"If the God you believe in as an idea doesn’t start showing up in what happens to you in your own life, you have as much cause for concern as if the God you don’t believe in as an idea does start showing up. It is absolutely crucial, therefore, to keep in constant touch with what is going on in your own life’s story and to pay close attention to what is going on in the stories of others’ lives. If God is present anywhere, it is in those stories that God is present. If God is not present in those stories, then they are scarcely worth telling." ~ Frederick Buechner

05 April 2012

In Preparation for Good Friday: Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns came into my radar last year, via Pioneer Woman. I mean, like everyone else who has grown up within an educational system that even remotely resembles the American one, I learned to play the nursery rhyme on the recorder in elementary school, but I didn't know what the actual "hot cross bun" was until I saw the recipe on PW's blog. At Easter time last year, though, I was still adjusting to my new identity as "Mommy," so I wasn't doing much baking.

Now that Little B is older (read: going to bed at 6:30 and sleeping nearly 13 hours), I'm loving re-discovering my hobbies, baking being one of them.

Look what's in the oven tonight, filling our home with the scent of cinnamon-y, nutmeg-y, raisin-y goodness:
They are browning quite nicely right now, and I'm enjoying sitting here in my chair watching them. There is just something delightfully satisfying about it. I am grateful to whoever designed ovens with windows and interior lights.

My husband's sitting on the counter next to me, a tad concerned at the "brown-ness" of the buns. I keep explaining to him that it's the egg wash that's making them brown. I even showed him pictures from Pioneer Woman to reassure him. But I think I should hop up and take them out, if only to relieve his mild anxiety.

Food is very important to Nich.

It's one of his Love Languages.

I'm making the icing as I wait for the first batch of buns to cool and the second batch to bake.
I am having mixer envy. I have been coveting a Kitchen Aid mixer, particularly this one, for about two years now. But as I wait for the day when they're not quite so fashionable expensive -- or maybe I'll miraculously find one at a garage sale (hey, there's always hope, right?) -- I'm thankful for my faithful little handheld mixer.

I'm going to send some with Nich to share at work tomorrow and run a few over to the neighbors. Maybe I'll even wrap a couple to take to our chiropractors, because we just love "Doc Kee" (that's how Little B says, "Dr. Keith") and his family.

Somebody has been naughty and sneaked a bun before disappearing to bed.
 Speaking of bed, I should get there myself. Look what time it is!
The buns need to be COMPLETELY cool before I can pipe on the crosses, so I think that will be an early, first-thing-in-the-morning project.

Until then, I'll leave you with this bit of cuteness I found at Target for $3. We don't get into the whole commercialized Easter business (I kind of think the Easter bunny nonsense is a bit like telling Jewish people we're going to make a purple unicorn their Passover mascot). Little B loves to drink out of straws, though, and as he was born in the Year of the Rabbit, I figured this wouldn't hurt.
Isn't he cute?! I just love the little bowtie.
G'night, all!

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