Some wives collect purses or shoes. My wife collects bakeware in all different shapes, sizes, and especially colors. She has collected bakeware and recipes from all over the world. And of course, has embarrassed me and our daughter many times by asking the chef for his secret recipe - whether it's a roadside dinner in a small town, a Parisian restaurant, or a cruise ship. Nothing intimidates her when it comes to baking.

She is always baking something warm and delicious. Her cherry pie and her dense coconut cake make any amount of calories unimportant. She never runs out of ideas and the options are limitless with the variety of bakeware she has in her kitchen. Her Bundform pans come in shapes for any Holiday or special occasion.

Often there are cake pans in the top oven, as chocolate chip cookies get chewy and gooey baking on stainless steel sheets in the bottom oven. Every jar is full of healthy treats baked fresh that morning, and ready for the snacking. I hit the gym every morning just to be able to survive in the house. There are a couple of kids who live next door. Every so often I find them in the kitchen and boy do they love to bake! Cathy has become their favorite person in the world.... their goddess of goodies. She has so many baking sheets, cake pans, muffin pans and cookie cutters that there is no limit to the tasty creations the kids make. She guides their hands with decorations, and lets them taste as they go. Chocolate cheeks and frosted fingers make the whole afternoon perfect.

Baking with kids is a great art project. It gets them creating shapes, colors, and flavors, and instead of hanging their creations on the fridge, they eat them and share them with their families. Cathy has a regular sized batter bowl for herself and 2 "baby" batter bowls for the kids. With their handle and spout they make it easy for little hands to use.

Baking can also teach them about nutrition. Use whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose, substitute applesauce for butter or oil, use honey instead of sugar, and use non-fat condensed milk instead of whole milk. There are tons of lessons to learn from the fun of baking: "math" with measurements, "sharing" kitchen tools, "eating well" with healthy recipes, and "creativity" with decorations. Get the kid's in the kitchen and the bakeware buttered up.

Have some fun!