In the Kitchen on a Summer Saturday

I'm toying with the idea of making all of our bread.

While I do make bread on occasion, we mostly buy it at the supermarket.

The pros to this idea:

~ knowing exactly what ingredients are going into each loaf

~ using up the yeast before it expires

~ the scent of bread baking

~ saving money on the grocery bill

The cons:

~ hmmm

~ ummm

~ gee, I can't think of any except that I might lose interest in the whole idea and go back to the convenience of buying it at the store.

But, for today, I am motivated and inspired to give it a try so I began my day in the kitchen baking bread.  A basic whole wheat loaf.  I let the bread machine whip up the dough and then baked it in the oven.

The kitchen was my happy place today.

Once the bread was baked, it was time to replenish the granola supply.

While the oats were out I decided it was also time to replenish the frozen fruit crisp crumbs.  Seems I first did this around this time last year after reading the recipe in the Mennonite Girls Can Cook Celebrations cookbook.  I believe the recipe can also be found here.

I love fruit crisps and I especially like the idea to keep the crumbs in the freezer.  It makes it so easy & convenient to take out just the amount needed to put a delicious fruit crisp on the table any time the craving strikes.

The inspiration for today's kitchen time.

My Double Delight roses are having a bit of a comeback.

When I noticed a bunch of buds forming earlier this week, I braved the oppressive humidity and treated them to a dose of Rose Tone.  I then gave them a long, slow drink from the garden hose.  They are now thanking me with beautiful flowers.  I feel a tad guilty for accepting them as most of the summer I have been neglecting them terribly.

At day's end there is a sense of satisfaction in surveying the fruits of one's labor. 

Looking forward to breakfast tomorrow.