Confession time here. I’m a huge fan of baking shows.
Holiday Baking Championship, Cupcake Wars, The Great British Baking Show and its
American counterpart—I love them all. And their creations? Sigh. Gorgeous
cakes, almost too pretty to eat. Fresh bread out of the oven that I can practically smell.
After acquiring a gorgeous pie cookbook filled with
mouth-watering photos, I decided to bake one pie per week this past winter. I
found willing guinea pigs—er, tasters—and bought my supplies.
Where to begin? I decided a yummy chicken pot pie sounded
good. Several hours later (why did I choose such a difficult pie?), it came out
of the oven and was ready for tasting. I declared it a success, and my tasters
agreed.
 |
| No, this isn’t my effort. Mine wasn’t nearly as symmetrical. No photos were taken in order to protect the unskilled. |
Alas, the next pie—a chocolate cream pie—turned to disaster
when the filling went from thick at room temperature to soup in the
refrigerator. I still don’t understand the chemistry of what happened.
A quiche fell flat but tasted good. The frozen strawberry
cream pie required a machete to cut into pieces. And the list went on. Needless
to say, I won’t be entering The Great American Baking Show anytime soon. On the
plus side, all my tasters said they were willing to keep trying my creations.
Bless them, Lord! And the key lime pie in a gingersnap crust was delicious.
Are you a baker? Or, like me, do you love to watch cooking
shows and dream of being so skilled?
In my latest book with Love Inspired Historical, Mail Order Sweetheart, the heroine,
Fiona, needs to get a husband quickly. She has tried to attract a husband with
her baking skills. Unlike my efforts in the kitchen, her rolls and breads are a
total success. Her efforts to get a husband? Not so much. With her savings
dwindling and her seven-year-old niece en route to live with her, Fiona makes
one last gigantic effort to attract a man of means.
Christine Johnson
Mail Order Sweetheart (LIH, June 2017)
Freedom’s Price (Revell, June 2017)
http://christineelizabethjohnson.com
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