I'm writing this by request from a friend after posting some photos on Facebook after Abby's 1st birthday party. She wanted to know how I managed to make the party food while juggling two littluns. So Ellen, this blog post is for you - the seven main reasons I can make a lovely party cake.
Potentially unknown Hannah-fact: I worked in a small town cafe from the age of 14 until I was 18. And if you've ever worked in a small town retail anything you'll know it means there are just a few staff who do basically everything. Small town retail survivors = jacks of all trades. So not only was I paid (under the table) to run the till, wash dishes and provide service with a smile, but I also made the wares we sold in the cafe.
So from a young age I baked for pay. The skills this gives someone are many, but the four that are most relevant to this particular post are:
- An ability to successfully bake on a schedule
- An ability to multitask
- An ability to transform kitchen mistakes into some other edible thing so your boss doesn't get mad about wasted time/ingredients
- Faith in your baking abilities
After years of managing to not screw up too badly I know that whipping up a simple cake or batch of biscuits is something I can do. It's not hard for me because I've done it successfully many, many times before. In fact, when I cut my weekend shifts back as a teenager to apply more time to studying (in 7th form) I missed that additional day of baking SO MUCH that extra study was seldom achieved as I would spend a good chunk of the extra day at home making marshmallow squares to compensate for not being at work. Because I missed it.
2) The Love
Because I truly loved baking. And still do. I love its chemisty. I love the creativity it inspires. I love how you can appear to make something out of nothing. I love the challenges it sets. I love cake.
And I use that love of baking to show others I care. I try really hard to remember peoples likes and dislikes regarding food (although at the moment I muddle this a lot with my crap memory post concussion/babies). I love being able to cater for friends and family with 'special' food requirements (thank you Gluten Free Grocer for those years of training in this area, and thank you Mum's family for having so many random food allergies). I love having health through food knowledge to share. I love that food can be medicine.**
And that love is a family thing. I have so many good memories of helping my Mum and my Grandma in the kitchen when I was young. For
Mum, it was out of the necessity of living in isolated places on
small budgets, but Grandma loves it in much the same way I do. Both of these reasons have imbued in me a love for kitchen craft. I remember the yeasty smell of fresh bread from the oven. Mum letting me and my brother shape things out of 'our' bread dough to bake. I remember the exciting job of putting the tuppence in the Christmas Pudding. It's
about the traditions, the sharing, the ability to contribute something
special to your whanau. I feel so lucky to have had these women share that with me.
The other part of this is that because I'm confident in kitchen stuff I let the biggest kid help me out. Yes, her helping is not especially helpful. Yes, it impacts on how quickly stuff gets done. But her not helping would be worse. She is a pro at making herself heard. So if I am ignoring her to do something else fun without her, the likelihood of a mega-meltdown is high.
And she loves helping bake! It teaches her new skills and gives her a sense of achievement and independence. I am sensible, and for my sanity limit her 'jobs' to things she can't mess up too badly (sifting, stirring, assisted cookie cutting and bowl 'cleaning') but it is enough to make her happy. And it means (hopefully) that one day like me she will feel confident in the kitchen without having to even try. It's an awesome gift to be able to pass on to her just as it was passed down to me.
So what do I do with the smaller one? I'd love to say she's in some sort of hip sling device smiling away while her sister and I cook like some ad for successful AP's* but that's a lie. I have hip problems and she's in the 97th percentile for weight - so I ain't gonna be doing that any time soon.
Which brings me to...
4) The Help
I am blessed with a Mum who comes down to help us out twice a week, Murray's parents who takes the big one to their place once a week, and a partner who takes his parenting responsibilities seriously (as all parents should). This means that if I need/want to do some baking without 'help' from the littlies I organise it around the times I have help available.
And although Murray thinks I choose to do some crazy things in the kitchen, he realises it's a creative outlet for me, and takes over with the kids so I can get stuck in as required. There are some things that are not safe for Etta to help with, or that are too fiddly for me to manage with her in the kitchen. It's equally a good opportunity to have some fun one-on-one time with the kids. He doesn't get a lot of time during the week to spend with the kids with going to work, and the commute to and from work.
I can bake nice things because I have the support to do so. If it weren't for them there would be a lot less fudge in our lives, and that would be sad.
5) Planning
Hi. I'm Hannah, and I have anxiety. Just saying in case you've never read my blog before****. So this means I plan a lot. Some might say obsessively. But it helps.
Here's an example:
A month before Abby's party I decided what I was going to make in terms of her birthday cake - which was a series of different animal cupcakes. I then cruised Pinterest for 'inspiration' selecting only the simplest ideas. Initially starting with 10ish ideas, I got realistic and whittled this down to 7, (which ended up as 6 on the day). Two of these ideas were pre-tested for 'ease' before her birthday.
Two weeks before the party I made a list of the other foods I wanted to make. I only chose foods that I had made before to ensure I wouldn't get too stressed. I didn't have to make too much as I made it a bring-a-plate (rather than present) party. I then made myself a little planner to work out the logistics and timing of when I would make what. Once I'd decided on what cupcakes I was making I then made a list of the components I needed to decorate them and worked out an 'icing schedule' so I could just ice the parts requiring the same colour at the same time to cut down on washing my piping stuff and having to make new icing (ie: save time).
On the day of the party a few things had taken slightly longer than planned, so halfway through making some vegetable snails I ditched them as it was too late, they weren't necessary and I wasn't happy with the aesthetic.
Basically, obsessive planning saves stress (and time) around baking for any big event. Have you ever watched MKR? Like me, when they say 'Well, I've never cooked a oak smoked partridge before, but I thought I'd give it a go' do you think what in heavens name is wrong with you? It's a rookie mistake! Just stick with what you know. And if you want to make an oak smoked partridge, practice making one at home before you go on MKR. Seriously people! It's not rocket science.
6) Great Tools
Here are my essential time-savers for baking:
- A microwave (makes creaming butter and melting stuff quicker/easier)
- A small Pyrex measuring jug
- A middle sized glass bowl (about the right size for making a regular batch of biscuits)
- Decent measuring spoons and cups
- A decent knife
- Electric egg beaters (for creaming butter and sugar)
- A very simple piping set up with a variety of nozzles
- Oven trays that are FOR BAKING ONLY (ie: not bacon)
- Greaseproof paper (for lining things)
- Assorted sized silicon muffin pans
- A couple of good non-stick cake tins (the ones where the bottoms pop out)
- An array of simple biscuit cutters
- A Tupperware slice container (specifically for making fudge. If you don't make fudge, it's not needed. But you should make fudge. Fudge is delicious)
7) I Seldom Do Fancy
I mostly use tried and true recipes and almost never make anything new if it's for people outside of my household or for a big event. So it doesn't feel fancy. I also don't really do fiddly. I'm actually not that patient a person and often have to get things done quickly with the needs of the kidlets being paramount. So mostly I just make something I've made a bazillion times before that I know will work, and then just put some pretty icing on it*****.
Occasionally I'll do something that may be deemed 'fancy' - I recently made some bits and bobs for a high tea including lavender scones with a nectarine, honey and thyme butter. Sounds fancy, right? Yep, but it's simple to make. The scones are a pretty basic scone mix with finely chopped lavender in it (and you can buy culinary lavender if you want) and the butter was just a home-made butter which is simple to make (beat the crap out of cream until it separates, remove the whey, add some salt) with some bits from around the house added in in small quantities until it seems balanced. If you can make scones, you can make lavender scones with nectarine, honey and thyme butter - trust me.
And 'fancy' is a matter of perspective. I see other people's triple layer cream filled super magic birthday cakes and am like damn - there's no way I could be bothered even attempting that! I see people making profiteroles and donuts and think they're either completely mental, or some kind of kitchen God. Honestly, I don't even make pastry if I can help it. I'm not proper fancy.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So that's why I can do this baking despite having younguns. What I mostly want to say to Ellen though is that we all have these skill areas. One of mine is just baking - and it's more because it's something that is comfortable for me. I am in awe of all Mummies who work more than a simple part time job. I just don't have the brain for it. I think you working Mummies are legends. I genuinely don't think I could do it and not for smarmy 'love my kids' type reasons - for more basic reasons like 'I have no brain any more' and 'How do you survive day to day life without a nap?' And what about sewing Mummies? And run-your-own-business-from-home Mummies?******
Basically, all Mummies are legends. If you're ever cruising Pinterest and feeling like a failure, just focus on those things you can do awesomely. There will be some. And if you're awesome at loving your kid(s) that's really the most important skill of all.
*Attachment Parents. I'm not one, but equally I'm not not one. I don't do parenting boxes. I just do what works best for us and the kids.
** Yes, I consider chocolate and cheesecake medicinal. What else would you recommend for heartbreak or sorrow?
*** If I don't please don't take it to mean I don't love you. Usually it means I've been unrealistic about how much our family can do in one day/weekend or I'm just totally wiped out. Or I forgot about the party. Again, not because I don't love you, but because my memory is truly awful these days. It's no joke.
**** I know this is unlikely. I read my blog stats. BUT, JUST in case some day someone I don't know reads this for the first time...
***** And remember that cafe work in high school? That jack-of-all-trades thing? Part of that included icing birthday cakes with 'Happy Birthday' messages on them. So simple piping is not that hard for me.
****** And play producing Mummies, and go-to-the-gym-three-times-or-more-a-week Mummies, and getting-an-education Mummies, and Porse Mummies, and still-maintaining-an-art-practice Mummies, and blogs-at-least-once-a-week Mummies, and healthy-food-making Mummies, and sing-in-a-band Mummies, and is-still-an-amazing-friend Mummies, and still-wants-to-be-intimate-with-and-not-kill-your-partner Mummies, and maintaining-a-clean-house Mummies. We all got skills. Trust me.
Etta helping Abby blow out the candles
(she also helped make the cupcakes)
1) Experience(she also helped make the cupcakes)
Potentially unknown Hannah-fact: I worked in a small town cafe from the age of 14 until I was 18. And if you've ever worked in a small town retail anything you'll know it means there are just a few staff who do basically everything. Small town retail survivors = jacks of all trades. So not only was I paid (under the table) to run the till, wash dishes and provide service with a smile, but I also made the wares we sold in the cafe.
So from a young age I baked for pay. The skills this gives someone are many, but the four that are most relevant to this particular post are:
- An ability to successfully bake on a schedule
- An ability to multitask
- An ability to transform kitchen mistakes into some other edible thing so your boss doesn't get mad about wasted time/ingredients
- Faith in your baking abilities
After years of managing to not screw up too badly I know that whipping up a simple cake or batch of biscuits is something I can do. It's not hard for me because I've done it successfully many, many times before. In fact, when I cut my weekend shifts back as a teenager to apply more time to studying (in 7th form) I missed that additional day of baking SO MUCH that extra study was seldom achieved as I would spend a good chunk of the extra day at home making marshmallow squares to compensate for not being at work. Because I missed it.
2) The Love
Because I truly loved baking. And still do. I love its chemisty. I love the creativity it inspires. I love how you can appear to make something out of nothing. I love the challenges it sets. I love cake.
And I use that love of baking to show others I care. I try really hard to remember peoples likes and dislikes regarding food (although at the moment I muddle this a lot with my crap memory post concussion/babies). I love being able to cater for friends and family with 'special' food requirements (thank you Gluten Free Grocer for those years of training in this area, and thank you Mum's family for having so many random food allergies). I love having health through food knowledge to share. I love that food can be medicine.**
And that love is a family thing. I have so many good memories of helping my Mum and my Grandma in the kitchen when I was young. For
Mum, it was out of the necessity of living in isolated places on
small budgets, but Grandma loves it in much the same way I do. Both of these reasons have imbued in me a love for kitchen craft. I remember the yeasty smell of fresh bread from the oven. Mum letting me and my brother shape things out of 'our' bread dough to bake. I remember the exciting job of putting the tuppence in the Christmas Pudding. It's
about the traditions, the sharing, the ability to contribute something
special to your whanau. I feel so lucky to have had these women share that with me.
Me 'helping' bake bread in my Grandma's kitchen
So if I make fancy party food, it's because I love the person the party is for. And if I bring something nice to your party, it's because I care about you.***
3) Multitasking
I'm not too shabby a multitasker. Granted, these skills have waned post children as my brain has become mush, but it's still there. I think in the kitchen it works mostly because I feel confident in what I'm doing, and know when I can easily take my eye off the pot (so to speak) to do things with the children.The other part of this is that because I'm confident in kitchen stuff I let the biggest kid help me out. Yes, her helping is not especially helpful. Yes, it impacts on how quickly stuff gets done. But her not helping would be worse. She is a pro at making herself heard. So if I am ignoring her to do something else fun without her, the likelihood of a mega-meltdown is high.
And she loves helping bake! It teaches her new skills and gives her a sense of achievement and independence. I am sensible, and for my sanity limit her 'jobs' to things she can't mess up too badly (sifting, stirring, assisted cookie cutting and bowl 'cleaning') but it is enough to make her happy. And it means (hopefully) that one day like me she will feel confident in the kitchen without having to even try. It's an awesome gift to be able to pass on to her just as it was passed down to me.
Which brings me to...
I am blessed with a Mum who comes down to help us out twice a week, Murray's parents who takes the big one to their place once a week, and a partner who takes his parenting responsibilities seriously (as all parents should). This means that if I need/want to do some baking without 'help' from the littlies I organise it around the times I have help available.
And although Murray thinks I choose to do some crazy things in the kitchen, he realises it's a creative outlet for me, and takes over with the kids so I can get stuck in as required. There are some things that are not safe for Etta to help with, or that are too fiddly for me to manage with her in the kitchen. It's equally a good opportunity to have some fun one-on-one time with the kids. He doesn't get a lot of time during the week to spend with the kids with going to work, and the commute to and from work.
I can bake nice things because I have the support to do so. If it weren't for them there would be a lot less fudge in our lives, and that would be sad.
5) Planning
Hi. I'm Hannah, and I have anxiety. Just saying in case you've never read my blog before****. So this means I plan a lot. Some might say obsessively. But it helps.
Here's an example:
A month before Abby's party I decided what I was going to make in terms of her birthday cake - which was a series of different animal cupcakes. I then cruised Pinterest for 'inspiration' selecting only the simplest ideas. Initially starting with 10ish ideas, I got realistic and whittled this down to 7, (which ended up as 6 on the day). Two of these ideas were pre-tested for 'ease' before her birthday.
Two weeks before the party I made a list of the other foods I wanted to make. I only chose foods that I had made before to ensure I wouldn't get too stressed. I didn't have to make too much as I made it a bring-a-plate (rather than present) party. I then made myself a little planner to work out the logistics and timing of when I would make what. Once I'd decided on what cupcakes I was making I then made a list of the components I needed to decorate them and worked out an 'icing schedule' so I could just ice the parts requiring the same colour at the same time to cut down on washing my piping stuff and having to make new icing (ie: save time).
On the day of the party a few things had taken slightly longer than planned, so halfway through making some vegetable snails I ditched them as it was too late, they weren't necessary and I wasn't happy with the aesthetic.
Animal biscuits (my Mum's recipe)
Bumble bee mini cupcakes (so so easy!)
Basically, obsessive planning saves stress (and time) around baking for any big event. Have you ever watched MKR? Like me, when they say 'Well, I've never cooked a oak smoked partridge before, but I thought I'd give it a go' do you think what in heavens name is wrong with you? It's a rookie mistake! Just stick with what you know. And if you want to make an oak smoked partridge, practice making one at home before you go on MKR. Seriously people! It's not rocket science.
6) Great Tools
Here are my essential time-savers for baking:
- A microwave (makes creaming butter and melting stuff quicker/easier)
- A small Pyrex measuring jug
- A middle sized glass bowl (about the right size for making a regular batch of biscuits)
- Decent measuring spoons and cups
- A decent knife
- Electric egg beaters (for creaming butter and sugar)
- A very simple piping set up with a variety of nozzles
- Oven trays that are FOR BAKING ONLY (ie: not bacon)
- Greaseproof paper (for lining things)
- Assorted sized silicon muffin pans
- A couple of good non-stick cake tins (the ones where the bottoms pop out)
- An array of simple biscuit cutters
- A Tupperware slice container (specifically for making fudge. If you don't make fudge, it's not needed. But you should make fudge. Fudge is delicious)
7) I Seldom Do Fancy
I mostly use tried and true recipes and almost never make anything new if it's for people outside of my household or for a big event. So it doesn't feel fancy. I also don't really do fiddly. I'm actually not that patient a person and often have to get things done quickly with the needs of the kidlets being paramount. So mostly I just make something I've made a bazillion times before that I know will work, and then just put some pretty icing on it*****.
Very simple Panda cake - not fancy at all!
Occasionally I'll do something that may be deemed 'fancy' - I recently made some bits and bobs for a high tea including lavender scones with a nectarine, honey and thyme butter. Sounds fancy, right? Yep, but it's simple to make. The scones are a pretty basic scone mix with finely chopped lavender in it (and you can buy culinary lavender if you want) and the butter was just a home-made butter which is simple to make (beat the crap out of cream until it separates, remove the whey, add some salt) with some bits from around the house added in in small quantities until it seems balanced. If you can make scones, you can make lavender scones with nectarine, honey and thyme butter - trust me.
My version of fancy (from the top)
salted caramel chocolate mousse, lavender scones and feta and pumpkin mini quiches
And 'fancy' is a matter of perspective. I see other people's triple layer cream filled super magic birthday cakes and am like damn - there's no way I could be bothered even attempting that! I see people making profiteroles and donuts and think they're either completely mental, or some kind of kitchen God. Honestly, I don't even make pastry if I can help it. I'm not proper fancy.
Ok, to me this is a fancy cake. And it's made by someone I know.
(Nicola Reynolds makes proper fancy cakes)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So that's why I can do this baking despite having younguns. What I mostly want to say to Ellen though is that we all have these skill areas. One of mine is just baking - and it's more because it's something that is comfortable for me. I am in awe of all Mummies who work more than a simple part time job. I just don't have the brain for it. I think you working Mummies are legends. I genuinely don't think I could do it and not for smarmy 'love my kids' type reasons - for more basic reasons like 'I have no brain any more' and 'How do you survive day to day life without a nap?' And what about sewing Mummies? And run-your-own-business-from-home Mummies?******
Basically, all Mummies are legends. If you're ever cruising Pinterest and feeling like a failure, just focus on those things you can do awesomely. There will be some. And if you're awesome at loving your kid(s) that's really the most important skill of all.
*Attachment Parents. I'm not one, but equally I'm not not one. I don't do parenting boxes. I just do what works best for us and the kids.
** Yes, I consider chocolate and cheesecake medicinal. What else would you recommend for heartbreak or sorrow?
*** If I don't please don't take it to mean I don't love you. Usually it means I've been unrealistic about how much our family can do in one day/weekend or I'm just totally wiped out. Or I forgot about the party. Again, not because I don't love you, but because my memory is truly awful these days. It's no joke.
**** I know this is unlikely. I read my blog stats. BUT, JUST in case some day someone I don't know reads this for the first time...
***** And remember that cafe work in high school? That jack-of-all-trades thing? Part of that included icing birthday cakes with 'Happy Birthday' messages on them. So simple piping is not that hard for me.
****** And play producing Mummies, and go-to-the-gym-three-times-or-more-a-week Mummies, and getting-an-education Mummies, and Porse Mummies, and still-maintaining-an-art-practice Mummies, and blogs-at-least-once-a-week Mummies, and healthy-food-making Mummies, and sing-in-a-band Mummies, and is-still-an-amazing-friend Mummies, and still-wants-to-be-intimate-with-and-not-kill-your-partner Mummies, and maintaining-a-clean-house Mummies. We all got skills. Trust me.
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