cooking is my happy place

When I get bored, I bake
which is a generous term
for what I can do
with a packet cake mix

Today Mr 4 and I
made a mango apple chia cake
and my kitchen smells amazing
and for once all the ingredients
stayed in the bowl
instead of exploding across
the bench and floor
with all the enthusiasm
of a four year old concocting
something delicious

Every time we get our bake on
I call it an experiment
I rarely make the same thing twice
and I like showing Mr 4
that easy baking
doesn't have to be boring
every recipe an adventure
until the end

I can't get through a week
without inventing new ways
to make a basic cake mix interesting
or finding new things to add
to soda bread
though Mr 4 prefers the cake
over fresh bread
which might be baking sacrilege
but I'm not going to explain that
to a four year old
who's favourite kitchen currencies
are sugar and salt
sprinkled across his palm

When I get bored, I bake
and I'm passing the habit down
though I have more self control
than a four year old
who can devour half a cake
quicker than I can blink
while I have one (okay, two)
pieces to myself