Ever since I was a young boy, I have always enjoyed baking with my mother and my sisters. Being the youngest of the family, I started out helping my mother in the kitchen in very small ways. She would let me help mix the ingredients, knead the dough, or eat some of the ingredients instead! Helping my mother in the kitchen was something that always made me happy and helped me to feel more connected with my mother. On any given afternoon, we would bake all kinds of cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, and other sweet treats. My sisters would also be part of this process, but I thought of myself as the one true baking assistant to my mom; after all, I spent the most time helping out. 

One of the great things about baking is that it doesn’t necessarily require expensive ingredients or supplies, and it can be a great way to pass the time. When my mom picked me up from school in my elementary days, we may stop at the grocery store on the way home to get supplies for dinner. My mom also liked to use this time to pick up ingredients for our next bake. I would help her pick out things that sounded really good to me; I especially liked to pick out the candy boxes that we would be using for our next plate of cookies or something like that. Rather than buy boxes of cake mix and other premixed baking supplies, my mom liked to make things from scratch. While this is a bit harder to do and requires more knowledge about ingredients and baking, I think it is worth it in the end. It is much more impressive and personally rewarding to make something completely from scratch. 

My absolute favorite thing to bake is cookies. Cookies are relatively easy to make but can become much more complicated or difficult depending on your preference and whether or not you would like a challenge. My mom and I liked to make oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, peanut butter, and sugar cookies most regularly. During the holidays, we liked to make a lot more than normal to have on hand for friends and family that would come and stay. 

Now that I’m older and have my own place, I still enjoy baking as a pastime and hobby. Things are different now, but I made sure that the apartment I moved into has a nice kitchen with quality appliances that can accommodate my favorite hobby. Whenever I get the chance to visit home, I still enjoy baking with friends and family, especially my mom. It is a great way to stay connected with the people close to you, and it is rewarding to give the gift of baked goods to others that you care about.

Now that I live on my own, it is a bit more expensive to bake as much as I would like to. Since I have to buy all my own ingredients, I can no longer rely on my mom to help pay for all my candy boxes and other ingredients. It is also hard to find time to bake during the week working full time. However, I believe that if something is truly important to you, you should be able to make time for it. Hobbies are a super important part of life and can help fill your days with more fun and happiness.