Great British Bake Off: Sugar Driven Television At Its Best

Knowing that my dining room table looks like this in December, you won't be surprised to learn that my new favorite television show is The Great British Bake Off. 

The show was already on Season 6 (!) when I found it and I have watched most of the episodes, season by season, on YouTube. I have found that you can watch some of the seasons on PBS, so check your local listings.

The premise of the show is that 12 amateur bakers compete each week for the chance to be crowned Britain's Best Home Baker. The show is filmed in the summer, in a large white party tent on the grounds of a British estate. Each baker's station is painted a different pastel color (blue, pink, yellow or mint green) equipped with an oven and appliances match. The entire setting is a wonderland of color and sugar - my kind of place!

What I love about it is that there seems to be enough time for them to complete each task, so they aren't cutting corners. You get to see the real process they use with parchment paper, different kinds of pans etc. I just love it. The contestants are kind and help each other, give supportive glances if someone gets a harsh critique and are always there to consult on the proper oven temperature. 

There are two hosts, Mel and Sue, who add lighthearted commentary and always seem to know the right thing to say if a cake is listing to the left. The hosts take turns announcing the "Star Baker" of the week and who has unfortunately been eliminated.

The judges are cookbook author, Mary Berry and renowned baker, Paul Hollywood - both famous on that side of the pond and its fun to see the bakers nervous to have the duo taste their creations.

Have I convinced you? This is sugar-driven television (for a girl like me) at its best. 

Cool Spaces: Seattle Public Library

Cool Spaces is a show on public television that spotlights "what's new and exciting in the world of architecture and design."  My mom was watching an episode when they began a segment on the Seattle Public Library.  Seattle!

After she called it my attention, I was able to record the episode and see just what went into the design, layout and use of materials for this magnificent structure.  I found it particularly interesting when they discussed the modern day challenges, with the surge of digital books, media and the internet, of deciding how a modern library should function. If this at all interests you, I highly recommend tracking down Episode 2 of Cool Spaces on public television.

In the episode, the library's key players explain how they decided how space should be used in a modern library. They divided the space into areas with specific functions and into areas where patrons can relax with their own gadgets or even snacks. Below, the host discusses the idea of modern libraries. 

I enjoyed riding the escalator and wandering throughout this large public space.  The light coming in through the diamond shaped windows was beautiful and interesting.

There is a large area called the "Mixing Bowl" where they expect patrons to gather and mix in a multipurpose space. I sat in one of the open use areas and read a few Seattle-based magazines and tried to experience the space. In total, I stayed about an hour and I will never forget it.

I'm including a link to a video (below) that plays on YouTube and is "available to the public." It seems a citizen video-taped his walk around inside the Seattle Public Library so that others could see what it was like. If you would like to see it, click below. If you want to move it along, slide the bar at the bottom occasionally to advance the video. It is about 5 minutes long.

The building is beautiful and functional. What have I been reading?  A great book, set in Seattle, called Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple. Check it out (wink).