Easy baking with Alana

Hi! My name is Alana and I blog over at The Good Girl Gone Blog. I'm so delighted to be here. Thanks for having me!

The fab-tastic Elle and I were going back and forth trying to figure out a theme to write about for the 20SB blog swap. We discussed writing about our respective homelands, I'm American and she's Canadian, but then decided against it. (Note: I found this awesome Canadian site when researching non-Canadian material for this post!) We eventually agreed to write random blog posts.

To be honest, I had no clue what to write about until I started talking with my awesome roommate about our favorite childhood toys. We discussed crayons, creepy crawlers and eventually, the Easy Bake Oven! Whoever figured out that you can cook an entire (miniature) cake with a light bulb was pretty darn smart! (Do they give out Nobel prizes to toy designers? If so, this guy/girl or the person who invented Bop It should totally win!)

I think I had this one back in the '90s! (Wow, I'm trying to make myself sound old. I'm not actually old.)

I don't remember when I got my EBO, but I'm pretty sure it was either a Hanukkah or birthday gift. It was kept in the basement near the computers and a bunch of other toys. I remember making a mess all over the countertop everytime I ripped open the little cake mixes. They smelled so delicious! I used to wash the tiny dishes and utensils in the utility sink in my dad's work room. Classy, I know.

I loved making the adorable little yellow and chocolate cakes, but hated waiting for them to cook. Why couldn't the light bulb work faster? I used to sit in front of my EBO in pure anticipation, waiting for that tiny little cake to come out the other side of the oven. Even when the cake was ready, I had to wait for it to cool before icing it and then eating it. Patience is not one of my stronger qualities...you can ask my parents. As a result, I'm pretty sure I used to burn my fingers. A lot.

The cakes of course tasted delicious...but were soooo small! It took forever to make them...and then they were gone in approximately 8.5 seconds!

I can't wait to have a real kitchen this summer where I can make cakes in a non-light bulb operated oven that serve more than one person. Plus, my best friend, Becca, got me this adorable apron for my birthday. I can't wait to wear it in my very own (ish...) kitchen!

Anyone want to come over for cupcakes and tea?