Sunday Therapy - Session 1, Part 3: My Foray into Baking

CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME:
> bread from scratch
> soup
> baking

Blueberry-Sour Cream Muffins & Maple Pumpkin Pie

I have said it before, and I'll say it again - I am a self proclaimed non-baker. I can usually pull off baking from a box...with a success rate that is not one to brag about. My annual attempts at making apple pie are usually botched with some element of the pie forgotten, overdone, underdone, etc. I am beginning to think that baking is perhaps an innate skill...you've got it or you don't!

FoodTherapy4Me's Foray into Baking

BATTLE BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
My husband actually said, 'these [blueberry muffins] are probably the best thing you've ever baked.' Did you hear that, he used the word baked!?!?!

I have done it, one small victory at last!!

One of my favorite shows to watch is Top Chef. Season after season it is almost a guaranteed failure to do baked sweets. The worst part, it's a Catch 22...you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't. What do the judges, or any diner for that matter, desire most at the end of a savory meal? Closure, aka dessert.

Lucky for me, my husband is a devoted Ben & Jerry's consumer. I just pick up a couple pints of the stuff each week and voilà! Dessert accomplished. When I do try and bake a pie, or other type of dessert, he is usually obliged to eat it.

BATTLE MAPLE PUMPKIN PIE

Could use some improvement...

Homemade crust was scrumptious in flavor; it just lacked the deep golden color.

The filling was good, but I'd reserve this for folks who prefer a milder pumpkin taste.

Overall, I'll not probably make this again, nor would I serve it at a much anticipated Thanksgiving meal.

As they say on Top Chef...'please pack your knives and go."