When the Texas Heat Gets Me Down

I take to the books! In the past few months, I have tackled a number of books and have had a wonderful time doing just that! Over serveral months, I've been working on A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. My sweet fiance gifted me the collectors set for my birthday after declaring my love of the movie! Of course, the books are better and of the thirteen books in all, I am currently on the tenth book, The Slippery Slope. Yes, I realize that these are children's books, but they are skillfully written and really quite amusing! The Baudelaire children have such miserable luck but I am dedicated to these books: I must know how they fare in the end!

In between books in the series, I have slipped in some others: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein for one. I thuroughly enjoyed that book, although I will say that much of it was sad and frustrating. All signs of good writting though; the book overall was excellent and brought me to tears a number of times. I'll admit that I can be quite the sap when it comes to the written word (and movies) but this one was particularly tearful for me. Between the love I have for Tripp and the intense adoration I have for Akira, our dog, this book kept me thinking about the two of them and how grateful I am for my life just the way it is.

Most recently, I picked up The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook by Cybele Pascal. I am most excited about this book!

{A quick aside, indirectly related to the book} To be completely candid and honest, I'll confess that for the past few months, I've been doing some serious soul searching to find the answer to these questions: what do I really want to make my career? What am I sincerely passionate about? What could I wake up in the morning and be excited about going to work for? I thought that earning my degree in Baking and Pastries would be suitable for me, at least for a little bit, but after obtaining said certification, I have come to realize that it is not enough to be truly satisfying for me. Don't get me wrong, I have a terrific time making cakes on the side for friends and family; my skill has improved drastically, if I may say so myself. For that reason, I am grateful for my formal education in the area as well as my experience, albeit short lived, working in bakeries. I have come to the conclusion that I will need to find a job that I can enjoy for sometime, save up money, and continue my education to feel satisfied. I would like start by pursuing my bachelors in food science/health & nutrition, or something of the sort.

Such has been my thought for some time, however the excitement and passion that literally (regardless of the cheese factor) sprung up in me upon finding this book is undeniable. I love food science. I want to be able to understand the chemistry of food, of ingredients and how to make food more available for those who have to go without often because of disease or disorder! I want to teach others about food, how they interact, why they interact, and what is good for us.

After reading the first two chapers of this book, all about the ingredients, substitutions, ratios, whatnot, I could not wait to experiment! And my first recipe attempted- SunButter Greenies- was a smashing success! I care soo much about bringing happiness and content to others and I feel that I can do that best through food. This book is already revolutionizing my thoughts and understanding of baked goods and I look forward to more experimentation soon.