Easter Sunday is tomorrow and, again, I have agonized the last week over what to bake for the neighbor’s brunch. I am not an iron chef or a kitchen contessa. In fact, I am much better at spooning out enthusiastic inquiries to other cooks about their dishes and ingredients and sprinkling copious praise over the tops of all their heads. One Easter past, rifling through my weighty file of ever-growing, untried recipes, most of them emboldening me with words like ‘easy‘ or ‘simple‘ or ‘no bake,’ I recklessly grabbed two that promised beautiful, eye-popping results. The first, ‘Stained Glass Window’ cookies, came out of the oven just as radiant as the picture on the recipe card! So, flushed with fresh hubris, I powered up my Hamilton Beach mixer again and smashed together enough sugar, flour and butter to build seven layers for my second culinary marvel, a ‘Rainbow Cake.’
As I hit the mixer switch for another round, I hoped electricity would strike twice.
By the time I stacked all the multi-colored layers my towering, top heavy structure had begun to take on the look of the lopsided hat that Dr. Suess’s cat wore. I pasted with icing and pinned with toothpicks and precariously lifted colored layers back into place when they toppled over during transport. Thankfully, the hostess’s menu of well-fortified mimosas blinded any seasoned bakers to my unbalanced confection.
So, back to what I chose for this year’s Easter brunch. I traipsed through files, with my typical angst. I perused the pantry, discovering two raggedy, open bags of corn meal. How long have these been in the lost and found department I wondered and checking the bags’ expiration dates, apparently since 2008?! Pouring out some of the golden powder for inspection from both the Aunt Jemima and the While Lily brand bags I have to admit, for a minute, I actually considered using it. Were those tiny black specs in the meal just part of the corn? Are they moving?
In the end, I did spring for new corn meal AND a new mini-muffin tin. I stacked the miniature, golden loaves on my amber colored Depression glass plate, imprinted with an image of The Last Supper. Both big and tiny hands grabbed them up, just like the golden eggs that had been hidden in the lawn. That elusive Easter bunny was long gone too. He kind of reminds me of my cooking skills.
Nice story…. good details, even using Trademark names. I like it alot.
Made me think of the Easter brunch I served with a friend….not so much the brunch I served, but when I looked out the window, here comes my cat Radar, carrying a rabbit in his mouth! Gotta think only one thing, right?: My cat killed the Easter Bunny!!
look forward to more
Great item, very much enjoyed. Also made me hungry for corn muffins!
This is a real story retold as a memoir. What I liked was the beautiful flow of words and the transitions.
I liked the expression, “I hoped electricity would strike twice” a lot. Use of words different from what we are used to reading but yet, so apt.
The description of last year’s Easter confections, did distract me for a bit from the track of the memoir- this year’s Easter brunch but you quickly brought me back with the description of what you chose for this year’s Easter brunch.
The conclusive paragraph was wonderfully written too.
Small and big hands – nice way of putting it.
And the comparison with your cooking dreams.
Excellent writing.
Great story, I was reminded of my own early cooking and baking experiences. Thank you for helping me to add to my list of future writings. 🙂 Great job!
Guess we all have those baking frenzies and near disasters. However, all came together, good writing!
I loved your story, it evoked a memory from my past that I’m not very proud of. I was asked to bring mini corn muffins to a pot luck and I too had a bag of corn meal that had clearly expired, the little black bugs were the tip off. However, I didn’t make it to the market to buy another bag, I shamelessly made my muffins.
I love your style and wit, and the ease and flow of your words…great writing!