For four years before my daughter’s birth, I’ve been hosting a holiday party for my family and friends. Each year, the guest list increases a little, there’s a few more treats, and my twelve year old contributes a bit more.
While we’ve made cookies together in the past, Quinn baked the chocolate chip and Christmas M & M cookies from start to finish, and they were deliciously made with love and a festive spirit.
All the best,
Tanya
“I love baking with you, Mommy! Can we do it more often?” my six year old asked. “I don’t see why not,” I told her. I love baking, especially when I get to do it with my daughter. I get to guide her through the process. We get to talk, laugh and just be in each other’s presence. Also, I just feel the love. On Valentine’s Day, she was eager to bake cookies to give to people she loves and did it from start to finish. She even effortlessly used the cookie press after I demonstrated how to use it. I’m so grateful that displaying love is something that’s effortless for the both of us, not just on Valentine’s Day but everyday.
All the best,
Tanya
“You know what I love about baking cookies…mixing the ingredients and decorating them.” This isn’t what I said but what my daughter confessed to me. Since she was a toddler, my daughter has loved baking or being my little helper, so a few times a month, if not more, we do make a special treat together.
Yesterday, it was a recipe from her American Girl treats cookbook: flower cookies decorated frosting. My six year old basically did everything from start to finish, and we both were very proud of her finished product. Not only did they look tasty, but they were absolutely delicious.
I really enjoy the moments we share together, especially baking. It reminds me of when I was younger and baked with my mom. We talked, laughed, and I learned and we were rewarded with a tasty treat. I hope that as Quinn gets older she continues to look forward to the fun and relaxing time she gets from baking with me.
All the best,
Tanya
“I’m so excited, Mommy! I want to do everything from start to finish!” my five year old informed me as we prepared to bake chocolate chip cookies for Thanksgiving. Though it can be time-consuming, and it’s difficult to always carve out time to do it, I love baking. I especially love baking with my daughter. Now that she’s in kindergarten, she’s starting to read, is understanding the concept of measuring more and more and really was able to do just about everything from start to finish, with the exclusion of putting and taking the cookies out of the oven.
As we stood in the kitchen together, we bonded and talked about how excited we were to share our cookies with the family for Thanksgiving. Quinn even said, “I really love baking with you mommy. We ought to do it more often!” I agreed. It is such a wonderful feeling to see her applying what I’ve taught her over the years. I did not have to remind her how to sift the ingredients. Using the Kitchen Aid mixer is a no brainer for her. Without me suggesting, she said, “I’m going to start the mixer on the lowest setting firs so that the flour doesn’t go everywhere. Then I’ll flick the switch so it can mix the cookie dough faster. She was able to use the cookie scoop with ease, and even knew the importance of not putting the cookies too close to one another of the baking sheet.
This experience made me think of an analogy with my little girl. Before she was born, she was “baking” in my stomach until it was time for her to come out. Now, I often observe her “baking up” some ideas and searching for life “ingredients.” She’s on her way to becoming a master chef, and it comforts me to know that I’m playing a role in sharing my recipes for heartfelt moments that she will be able to use to cook up a wonderful life for herself.
All the best,
Tanya
Tomorrow starts multicultural week at my daughter’s preschool, and the children will bring in special snacks that represent their culture or heritage. Quinn’s very excited about it, and I am too, but I initially drew a blank on what we would make to represent our culture or ethnicity. There will be Greek, Polish and Ecuadorian snacks, which is awesome, and while I know my genetic makeup from 23 and me, (There’s some West African, South African, Asian, Irish, English, Scottish, Indian and a few others in there), when it comes to my culture and ethnicity, I simply identify as African American or simply American.
So instead of focusing on a treat that represents us as solely Americans, I thought it would be nice for Quinn and I to bake a treat that represents the importance of family and togetherness. “So your grandmother, my great grandmother, showed you how to make the chocolate chip cookies we’re baking, Mommy?” my daughter asked as we got all of our ingredients together to prepare baking. “Yes, she did, Quinn!” She then followed up, “And the hermit cookies too?” I confirmed, “Yes, the hermit cookies too.”
Even though she’s only four, she was more of the chef, and I was her assistant. She added all of the ingredients, with the exception of me cracking the eggs, and she even sifted the flour. “This is baking soda, not baking powder, right Mommy?” she asked. “Yes, you’re right, honey!” I told her. The experience of baking with her reminded me of the moments I shared with my mom and grandmother learning to cook and bake.
Then, when Quinn said, “I love baking with you, Mommy!” it melted my heart because, a cliche as it is, one of the main ingredients in baking is “love.” While we could have just went to the store and purchased some chocolate chip cookies, part of our culture is togetherness, teaching each other and being supportive of one another as a family. Today, was a wonderful experience, and I hope Quinn’s classmates are able to not just enjoy the cookies but taste the love and energy that was put into baking them.
All the best,
Tanya
Mommy's Baby Steps 