As a small child, I would help my grandpa and my mom bake yummy treats, usually surrounding a holiday.
Baking and decorating Christmas cookies was a family tradition
as I was growing up. This, in turn, became a tradition when I had my own small family. It didn't become
a real hobby though until I got older and had more time to
work on my skills. I love trying new things and perfecting desserts that can be a challenge.
Some of my favorite things to bake include:
Every year around Christmas, I go a little bit insane and make a large variety of holiday treats. I start
planning in late November, making a list of each dessert I plan to make
with a list of ingredients, and then make a schedule of when everything will be baked and decorated.
Then I give them out to family and friends because food = love. One of my closest friends
gets pretty excited as with a dairy allergy, she often misses out on holiday treats.
Last year I made:
The only good thing about winter is the soup. And if Amanda decides to make some soup, she's going to ask
if you also want bread. And of course you will because...it's bread.
Bread is the perfect combination of creativity and science. I will frequently make a recipe over and
over, making small alterations until I find the perfect combination of ingredients and
techniques. Except for sourdough. I have been responsible for the death of too many sourdough starts and
eventually just gave up.