Holiday Baking, Part I

While New England laid its arms open to the second heavy snowfall in so many days, I was warm and cozy in my kitchen preparing for a restorative day of baking. I love to bake. Some people take up long distance running or meditation as way to unplug from the world. Me? I head for my Kitchen Aid mixer and measuring cup.

I decided this was the holiday season I was going to reach out to my neighbors, most of whom I know only on a need-to-wave basis. This is the city, after all, and even though it’s a small city, people are still guarded. So on Sunday I whipped up some mini loaves of Pumpkin Bread.

The Joy of Cooking is one of my most reliable resources. I love the story behind the book: it was originally self-published in 1931 – already I feel a kinship with the author! Irma Rombauer’s daughter Marion did the original illustrations and later joined her mother as co-author; now Marion’s son Ethan has joined the ranks of co-author, as well. What wows me is the evolution from 396-page self-published book, sold and distributed on foot by Irma in her neighborhood, to its current 6th edition: 1,152-pages, published by none other than Simon & Schuster.

Sunday dinner: a variation on the Joy of Cooking‘s Mediterranean White Bean Soup. Easy, quick, healthy.