My mother’s love for baking has always been a strong presence in my life and in my home. For as long as I can remember, our house was filled with the divine smell of freshly baked cookies, breads, bars, and cakes. I have vivid memories of my mom putting the finishing touches on her creations, her sleeves hiked up past her elbows, leaning against the counter, re-reading a recipe for the sixth time to make sure she had gotten everything right, a perfectionist at heart.