Welcome to the Kitchen Chickens baking blog!

Now that I’m 50, I feel I’ve entered part deux of my life. I have a well-established career, having spent the past 29 years working for the same international development company. But, the kids are starting to leave the nest, and parents are aging … getting old really isn’t for sissies! So now I feel that ‘I want to do WHAT I WANT to do’ and that is BAKE!

And not just bake by myself, but with other kitchen chickens, some that I already know and love, and the ones I can’t wait to meet. If you have a recipe that you feel “hits it out of the park” every time you make it, reach out to us on the Contact page!

Quite simply, for us kitchen chickens, baking is our love language. Flour, sugar, eggs, butter … these ingredients express our love for family and friends! For myself, as a type 2 diabetic, I cant eat most of what I bake (except a small sliver here and there) but I get so much satisfaction out of baking for others … watching them enjoy and devour my creations.

Have you seen the movie (or read the book) Julie & Julia?

Love, LOVE this movie and its what has inspired The Kitchen Chickens. If you havent seen it, you must . It is writer Julie Powells (@licjulie) love letter to Julia Child as she cooked her way through Childs 524 recipes from her ground-breaking book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Theres much more to the story, but Ill let you discover (or re-discover) it yourselves.

Now, Im not as adventurous as Powell … yet! But, I am going to bake my way through my favorite cookbook: The taste of home Baking Book. Any taste of home cookbook is designed for—and populated by—home cooks like you and me! While I like to imagine that in my next life (perhaps part deux) Ill attend culinary school to become a pastry chef … right now, Im focusing on honing my skills and expanding my repertoire.

 The Baking Book is presented in categories so Im going to jump around a bit … mostly so Im not feeding you 105 consecutive cake recipes!! Ill share the recipes and the stories of the home cooks who authored them. And, Ill introduce you to the cast of characters who inspire me, support me and eat my baking.

RECIPES

Gingerbread Scones

Gingerbread Scones

I love gingerbread. Any kind of gingerbread, really. Crisp, chewy, soft. I use a lot of ginger in my cooking—this flavor is so...

Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut Butter Bars

I love peanut butter … a good PB & banana sandwich is my go-to comfort food. My colleagues think I eat like an 8-year-old...

Baked Beans

Baked Beans

Hello Chickens! Today we’re going off-script … I’ve got a savory dish for you, a true family favorite. And, our guest Chicken is...

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread

My grandfather was Irish and I am reminded of him each St. Patrick's Day. So in honor of him and all my Irish friends around the...