Baking need not be a scary experience. It’s an easy and enjoyable thing to do and can be turned into a bonding experience between you and someone you really care about. Leave the complicated things to the pros – there are easy things that you and another person (or other people, if you want to do it as a group) can do in order to bond and to make good food at the same time.
Sometime back I had my cousin help me make butterscotch bars. She was a beginner, so I chose an easy recipe for us to make, and she was scared to make it. But it was easy: in one bowl, I just beat 2 eggs until it’s light and fluffy, then add half a cup of melted margarine, 1 tbsp of corn syrup or molasses (it’s your choice – I’ve tried both and both are wonderful), 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 cups of brown sugar. Then in another bowl I mix the dry ingredients – 1 ½ cups of flour, 1 tbsp of baking powder, and ½ tsp of salt. I fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones and mix it until well-blended, place it in a greased pan and bake it for half an hour in an oven preheated at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
I let my cousin do most of the job and the bars came out perfect. She was so proud of herself for being able to make such delicious food (one of her favorites, even – she always eats the bars I make) in such a short time. This is proof that good food does not have to be difficult to make.