Comments on: Bananas Are Good…so are birthdays

By: Glinda

Glinda — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:50:42 +0000

I find that a good laugh with my son is one of the most relaxing and de-stressing things that can happen to me during the day.

And, Happy Birthday! Albeit belated!

By: dangermouse

dangermouse — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:54:20 +0000

Twistie: that cake sounds delicious! If you share recipes, I’d love a copy :)

For relaxation, I bake as well. I also love to work in my yard & attempt french cooking techniques. This week, I’m building a walkway & attempting my first souffle!

By: pearlandopal

pearlandopal — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:25:26 +0000

I make jewelry to relax, but since that’s also a side business it’s not always the most relaxing thing to do any more. For the past year or so I’ve been making home spa/aromatherapy stuff, and that’s been a lot of fun and very relaxing. It’s nice to come home from a bad day at work and treat myself to a homemade oatmeal/lavender bath soak or a sugar scrub for my hands.

By: dinazad

dinazad — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 08:20:38 +0000

Baking is the ultimate stress-reliever and anti-depressant. Cooking or a plate of pasta with a glass of red aren’t bad either.
On the other hand, weaving or making up bracelets from all kinds of found objects is very calming (especially when you’ve stupidly run out of butter or sugar or something vital for you baking project.).

Belated but nevertheless sincere: Happy Birthday!

By: Sniper

Sniper — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 18:18:03 +0000

I make baked treats now and then but my real love is Big Cooking – vats of soups, pasta sauces, and stews that can be frozen for use on days when I’m too tired or late to cook. Inner peace comes from knowing that there’s a bowl of lentil soup or French beef stew waitin at home.

In the summer when it’s too hot to do Big Cooking, I garden, a term which includes both swanning about snipping off the occasional spent bloom and diving headfirst into a bee-covered shrub to yank out some bindweed.

By: Twistie

Twistie — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 15:11:58 +0000

QuiteLight: My cat’s a huge stress reliever for me, too. Nothing seems quite so bad when there’s a cat purring in your arms.

Orora: I never did get into knitting, but bobbin lace is another of my stress reducers…when Mr. Twistie hasn’t covered up my lacing spot with junk. Sigh.

JaneC: I could almost taste those cookies when I was reading your response. They sound wonderful. I, too, have fond memories of baking cookies with my father. When I miss him the most, I bake cookies, too.

Yabby: You’re right; there’s something basic and primal and right about feeding the people you love. I think it’s kind of hard-wired into the human race that we express our love through sharing, particularly of food. Oh, and I’ve never had Pavlova, but I’m always up for trying a new culinary treat. I know I must have a recipe somewhere. Maybe I’ll give it a shot sometime.

Leah: Yes, that’s it. Even when you can’t solve a person’s problems, offering food feels helpful. And it can nourish the soul. There have been a couple times in my life when an offer of even a Coke felt like a blessing…and I don’t even like cola. Home baked bread? That’s wonderful beyond words. And there’s nothing like kneading dough for working out frustrations.

supersam: Are we twins? Cuddling the cat, good food, or wearing a fabulous hat…these are all well up on my list of ways to feel better about life, the universe, and everything. My purple seude coat is filled with power, and my tapestry boots are made for walking on top of the world.

By: supersam

supersam — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 05:04:36 +0000

Some cuddling with a cat or dog… or.. a good meal… or..and mainly

Wearing an outfit that makes me feel fabulous, with my hair under some form of control, and wearing makeup (even if it’s only mascara). It’s especially good when something about my look makes other people take a second look at me – either because I look so stylish and fab, or I have on a beautiful, slightly retro hat, or an egg shaped dress, or a wonderful pair of shoes and large sunglasses…

By: Leah

Leah — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 03:01:31 +0000

In a lot of ways, food is how we love other people when nothing else seems quite right. And that goes not just for other people, but for ourselves. When we don’t know what to do for someone we love that is hurting, or just someone we want to tell we love them, we buckle down and make something with our own to hands to nourish the body and the soul. At least that’s how it is for me and apparently a lot of you as well.

For me it’s bread. Something in the kneading.

By: Yabby

Yabby — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 19:21:50 +0000

I’m so glad someone else feels that way about baking too! I bake when I’m happy, stressed, for birthdays orfor “whatever” days. I think ther’s something about sharing something that you make with someone to build friendships or relationships. I’m an Aussie living overseas, so tha last Australia Day, I volunteered to make a Pavlova (sort of a national desert) and ended up making 12 to share for a party with other expat Aussies – I can’t describe the joy of watching people smile as they ate a slice of crunchy and marshmallow-y pavlova with cream and fresh fruits … cured the homesickness for a day!

By: JaneC

JaneC — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:25:49 +0000

I love to bake, too, but my passion is cookies, and my favorite are oatmeal-banana-raisin cookies. When I was a little girl, my dad and I used to bake these cookies together often. The taste and smell of those oatmeal cookies bring vivid memories of having to stand on a step stool to reach the counter, wearing my small, frilly apron, Dad handing me the raisins and me putting in too many because I liked them, Mom coming up behind me and tying my hair back so it didn’t end up covered in cookie batter.

When I went to college, Dad sent me those cookies in care packages every couple of months; the friends that I shared them with asked why it was always oatmeal. Now I bake them myself, when the grown-up world gets to be a bit much for me, and there are overripe bananas on the counter.