Cosmic Charlie

In my blogging mental vacay, I totally didn't get to blog about my bread baking experience. When I left you, last week, I was about to set off to conquer my fear of the kitchen and try to accomplish another goal in my ever changing moods. Bread baking. Can she do it? Yes, she can, and did!!

I have an online pal, C, who answered my plea for easy bread baking instructions. She gave me a recipe and directions via Facebook. She is a bread baking queen and was my shining star on that day. I took the directions and with flour and yeast packets, in hand, I jumped right in.

I will admit that the beginning stages of kneading did not go well. I didn't have enough flour, I don't think. I also forgot to flour my hands. I quickly got on board, though, and before I knew it, I had dough rising and then I when I divided it, I had two nice loaves ready to bake. The baking time found me biting my nails and staring at the timer. What emerged were two nicely browned loaves. I let them cool and then cut a piece for Mr. Man...he declared it awesome!! And so it was. And I continued to smile all through the evening.

Once my family returns to me, I plan to bake more and experiment with herb breads, roasted garlic breads, roasted olive breads and gasp....can she do it...flat breads???

The point is, I faced my fear in the eyes, that day. I like doing some things the old school way and I did it all by hand, no machine. I used to have a vision of myself many years ago when we were all young and it was of me, living in a huge old house, baking bread and taking care of my friends. I don't know why I had that vision, I just did. Anyway, one of the hurdles was the lack of bread baking knowledge. The other hurdle was that we all grew up and are so scattered and nobody needs taking care of. BUT...now I can bake bread for the family. The people I take care of.

And, like anything else I am doing or creating in the kitchen, I need music. Baking bread and The Grateful Dead just go hand in hand, in my book. Cosmic Charlie was playing during the kneading process. So, my maiden voyage into bread baking found me naming my bread, Cosmic Bread...