In the Kitchen Again

As a senior in high school I opened my first business - selling sweet goods around the holidays.  My primary customers were women in my church.  I put a flyer up on the bulletin board and I think I made close to $400 selling layered cakes and bars that consisted of chocolate or peanut butter or both.  There really is no better combination than chocolate and peanut butter in my opinion.

I don't think of myself as a great baker or cook, but I'm pretty decent; I rely heavily on great recipes.  Miss Mary supplied me with all my great sweet goods recipes.  My whole life I remember checking out the desserts first at Sunday night church to see what Miss Mary brought.  Ten-layered chocolate cake.  Peanut butter fingers.  Homemade kit kat bars.  It didn't matter what she brought, I always went back for seconds.  And thanks to Miss Mary, my love of being in the kitchen started early.

Miss Mary invited me over to her house to watch her bake a cake one Sunday afternoon.  I later learned that she had never let anyone in her kitchen while she baked - not even her sisters.  When I arrived there was a stool in the kitchen that was to become my seat for several cooking lessons.  She opened her cabinet and there were rows of Ziplocs.  Sugar.  Flour.  All ready to make a cake at the last minute for a sick loved one, a grieving family, or just a Sunday evening at church.

She told me that she learned from watching her mom bake.  And she pulled out an old silver spoon for stirring.  This spoon had belonged to her mother.  It had stirred so many treats that it was actually bent at a 45 degree angle.  Miss Mary said she uses no other when baking.  Two generations of love went into her cakes and goodies, which is probably why there were always so good.

I reminisce about my early days in the kitchen because I have just rekindled my love there.  I bake less and cook more these days.  I don't sell any of the food this time around, its gobbled up almost immediately.  But nonetheless, I am really enjoying being in the kitchen again.  I would love to learn and improve.  I wish there was a local culinary school, or classes at some of local colleges.  I would be the first to sign up.