passing by until I finish it to the very last crumb. Cupcakes are much easier to snack on really… you peel the liner and off it goes together with the frosting in a smooth ride right into your tummy. mmmmm yummm!!! And best of all, they really make your day. I really really like baking.

Another reason is because of the food channel. The cooking programmes run for 24 hours and they make cooking or baking or grilling or all the other cooking techniques, for that matter, look SO easy. Not to mention the presentation - awesome! And that is why I am brushing up my skills in cake decorating. At first, I wanted to just concentrate on the taste only, what’s with my lack of knowledge in cake decorating as well as limited cake deco tools but when I think again, why not have both. Apart from the good taste, the cake looks good too. Plus I should get the creative mind working, you know when you stay at home you are a liiiiiiittle bit ssssllllloooooowwwww (not everyone is but myself). Hey they give you free tips, ideas and classes and it is like going back to school again except this time no textbooks, no homeworks and no exams (you can skip class too) and in the comfort of your own home. Not just TV, internet alike. How can I not like baking?

Most of the time I bake cakes and cupcakes and cookies too. I have also started making bread (err that is considered as baking as well, right?) and pies and brownies and puffs. I bake cake for my children’s birthdays most of the time. At times for friend too, or rather for Sha. She’s been my most loyal customer - one and only - and the best agent for promoting my cakes. Had it not been her encouragement and inspirational words, I would still delay the idea to approach a few cafes around my areas to take my cakes. Sha said to think BIG. I haven’t been lucky though with these cafes but will keep trying. Hmm, not that my cakes aren’t good hehe but most of them already have their own baker (wrong timing la tu). Or probably the cafes are not BIG enough hahaha. But that doesn’t stop me from baking. I still love baking.

Now that I am a stay at home mom, I don’t do retail therapy anymore. Instead, I do kitchen therapy. That is when baking came into picture. Well, actually this kitchen therapy leads to retail therapy somehow… Another thing I like about baking is the tools involved - mixer, mixing bowls, tips/nozzles, and all other utensils. Don’t all these lead to retail therapy eventually? Oh well. This makes it even better, I get to do more therapy. oooohh la la

The only one thing that I hate about baking is - the washing/clearing/cleaning up part. As mentioned in earlier post, I am not much of the ‘clearing up’ person. Unfortunately there’s no one to do that for me, hate it or not I have to do it. Besides, I must keep my tools clean, right?

So you see why I like baking.