Kim Barnouin - Skinny Bitch Bakery

Ever since I was old enough to be in the kitchen, Ive had a fascination with baking. I remember sitting on the linoleum floor flipping through my moms Betty Crocker cookbooks in complete awe while she whisked, combined, and beat dough like a lunatic. Sure, I couldnt read a damn word on the page, but I didnt have to. Once I saw the chocolate cakes, apple pies, and flaky tarts she pulled out of the oven, I knew those words were some kind of special. Sitting there licking the bowl and eating maraschino cherries right out of the jar, I knew that one day when I was big enough to know the difference between bake and broila distinction I would later find to be extremely valuableI would bake every stinkin recipe in that book and bring the same elated joy to my familys faces.

It turns out that baking was in my genes. I never lost that fervor for a great sweet treat, and I sure as hell dont plan to.

Just as it was for my mom, baking has become my therapy. Hell, its become my therapist. Why would I pay money for someone to listen to me blab on about my problems like a moron when my oven does the same thing? Even better, it actually responds... in the form of a delicate confection that eats away any troubled thoughts I was having in the first place. (Snicker all you want, but you know Im right.)

Baking is also my gift to the people around me. Ive seen the happiness that a lemon cake topped with white butter cream frosting has brought to my friends when theyre going through hard times. I enjoy nothing more than having some time in the day to surprise the neighbor kids with key lime cupcakes and teaching them the importance of cooking from scratch so they know whats in their food. Its a gift that I can still share with my mom and little one, Jack, too. Baking together is a simple way for us to bond as he gets a little older and boy stuff becomes more interesting. One of his favorite things to do while Grandma Linda is in town is not to go shopping with herunusual fella, that kid isbut to cook an apple pie with her. He rolls out the dough, peels the apples, and checks the oven through the peephole like my own living kitchen timer. Trust me, its cute overload. He is so interested in following steps, measuring ingredients, and learning why and how batter turns into a cake. Its simple: get a glimpse of what goes on in a kids head while youre baking and you realize just how exciting it really is. (Either that, or hes just super excited by mommys rendition of Ding Dong Ditcha game where we ring the neighbors doorbell, leave treats on their doorstep, and take off running like banshees. Sure, hes walked off with a few skinned knees, but hes a tough kid.)

As a vegan, baking has also been my canvas for education. I can tell people all I want that vegan food doesnt taste like cardboard, but it takes a stellar dairy- and egg-free cupcake to really convince them. Yes, you can have your cake and be kind to animals, your body, and the environment too.

Most of all, baking is my adventure. We all get off on certain things. For some of you its sewing quilts and reading Harry Potter books, and for me, its setting out a bunch of ingredients, pots, pans, and saucepans on a counter and going to town. There are an infinite number of beautiful cookbooks, recipes, and ingredient swaps to forever inspire you. Put on a sexy little apron. Take out that rolling pin. Sprinkle a little flour in your hair if it helps you play the part. Every step of the way is a new journey and experience, and thats what I hope you take from this book. Sometimes youll know exactly what youre going to bake. Sometimes youll be in the mood to swap out some ingredients and shake things up. And at other times, you will really eff it up and everyone will think you suck. But isnt that the fun in baking? You never know where youll end up. Just enjoy the process.

Love + Peace, Kim Barnouin