A place for everything; everything in its place!

Hi all, just a quick comment about mise en place. Ever heard of it? It's a fabulous french term (ooh la la)used in cooking, which basically means putting everything in its place. It's so important to be organized in the baker's kitchen! That means setting up before you start! I know, I know, sometimes it's hard to know what you need, but read ahead! Take a closer look at your recipe: what are the ingredients? Should your butter be soft first (almost always), eggs room temperature (ditto), and milk at room temperature (you guessed it)? Make sure you've got all of your ingredients prepared, but also take the time to put your dry ingredients together (if recipe permits), put your eggs and vanilla in a bowl together, and get your butter and sugar ready in your mixer. Trust me, if you have everything ready to go ahead of time, making a cake will be a cinch!