If Covid is Hard to Take Just Bake

July 21, 2020

Definition

Bake means to cook food through the use of some type of dry heat, usually an oven, or to use heat on non-food items to make them hard or dry.

Always add that secret ingredient (read on).

Summer is here and that means it’s pie season due to an abundance of fresh fruit.

Baker Bob’s tips for summer pie baking

Cut down on the sugar

· Add fresh squeezed lemon juice (use the whole lemon)

· 3 tablespoons of corn starch (forget the extra ½ tbsp)

· Lattice top (so you can see the fruit bubbling)

· Brush the lattice with a little milk and add cinnamon and sugar (premix in a shaker)

Always have homemade dough in the freezer. (I will only tell you I always make it in the Cuisinart my mother gave me for my 50th birthday. She passed away over 4 years ago.)

A good baker never divulges all their secrets

Re-read favourite cookbooks

I love using my mother’s vintage tools, pie plates and reading her handwritten recipes.

Blammo, a fresh pie for dessert (since you are all alone you must learn to ration. It should last 8 nights. (never does!)

If fortunate enough during covid to have a visitor and you can share ( I love the accolades).

Do acts of kindness

The Secret is to add plenty of love

Why Bake?

It’s a distraction.

Requires concentration (accurate measurements, proper time, little tricks?).

Getting to savour (being kind to yourself).

Self-discipline.

Other baking projects

Bread (practise, persistence, patience)

Cakes (I always try to use my mom’s Bundt pan, “the cake always comes out clean”)

Small victories like fresh baked goods remind us that there is good lurking in our pantries but you need to look for it and act on it so you can reap the rewards.

Covid and self-isolation can cause despair or can be an opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your effort.

Now off to bake with my mom

- Baker Bob

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Robert “Bobby” Koven has become an endearing advocate for mental health awareness: Krazy Wildman Bobby K. Using his unique brand of humour, Bobby reaches out to diverse audiences with a message of hope for those individuals and families afflicted with mental health challenges. Dispelling the myths, smashing the misconceptions and challenging the prejudices surrounding mental health, Bobby delivers a hard-hitting message...there is no magic bullet...just hard work and lots of practice...and he ought to know. Diagnosed in his early twenties with Tourette’s Syndrome, he now looks back on his past behavior with a new perspective. Drawing on his life experience for his jokes and stories, Bobby tries his best to erase the stigmas surrounding mental health issues.

One of the initiatives Bobby is a working on is a documentary "No Magic Bullet", which is the story of his personal journey of healing.

To learn more about Bobby and the projects he's involved with, go to his website.

Check out Bobby's beautiful sunset photos on Instagram.