There are two areas in my life where I am attempting to really "mature," as much and as quickly as I can--Food and Finances. I have been on such a slow path in these two areas, as I have been slow to grow in the past. I decided to turn them into a weekly theme and share the details...hoping to help myself with personal accountability...
I have reached a new level....I am the Mom who makes home-made cupcakes!
I crack myself up about this, because I used to buy all of my goods for every potluck and every snack day, in the not-so-distant past. I used to buy all of our birthday cakes too. I would explain this away by joking that my cooking skills were not safe for the public to consume.
As I have been cooking our meals at home, and baking with the kids, I am finding that I can whip up a treat in the kitchen, faster and cheaper than I can buy it at the store.
So, when it was time to bring cupcakes for Jersey #1's end-of-season party for basketball, I made them at home. She helped me frost a few. We bought little basketballs to place into the frosting on top. They were really cute.
When we arrived to the party destination, I learned that another Mom had also brought cupcakes. She had found those little plastic rings that I had been looking for. She found them because the store had them, and she bought the cupcakes at the store. I admired her cupcakes, and she admired mine.
I was highly entertained by the response that the other Moms gave as well. They all admired my cupcakes. The little basketballs on top were cute. But, the thing that got the most response was that they were home-made. One Mom grabbed one of my cupcakes to save for dessert, even before her pizza arrived. She said she didn't want to miss out.
I see now that home-made cupcakes are a rarity to busy families. No one has time to stay home and bake anymore, it seems. After hearing a couple Moms speak of it so fondly, my eyes were opened to the blessing that it really was. It was not the taste, flavor, or look of the cupcakes that meant so much. (Actually, I thought the store cupcakes were perfectly shaped and more moist.) It was that they were made at home. Many of us had memories of baking cupcakes at home with our Moms, in preparation for a school party or a birthday, during our childhood.
My daughter has the memory of baking at home with me, making basketball cupcakes for her team party. That was a bigger treat than I had planned.
I crack myself up about this, because I used to buy all of my goods for every potluck and every snack day, in the not-so-distant past. I used to buy all of our birthday cakes too. I would explain this away by joking that my cooking skills were not safe for the public to consume.
As I have been cooking our meals at home, and baking with the kids, I am finding that I can whip up a treat in the kitchen, faster and cheaper than I can buy it at the store.
So, when it was time to bring cupcakes for Jersey #1's end-of-season party for basketball, I made them at home. She helped me frost a few. We bought little basketballs to place into the frosting on top. They were really cute.
When we arrived to the party destination, I learned that another Mom had also brought cupcakes. She had found those little plastic rings that I had been looking for. She found them because the store had them, and she bought the cupcakes at the store. I admired her cupcakes, and she admired mine.
I was highly entertained by the response that the other Moms gave as well. They all admired my cupcakes. The little basketballs on top were cute. But, the thing that got the most response was that they were home-made. One Mom grabbed one of my cupcakes to save for dessert, even before her pizza arrived. She said she didn't want to miss out.
I see now that home-made cupcakes are a rarity to busy families. No one has time to stay home and bake anymore, it seems. After hearing a couple Moms speak of it so fondly, my eyes were opened to the blessing that it really was. It was not the taste, flavor, or look of the cupcakes that meant so much. (Actually, I thought the store cupcakes were perfectly shaped and more moist.) It was that they were made at home. Many of us had memories of baking cupcakes at home with our Moms, in preparation for a school party or a birthday, during our childhood.
My daughter has the memory of baking at home with me, making basketball cupcakes for her team party. That was a bigger treat than I had planned.
I LOVE baking with my daughter. It is one of the most special things in the world.
ReplyDelete(and you'll learn to tweak your recipes so that store-bought stuff just can't compare to what you made. I promise.)