pregnancy + baking

Life has slowed down deliciously with the coming of fall. I work part-time now, & have time to bask in the sun between loads of laundry (not that 5 a week is much. I KNOW it will exponentially increase come March). I feel like I have time to think again, which comes as a pleasant surprise. Not sure what I've been doing these past months.

Not cooking or baking. I've forgotten how almost. My latest attempts at dinner usually end up being under salted & straggling to finish at the same time. I forgot to put baking soda in a recent batch of molasses cookies & they would've been better used as hockey pucks. I doubled everything but the yeast in some cinnamon rolls (a shameless attempt to endear myself to my in-laws). They gamely ate them. I tried to redeem myself with some raspberry cream cheese rolls. I don't even know what happened to those! 

No one told me that about pregnancy; that your brain suddenly takes a hiatus from tasks you've known how to do for years. I wouldn't attempt going to the grocery store without a list because I'd aimlessly wander the aisles wondering what it was I needed. Every morning, or when I get home from work, I make myself a list I what I need to get done, or it just won't happen. They tell me it goes away after the baby's born...I'm not sure I believe them.

I did however, conquer a batch of macarons & some loaves of bread. Major accomplishment! Remember when I didn't have an oven for 4 months? It probably hadn't been working correctly for months prior to that either. Every batch of macarons I tried to make ended up burnt on the outside & not done on the inside. Same for any bread I tried to make. People, this is what happens when only your broiler element is working, & not the bottom one too. In case you've been burning everything lately, this is something to check out. I was so discouraged, I gave up on macarons until my sister's birthday came up recently. I made a batch. And they turned out! Then I made two loaves of bread (which I rarely do), & they turned out! I was quite pleased & made Darwin admire both extensively. The whole pregnancy is getting much better (read: I eat food besides cold cereal now & don't keel over after I get home from work), although it was always very bearable. Much better than I'd anticipated. Even if baking is a challenge & I can't remember much of anything anymore, I can't complain. My baby bump is there, for those of you who've been asking:). But I might make you wait to see it til next week! When you can see it in person. Can't wait to see some sweet little nephews!