Those who know me well, know that I bake with real, unsalted butter. Always have. Always will. I also like to bake a lot. Cookies, pies, coffee cakes, whatever. For the last few months, I haven't enjoyed baking. My oven has seen little action and my kids forgot how to help in the kitchen. I was in a funk.
So, what comes first, the neighbor or the baked goods?
I say this because I recently made a friend who lives in my building. Let me be clear. She's exactly what I needed! We both love our label-makers, we homeschool our kids, we like alone time and each other. She has girls who play with my girls and everybody wins. After our first couple of visits, without even thinking about it, I gravitated toward my kitchen. I whipped up some cookie bars and some cake. I found myself running down the stairs to her place in my apron so she could have cookies fresh out of the oven.
I've always said that butter is love. I show my love for others with baked goods. When I lived in rural Michigan, I baked for my friend close-by. The guys at the feed mill next door always got slabs of banana bread or cookies. When I moved to Moscow, it was for the older couples in our neighborhood, and the single guys who never got homemade anything. When I moved again in Moscow, it was for the Marines and for my favorite neighbor downstairs. She was, quite possibly, my biggest fan. I knew it, she knew it. It worked.
Without even noticing it, I didn't bake in DC because I didn't have somebody with whom to share. Someone accused me once of trying to fatten up those around me with goodies so I look better. If that means touching the lives of others using real butter, then I'm guilty.
No comments:
Post a Comment