The Mid-Night Baker Goes Global

Welcome to the Mid-Night Baker (MNB) Blog! I was quite bummed to see that a lot of other people had created blogs called 'Midnight Baker' in some way or another, but I was 100% set on naming it this. Why, you ask?

Story time! Because about 8 years ago, when I embarked on my first ever quest of baking I did it really late one night - probably a school night when I had more 'important' (ha!) things to do. The cookies turned out amazing. The name wasn't created then but, being the night owl that I was, I would always do my baking super late...sometimes starting around 1AM. Why? Because I LOVE COOKIES. And when I want cookies, I eat cookies. And if I don't have good cookies (read: "homemade delicious cookies"), I make said homemade delicious cookies. So I started a trend for myself. I continued to play around with a variety of recipes. My sister would plead for me to bake them for her hockey team. I'd make a huge batch (80+ cookies) and they would be gone in a few days. Supply was low, demand got high. And the process continued until the Kroot household weight had increased by a few percentage points, and the vicious cycle was ceased...temporarily...until the beast was once again awoken. That beast, as dubbed by my Mom, was jokingly named "The Mid-Night Baker". Clearly, the name stuck. I was no loch-ness monster, but the cookies inspired monster-like tendencies of indulgence and sheer lack of control.

The Mid-Night Baker Logo!
As Seen on the MNB Basic Roasted Almond Buttah Label

Over my college years, cookies became less and less common - often gracing their presence over the holidays for larger gatherings and whenever I really wanted some cookies (or the demand hit critical mass). One of the best Christmas presents I ever received was an Ice Cream Maker. I was literally going Nintendo 64 crazy circa 1996 - and, yes, I looked up the released date for an accurate statement right there. For those 'non-gamers' I'll go with Tickle Me Elmo, also released in 1996 (note: Wikipedia rocks!). I would have nights where I was both baking cookies (which sometimes was dubbed "cooking bakies" in absolute tiredness and goofiness) and making ice cream. The Mid-Night Baker's Cookiewich became instantaneous glory. I kid you not. It was epic - and this is not abuse of the word epic. Trust me. Then I got the brilliant idea to simply combine my delicious ice cream and well-loved cookies. How, you ask? Cookie Dough Ice Cream. Yes, I went there. Yes, the cookie dough was uncooked. And, yes, it was complete glory. It may even be known as my first Pursuit of Glory. My Dad - a food lover - said, at the time, "This is the best ice cream I have ever had!" I told him he was being absurd, but he assured me he 100% meant it. That was when I knew I had nailed it. Complete, top of the list, approval from Brian Kroot. The Mid-Night Baker was legit. The MNB is legit, at least in my mind thanks to my Dad's full-on approval. However, I'll keep the verdict out for you all.

With my recent resurgence in cooking and baking and new endeavor of raw recipe making, a food blog is in order. The Pursuit of Glory has a perfect counterpart now: FOOD! And, today, the Mid-Night Baker  is going to la-blog. la-blog backwards is Global. Coincidence? I. Think. Not.

The Kitchen Frenzy upon discovery of a (very old and very AWESOME) Food Processor,
which has become my new, very dear friend.

Recipe #1: Happiness from your food:
Ingredients list:

• Know exactly what you are putting into your body...and why (much more challenging than one would think!)
• Eat for recovery, eat to be constantly and optimally fueled
• Flavor. For the most part...if you don't enjoy it, you won't eat it (or at least not often)
• Balanced
• Keep the fat healthy!
• Result in: "No way is that good for you!"
• Convert people to believe experience that tasty food = healthful food
• Minimize (or neglect): Butter, cream, sat fat, added oils, sugar, non-whole grains, etc.
• Maximize: Complete nutrition, pureness of flavor, ability to taste most (or all) components

Process:

• Combine ingredients
• Enjoy
• Be Happy :)

Note: The MNB will be in association with my other blog: The Pursuit of Glory - which highlights my athletic and life endeavors. Expect a (very) high focus on high-quality, high-octane recipes to fuel the athlete looking for optimal performance. However, I will (every Blue Moon or two) include an 'unhealthy' or 'less than optimal healthfulness' recipe with a specific label that is TBD.