Mmm...muffins

I had some old bananas so I decided to make Mark's favourite - banana chocolate chip muffins. Of course I had my helper helping me! When I was scooping them into the muffin tray, she asked me who the muffins were for. I said that they were for us. "All of them? Just for us?" She asked with such joy and disbelief that I had to laugh. I remember so many times that my mom would make something only to take it to work or to share with her friends. And most of the time when I bake, I bake for other people. And Abby watches the yummy desserts leave. So I guess I understand why she got so excited when she realized that she gets to eat the treats!

The Bright Side

Who loves hot weather? I do, I do!! I love sitting outside, feeling the heat, listening to my kids run through the sprinkler. I love going to the lake and tanning on the beach or going for a boat ride and swimming in the middle of the lake. And then warming up on the boat platform before going back in the water. I even love the crazy storms that the heat brings. But there is one thing I don't love about a beautiful, hot day. Turning on the oven. Friday evening, I got the itch to bake. But I didn't want to fill the house up with even more heat. I ended up making one of my favourites: chocolate peanut butter squares. It's a great summer treat, cool, tasty and it doesn't require any baking. 

I'm pretty spoiled by my husband who loves to BBQ (and is really good at it). We attempted to BBQ a homemade pizza and while it wasn't perfect, it tasted great and gave us an idea of how to do it better next time. 

So when fall decides to show up (no rush), I'll be back to baking whenever I want. I've even started to think about Christmas baking! Ack!! I'll be adding a few Christmas cookies/baking that will be available for purchase in the coming months. Stay tuned! 

How yummy does that look? Best eaten in moderation!!

Everything I Learned About Baking, I Did Not Learn in Home Ec.

When I was in Jr High, my Home Ec was known for her cinnamon buns. They were light and fluffy and juicy and you could buy them for $.25. And on occasion, you could find a stray hair or a piece of broken nail (so says a sister of a friend of mine). My Home Ec teacher didn't teach me a heck of a lot - we spent most days working on crossword puzzles or word finds. But she did teach me three of my top rules. 

1. Put your hair back!! 

In her class, none of the girls were allowed anywhere near the kitchen unless their hair was in a ponytail. Her rule was so strict that us girls started keeping a spare hair band in the ring of our binder. Her hair however, continued to be styled in a haphazard bouffant that defied the laws gravity. 

2. No nail polish!

I don't know about you, but my nail polish chips if you even look at it wrong. My teacher also had a strict rule against nail polish while her own nails grew nearly an inch long, were greyish in colour and looked like they were about to break at any moment. 

3. Double check the recipe. 

One day, as I was making fudge with my group, I didn't pay enough attention. Instead of putting 1/4 teaspoon of salt, I put in 1/4 cup!! I had to leave the class early that day so I missed the moment when the teacher dug in, took a huge bite and spit it right back out!! I did get a chance to taste it later on. At first it wasn't so bad. Then the overwhelming taste of salt hit me. Oh, so gross. Double check. Every measurement. Every ingredient. And take small bites when tasting. 

This is not to say that I didn't learn anything in Home Ec. I learned how to fold ingredients. I learned that to get flaky pastries, you can't mix the dough too much. I learned that in the winter, your front steps is a great spot to cool off baking. And I learned that if you can make a great tasting cinnamon, you can be forgiven for most wrongdoings. 

Teachable Moments

One of my best memories growing up was helping my mom bake buns. She'd give me a small bit of dough and I'd make a dough-man. Then I'd go play until the buns were ready. 

My daughter loves to help me. And it really makes me happy to see another generation baking. It may take a bit longer and I have been learning a lot of patience, but it's worth it. 

Yikes. I might need to copy the recipe out again!! My original seems to be a bit worse for wear. 

My helper is ready to go!!

Her favourite part - the eggs. She cracks them into a bowl (I search for any pieces of shell) and she dumps them in the mixing bowl. 

Stirring is hard work!!

Welcome

Hello everyone. My name is Emily Kroeker. I live in Estevan with my husband and two daughters. I have recently started selling some home baking. I have always liked baking for my family and friends so I thought I might be able to expand this into a small business. So far, it's been a lot of fun and a great experience. I wanted to set this blog up to have a place to show off what I do and to keep in contact with people who may want to place an order. I will be posting pictures of my baking along with updates. I plan to expand the selection of cookies and treats for Christmas time.

I chose the name Mom's Buns because my mom was famous for her amazing buns. Everyone would talk about them and she would be asked over and over to bring them to various potlucks and family bbqs. When I was married, she gave me her recipe (which she wrote out from her tattered, yellow recipe). It took a few years, but I can finally say that I can make buns as good as hers.

Please feel free to share this with your friends and leave a comment. Enjoy!

The dough pan that I got from my aunt. Big enough to mix all the dough.  

The finished result

Cinnamon Buns

Chocolate chip cookie dough about to go into the oven

Fresh cookies

Snickerdoodles cooking on the rack

Ready to eat