Julie and Julia (and Birthday Cake)

I went to see Julie and Julia with my lovely friend Dhini on Thursday. I loved this film. In fact, right now I loved that film so much it is pretty high in my list of all time favourite films. It may just be that I have seen it at the right time - and maybe it won't seem so great when I buy it when it is released on DVD (like immediately) - but for now I loved it.

I have been trying to figure out what I liked about it so much. So, in no particualar order:

1. Merril Streep was AMAZING. I loved her character and the way she portrayed her.
2. It was set in Paris and New York, two of my favourite cities
3. It was about cooking. I LOVE to cook.
4. Both Julie and Julia loved and were loved by their husbunds for what they were. I am too
5. It made me want to blog again, something that has been on my mind for far too long.

I think my favourite line of the film was early on, after a tough day Julie is cooking and explains why she loves to cook. Not in her exact words but it is along the lines of the certainty of cooking. No matter what has happened in your day, you can have complete certainty that with the correct attention to detail and ingredients, then you can be certain that eggs and cream and butter will combine in the same way. And this is so true. One of my favourite things to do is to disappear into my kitchen, with radio 4 on rather too loudly, and to cook. To get out my pots and pans, or for a real treat my bakeware, and to combine ingredients and create good things. The creativity of good cooking, the reliability I have in Nigella and Delia to give me advice that will be true and I trust, is something I really enjoy. The more I bake and cook, the more I learn about what egg whites can do for royal icing and a dash of flour in a casserole can transform it. And once these lessons have been learnt they stay with me for the rest of my days.

I guess cooking is also a way I express my love for those I care about. I love to cook Jonny things he enjoys after a long day at work, or bake cakes for people I care about or throw together some cheese on toast when a friend may unexpectedly drop round for lunch. This is a way I express my desire to nourish and support those who surround me.

One of the joys of my life is my niece, Maisie Charlotte Young. Tomorrow my family will celebrate her second birthday. Through some difficult days, I also have certainty in her that she will smile when I sing badly, laugh when I crawl around on the floor and put her arms up for JoJo when I walk through the door. So today, with the best of my ability I have produced her birthday cake (and cookies) for her party. They may not win any awards, but I gave this baking my all - because I love her dearly and want her to look at a photo of her cake one day, and know her JoJo baked not for praise, not for anyone else at the her party, but just for her. Happy Birthday Mais.