I recently baked a German Chocolate Cake for a family get-together. We were gathered for a visit with
Scott's mom who was visiting from Florida. I happened to remember that German Chocolate is one of her favorites... So I took the opportunity to bake one last month. I haven't tackled that recipe in years! And although it looks pretty perfect, it tasted even better than it looks! (Go ahead and visualize me patting myself on the back...)
Baking is an integral part of the holidays for me, and I always want more time to devote to it than I ever actually have. Since I have a
lot of baking to do this week for the
family Hanukkah party and I am already feeling just a little overwhelmed, I think I just needed to brag on this recent success story. Maybe this reminder that I
did find the energy and time to create this beauty pictured to the right will inspire me to not freak out about my busy week, Hanukkah preparations
and baking.
No one is chaining me to my oven...this is baking I have cheerfully volunteered to do. It's just that the extra planning - and work - required to fit even something I love to do into this week will be a challenge.
I always seem to feel my holiday stress in the kitchen, although I am getting better as the years pass. At least this year I've not taken on the
monumental task of providing every person who worked at my father-in-law's store a tray of homemade cookies... I remember Christmas '93 as the Christmas of 200 dozen cookies!!! Each year since then I've scaled down the baking production. I can do without a lot of the holiday festivities and falderal, but I just can't imagine it feeling like the holidays without some sort of special baking. Fortunately, this year I have a couple weeks between Hanukkah baking and Christmas baking. Years when the two coincide more closely can be even more hectic.
I'll get it done...
I always do. This year I want to give myself the gift of baking with peace - instead of stress - in my heart...because I love baking - I really do.
Perhaps I will pray diligently to the cookie gods...
Or adopt a new mantra ...ohm..uffin... ohm...uffin...
