“The best way to feel at ease in the kitchen is to learn at someone’s knee. Years ago a child (usually a girl) would learn from her parent (usually her mother) by standing on a chair next to the stove and watching intently, or by wandering into the kitchen and begging to help.” ~Laurie Colwin

Baking Together

“Let’s bake cookies together.” My daughter is visiting for the weekend and brought all of the supplies to bake holiday cookie gifts for her friends. I too have holiday baking in mind. She suggests we bake together and share in order to have a broader assortment for gifting. My heart sings, I’m delighted by the invitation.

My mother was a tremendous baker, especially at the holidays. Pinwheels, lebkuchen, springerle, gingerbread, linzer cookies, chocolate crackle cookies, and more. I did not help. Mostly because she saw my presence in the kitchen as an intrusion; I was a nuisance and not welcome, even to watch. Mom had a task to do and if I was there I suspect it made more mental and physical work for her. In spite of her dismissal, I somehow managed to grow up to be a reasonably capable cook and baker.

As our girls were growing up I made it a point to include them in the kitchen. Partly because I wanted to spend the time with them. And also so they would be able to fend for themselves in the kitchen when they moved out. My daughter doesn’t remember baking dozens of cookies with me during the holiday season. But then again she was a teenager and more focused on friends, baking cookies was probably simply a way to have cookies to share. Whether she remembers or not isn’t important. She grows up to be an amazing cook and baker.

Putting on aprons and laying out our ingredients we begin a marathon of cookie making. Oddly enough it turns out I’ve chosen mostly vanilla while she’s chosen mostly chocolate. The swap is going to be better than either of us anticipated.

There’s a comfortable rhythm to being in the kitchen together. We’re enjoying fun conversations, there’s an ease to sharing the kitchen equipment. I’m delighted that I have extras of ingredients she needs and grateful she’s brought several pounds of butter plus already smashed up peppermint candy cane bits.

An amazing bounty of gluten free goodness flows from the ovens. Almond kisses, snowballs, cake pops, and vanilla cloud cookies. Then we make the hand dipped goodies, pretzels twists and sticks, peppermint bark, buckeyes, and coated oreos. We have lots of volunteers for taste testing from the non-baking contingent.

Finally finished, we assemble our gifts into tins and admire them. We’re decide to do this again next year. It’ll be even better because we’ll actually have a plan.

ALONE TOGETHER WRITINGS BY AUTHOR: CHICKEN POT PIE

1.
Have you been gaslit one to many times? Can you trust yourself anymore, can you feel what your body is telling you? Can you listening to your inner voice, and can you hear it?

Once you start listening to both your body and that inner quiet voice (sometimes not so quiet), something starts to happen. You find out your body and voice are accurate.

You can save your own life and others too. The more you listen the more confidence you will build in yourself. Letting go of the old haunting voices and patterns that told you, you are wrong, not listened to or cared about, because your parents just didn’t have it in them to do it because of their own childhoods.

Trusting yourself takes time and kindness and more time.

I suggest you give yourself that time to love yourself in this way. It can only help and improve your life. People may need to go as well as places and things but they may not belong anyway or anymore.

Listen and listen closely and don’t push it away or be annoyed by the feelings that say something is up or wrong. You need You first and foremost.

Blessings from Chicken Pot Pie

2:

“I love you” She said, looking at herself in the mirror.
“Hi Honey, how are you doing today” she said as she looked at herself for the first time that day in the mirror.

“I love you” “I love you so much” she said holding onto her body at night in her bed, hoping she’d be safe and live through the night.

“Am I tired or just overloaded by toxic air I am breathing in?” She asked herself.

“How can I live a better more healthy life” she asked herself as she waited to go to work. Not wanting to go, but wanting to get out of the apartment.

“These are not preferable experiences” she said to herself. “I want something better”.

Written by: Chicken Pot Pie

3.

For the first time in 21 years she will (maybe if feeling ok) spend time on Christmas Day with people. A coworker friend gave a last minute invite while working together tonight. She doesn’t usually accept these type of invites (usually all family) but a few others will be there. Nieces, older sister, her 2 adult children whom she has

wanted to meet for 2 years now. Her daughters boyfriend.
She said yes, much to her surprise . She must bring Christmas cookies and hopes the local Italian Bakery will have some and will get there early as it is Christmas Eve and nothing will be open Christmas Day.

First she thought it had been 13 years, and then counted back and realized it had been much longer. 21 years shocked her. She doesn’t feel bad about it. She dislikes pity invites or being a third wheel. Hoping she feels well as she like everyone else she knows has been working hard and dealing with a lot. A half and hour drive away.

Fear creeps in. Will there be scented candles and fragrance? This is one of the many reasons she stopped going to peoples homes over the years. Oh the inner mind negativity that probably happens to many that deal with MCAS and Multiple chemical sensitivity. She must try, she must stop the isolation. Why does she tell this story? There is no one else to share it with, maybe she doesn’t want people to feel sorry for

her. It is what it is and she accepts it, or has. No longer will she live like this!

By: Chicken Pot Pie