Growing up, my mom was baking all the time. Whenever we would come home from school, she had batches of cookies baking. I can remember not appreciating until much later the time and effort she put in. We begged, "why can't we buy some store bought cookies and cakes like twinkies and stuff like that". After all, that is what the other kids had. We would trade people at school for their store bought items because she baked so often it was the norm for us. Later on we realized just how silly it was to want that nasty store bought stuff over her delicious homemade goodies. Through watching her bake, she would teach lessons, one favorite phrase she would always use was, "1/4 pound is a half a cup" when talking about measuring butter. That phrase has stayed with me and I would say it anytime I was baking with my daughter. Now, my daughter who turned 18 recently said "I love that saying it helps me remember how much a stick of butter is." And so it goes onto a new generation. I have taken on her love of baking and I absolutely love to bake for my extended family. I am always in charge of the desserts for my family gatherings. I come from a family of 10, so I always bake a lot. I was paid the highest compliment recently when my mom (who as I've said is a wonderful baker) called ME for advice on a recipe. That's when I knew I was a real baker! Thanks Mom for sharing your love of baking and Happy Mother's Day to you and all the Mom's out there!

• Reply