It’s peak making and baking season here and my view is of recipes and shopping lists. My plan is to do one big shop for all my major baking projects this month to minimize the fuss of each baking day. Things I need to bake include Preschooler SSG’s birthday cakes (one for the party and one for the actual day), dessert for our work Christmas party, a big end of year morning tea at work as well and something for Christmas lunch.
That being said, I actually find it soothing when I actually get into the kitchen and start measuring and mixing. With all the frantic rush of shops and appointments that this time of the year can be, just being at home in my kitchen with my favourite Christmas albums playing in the background is soothing. Using my hands and mind on something other than a keyboard or smartphone to create food to share with others is one of the many special things that the holiday season means to me.
As luck would have it, Woolworths just had a sale on two key ingredients of my baking program – cream cheese and unsalted butter.
So I’m pretty much good to go for the weeks ahead.
But I’m also determined to make sure that my view over the next few weeks will not just be the kitchen and the shops. I’m going to make a concerted effort to also remember to look beyond them and find some calm in things like these beautiful peonies.
Are you planning to make and bake much this Christmas? Is your fridge full of butter and cream cheese too?