i'd rather be baking

This summer I read this post by Smitten Kitchen lauding the merits of these hamburger buns, and I’ve made them at least once a month since then. At first I didn’t quite believe that something could be so simple and delicious as to make buying hamburger buns a thing of the past, but I’m 100% sold on these bad boys. She’s completely and utterly right, that with such a bun existing in our world, eating those boring store-bought ones just feels like a crime.

We quickly began making them for occasions other than just burgers. They’ve hosted grilled veggie sandwiches in late summer, deli meat and veggies for many a lunch, and breakfast melts on particularly hungry mornings. They’ve even held together the occasional peanut butter and jelly. These buns are pretty much ready for any sort of sandwich you want to throw at them.

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Most people would agree that peanut butter and chocolate belong together, and I certainly wouldn’t argue. But if there’s a better soulmate for chocolate than peanut butter, it’s definitely coconut. And yes, I realize that it’s horribly unhealthy and super-fattening, but some things are just so darn tasty that it doesn’t matter.

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About a month ago, my mom mentioned that her church was looking for a volunteer to bake muffins for their women’s ministry event. I thought it sounded like fun.

She then clarified that, oh yes, they would need about 200 muffins total. For some reason, I still thought it sounded like fun.

Perhaps it was the thrill of the challenge, or my ignorance regarding the fact that there is probably some baking feat I can’t accomplish, but I just couldn’t say no. So I tested recipes and come Friday night I found myself in a large, semi-industrial kitchen, suddenly and slightly overwhelmed by the task at hand.

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Chocolate chip cookies were the first thing that I ever baked solo, or rather, without the assistance of a parent. In junior high one of my best girlfriends and I would giggle about boys, night after Friday night, while mixing up them up by the batch. We continued the tradition through high school and I shudder slightly to think how many such cookies I’ve consumed in the past ten or so years.

Not surprisingly, chocolate chip cookies quickly became my go-to comfort food. I’ve stirred together many bowls of that familiar dough after (and sometimes before) a particularly difficult exam in college and at the end of a rough day since then.

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This blog is barely hatched and already I’m on my second breakfast-oriented recipe (although this one may as well be a dessert). What can I say? We are not morning people by any stretch of the imagination, so any time I can grab breakfast in one hand and eat it while driving to work I’m game. And if it’s something that I can somehow justify as befitting the most important meal of the day with real (or imagined) nutritional value, sign me up.

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