Writing is rather like baking. I take a bunch of words, mix them together, bake them in the oven of my mind (heh) and they turn into a finished product called a book. Sometimes writing is a soothing, relaxing activity. Sometimes it is frustrating beyond measure when I can’t find that elusive ingredient called “just the right word”.
I’m sure you’ve heard the old joke about the little girl who was learning to cook. She got down her cookbook but quickly became puzzled. When her mother asked the problem, the little girl said she had everything on hand but “ingredients” and what were they, anyway? Yesterday I had a cooking urge and as I got all the ingredients together, realized I had forgotten to buy soda and vinegar at the store. These are two things that black bottom cupcakes call for and chocolate chip cookies may not need vinegar but they are supposed to have soda. So I improvised. For the Toll House cookies, I simply used baking powder. And they taste OK. For the black bottom cupcakes, I was a bit more daring. Since I didn’t have vinegar or soda, I used baking powder again. The recipe calls for making a well in the middle of the flour, sugar, soda, and cocoa and pouring in l/3 cup of oil and 1 cup of water. I had coffee in the pot so I used 3/4 cup of coffee and l/4 cup of water. It worked well. Of course, the filling stayed the same: cream cheese, egg, chocolate chips, sugar and vanilla. I dropped the filling by spoonfuls into the chocolate-filled muffin tins. While they baked, the chocolate part became the bottom of each cupcake; hence, the name.
Because Dawn is having Matt’s actual birthday lunch today and cream pie is his favorite, I put together the crust for the cream pie yesterday. My recipe for crust is the same as Mom’s. For a one-crust pie: one cup of flour, a dash of salt, l/2 cup of butter or Crisco. Then only a scant amount of very cold water. Handle it as little as possible when rolling it out to fit the pan. Today I’ll make the filling for the pie.
It’s a funny thing about baking. Dr. Seuss’ moth-watching Sneth watched moths circling candles because they sort of quieted her mind. When I bake, it sort of quiets my mind too; relaxes me. My old muffin tins belonged to my mother. They are not bright and shiny. They look as if they’ve baked a lot of muffins and they have. But I would not trade them for the new, shiny ones in stores. There is something therapeutic about measuring, stirring, and seeing a positive result from my effort. There is also something comforting about using pots and pans that were Mom’s. In between putting the pan in the oven and taking it out, a wonderful aroma fills the house and contentment fills my mind. Like the moth-watching Sneth. Amazing.
Yay! Desserts!