What’s UP with What’s Cooking

Do blogs have Fiscal Years??

Well, I guess its my blog, my rules. So yes, its a new day, new leaf and all that for the Baker's blog. So HAPPY NEW BLOG YEAR! And with my renewed spirit, I have gotten a new look! Yep-since baby #2 is on the way and I am renovating almost everything else in my life I figure the blog needs an overhaul too. So Once Upon a Blog Design/Jennisa has worked her magic again. I hope you enjoy the new and improved look !

As a refresher….here’s what the old blog design looked like:

So what is up with What's Cookin' after all??

As I'm pondering this new stuff and thinking about design elements for Jennisa I realize that I never really explained the name of the blog. Well, I guess for most the pun is obvious. COOKING...BAKERS...duh. But if you really know us (and really love us) you know that cooking is so much more than just a little play on our last name. Besides loving some good food, our kitchen is literally the heart of our home and at the heart of who our family is.
When we first moved to Troy, Matt quickly realized that any fine dining he craved would have to be at his own dinner table. And while we were reconnecting with old friends, making new friends and trying to establish a social life for ourselves we often hosted "Friends Nights" on Thursdays. Yes, the TV Show "Friends" (Courtney Cox, Matthew Perry, etc.) was on the tube and we did make that part of the night. Sometimes we played games but most often we sat around catching up with our lives, getting to know one another, sharing the latest gossip, giving out advice on everything from car shopping to real estate but it all happened over food. Something new and something delicious each week!

Matt is our resident family chef. Everyone knows this, its no secret. In fact, most people assume that I hate to cook or just can't boil water. When inspired, I actually can be pretty good but it's Matt role in our home and one that I am so thankful for. I prefer the entertaining aspect. He can cook something great but perfectly happy serving it out of tupperware onto paper plates. So I take on the role of "hostess" ensuring clean surroundings, coordinating place settings, appropriate serving pieces and overall atmosphere in sync to the menu. The trick, of course, being that all the while our guests have no idea because it can't be too fussy or trying to hard.

So back to the whole blog theme. There are a lot of cliches I could use relative to cooking. You know, the Bakers are stirring up this or dishing out that. Made with love or a little bit spicy with a little bit of sweet. We actually have "Hey Good Lookin', What You Got Cookin' " painted as a border in our kitchen (back in the day when that was cool). And after all, I do have a bun in the oven!

But Cookin with the Bakers is so much more than all that. My kitchen has been the background to some wonderful times. So much laughter. Hearing really good and bad news. Special moments with my daughter as she discovers new things. Cooking with friends. Cooking with my family. Wiping down countertops after a party with that one close friend that stays behind to relive the night with me. Rushing around to get out the door for school/work/vacation/church/birthday party. Opening the mail and Campbell's backpack after school. I guess most all the scenes in my home begin and end with that backdoor in the kitchen. So in between opening and closing the back door, my commitment to blog is to capture all those little moments that make up a much larger part of our lives.

In addition to this being my family's scrapbook, I guess I'm also rededicating this blog to those loved ones who want to be apart of our lives whether they can be in our kitchen at a moment's notice or not.