The strangest thing came out of my mouth the other day. Ryan and I were at the pumpkin patch with the kids when suddenly, I looked at the small pumpkins designated as 'cooking pumpkins' and said "it can't be that hard to make a pumpkin pie, can it?"
At this point, I think Ryan was left at a loss for words.
For those of you who know me, I don't like baking. In fact, my dislike of it was subject of a blog post about two years ago. I enjoy eating baked treats, but actually doing the work is not my thing. Attempts to bake anything that didn't come out of a mix box has almost always resulted in hockey puck brownies or burnt cookies.
Then a funny thing happened this summer. I had some overripe bananas and rather than throw them out like I usually do, I opened a cookbook, found a recipe for chocolate chip banana loaf and made it before I could talk myself out of what I was doing.
And it turned out good. So good in fact, that Ryan later suggested that I should make it again sometime. I wasn't sure which was more surprising -- the fact that I baked, or the fact that Ryan suggested I make it again sometime!
And about a month later, I did. This time with Austin's help. So, in the space of a month, I went from hating baking to undertaking the task of baking with a two-year-old. Surprisingly, we both had fun and I intend to do it again.
Then, a few weeks ago, we had dinner with some friends and I offered to bring dessert. To everyone who knows me -- that means I'll go to the grocery store and pick something up. But instead, the trip to the grocery store was to buy apples to make an apple crisp. I baked for someone other than my family on my own volition and without coercion. And it turned out pretty good, I think.
For the record, it was my mother's recipe and if my mother can make it, then it has to be easy. (Sorry mom, but you're not a baker either.)
I may have only made the same treat twice and a simple dessert, but the key here is I've done it, and I had fun doing so.
And apparently, I want to try making a pumpkin pie. Anyone have a good recipe?
3 comments:
I don't have a recipe, or I would share. But I'm right there with you on picking up a couple of 'cooking' pumpkins - we decided to pick up a couple over the weekend. I'm not going to make pie though - instead I'm going to attempt pumpkin cheesecake. I saw a recipe for it somewhere, and figured - huh, after they're done being mini-jack-o-lanterns, they can be cheesecake.
Go us!
I have good recipes for both a pumpkin pie (my mom's) and for a pumpkin cheesecake - it's a layer of cheesecake and then a layer of pumpkin pie on top of it. And using real pumpkin is so good - so much better than canned.
The week after Halloween my dad would always cook up our pumpkins and we'd freeze them.
I'm glad the apple crisp came out good. I must be pretty good at it if Joyce named the recipe after me in her cookbook.
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