I think the hardest thing about baking (or cooking for that matter) is finding time to do it. I don't have kids, a dog, or a house, and I still feel like I am too busy to find time to do all the cooking and baking that I'd like to. If only there were a couple more hours in the day that we could use for those extra things that we never have time for. Since I require my place to be stocked with various meal choices and desserts, I try to use some short cuts to help myself out.
I make a lot of my meals on the weekends if I can and just eat leftovers during the week. I know some people don't (or won't) eat leftovers, and I really don't understand that. If it's good food in the first place, the leftovers usually aren't that bad that they would be inedible.
If I don't want to make it ahead of time, I will at least cook up the meat (if the recipe calls for it) and freeze it so it's ready to go whenever I need it. That saves a surprisingly large amount of prep time on most recipes.
I also like to take a note from Sandra Lee and make things only half homemade. For example, I had a banana cake mix that I wanted to use up but still wanted to do something a little more personal. So I baked the banana cupcakes as directed and made homemade cream cheese frosting for the top (only one of the best frosting flavors ever!).
I know many people have already thought of these time saving tips, but oh well. I'm just sharing what I do! :-D
