Take THAT, baking!

It was inevitable… I was going to try my hand at baking again. So last night Stu was watching Emeril Live (BAM!) and I came in to see Emeril putting the finishing touches on an apple pie. We’re pretty much out of groceries (we shop on Fridays), but we DID have a few apples, so I was like, "Yeah, I want some apple-type dessert!"

So I head over to the computer to Google apple dessert recipes and I find one for an Apple Crisp. Low and behold, it turned out to not only be good, but FABULOUS! I had to force myself to leave the pan alone so Stu could have some when he got back from practice… it was a challenge, let me tell you! But it was nice to have something come out good after screwing up pre-made chocolate chips cookies.

I got to talk to Jen (from work) while it was baking last night and she offered words of encouragement! (And perhaps some yummy recipoes to follow...)

Then, we’re getting calmed down before bath and bedtime and Stu looks over at Kaden and says, “We’re going to have a fat kid!” This is what fat baby looked like, all slouched down watching TV…

I love this one because his smile is exactly Stu's smile! Cute babies!

Talent... pfffft!

Ok, I am a good cook. I come from a long line of good cooks. Cooking is a passion of mine, and one of my favorite things to do…. So why the *&^% can’t I BAKE??? I am not even kidding. I can perfect a dish I’ve never even tried without following a recipe, just by knowing what ingredients taste good together, and putting my own signature on things. But get me near a cookie or cake and if it doesn’t come out burnt, it will inevitably be too dry or too mushy, or SOMETHING that is just BAD!

Case in freaking point: Yesterday Stu decides he’d like some chocolate chip cookies. Well, since we can’t find anything relating to baking here (baking powder, normal sugar, etc.) we broke down a just bought some packages of the ready-to-bake tubes of cookie dough. You simply preheat the oven, slice them into rounds, put them on the baking sheet (or glass pan for us since we don’t own baking sheets) and put them in the oven for 9-11 minutes. In theory after which time, ta-da, cookies! Well, not when I am responsible for them!

I did all the steps, then after probably 12 minutes (since I always forget they’re in the oven until I actually smell them) I take them out and leave them to cool for that infamous “minute” before removing them to a paper towel. Sigh… here are MY cookies after forgetting them and leaving them for 20 minutes to adhere themselves like cement to the glass pan.

So I ask Stu, “How can I be so good at cooking and suck so bad at such a gay sport as baking?!?!”
He says, watching my elbow-grease-laden effort to de-stick them from the glass, “It’s not a sport… it’s obviously a talent…”

Followed by, “We should have to fly the flag as half-mast for such a travesty…”

I hadn’t laughed so hard in MONTHS! Sighhhh… I’m done with this stupid baking nonsense!

At least they were still edible with a glass of milk!