I am a baker. I love to bake. Baking makes me happy and satisfied in a way not many other things can. When I moved to San Francisco, unpacking my baking supplies and getting acquainted with the oven were at the top of my list. When I made my first batch of cookies, rosemary shortbread, on a sunny Friday afternoon, I finally felt like I was home.
Our small, apartment sized oven shoved in the corner of our narrow kitchen was perfect for a baking sheet or a 9 by 13 pan. When not in use it held our collection of le cruset casseroles. Prior to my arrival the oven got very little use. M. is not much of a baker or a roaster -- most of his magic happens on the stove. The oven was mine, all mine.
But there was a little problem. Because the oven was so rarely used, M. didn't know there was a little gas leak. I'd turn on the oven to bake and then notice it smelled gassy, very gassy. Soon there were jokes about me, the mildly tortured writer, pulling a Sylvia Plath.
Then I was told I could no longer use the oven because of the gas leak. I tried this for a week or two, and then started baking with all the windows and doors open, the smells of lemon cookies and corn muffins wafting into the backyard. Thank goodness this January has been temperate, for this could have been far more unpleasant than it actually was.
Last week M. suggested we purchase a new stove/oven. I don't mean to be dramatic, but this was very very exciting. I was trying to wean myself from the oven but it was much harder than I expected and it made me a little sad too. The idea of a new appliance, that both of use could use and love, was fantastic.
Our new beauty, purchased and delivered by Sears will arrive today and I couldn't be happier. We've yet to discuss who gets to use it first, but I think it is clear that M. gets first crack at the stove, and my fingers will be the first to twist the oven dial to bake. But with all the excitement, I can't decide what the inagural recipe will be. It will be my first baking escapade in my first purchased appliance -- all of a sudden it seems like I might be a grown up.
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2 comments:
Yay for new ovens! I just got mine last week after working with a faulty one that was too small for years as well. I'm enjoying it very much and I even blogged about it. Hope we'll see more photos from your oven soon.
Can't wait to taste some of your creations!
(And I had a similar reaction to a newly purchased vacuum. Is this "nesting"?)
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