I have grown up in a very creative home. My mom loved to be crafty and made more than enough to purchase a beautiful baby Grand piano with her crafting earnings. My dad likewise has the ability to create amazing things! For years he was a self-employed screen-printer and would make everything from business decals/signage to cute magnetic fridge calendars. Now a days he creates beauty in his landscaping abilities. One creative outlet I fell in love with was baking. I wanted so bad to be able to create the beautiful cinnamon rolls you see in the Taste of Home magazines, or the perfectly golden Blue-Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies in the Mrs. Fields cookbook. There are a handful of pictures throughout my scrapbooks of me sitting in the kitchen reading a cookbook. It was something I really did enjoy!
My dad is a Sunday treat maker. Meaning Sunday afternoons would roll around and so would the smell of fresh baked cookies, or even peanut butter bars with chocolate frosting. Oh it was heavenly! Once in awhile I still drop by for a visit and find him baking up something yummy! One recipe he used frequently was Mrs. Fields Blue-Ribbon Chocolate Chip cookies, I LOVED them! They didn’t take long, and they didn’t last long either... I guess I should say first that up to this point, I had tried to make dinner for my family on more than one occasion, but for some reason instant mashed potatoes and brown gravy, or rice and gravy with canned green beans, along with a can of fruit cocktail never really made me feel my cooking skills were anything special... I guess I did make a few hot dog boats...never had one? WHAT! I thought it was a family meal staple! Let me help you. Get a hot dog, cut it down the center, and then put two scoops of mashed potatoes on top, and sprinkle some shredded cheese over the whole ensemble. Broil until the cheese is melted! Ta-DA! You have a hot dog boat! Hmm. Still not impressed? Darn... Well I wasn’t either.
I had a crazy idea one day. I was going to make Mrs. Fields Chocolate chip cookies ALL. BY. MYSELF! Pretty sure I was around 7 at the time.
I can still see the cookies as they came out of the oven...DARK BROWN. Not burnt, but for some reason DARK BROWN. To this day I have no idea what I did wrong. I was so disappointed that from that day on I tried over and over again until I got that recipe right! But my ventures didn’t stop there.
When I was 8, I recruited my best friend and neighbor to help me put together a bake sale. We spent one day mixing all our doughs, freezing .25 Shasta soda cans (for our enjoyment), and making MULTIPLE bike trips down to Valley Market Grocery store for supplies. I think that’s about the time I told my mom what I was up to. I had taken her pristine kitchen and turned it into a white powder covered room... I thought that deserved some kind of explanation. I think at first she thought I was joking, but just like a good mom, she smiled and said ‘Have fun!’
The next morning rolled around and guess what, I was up early rolling out cinnamon roll dough, scooping cookie dough onto cookie sheets, hand-writing price stickers, and packaging plates of Taste of Home Double layered Chocolate Mint brownies (the big hit that day). Carly showed up and we set up some tables out by the road, beautifully decked out in table cloths, signage and a variety of sweet treats.
If I remember right, we sold everything except for a plate or two of cookies. I’ll admit I never did that again- I couldn’t believe how much work it was! But you know what, I learned to work hard, I thoroughly enjoyed baking all the sweet treats, and seeing people impressed by my ‘sweet’ skills! I felt extremely accomplished! All the time and energy had been worth it!
Until I had to clean the kitchen...
After that venture I spent time pouring over my Grandma Nada’s Taste of Home cook books after Sunday dinner. I would pull out lined paper and write down recipe after recipe I wanted to try. From that time on, Grandma bought me a yearly subscription to the Taste of Home Magazine. I still get it in the mail! I may not be the best cook or baker, but it is something I enjoy! Maybe it’s sentimental, maybe it’s therapeutic, maybe it’s just for fun! Whatever the reason, it brings me joy, and I don’t think my family has complained yet!
Is there a skill or desire you had a a child that has stuck with you?
-Mikenna
