I come from a large European immigrant family where fresh ingredients came right from a huge garden and fresh eggs were collected every morning from the laying hens we always had growing up. No, I wasn’t raised on a farm or in a bygone era of long ago. My childhood was mainly in the 80’s! I was raised by parents whose farm-to-table attitude was way ahead of its time. My mother was a stay-at-home mom. We had upwards of twenty laying hens at a time, along with a large vegetable patch that was at least 100′ x 100′. There was an assortment of cherry trees (both sour and sweet), apples, apricots and pears. Berries of all kinds were picked throughout the summer and well into the fall. My mother baked fresh bread every week, a special cake for Sunday afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen and my love of baking stems from her.
Nowadays the way I was brought up is not generally the norm. We have smaller properties and work full-time jobs. If we have kids, a lot of time is spent driving them to sports and music lessons. Everything is readily available at the local grocery store and so convenient. But although those bakery items purchased are beautiful and convenient, my recipes are geared to creating with what you have readily on hand in your own kitchen, thereby creating something without the extra sugars and unnecessary fats. And with little fuss and effort!
Every kitchen should have the following on hand at all times:
All -Purpose Flour (I love Miller’s Pride – which is made from 100% Canadian Wheat, bleach free, no preservatives, non GMO)
White sugar
baking powder
baking soda
vegetable oil/olive oil
eggs and milk in the fridge
You should always have a liquid measuring cup, dry measuring cups in various sizes, measuring spoons, a rubber spatula, whisk and wooden spoon. These are found every where from the dollar store to any department store. If you’re just starting out, don’t spend a lot of money on your tools. The more you bake, the more you’ll see what kind of equipment you’d like to invest in.
If you have these, you can create a basic cake batter that can be turned into so much more with just a few tweaks!
So let’s get started and make and bake so that your guests will be asking for seconds every time dessert is served!
Lolita Bakes! 