The Joys of Baking

When I was a kid, I used to spend some weekends baking with Mom. Being the older girl, I was the one Mom dragged into helping her with baking while little sister Olive's out playing with friends and neighbors. Sometimes, I think it was unfair; but most of the times, I liked it.

Heck, I liked baking more than cooking. Given a choice, I'll slave over a hot oven than a hot wok.

It used to be on weekends Olive and I would unwind by going to the malls and drool over all those stuff that we covet (both little and so much). Nowadays, I usually find myself just spending the weekend at home, doing housework, surfing the net, watching DVDs, etc.

A couple of weeks back, I decided to break out the electric oven (read: big oven toaster or a micro oven) I won during one of the Christmas parties a few years ago. I looked for recipes in the internet and armed with a list of ingredients, I went to the grocery to get them. My first project: brownies or cookies - something uncomplicated.

When I was at the aisle that displayed the baking needs, I was so overwhelmed with the choices. After almost ten painful minutes of walking back and forth that aisle trying to decide what brand, how big, and how many to buy, I finally simplified everything and got one of those pre-mixed packs! *LOL*

I followed the instructions at the back of the box, and voila! I have brownies. I gave some to Olive and Jerome, and they loved it. Jerome called them non-stop brownies, for when he started popping one (I cut them into bite size pieces) into his mouth, he can't stop; sort of like Pringles, but just brownies.

Next projects: Chocolate Chip Cookies and brownies, with real ingredients that I have to put together this time. ;-)

Fat Migration

Olive and I used to kid each other that when one of us is getting thin, the other would be getting fat; as if the fat cells in us are just going from one body to another. True enough, if she gains weight, I would lose some and vice versa.

When Olive got married and move out, in a matter of 2 weeks, I gained weight! Hhmm...could it be because the fat has nowhere to go? I told Olive this and she confessed that she might have gained some weight, too.

I guess the commute from Quezon City to Pasig City is just a tad too much for the fat cells; and so they stay put.