baking

So, I cook. I cook in that most nights I run a quick inventory on the contents of my fridge and improvise my way into a (usually) tasty dish. And I love cooking…but I rarely bake. Because I rely on improv nine times out of ten, I’ve developed a bit of a measuring aversion through the years. I’m working on it.

When I first flipped through our new cookbook, America’s Favorite Food, I landed on the Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars page pretty quickly with no need to search any further. I chose to try out this recipe for a few reasons:

1. I am a sucker for anything Halloween-themed and the end result is just so darn cute!

Remember those fond memories of baking with your family? The warm smell of chocolate chip cookies. The way a recipe comes from experience and not exact measurements. The taste of homemade batter left on a spatula or whisk.

Yeah, I don’t have those memories.  OK, I remember the smell—because I had to wait the full baking time to taste any treat. But no raw batter or dough for me.

Two Valentine’s Days ago, I tried to get in the holiday spirit and make what else but a red-velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. I had not baked a cake by myself before, but I decided it would be heart-shaped.

It was a cake wreck.

And, yes, that's a pizza pan. I was in college.

I get intimidated by cupcakes. Not the baking part—that's easy. Line a muffin tray with pastel baking cups. Bake. Frost. Or, that’s what cupcakes used to be.

We love cupcakes at MyRecipes. And our readers love cupcakes, too—especially our cupcakes from the Southern Living Big Book of Cupcakes by Jan Moon.

Some of my strongest memories of my father's parents involve food and watching them cook. Ham bone soup, beef stew, angel food cake, and pickled beets are just some of the foods they made and foods I still associate with my grandparents.

My father's family also has a weakness for sweets, particularly cakes and pies. My grandma recently taught me how to make this Butterscotch Pie that she often made to celebrate my grandpa's birthday.

Some of my strongest memories of my father's parents involve food and watching them cook. Ham bone soup, beef stew, angel food cake, and pickled beets are just some of the foods they made and foods I still associate with my grandparents.

My father's family also has a weakness for sweets, particularly cakes and pies. My grandma recently taught me how to make this Butterscotch Pie that she often made to celebrate my grandpa's birthday.