Giving the thanks, day 16:c is for cookie

Today I'm thankful for baking. 

I've always had sort of a love/hate relationship with food: love how it tastes, hate how it tends to collect around my midsection. I grew up with parents who enjoyed cooking, so I have a lot of fond memories that center around food. Making no-bake oatmeal cookies and rice krispie treats with my mom. Decorating Christmas sugar cookies that dad had made. Sunday morning pancakes. Grilled chicken with homemade BBQ sauce. Mmmmmmm.

Today I'm not much of a cook. Sure, I can make a meatloaf or a mean grilled-cheese sandwich, but for the most part I stick with baking. I bake when I want to soothe people (bad day? I'll make cookies!), show them I care (cookie tins at Christmas) or if I need soothing after a bad day (three rejected short stories? Whatever, I'll bake a cake. And bread. And maybe a lasagna.) Any time I make no-bakes or a cake or try a new cookie recipe, I feel connected to my past and competent because I'm feeding people (even if what I'm feeding them isn't terribly nourishing). I find that I don't really eat what I make--for me the ritual of baking comforts my soul more than the food. Measuring ingredients, knowing the when the dough is just right, even cleaning up afterwards. Bliss.