Flour everywhere

I had the day off work today. It was wonderful to have the break in routine. For some reason, days off during the week are always more fun for me.

After the requisite sleeping in, I puttered around trying to decide what I wanted to do with my day. After a few false starts -- giving myself a little manicure, folding some clothes -- I settled on a course of action. Eggs.

Eggs, you ask? What in the world? Well, we have 3.5 dozen eggs in our refrigerator. We get milk and eggs delivered to a box on our front porch every Monday morning (much to the consternation of our dog) and we do not go through eggs that quickly. So, the surplus.

I perused recipes, looking for things to do with eggs. I made deviled eggs. Ok. 6 down. 3 dozen to go. Then I made chocolate chip cookies. Seeing that four hours later they are almost gone, I think that was a good choice. Hey, it made a dent in the third carton of eggs.

Since I was in the kitchen and out of egg ideas, I started some whole wheat bread. While I was waiting for the yeast to dissolve, I ran into a problem. I didn't have any buttermilk. So insert daily learning experience here. I made my own. 1 tablespoon of white vinegar added to 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of milk. You let it sit for 5 minutes and voila, buttermilk!

Baking has always been something I enjoy. The smells, the warmth, the memories of my Grandma Roseanna -- all are good.

This is a pretty basic whole wheat bread recipe. It can be made in one day and the final product is good for sandwiches.

“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.”

Robert Browning