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Aching for a baking?


browniebaker

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To the baking-obsessed: What are some of your excuses for baking more than you need or should?

My son's Cub Scouts end-of-year potluck-picnic-dinner is this evening, and I signed up to bring oatmeal-chocolate-chip cookies, so why did I spend four hours this morning baking not only the cookies I had promised but also a chess pie and a pecan pie? That's what my husband asked me, and all I could say was, "Uh, in case there aren't enough desserts at the picnic?"

I confess, I make up excuses to bake. In addition to the above in-case-there-isn't-enough excuse, here are a few of the ridiculous excuses I use:

- Child's playdate at home: must bake some muffins for a snack since my son's seven-year-old friend will appreciate home-baked over store-bought. (Not!)

- Newspaper article on cheesecake-baking: must try different ingredients and/or methods to perfect my cheesecake recipe that I already spent the last ten years perfecting.

- New neighbor down the street: must bake a pound cake or chess pie and take it over.

- Birthday party for one-year-old: must bake and decorate a theme-cake so the photos will show that I cared enough to knock myself out.

- Transfats in store-bought baked goods: must come up with a healthier home-baked version of the same, e.g. vanilla wafers, graham crackers, and oreo cookies.

- Going out to dinner at a restaurant or a friend's house: must bake a dessert to eat in case restaurant's or friend's dessert(s) turns out to be less than appealing or satisfying.

- Babysitter coming over to watch the kids: must have a plate of brownies on the kitchen countertop for her.

- And, last but not least, always have some baked goods in the freezer in case people drop by.

It's crazy, I know! So, what are YOUR excuses? (Maybe I can use them!)

:wacko:

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who needs excuses? I just bake. Because I want to :raz::biggrin:

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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I am; therefore I bake.

DITTO!

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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I am cracking up because I can totally relate. Here's my baking confession:

So over Easter we had some friends and family over and I made a HUGE meal plus three desserts. Cheesecake, German Chocolate Cake and A Spring Flower Cake. None of these were just a cake, I just had to pipe leaves and vines on the strawberries that topped the cheesecake, I drizzled fudge topping over the german chocolate cake... are you feeling where I'm going here??

I can no longer just make a standard dessert, it must be up lifted or it isn't a dessert in my book.

Don't let there be occassion like the ones mention, please!!! My bosses' birthday was yesterday and I made a birthday cake for her that I am sure is worthy of being sold at any upscale bakery!!!

So a long tale to say, I am right there with you.

Believe, Laugh, Love

Lydia (aka celenes)

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So over Easter we had some friends and family over and I made a HUGE meal plus three desserts.  Cheesecake, German Chocolate Cake and A Spring Flower Cake.  None of these were just a cake, I just had to pipe leaves and vines on the strawberries that topped the cheesecake, I drizzled fudge topping over the german chocolate cake... are you feeling where I'm going here??

LOL! Celene, you and I know we must have desserts in MULTIPLES because. . .

. . . if one dessert fails in the execution, there's one or more other dessert as a back-up;

. . . if someone does not like chocolate, there's an alternative flavor;

. . . you want to offer a version with nuts and a version without nuts;

. . . everyone has a different favorite dessert, and you want to please everyone;

. . . nothing wows like a table full of desserts;

. . . it is too hard to choose among all the recipes you want to try; and

. . . let's face it, dessert buffets are soooo much fun.

Plus, even if a kid wants a Barbie cake for her birthday, it's too easy just to plunk a Barbie doll on top of the cake as sane people counsel me to do. I must fashion a marzipan Barbie. (If it doesn't hurt, you're not doing it right!)

Maybelline, I'm with you on using up the old flour! And the pecans before they get rancid, and the leftover 2/3 cup of shredded coconut that is in the freezer, and the way-too-much candied orange peel I made for fun last winter . . . .

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All of the above and more :wink: ...can't let the eggs and unsalted butter go to waste anyway! Besides...what am I supposed to do with that flat of strawberries I bought yesterday...dip them?? yyyyyeeeeeeessssss BUT how about some roasted strawberries instead? now I need something to pair that with..so lets see................ :biggrin::wacko::laugh:

:hmmm: I guess I am off to create!

This is fun......

Portia
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hehe,

my excuse? I bake and give the results to the old people's home nearby, they have afternoon tea and like a slice of homemade cake/tea loaf/scone to go with it ^_^

I also bake when I lack an excuse, baking therapy?

Spam in my pantry at home.

Think of expiration, better read the label now.

Spam breakfast, dinner or lunch.

Think about how it's been pre-cooked, wonder if I'll just eat it cold.

wierd al ~ spam

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And for the desperately addicted, organize your kids, fill up a long card table with goodies at a local store entrance and donate the bakesale to your kids' school, even though no one else was doin' it!!

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28! sounds like a party ^_~

we have a fair few scattered around here, but some of the wardens didn't like the idea of homemade food (because I'm clearly on a mission to poison the elderly with cherry scones)

as of today though I have a new baking excuse, oh yes, I have booked a baked goods stall at a market in a fortnight! lol, I'm begging for hints and tips in another thread (didn't want to go ot in this one, lol)

Spam in my pantry at home.

Think of expiration, better read the label now.

Spam breakfast, dinner or lunch.

Think about how it's been pre-cooked, wonder if I'll just eat it cold.

wierd al ~ spam

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I also bake when I lack an excuse, baking therapy?

I have never needed an excuse...... or rationalization, I just do it.

Fortunately I still work in an office a couple of days a week. The orthopedic surgeon for whom I have worked for 36 years is semi-retired and so am I. There are, however, two other doctors in our suite and between the two of them they have 10 employees.

I haul in my baking efforts and never have any complaints.

I experiment with and develop new recipes and these folks are my tasting force.

I even took one of my bread machines into the office to bake on site.

I also lend bread machines to a couple of friends who are real estate brokers. They take them to to open house showings and put in the pre-measured ingredients and plug them in. The aroma of baking bread makes the houses seem more "homey"..........

I also give them a tray of pastries and cookies and mini muffins to set out.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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I also lend bread machines to a couple of friends who are real estate brokers.  They take them to to open house showings and put in the pre-measured ingredients and plug them in.  The aroma of baking bread makes the houses seem more "homey"..........

I also give them a tray of pastries and cookies and mini muffins to set out.

Hmmm, must put my house on the market and have an open house, just to have an excuse to bake the requisite warm and aromatic cookies to set out in a basket on the kitchen countertop.

How do I know my friend is NOT a baking maniac of the world-class category? She likes to bake, yes, and the proof that she likes to bake is that she is baking a surprise birthday cake for a friend today -- supererogatory, gratuitous baking is usually a good sign of baking mania. BUT her son has a bake sale at school tomorrow and she thinking of just wrapping up slices of leftover birthday cake to sell at the bake sale. What, I said, and waste a good opportunity to bake?!

(edited for typo)

Edited by browniebaker (log)
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Oh, oh, another good excuse: home-baked can cost a lot less than store-bought, so tell yourself that and bake gifts for all family, children's teachers, the postman (got to have something on which to attach the envelope enclosing the end-of-year tip), the garbage collectors (ditto). . . .

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Oh, oh, another good excuse: home-baked can cost a lot less than store-bought, so tell yourself that and bake gifts for all family, children's teachers, the postman (got to have something on which to attach the envelope enclosing the end-of-year tip), the garbage collectors (ditto). . . .

One end of my kitchen is at the front of the house on the driveway side and there is a lot of foot traffic in my area. I often have neighbors wander over and ask about my baking. The aroma draws a lot of attention, espcially during the pre-holiday baking marathons in the fall.

I enlist some of my neighbors to help in packaging things to be shipped. I bake plenty of extras for them to take home.

Whenever I have need of any minor handyman work I can depend on one of the neighbor's husbands, sons or in one case, brother, to do the little tasks.

My gardener and his crew always time their appearance for late enough in the day that the baking is finished and I send them off with various goodies.

I also bake for the local center for battered women and children at least a couple of times a month. The senior citizen's center already has several seniors who themselves bake for the center but occasionally I help out with a fund raiser.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Oh, oh, another good excuse: home-baked can cost a lot less than store-bought, so tell yourself that and bake gifts for all family, children's teachers, the postman (got to have something on which to attach the envelope enclosing the end-of-year tip), the garbage collectors (ditto). . . .

One end of my kitchen is at the front of the house on the driveway side and there is a lot of foot traffic in my area. I often have neighbors wander over and ask about my baking. The aroma draws a lot of attention, espcially during the pre-holiday baking marathons in the fall.

I enlist some of my neighbors to help in packaging things to be shipped. I bake plenty of extras for them to take home.

Whenever I have need of any minor handyman work I can depend on one of the neighbor's husbands, sons or in one case, brother, to do the little tasks.

My gardener and his crew always time their appearance for late enough in the day that the baking is finished and I send them off with various goodies.

I also bake for the local center for battered women and children at least a couple of times a month. The senior citizen's center already has several seniors who themselves bake for the center but occasionally I help out with a fund raiser.

Wow. Sounds no less than a bakery. Are you zoned for commercial use? :biggrin:

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O.k. you have provided me with more ideas. My daughter works at an upscle nursing home and I am sure they would mind some real dessert one Sunday or so.

I too have people who love being my testers. I work at a big bank in the marketing department, need I say more??!!

I also have a brand new house so of course everytime a delivery of furniture comes or UPS shows at the door, you know the neighbors have to make their way over, so of course since I have the best kitchen of all the houses, it is unheard of and unacceptable for me not to have something around.

:wink:

Believe, Laugh, Love

Lydia (aka celenes)

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Wow. Sounds no less than a bakery. Are you zoned for commercial use? :biggrin:

My kitchen is certified because at one time I was doing some contract work for a caterer.

Much of my equipment is commercial, most bought at auctions when a business was closing.

My Blodgett oven came from a tv studio where food shows were taped. When they moved to a new building they sold off all their equipment and installed new.

Preparing the walls and floor and putting in a high powered exhaust system cost more than I paid for the oven.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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1.Infant Niece/nephew cut a tooth. Gotta have a cake for that! :raz:

2.Opened a new carton of eggs and one of them is cracked

3.Gotta make plans for something totally un-baking related, but need time to "think"

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