The crisp cool air has me in the mood for a baking day. I want to fill the house with the warmth and good aromas of comfort food, not only for myself and the little ones at home, but also for those of us who are away from the home today, my husband at work and my eldest son at school. Baked good always send a message that says “welcome home.”
Another reason for having a baking day is to stock up food that can be prepared inexpensively without artificial ingredients. Baked goods can be eaten at meal times, but also taken along as easy snacks. Baking from scratch is very economical, too, making it an ideal practice for saving money. And to be a little corny, I can send out a little love with each muffin, roll or cake that exits this house, packed off with someone I care about.
So now, as the little ones sleep, I have dough for rolls being prepared in the bread machine. The dough will be taken out when it is ready, punched down, shaped into rounds and given a rest in a warmed oven, allowing them to rise before baking.
At the moment, my oven is filled with corn bread baking. This isn’t just any cornbread. I’ve taken down my cast iron baking pan that usually hangs on my kitchen wall for decor and filled it with the homemade cornbread mix. The cornbread will bake up into golden yellow treats in the shape of fall acorns. They will go nicely with tonight’s meal.
I also have cupcakes planned for desert. I am cheating here a little bit, because I will be using a cake mix to make them, but we will hand decorate them ourselves. We will even leave off the frosting on a few for my husband who prefers his cupcakes naked. (I know what you are thinking…shhh!)
I would love to do some more, such as a homemade pumpkin pie, but nap time will be over soon.
What are you baking today?
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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