September Baking

I almost made it 30-for-30, but one Monday tripped me up. G was cluster-feeding and I didn't manage to get semi-prepared during his one real nap of the day and then by the time I did have time it was 9:30 and I just was too tired to do anything. Sigh. I was surprisingly disappointed that I couldn't make it to a perfect string.

But, here's what I learned in my month of baking:

• It's easiest if I prep for whatever it is I'm going to bake as soon as I can. What I mean is measuring everything and having it ready to go, so that if need be I can dump ingredients into a mixing bowl with one hand while the other holds the baby.
  
• Bread is not that scary. And it is sooooo goooood it's worth the effort.
  
• Apparently I do not ever get tired of chocolate.
  
• Tyler Florence has a killer coconut bread recipe.
  
• Everything I've ever tried by Dorie Greenspan is killer.
  
• Pie crust is also not that scary. But it is impossible to roll while holding a baby or even wearing him, so plan accordingly.
  
• I counted baking from a mix twice. Because my point in this month was mostly to clear out my backlog of new recipes, but also to clear out my baking cabinet of odds-and-ends, which included some mixes.
  
• I love love LOVE trying new recipes. I thought I'd get annoyed by it or something, but nope, never did. In fact it inspired me to continue with it even more. Details to follow.
  
• I need to trust my instincts, because I had a recipe that was a complete disaster and I thought it seemed weird when I was preparing it. I should have followed my gut.
  
• L never questioned what I was doing with all the baking, or what was going on. He just enjoyed it.