The Adventures of Harry and Grace (H.S.)

Daddy's a Baker

Bouncing into the front room, blonde curls rebounding up and down, Grace finds her daddy sitting in his favorite overstuffed chair reading a book.

"Daddy, I want a treat." Smiling wide at her father.

Harry looks up from his book, her big blue eyes sparkling at him. "What kind of treat are ya thinking bug?"

"Hmm" Grace slowly taps her finger against her chunky cheek as she thinks of something yummy. "Cookies?"

"Oooo those do sound good don't they?" Harry beams at his favorite little girl. "Peanut butter or chocolate chip?"

"Mummy loves chocolate chip, so do I."

"Chocolate chip it is! Race ya to the kitchen?" Harry puts his book down on the table and stands up to race his little one into the kitchen.

"Mark. Set. Banana." Grace howls as her dad begins to run to the kitchen. "I didn't say go daddy, I said banana. Come back." Harry slumps his shoulders and pads back to where Grace was standing.

"Are ya teasing me?" Grace nods her head and smiles, letting that deep dimple sneak into her cheek.

"Kay, mark. Set. GOOO!!" Grace bolts to the kitchen with Harry hot on her heels. Giggling down the hall Grace beats her father into the kitchen. "I win!!" 

"You may have won this time." Harry says as he tickles his little one, who lets out a giggle that echoes though the house. "Ready to make cookies?"

"Yes!!" She says with excitement.

"I'll get the recipe book. You get out aprons." He says as he walks over to the cupboard where all the recipe books are kept.

Grace skips to the pantry and opens the door wide. Inside the pantry sat three hooks, each hanging an apron that belonged to a specific member of the family. The aprons have a pale pink top section with the same color as a ruffle at the bottom. (Harry's apron is the same pink minus the ruffle; just a pink strip lines the bottom) The middle of the apron is a light blue fabric with pink, white, and brown cupcakes randomly placed. Each apron has the name of the family member it belongs to embroidered in a solid white thread.

Grace grabs her apron along with her daddy's and she slides into the kitchen ready to help make cookies. "Here ya go daddy." She says as she hands Harry the apron with his name on it. Both of them slip the apron over their head. Harry turns Gracie around as he ties the back strings into a bow. He lifts Grace up and sets her on a barstool so she was at a good height to reach the mixer.

"Okay Miss Gracie girl, it says to mix one cup of butter. Then the white and brown sugar along with vanilla in the mixer." Harry walks to the fridge and pulls out some butter and eggs. "Can ya open the butter and put it in the bowl love?" He says as he hands the two sticks of butter to Grace.

"Mmmhmm!" Her tongue sticks out of the side of her mouth as she struggles to get the wrapper off the cubes of butter so they can go in the bowl.

Harry walks to the pantry to bring out the sugars, and the flour. "Good job Gracie! We need a 3/4 Cup for the sugar. Can you find the cup with a 3 dash 4?"

Grace looks through the measuring cups to find one with a 3 dash 4 and waves it high in the air. "Got it daddy! May I pour the sugar?"

"You may sweet pea." Harry opens the container of white sugar so Grace can scoop up the sugar. "'M gonna teach ya how to be a baker. Ya know I used to be a baker. A pretty good one if I do say so myself!" He says flashing that dimple with a proud smile.

"Daddy? What's a baker?" Grace dumps the 3/4 cup sugar into the red mixer as she asks her dad.

Opening up the bag of brown sugar, Harry helps Grace pack the brown sugar into the measuring cup.

"A baker is a person who makes delicious cakes, pastries, cookies, and pies." Harry watches as Grace dumps the brown sugar into the bowl. "Hold the spoon love. I'll pour the vanilla." He hands Grace the correct measuring spoon to hold over the bowl.

"Can I be a baker when I grow up daddy?" Grace turns the spoon so the vanilla can be mixed into the dough.

"You can be whatever you want to be bug." Leaning down Harry kisses her head. "Time to mix." Pulling the beater down he helps Grace turn on the motor to mix the ingredients smooth. "Do you want to crack the eggs? Or should dad?"

Full of sass Grace says "Daddy, I know how to crack eggs."  She giggles as she has a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"We both know that ya goose!" Harry taps her nose and then hands her an egg to crack in the bowl. She cracks two eggs into the bowl and starts the mixer with her dad's help!

Harry helps Grace add all of the dry ingredients into the bowl to be mixed into the dough. He hands her the opened bag of chocolate chips.

"Dump 'em in bug!"

"The whole bag?" Gracie's eyes grew wide with excitement.

"Let's make them with extra chocolate for mum! She loves chocolate!"

"Good idea daddy!" Grace dumps the whole bag of chocolate chips into the bowl as the mixer folds the chips into the dough.

Once the dough was mixed. Harry shows Grace how a "True baker" uses a spoon to place the cookies on the cookie sheet. Harry slides the first set of cookies into the oven and helps Grace place another set on a new cookie sheet.

"Can I have a taste?" Grace asks, pulling her classic puppy dogface.

"It'll make ya sick love. We don't want that!"

"Let's make a deal." Harry had a love hate relationship with this line because it was cute but he hates how it always made him give her what she wanted. "I get a taste, you get a kiss! That a deal?" Tacking on a smile spanning from ear to ear.

"Okay, one bite and then I need you to go get mum. The cookies are almost done!" Reaching into the bowl and giving Grace a pinch of cookie dough. She pops the cookie dough in her mouth.

"Mmm daddy, we did a good job!" She says with her mouth full of dough. "I'm gonna get mum!" She jumps off her stool and runs out of the kitchen. Harry can hear her little bare feet thumping on the wood floor as she runs to get her mum.

Grace brings you by the hand into the kitchen as Harry is pulling the cookies out of the oven.

"Something smells good!" You say as you sit down at the counter.

"Someone looks good!" Harry throws a wink your way as you begin to blush.

"Daddy, can I have a cookie now?" Grace is very eager to have a taste of her creation.

"The secret to a good cookie is letting it rest outside of the oven for a couple minutes. Should we get some milk?" Harry was determined to teach Grace the correct way of baking cookies. He pulls down three cups from the cupboard and gets the milk from the fridge. Harry helps Grace pour milk into each cup very carefully. Using a spatula, Harry takes the cookies off the sheet and places three on the counter.

Grace takes a bite of her warm cookie "high five dad! Good job!"
Harry gives Grace a high-five and digs into his cookie.

"These are delicious!" You say with a smile.

"Daddy used to be a baker." Grace repeats what Harry told her earlier.

You begin to giggle, "I've heard!" You smile at Harry. "A very good baker indeed!"