Banana Waffles

Little flowers have sprung up between blades of grass in every lawn, and the first bundles of asparagus and cartons of berries have appeared in the produce section. The silence of winter is gone, broken by the familiar sounds that had faded from memory: the chirps and tweets of birds rising with the sun in the morning; the low blasts of a horn as the ferry begins to depart from the dock down by the waterfront; the delicate tapping of raindrops on the window pane as a rain cloud passes overhead; and the chiming of church bells brightly declaring that it is 7pm while the sun is still up.

The arrival of these signs of spring is enlivening, and a comfort. Like curling up with a cup of tea and a fascinating book. Or realizing that you have no idea where you will be a year from now, but that you are okay with that - excited even. Or waking up early and deciding that you have nothing better to do than mix up a batch of waffles. The aura of spring fills the air like pollen - but in a much nicer way - and things just seem a little bit easier.

Banana Cookies on Sunday

This time every year, when summer and freedom are just out of grasp and I can count the school days left on two hands, the weeks seem to stretch into eternities of stressful projects and late nights finishing homework. By the time I walk in the back door on Friday afternoon, and let my backpack fall to the floor, I'm ready to pass out on the couch with a chilled glass of juice and a good book. Friday afternoon always fades effortlessly into Sunday morning and assignments and their looming deadlines that were left behind, neglected, have to be faced head on and painstakingly started. It's the first step that's always the worst, especially when there are chocolate chips in the house.

To get through those final hours of homework, when I'd really rather be doing anything else, it always helps to have a little motivation and plenty of breaks in between. I set down my homework, preheat the oven, find that bag of chocolate chips, and dance through the kitchen with the carefree mind of someone who hasn't seen homework in years.

Making a batch of cookies is so perfectly rhythmic and peaceful, that the nagging homework can disappear for just a moment or two. Mashing up a ripe banana, gently cracking open an egg over a glass, beating chocolate chips into dough, allow all of my pent up stress to simply melt away. And of course, cookies and comics combine to make a fine Sunday morning too.

Banana Bread

I can't point to a single month or year in which I began baking. My love for baking has just developed naturally over the years. Since we were young my parents have let my sister and I help out in the kitchen. We had small jobs like chopping carrots for soups, measuring out flour, and cracking open eggs (often followed by fishing out small egg shells from the dough), it was something to engage us before the food was ready and for us it was exciting to be part of the process.

I grew up surrounded by family members who enjoy cooking and baking so I suppose it's no surprise that at a young age I developed a love for it myself. My grandmother is German and knows an assortment of wonderful traditional recipes for cakes and cookies that were passed down to her by her mother and grandmother. Since my sister and I were young she has shared her recipes and traditions with us and encouraged us into the kitchen with the mouthwatering desserts and hearty meals that she makes. When we were kids my nana made scones with my sister and I to share over a cup of tea, my aunt enlisted our small thumbs for her batches of thumbprint cookies with jam, and mom patiently taught us the tricks of the trade while making anything from pancakes to her incredible batches of chocolate chip cookies. It was the combination of spending time in the kitchen to watch and to help out, and being introduced to so many delicious foods and desserts that inspired my passion for baking.

I was in 4th grade when I embarked on my first individual culinary adventure: a batch of zucchini bread. I poured through dozens of online recipes determined to find the best one, finally choosing one that was accompanied by a nice looking photo. Making the bread, I grated zucchini until my arm was sore, mixed the dry into the wet, and carefully buttered and floured each pan. I popped the loaves into the oven, set the oven timer, and sat down to watch an old Indiana Jones movie we had rented from the video store. Indiana was in the midst of a firefight when my timer went off and I got up to check on my loaves.

Aside from one loaf which had a section that tasted of baking soda, the zucchini bread turned out nicely and the experience was only the first of many more baking endeavors to come.