Turning off my cellphone, neglecting e-mails, ignoring unopened mail, I turn on the stereo and lights, while grabbing ingredients from the cupboard.
Butter, more butter, brown sugar, flour. And chocolate.
All ingredients mixed to make chocolate chip cookies. Need I say more?
It's raining outside and what better way to spend the day then to huddle inside with a warm steaming oven and the smell of melting chocolate wafting in the air, a glass of wine (or wine cooler, a cheaper version, but still effective) and French music softly cooing in the background.
Baking is a form of creativity and helps to get me in the mood to paint. It frees the mind of all distractions and worries.
Putting you in the moment. All senses connected.
Concentrating on one ingredient at a time. Mixing, folding, spreading melted butter onto each baking sheet.
Feeling spontaneous, I add a touch of almond extract and honey, letting the liquid drip onto the side of the dish, running into the thick batch of dough below....let's see what happens...how it sweetens the cookies.
I save what I like to call my "secret cookie technique" for very last, which ensures each bite has oozing amounts of dark chocolate melted into milk chocolate.
A silky combination.
The plan is to pile a plate of warm cookies and go into my studio, and start mixing colors on my palette.
Swirling white and crimson red to make a vibrant skin colored pink.
My brush will lightly flutter from piece to piece, laying down a layer of paint. One canvas is of a little girl in a multi-colored skirt with a pouting smirk on her face, while a new piece is of two girls on a bright purple scooter.
Color. I could swim in it.
It's days like this, that I can escape all the distractions of my life and lose myself in the quiet creative corner of my mind.
And with each bite of cookie any tension just.......melts away.
Butter, more butter, brown sugar, flour. And chocolate.
All ingredients mixed to make chocolate chip cookies. Need I say more?
It's raining outside and what better way to spend the day then to huddle inside with a warm steaming oven and the smell of melting chocolate wafting in the air, a glass of wine (or wine cooler, a cheaper version, but still effective) and French music softly cooing in the background.
Baking is a form of creativity and helps to get me in the mood to paint. It frees the mind of all distractions and worries.
Putting you in the moment. All senses connected.
Concentrating on one ingredient at a time. Mixing, folding, spreading melted butter onto each baking sheet.
Feeling spontaneous, I add a touch of almond extract and honey, letting the liquid drip onto the side of the dish, running into the thick batch of dough below....let's see what happens...how it sweetens the cookies.
I save what I like to call my "secret cookie technique" for very last, which ensures each bite has oozing amounts of dark chocolate melted into milk chocolate.
A silky combination.
The plan is to pile a plate of warm cookies and go into my studio, and start mixing colors on my palette.
Swirling white and crimson red to make a vibrant skin colored pink.
My brush will lightly flutter from piece to piece, laying down a layer of paint. One canvas is of a little girl in a multi-colored skirt with a pouting smirk on her face, while a new piece is of two girls on a bright purple scooter.
Color. I could swim in it.
It's days like this, that I can escape all the distractions of my life and lose myself in the quiet creative corner of my mind.
And with each bite of cookie any tension just.......melts away.
I totally understand the swimming in color comment. But I don't paint. Sad.
ReplyDeleteWow, never thought that cooking could sound so sensual. Nicely written!
ReplyDelete