Baker's Secret

Ruby has developed a huge enthusiasm for baking. It's so great -- it's something I need to start doing more of anyway (so she can bring homemade snacks to preschool instead of the shamefully convenient pack of goldfish) and it's a good way to keep her busy in the afternoon so that she doesn't fall into her default activity of pestering me to turn on the TV. I'm even making her her own apron for her birthday, though it's smock-style and I think she may demand a skirt apron like mine. Maybe I'm making her two aprons for her birthday, we'll see.

Yesterday we made a batch of Martha Stewart's Oatmeal Raisin Squares, though we used craisins instead of raisins. I also used a combo of butter and applesauce since the recipe calls for a whopping three sticks of butter. That's crazy -- if I'm making anything with three sticks of butter it better be a chocolately dessert or shortbread, not a hippie mom oatmeal snack. I think I should probably have put in even more applesauce, because the oatmeal part was a little dry and floury. Next time. But they're still delicious -- I've eaten a ton of them myself, since my pregnancy appetite is finally kicking in. I took a picture, which is entirely unappetizing, but take my word for it: delicious. Next time I might branch out and try dried apricots or something crazy. Anything for my little chef.

p.s. It just occurred to me that this is hardly the sublime blog picture that you see on some of the other blogs out there, mainly because Aaron has decided to claim a corner of my baking space as his liquor cabinet. Ruby and I don't drink scotch and gin when we bake -- obviously, she and I don't drink hard liquor at all. This is what's keeping me from reaching the upper echelons of bloggers -- my inability to catch these things before I take or post the pictures. Sigh.