Baking Therapy

I have to be honest. I've been in a bit of a funk this week. Maybe because the weather has been a little icky, maybe the time change has thrown me, maybe because three out of four kids have been sick, or maybe it started with closing two of my fingertips in the garage door. But it isn't really the blues. It's more of an anxious yet exhausted feeling that is hard to explain. Like a rung out towel. As Holly Golightly puts it, it's a case of the Mean Reds. "The blues are because you're getting fat, and maybe it's been raining too long. You're just sad, that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid, and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?" No matter the reason it began, after moping around for a few days I've decided to get myself out of it.

Whenever this happens to me, I don't go to Tiffany's. Unlike Holly, I bake. One of the best methods of therapy for me is baking. It rarely even matters what I bake, I just love to do it. There is something so comforting to me about the whole process. Gathering the ingredients, measuring them, putting them all together and the smell that fills the house while waiting for everything to finish in the oven.


There are a few things I need to have before I get started. First of all, music. While I love many different types of music, standards from the 40's and 50's have my heart. There's such a strong sense of nostalgia for me (which makes no sense since I was born in the '80's), something so familiar that just always feels like home. I started with Nat King Cole. If you don't have The World of Nat King Cole, well...you should have it. Seriously, buy it on iTunes right now. You Stepped Out of a Dream and Walking My Baby Back Home. You're welcome.

 Another thing I love to have while I bake is a good cup of coffee. Honestly, I love to have a good cup of coffee just about any time, but especially while I bake. My husband gave me a beautiful French Press for Christmas last year and THAT is the way to brew coffee. Coarsely ground coffee is poured into the bottom of the press, then nearly boiling water is poured over the grounds. About four minutes later, the plunger is pushed down filtering all of the grounds through to the bottom, leaving the best coffee you've ever tasted. Whether you like light or darker roasts, flavored or unflavored, regular or decaf (Mom...), you will truly achieve the best flavor using a French Press. I leave mine black because, well, I love the taste of coffee, not sugar and cream.


Ok, so once I have my music on and coffee brewed, I can start collecting my ingredients. This is something I never used to do. I thought it was a bit of a waste of time so I used to just grab what I needed as I went. I have found it to be really helpful and much less of a stressful mess to set everything I'll need out beforehand. It's all just a part of the process now.

I decided to make one of the ultimate comforting baked goods- banana bread. Even if you don't like bananas, I have to believe you like banana bread. The two just aren't even in the same category. I have tried countless recipes, some without the brown sugar, some with whole wheat flour, some use melted butter rather than creaming softened butter. One thing I've decided for sure is that banana bread has to be made with sour cream. I mean, it feasibly can be made without. It just won't be as good. So after plenty of trials, I've come up with my favorite banana bread recipe. Here it is if you want to try it out!

Banana Bread

·         ½ cup butter

·         ½ cup sugar

·         ½ cup brown sugar

·         2 eggs

·         ¾  teaspoon vanilla extract

·         ¼ teaspoon almond extract

·         2 or 3 bananas, mashed

·         ½ cup sour cream

·         1 ¾ cups flour

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         ½ teaspoon salt

      Start by sifting the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light. Add the eggs and extracts followed by the mashed bananas and sour cream. Stir the dry ingredients in just until incorporated. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before cutting.

It's always fun to package up baked goodies and give them to family or friends. But it's nice to have some treats around for our own family sometimes too. Every time I bake something special, my sweet husband asks "do we get to keep this or are you giving it away?" Last night was one of those times that I could tell him to help himself! He only had one piece so I hope he hurries home from work today. Because I may have to have an extra piece. Or two.

So if you find yourself with a case of the Mean Reds, here's what I recommend:

1. Turn off Adele's new song. Don't get me wrong. It's beautiful. Heart-wrenchingly beautiful. But this song will not help you out of a funk. Pinky promise. Turn it off for now. "Hello?" No. Goodbye.

2. Turn on some happy music. Whether it's Nat King Cole, The Who, Tears For Fears, Edith Piaf, Bunny Berigan, Glenn Miller, Outkast or even Christmas music (you know how I feel about this- it's always a good time for Christmas music). Whatever makes you happy. 

3. Make yourself a good drink. The perfect coffee, a dry martini with extra olives, a good dark beer, club soda with lime, raspberry lemonade, chocolate milk. Whatever is your favorite. 

4. Bake something! It doesn't matter if it's from scratch or straight out of a box. Just mix some good ingredients together and throw it into the oven. Even if you typically don't like to bake. There is just something so comforting about all of this. Trust me.

Sometimes I still want to Kool Aid Man straight through the front door and take a quiet walk...for about a week. But I can't tell you how many times this has pulled me out of that kind of slump. I'm not a therapist and obviously this personal remedy isn't a replacement for actual, professional, long-term therapy. But for a quick fix to help your general well-being, try it. Even if the process somehow doesn't help you, eating whatever you bake surely will!

Next time, I plan to get all dolled up in a fun swingy dress and heels (like Ann Miller's in On The Town) with a ruffly apron and the perfect shade of red lipstick, put on some olllllld Frank (the Tommy Dorsey days), pour a talllllll glass of red, and bake something absolutely spectacular. I've got your number, Mean Reds.

xoxo