Great British Bakers

Somehow we've gotten to the point where food is a sport. How many competitive cooking shows are there on Food Network these days? I don't even know... but there's like, a lot. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining - I have great memories of watching Iron Chef with my mom when I was little and love the American version even better. But sometimes it's nice to have something a little more relaxing to watch instead of having my blood pressure rise every time Ted has them open their baskets to find some weird fish that looks like a monster and only lives in the bottom of a lake in Africa that I've never heard of. And that's where the Great British Bake Off comes in.

For those that haven't watched, it's competition where a group of amateur bakers is slowly whittled down by a series of challenges until there's only one left. Each episode features three challenges that the judges use to see who's the best and worst, with the best getting "Star Baker" for the week and the worst going home. It's really relaxing to watch and, as opposed to shows like Cutthroat Kitchen, all the competitors are kind and helpful to each other.

So what does this have to do with anything? Well, since Leslie loves the show so much, we've been watching it together and making something inspired by what they make in each episode. (She's definitely the better baker in the family, so my idea for us to make something from every episode has turned into me "helping" Leslie make us tasty treats. Luckily for me, she enjoys it and likes baked goods as much as I do. That, and the fact that she loves bacon probably more than I do, is really the foundation for our marriage.)

Episode one of this series was cakes with each contestant having to make a Swiss Roll for the first round. Well, Leslie and I have never made one of those... so why not give it a shot? Leslie found a recipe for a lemon cake roll with a lemon curd and whipped cream filling for us to try out. We did pretty well, even if the cake roll was a little over-cooked. It still rolled up nicely and tasted quite good. Really though, I love lemons in baked goods, so I was going to be happy with just about anything.

And there you have it - our first attempt at becoming great British bakers. We've got more to share, so keep an eye out for more of these foodie posts coming soon. Plus more house and travel updates on the way. Thanks for reading and we'll see you next time!