In case this story doesn’t make it into my future cookbook one day... When I was 8 years old, there was a Thanksgiving dinner held at my church, and my mom had signed up to bring a dessert. On the day of the event, she woke up with a horrible cold, so we weren’t going to be able to go. I asked my mom if my grandparents could take us, and she said “Yes, as long as you still take a dessert.” Mind you, I’d only ever made chocolate chip cookies up till this point, and that was with the watchful eye of my dad! (Which might puzzle you as to why it was my dad, considering he wasn’t a frequent flyer with the cooking duties, but nevertheless they were his recipe...) Anyhoo... my little 8 year old self found the Southern Living Pecan Pie Bar recipe (and the two pounds of butter required) and made them completely from scratch. That was the day I became a baker. Making these this week in my very own bakery, where people come in to buy the desserts I make, made my 8 year old self incandescently happy🧡