I am always surprised by the variety of desserts coming from the American home kitchen. Caramel[焦糖] cakes， carrot cookies， chocolate chip cookies， apple pie， brownies， gingerbread[姜餅]， you name it.

When I was invited to a home party， I saw Americans bringing platters[大淺盤] of desserts made by themselves for the host family. The desserts looked just the way they were sold in the bakery—perhaps with a little more personal touch， such as the toppings[糕點上的裝飾配料] and wrapping[包裝].

Sadly， I have no talent for making desserts. Moreover， I do not even have a sweet tooth. But it seems many Americans either like sweets or they enjoy cooking them. They shop for ingredients and culinary[烹飪的] tools. Then step by step， from kneading[揉] dough[生面團] to battering eggs and molding， every detail counts.

The most magical home appliance in almost every American family is the oven. I am not sure if Chinese families have adopted the oven as much as microwaves yet. When I first moved into an apartment in America， the oven range was certainly new to me. It was a large metal device shaped like a washing machine with four electric rings on the top. Since I had never cooked with an oven and I wasnt interested in learning， there was no surprise that the oven was always the cleanest area in my kitchen.

If you know how to use an oven， you can make all sorts of western cuisine， of course， including baking desserts. You no longer need to visit a bakery to buy the bread， biscuits and cakes that you crave[渴望得到]. Instead， you can make them by following the right recipe[食譜]. I have a Chinese friend who found a way. She taught herself from books how to bake cakes. After many tries， she succeeded in baking a yellow birthday cake with fruits and colorful frosting[糖霜] on top. Another American friend created his own recipe and made walnut[核桃] cookies with coconut milk.

To make baking desserts simple， there are ready-made mixes sold at American supermarkets. On the box of the mix is usually the recipe and instructions. It is really a good start for beginners. One time， I bought a box of cornbread mix and followed the steps on the back of the box. Ta Da—out came a tray of golden yellow cornbread topped with mini chocolate chips from my oven！??！ I was really proud of myself. Yum！