Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Baking Friday 2014 Wrap-Up

Tomorrow is special.  First off, it is the 3 year anniversary for G & I!  We have been celebrating all week with a bit of a staycation, but haven't quite decided yet exactly what we will do to celebrate tomorrow.

I suggested roller skating or ice skating - how romantic the couples skate would be. <insert teenage girl hearts here>

Those ideas just rendered him speechless.  I think that means he loves them and can't wait to lace up!

Happy Anniversary, Love!

For everyone else, tomorrow marks the last day of 2014.  As such, it seems only appropriate to wrap up the Baking Friday venture with a DD Top 10 list.

The Top 10 Things I Learned From the Baking Friday 2014 Venture:

# 10 A week is a short time.  7 days.  Thursdays roll around every week, every 7 days.  As do Fridays.

# 9 Setting goals is good.  Working towards those goals is good, one little step at a time.  Completing goals is sweet.  (Ooo!  Pun intended!)  Setting writing goals helps me write.  Otherwise I won't write nearly as often as I should if I ever want to "be" a writer someday when I grow up.

# 8 I like to teach.  I enjoy sharing ideas and tips and information that makes someone’s life easier or more enjoyable or giving them tools to share love with others.  Plus I like research.  I love to learn, perhaps even more than I like to teach.

# 7 I have a lot to learn about photography.  Taking pictures.  Editing pictures.  Creating pictures that are worth a thousand words.  Because pictures really do help tell a story.  I’ve focused on words my whole life.  This blog experience has given me a deeper appreciation for the power of pictures.

# 6 I like food presentation!  Decorating cakes.  Plating cookies.  Writing on pies.  I put more words on pie this year than ever in my whole life! 



# 5 I like baking treats for grown-up taste testers to take home to little taste testers.  Blue and orange are the favorite colors of two special little taste testers from this year so when I include those colors on the treats then I win!


# 4 Not all baked goods are created equal.  Some lend themselves more as favorites than others.  Guiness Shepherd’s Pie is more memorable than Chocolate Chip Cookies.  


 
Chocolate Chip Cake, on the other hand, is immediately memorable and an easy favorite.  

Same with Chocolate Croissants.  

And thankfully no one remembers the failures.  Or at least they are gracious enough not to mention them.
# 3 Cookies are hard.  No, cookies aren’t hard, but finding a cookie to feature is hard.  One that is worth writing about.  Cakes are pretty easy.  Pies are pretty easy.  Breads are pretty easy.  But cookies?  Cookies are so simple they are hard.  While at the same time, cookies are supposed to be soft most of the time.

# 2 My taste testers and “customers” are a generous group!  They donated $153 this year for Delta Gamma Center for Children with Visual Impairments.  One scone at a time.  That right there is just plain pretty amazing!

And the # 1 Thing I Learned From The Baking Friday 2014 Venture...

# 1 I have a new found respect for food bloggers.  I understand better now how it is a full-time job.  Researching recipes.  Testing recipes.  Recording the one you want to feature.  Taking pictures while cooking.  Editing pictures.  Writing the narrative to feature with those pictures.  Editing the writing.  And finally publishing to only discover afterwards that you missed something.  Yep, new found respect.  

And a realization of how much more I have to learn about blogging in general.  It's a good thing that this is mainly for my family and friends to hopefully love and learn and know our family better.  

Thank you again for stopping by and sharing this venture with me!  I am still debating what I might blog about in 2015.  One idea has been to choose a certain food genre and visiting various places or versions of that genre.  For example, pizza.  New York Pizza.  St. Louis Pizza.  Chicago Pizza.  Even the original Margherita Pizza from Italy.  Not exactly a throw down but an exploration of each.  We could do soup, sandwiches, chili, etc.  That idea.  But I'm still thinking, so we will see.

No matter what, Happy!  Happy!  New Year to you and yours!  May it be WONDERFUL!!!!

Love,
Deb

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