It was a chilly weekend in San Francisco, making it a perfect weekend to turn on the oven and bake. Mario loves to bake with me, and I love when he bakes with me too! It reminds me of my first experience baking in the kitchen with my grandma, measuring sugar and stirring with a big wooden spoon until my little arm ached, and of course licking the beaters! I will never forget the warmth, aroma, teamwork and loving memories.

These are fond memories of mine and it makes me happy to be able re-create a new memory with Mario, as well as use our fun as an opportunity to teach him counting, measuring, sharing, patience and the importance of real food-based nutrition; when we are finished we get to have dessert together! I love the fact that what we bake does not have additives, preservatives, artificial sweeteners and colors that are often in desserts sold at grocery stores. I prefer to bake and cook for Mario versus buying or giving him processed foods.

Mario and I baked simple Spritz Cookies in the shape of trees- Mario's favorites. I made him Spritz Cookies in the shape of trees for Christmas a few years ago, and ever since then Mario has called them 'Cookie Trees'. I usually use Martha Stewarts recipe for Spritz Cookies, but this weekend we tried a new recipe from Pampered Chef. I cannot decide which recipe I like best, but one thing I am certain of is that nothing is better than having a little helper in the kitchen! And according to Mario the cookies are 'Delicious!'