Nothings says fall quite like baking.
Not that I’ve ever needed an excuse to bake…but with the holidays coming (all of which require a lot of “dessert practice”, of course) I don’t feel quite as guilty warming up the oven (and in turn, the house) in the fall.
We love to bake at our house.
Love.
My husband has quite the sweet-tooth and considers fresh baked cookies the perfect breakfast, so we have a full cookie jar most of the time.
There is something magical about butter and sugar coming together or watching yeast rise that brings a smile to your face.
Kids love to bake too. It is something that we really encourage at our house – there is so much learning in baking, and it’s an important life skill.
When they are really little, it’s about getting the ingredients to the bowl, learning to count, and making a HUGE mess. It’s both fun and rewarding and typically a lot of clean up. They only participate for a little bit but are excited that they ‘cooked.’
As they get older, it’s about using a measuring cup, learning to read the instructions and follow them, and even learning about the ingredients and how they are grown (we love our agriculture education).
A little older still, and they begin to learn the patience to make it all the way through the recipe, learning about adding and subtracting fractions (to double or half a recipe), how to use the appliances, how to handle a knife, the science of the ingredients working together and so much more.
The list continues well beyond the age of my children now, even for the most experienced bakers, I think we can all agree you continue to learn forever.
Beyond the education of baking, there is so much more.
There is something about putting life on hold for just a little while when you bake. You need to focus on what you are doing to ensure that the combinations are just right so the final product will be delicious, or even just work! A break from “real life” for just a minute.
Sometimes allowing that time to make a batch of cookies can be the solution needed for everyone. For you, being able to complete something – a task with a beginning, a middle and an end – can be so rewarding…When it comes to mom life, a sense of accomplishment can be just what the doctor ordered. (As we all know too well…)
It is a time to connect with your kids, too. There is nothing like making cookies that will draw your kids to the kitchen to talk with you, maybe about nothing, but maybe an opportunity to open up about something important. 😊
Plus, the wonderful smell in your house can lift everyone’s mood. Fresh baked cookies can bring a smile to the faces of our favorite little people and big people alike. And there is nothing better than that!
And one of these days, after all of these lessons, your kids can be the ones in the kitchen baking while you get to watch and visit.
Baking is good for the mind and the soul.
So break out the butter! Get that yeast rising!
Something delicious is in your near future.
Happy fall, y’all!
