The Easy Bake Oven

I was just reading a blog about the recent change of the Easy Bake Oven. 

Here is a statement from Hasbro as quoted by the Chicago Tribune: 

"We are aware that the 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be available beginning in 2012. In fall 2011, Hasbro will launch the Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven, introducing a new way to bake for the next generation of chefs. This new oven features a heating element that does not use a light bulb and offers an extensive assortment of mixes reflective of the hottest baking trends for today." (Chicago Tribune, February 24, 2011)

This is the toy that first got me baking even before I started helping my dad to bake!  What will they do without the lightbulb?  I am very curious to see.  Though, I actually wouldn't be surprised if they did try making one that used solar power.  That would be something for our future bakers of the world.  Looking at the history of the Easy Bake Oven models, I had the one made in the late 70's, the early 80's...orange with the dual temperature from low to high that looked like a microwave.

Where it all began...how do you work this thing?

A friend of mine and I had determined that our parents had preset our destinies in our careers long before we even thought of what we'd be when we grew up.  Today, my friend is a surgeon and of course, his toy or game was Operation that he played with his siblings, whom all today are doctors.  My other friend got a mini video camera when he was a kid and now is on his way to being a successful filmmaker.  Oh, parents...what a way to pave influences on your children.  What games or toys should I give my kids in the future? 

I am very happy to say that today I am a chef of sorts, cooking, and baking and I owe it all to my one Christmas gift I received when I was four years old.  The Easy Bake Oven.

Culinary Memory: Cream Soup

I have a very distinct memory of when I had my first experience with what I thought was fancy cuisine.  My family and I were checked into the Nikko Narita Hotel in Japan (I believe today it is renamed the Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba) on our stop over on our way to the Philippines for a summer vacation.  I must have been about six or eight or something.  The hotel offered us complimentary tickets for dinner at any of the restaurants (mind you, this was the 80's...before they started charging for every single thing).  I just remember my dad and I going to the top floor (4th?)--I think it was the Rainbow Restaurant...or I'm just making that up...Anyway, it was fancy, which meant servers in tuxedos and soup in a shallow bowl and being extremely careful when drinking the soup.  They had nice linen napkins--not those paper dispenser kind.  The soup was cream of...I think I went twice--as far as I can remember because once, I think the soup was green and another time, orange. (peas and carrots Jenny?)  Also, the servers poured the soup from a gravy boat into your bowl to serve you and after the pouring, would come the plopping of little tiny perfectly shaped cubes of croutons.  I always asked for a few more. Duh!  Anyway, this soup--it was just the beginning!

Backtracking

Today I bought one of those little rounds of Happy Cow Swiss Cheese. I initially went to the supermarket just to buy some butter, but I passed by a display of Happy Cow and suddenly I was reminded of my recent trip to Turkey. A flashback of swimming in the salty mediterranean, soaring through the sky over Oludeniz, fearing for my life while swallowing much of the Dalaman River, hearing the beats of late night clubs in Taksim Square, smelling the warm aromas of shawarma, watching the best sandwich ever being made at the bus station on the way to Fethiye...

Sounds a little bizarre at first...Happy Cow? I concluded from my trip that a simple and basic Turkish breakfast is made up of delicious white bread, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, and beyaz peynir! (a white cheese)...and ah the lovely cay (pronounced shay). Turkish tea is better than any coffee high I've ever been on. You just can't beat a small glass of Turkish tea to keep you going all day. It doesn't make you jittery. You are just awake and everything will be okay! haha...sounds like crack.

When my friends and I began our adventure through Turkey, we thought, great! This is a nice, simple and fresh tasting breakfast, but then when you have it EVERYDAY, by the end, everyone's running for anything and everything else. I still like it though and even as I left Turkey, I had that simple mix of ingredients together in a sandwich at the airport (with some tea of course!).

I love how little things like that can bring you back to a great memory. I'm reliving it all again tomorrow for my breakfast!