Marshmallow infested fingernails and flour caked palms and caster sugar lost in eyelashes. Sore arms from stirring thick cake mix and hands that smell of it for hours later, no matter how much soap. Forgetting to preheat the oven and trying to bake something else while the cakes are finally in it. Timing & mess & sun beams on your bare feet & leftover cake mix on the tip of your finger before being licked off by a tempted tongue.

What once was a velvety swirl of beaten eggs, sparkling sugar, soft white flour and melting butter transforms slowly into golden wonders in cake shaped paper houses, rising and forming and rounding all by themselves. Baking is an art. But the real artists are the ingredients themselves, knowing exactly how to take perfect shape.

“The measuring and mixing always smoothed out her thinking processes – nothing was as calming as creaming butter – and when the kitchen was warm from the oven overheating and the smell of baking chocolate, she took final stock of where she’d been and where she was going. Everything was fine.” – Jennifer Crusie

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein

“Cute things to call your girlfriend: Sugar, honey, flour, egg, 1/2 lb of butter, stir, pour into pan, preheat to 375, bake for 15 minutes.”  – Unknown, but it makes me laugh every time.

Song for today: Ribbon by Billie Marten (A nice relaxing song to write this post to but also a nice song to have on as you take those cakes out of the oven…)