Baking Times

The day has come. My twelve-year-old daughter is now cooking and baking.

The day before yesterday she made banana bread that she had learned to make at school. She needed some help, but she accomplished the majority of it on her own. It was a proud moment for her when the banana bread came out of the oven. :)

The recipe was likely different than the one my mother used. My mother probably didn't use whole wheat flour or yogurt in her batter. But one bite of my daughter's banana bread brought back memories of the bread my mom had made. Along with that, I had a brief moment of joy as I remembered my mother whose loss I feel almost every day.

I had told my daughter about my mom's banana bread. I think it made her a little nervous that hers might not be as good. But I assured her that would not be the case. If held onto any doubts, when she saw the expression on my face as I enjoyed the first bite, they should have disappeared. And, I can't wait until she makes it again.


Today, we have a snow day - yeah for snow days! She has made me a banana strawberry smoothie. This, too, she learned to make at school. Like the banana bread, it was very tasty. 

My daughter wants to find other recipes to try. I'm so proud of her and her interest in making food. These skills will serve her well in life. I also look forward to trying out her creations. :)

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Footnote -

1. I have never made banana bread. I've often bought bananas for that purpose and then waited for them to soften. Unfortunately, I've always missed that window between the bananas being too hard and the bananas being mushy.

2. I have begun to teach her as well, but the school experience has encouraged her to try things on her own.

(Although these footnotes are numbered, you won't find the footnote numbers in the body. I don't know how to do that in this program. So these are general comments.)