Recipe for success

A few months ago, there was some holiday or other and Aaron's dad put in a request for me to bring cookies. It was last minute (Aaron was on his way to pick me up), but it just so happened that I had made Monster Cookies or something like that early that day. Coincidence? I thought so. I thought that maybe Aaron had mentioned the cookies, so being curious, I asked. Aaron's reply? "White people" usually have some sort of baked good sitting around, waiting for consumption. And I realized, it's generally true. Mr. Sanchez wanted cookies and his son's huera girlfriend had them.

I don't feel the least bit boastful to say that Aaron really likes my baking. He hasn't disapproved, yet. In fact, he wants to learn. So, we've been baking.

At Easter, we made my mom's sugar cookies. His family likes things that aren't too sweet and can be dunked (not too much frosting), so Aaron was content with naked sugar cookies. Half the fun of sugar cookies is decorating them and if I'm going to go to the trouble of making homemade sugar cookies, there will be frosting. We compromised by having a self-serve bowl of cream cheese frosting to accommodate either preference.





This past week was Aaron's mom's birthday. We were both little puzzled as to what to get for her. She likes practical, meaningful things. I found out from Aaron that it's been years since she's had a birthday cake....so, what did I suggest? Let's make her a birthday cake, of course! (Leave it to the huera, right?) From Aaron, I discovered that she loves yellow cake and strawberries. I started suggesting something like a 2-layer cake with strawberry filling, or maybe a citrus cake with strawberries. Aaron was a little miffed. "You mean I've been denied all these years? You can add stuff to the cake mix? You can change it? Why was I never told this?" I assured him that it's ok to think outside the (cake mix) box. He "helped" by cracking a few eggs and mixing the batter and complimenting my work. The final product--2-layer yellow cake with fresh strawberries and vanilla frosting. We filled inbetween the layers with fresh strawberries. The vanilla frosting was a cool whip and pudding recipe, so it had flavor but was light. I didn't have any almond slices, so we used some chopped nuts for a top border. It was so much fun and his mom loved it! We served it for dessert after a bbq for her on Saturday. (I helped in the kitchen and got to learn the secrets to her pico de gallo and guacamole). About the cake, Aaron's dad said, "We're not going to be able to eat this cake. She's going to keep to say "oh look at this cake Amanda made for me.' Three years from now, we'll still be looking at this cake, wishing we could eat it but she wants to save it." Haha.



I enjoying cooking, I really do, but I think my passion leans more toward baking. It links me to my childhood. It carries so many traditions. The handwritten recipe cards are how I have conversations with my mother and grandmothers. I bake when I'm happy. I bake for the happiness of others. I bake because it makes me happy that I have a talent to develop. I bake because having something homemade makes me feel industrious. I bake because it makes a house a home.

Whether it's because it's my huera roots or not, baking is part of my heritage and legacy.