Life Is What You Bake It

Life is What You Bake It: Recipes, Stories & Inspiration to Bake Your Way to the Top is the journey of Vallery Lomas, the first Black woman to win The Great American Baking Show. She shares her adventure of going from being a lawyer, working in a field she did not enjoy, to finding her life's passion as a baker. She also shares stories of the lives of her family and their influences on her baking.

Vallery and I have a lot in common, and I think that's one of the things I enjoyed so much about her book. Like me, Vallery had one grandmother from the country and one from the city, and her baking reflects these two diverse cultural influences. Like me, Vallery is driven to add that little extra something to each bake to surprise and amaze her audience. Like me, Vallery loves France and delights in trying her own takes on French baking.

So, now, the important question...What recipes are calling out to me? Here are the recipes I plan to try first...



Accordian Biscuits...

I am always in search of the best biscuit recipe, and this one, with its layers, looks promising.



Cornmeal Pancakes...

I'm intrigued with the idea of using cornmeal in pancakes.



French Toast...



Olive Oil-Chunk Chocolate Cookies...

Another bucket list dream of mine is to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie.



Picnic Peach Cobbler...

I've never made a cobbler. Maybe I've been waiting for this recipe with orange zest and brandy.



Lemon Surprise Tart...

What's the surprise? Candied ginger!

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Old-School Dinner Rolls...

I pride myself on my amazing dinner roll recipe. But could this one be even better?



Hot Skillet Cornbread...

I've got a sure-fire cornbread recipe, too, but this one, with creamed corn? Got to try it!

There are a dozen more recipes—One-Bowl Blueberry Buckle, Cake Truffles, Lemon-Honey Madelines—that I also want to try.

Update: I did try the Hot Skillet Cornbread with creamed corn in it. What did I think? It stayed moist for several days, and it had a delicious taste.



I also made the Olive-Oil Chunk Chocolate Cookies. My brother-in-law said they were one of the best chocolate chip cookies he has ever eaten.



I will make more from this cookbook.