For those of you bemoaning the high school/college age kids who won't "play along" any more, they'll come around... I was raised with homemade bread (that I hated at the time), homemade cookies, etc. Now, I prefer homemade to most store-bought cookies and other treats, and I've started making my own bread (more artisinal, but still prefer Brownberry/Arnold type for sandwiches - some childhood things can't be undone!). When I was in high school, my mom read something like this that said "mothers, remember not to let your kids lick the spoons" because of the raw egg. She trotted that line out as i was mid-lick, and I said something like uh-huh, and kept going. Now, it's a bit joke when we get to bake together. She did say that the chance of us eating enough that was tainted enough to get sick was pretty small (especially at my age - if I were a toddler, I'm sure it would have been different). There are pasteurized whole eggs available, I believe, so that could be an option for family baking. That way, everyone can join in after explaining that these are safe, special eggs., instead of a "do as I say, not as I do" disaster. Yep, that "do as I say, not as I do" thing has never really worked, has it?! Thanks for the encouragement regarding older "kids." I think you're right that "some childhood things can't be undone" - which means that if you're raised on home baking, you'll probably someday crave that childhood favorite thing and need to learn to bake it yourself! -Allison

• Reply