The First 43: My Life Now

Last weekend I had a craving for Carrot Cake. Usually I buy it because I was too intimidated to actually bake it but while flipping through the recipe book, sure enough the Carrot Cake was there. I decided, why not give it a try. Worst case is it turns out awful and I buy one at the store.  Turns out this might be one of the most delicious Carrot Cakes I've ever had the pleasure of eating.  The icing is absolutely to die for (and yes, it might be packed with sugar)  Now, you don't have to take my word for it's deliciousness as I did share it (because I couldn't eat an entire cake) and it came back with genuine rave reviews and sharing of the recipe.  This is the Carrot Cake that made me like it in the first place and I see why. My nana had a way with cakes, and an even bigger talent when it came to icing (though I think her secret was don't be shy with the sugar!)  It's nice to know now that I can carry this on and I'm not longer intimidated by making it, I

 The second recipe I decided to tackle was my Nana's Special K Cookies.   I baked these a week ago but as life with sick children has it, I didn't get a chance to share until today. If you know, you know, the viruses with these kids this fall are strong and endless. These cookies are some of my favourite, both in taste and nostalgia.  My nana often made these cookies with me when I was a kid and she lived in her apartment at Richview.  They were easy for me to help with and quickly became my favourite. Just baking these brought me right back to her kitchen. It's amazing how certain smells can transport you back to another place and time and unlock memories.  I think that my love of baking is in part because of her. It was one thing we often did together.  Sam saw me prepping to make the cookies and wanted to help. It was a little extra messy baking with him but maybe, decades from now, he will make and smell these cookies baking and it will transport him back to our kitchen

 This week while sorting through our cupboards for my biannual "things" purge I came across my Nana's cookbook. Back in my 20s, after she passed away, I was given her cookbooks. One of them was really fading so I decided to type it up. My dad took that and turned it into a little mini cookbook.  There are both dessert and dinner recipes.  I've decided, starting this weekend, I am going to cook my way through one recipe at a time over the course of the next 6 months. See what works. Make notes on any adjustments.  I am really looking forward to making what she made and using the same recipes she used.  So today I tried my hand at her Banana Bread Muffins because I had some ripe bananas that needed to be used.  Delicious. I took some creative liberty and added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and swapped the shortening for butter. They also need 20-25 minutes in the oven, not the 15 minutes in the recipe - the knife did not come out clean at the 15 minute mark. They are flavo