Songwriters write songs, storytellers tell stories, and poets write poetry, when they are going through something difficult in their lives. They channel those feelings and pour them into lyrics, stories or poetry that moves us to our very core.

I don’t write music, nor do I write stories or poetry. However, I turn on my music, head to my kitchen and confine myself to that little space.

Being in the kitchen is therapeutic to me, it always has been, it is a way to take different ingredients and see a finish product that most often gives me great satisfaction. Looking back I realize maybe that is one of the reasons I love baking or cooking so much.

A little bit of this a little bit of that and then a few minutes later, there is something to show for my hard work.

Being in the kitchen brings me comfort in times of sadness, calms me when I am stressed or anxious or reassures me when I have had a particularly bad day.

Friends always ask me how I find the energy to head to the kitchen after having spent hours in a kitchen (what I get paid for) to bake a cake, cook dinner or whatever my mind is set on.

I find solace in the kitchen, the familiar smells, the sounds, the warmth of the oven, the soothing music in the background, gives me a chance to shut off my ever churning brain and do things on autopilot that brings a sense of comfort to me.

Now in addition to baking,  running or riding my bike a few miles takes my mind off things too. Just focusing of putting one foot in front of the other, pounding the sidewalk, even though it could be physically tiring, it takes my mind off everyday mundane things.

A few days ago, I had one of those days, where I wanted to shut the world out, head to my kitchen and figure out something fun and interesting I could make.

I have been wanting to make doughnuts for a while, but the thought of deep-frying it and dealing with yeast, was not something I wanted to do at that moment.

When I researched baked doughnuts, it called for special pan. I did not want to drive to the baking store and drop 25$ on a doughnut pan I would probably never use again. (I already have a stack of pans that barely get used) I had no doubt there was a way to get creative, but yet have a doughnut I wanted.

I stood staring at the stack of baking pans I have and the only pan that seemed even remotely close, was a muffin tin, so why not make a doughnut muffin.

I skipped all the yeast and typical doughnut recipes, instead took a muffin recipe, put a dollop of dough at the bottom of the pan, a dollop of melted chocolate and another dollop of dough and voila, I have a doughnut muffin.

Of course a fried doughnut would have done wonders to satisfy my craving, this was not only healthier version, but also easier. A one-pan kind of dish, which was right up my alley. As much as I enjoy spending time in the kitchen making a mess and have flour strewn all over my kitchen counters and most often wearing some flour too, I have the urge to get out of the kitchen when I see a stack of dishes in the sink.

While the doughnuts were cooling off, I put on my running shoes; pound the sidewalk, burning up the calories that will soon get replaced by this doughnut.

Back from my run, I try one of the doughnuts, I wish I could say I stopped at one, but I ate another and another and was about to eat another, when I stare at the pile of dishes in the sink calling my name.