As a follow up to my recent poll, I want to share the results, and talk a little bit about my biggest baking challenges.
First, the results. There were 24 voters and 42 votes.
I couldn’t get any non-bakers to vote. And I’m happy to know no one had a problem finding good recipes. I hope I’ve provided you with at least one or two!!
Do you want to know what my biggest challenges are? Follow along.
Eating too much
Oh boy, is this ever a common theme. 13 out of 24 people said this is one of their biggest challenges. I have to admit, it’s definitely one of mine. How can you make all that yummy stuff and then not eat any of it? I guess there is such a thing as moderation, but this is the only time of year we make some of these things, right? So moderation is out the door!!
Time
This is not a big issue for me, mostly because being retired has given me more time. The biggest issue for me isn’t time but timing. Some things you can make ahead when you have more time, but others need to be fresh. So, while time isn’t a huge problem, I can still be pushed for time when preparing to entertain. I want all my goodies to be fresh after all!!
Not sure what to make
I didn’t vote for this one, but I can definitely relate. This is especially tough for me as I have to work around different food allergies. And even beyond that, I want to make sure I have something each person will like. That usually means making way more than we’ll eat. I’m still trying to decide what to make for the Christmas Eve celebration at our house, trying to find the right balance between variety and way too much food.
Dirty dishes
This is definitely one of my challenges. It’s primarily a problem when I’m making multiple items in one day and I need the stand mixer for all of them. I dislike having to wash dishes constantly just so I have enough to make everything. In general, baking creates a lot of dirty dishes, including baking pans. I’m also picky about what I’ll put in the dishwasher, so I do a lot of hand washing this time
Too many options
This kind of goes along with “not sure what to make”, as this could be why we can’t decide. Plus, there are so many things we like this time of year (especially if it’s the only time we have them) making it hard to pick out just a few. And it’s too much work to make all of them.
Well, let’s make what we can and remember, there’s always next year!! And who says we can’t have some of these things other times of the year?
Can’t find certain ingredients
This is another one I voted for and I’m happy to see one other person struggles with this. (Well, not happy, but more of a misery loves company kind of thing.) I have to note, however, that after I voted for this, I was able to find my missing ingredient. I think there
What is
But I kept looking and lo and behold, a week ago they were at HyVee. I considered buying more than one package, but I wouldn’t use them all this year so what’s the point?
So, keep watching as I’ll now be able to post this recipe. I was disappointed when I thought I wouldn’t be able to include it this year. If you like orange and chocolate, I guarantee you’ll love this. Stay tuned.
Not enough measuring cups and spoons
Well, it appears I’m the only one with this problem. And if you looked into my utensil drawer, you wouldn’t think I’d have this challenge. But I do.
This goes along with “dirty dishes” and I seem to be washing a lot of measuring spoons and cups right now.
Picky eaters
I can’t say I have this challenge. Tim likes about anything I make. And I’m at the point where I know what our families like, so I stick to those things. But it’s not too hard, other than dealing with the food allergies. That just means I have to substitute ingredients a lot.
Running out of ingredients
I can see where this could be a big baking challenge, especially if you aren’t one that bakes often. I don’t typically have this problem, except for certain ingredients like all the spices I use this time of year. I always have the basics on hand – flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, etc.
If you didn’t get a chance to participate in the poll and have other baking challenges, let me know in the comments. We still have a week to go before Christmas, so I’m sure a lot of you still have baking to do.
More baking to come!! I’ll be back at it later in the week as I prepare for Christmas Eve. Watch for a couple more recipes yet this year. There’s even one you might want to make for New Year’s Eve!! 🥂
