A Cooking Kind Of Day

By morning, most of the rain had passed, but it was very windy and cold here in our parts.  I braved the wet sloshy grove and went out with a bucket to gather some fresh oranges for breakfast. 

I made fresh squeezed juice with the oranges, along with a fruit salad, and Toad In The Hole.  I set the table with some of my favorite dishes.  I have collected Homer Laughlin for many years.  I happened upon these dishes at an antique store a very long time ago.  I think I got 16 dinner plates, and a variety of other odd pieces to this set. 

I just love the soft pink and yellow rosebuds in this pattern.

The fruit is also in a Homer Laughlin bowl.  But a different pattern.  This bowl was given to me by my much loved neighbors, Carl and Sue.  Sue's mother had lots of antique china, and lovely ceramic birds and things.  Sue gives me something every year from her Mother's collection. 

I have a few other pieces that match this pattern as well.  And it mixes easily with the rosebud plates.  

I think it is nice to set the table, even if only for two.  In fact, I set it for one, if it is just me eating.  I am not a fan of paper plates.  I almost always prefer dishes.  It makes meals so much nicer to sit down to,  and

it really doesn't take a lot of effort to do. 

I feel lucky that I grew up in a home where we always sat together as a family to eat our evening meal.  My Mom always set the table.   Not fancy, but with placemats and plates, and napkins, with silverware placed in the proper order.  I am so grateful to have learned these things from my mother.  Family meals should be a place to gather where our daily news is shared along with our meal.   I remember when my daughters were old enough to begin having meals in friends homes and they would report back to me that so and so didn't eat at the table, or so and so's Mom doesn't put dishes on placemats.   The niceties of life.  They are important. 
We had a rather late breakfast, so there was no lunch for us today.  After cleaning the breakfast dishes, I started a couple of loaves of bread in the machines.  I have had a Welbilt machine for over 20 years.  It was a gift from my parents.  I use it often, and it has never failed me.  A couple of years ago, we got pretty big into making bread, and I wanted to have another machine to make multiple loaves at a time.  My Mom generously offered me hers since she rarely used it.  It is a Williams Sonoma brand, and has a lot more bells and whistles.  Today I got both machines going.  One with our favorite standby, English Muffin Bread, and the other with a new one, Lemon Poppy Seed Bread.

The only ingredient that I added, which was not in the recipe, was culinary lavender.   My friend and neighbor brought this to me from Washington where much lavender is grown.  I have not ever used it in cooking before, and I wanted to try it.  I thought this recipe would be perfect for it. 

It has a very subtle flavor, and it did go nicely with the lemon bread.  I pinched about a 1/2 a teaspoon into my palm and crushed it up before adding it to the bread. 

The bread is delicious, with a slightly sweet taste, and a little flavor from the lemon, and a slight hint of the lavender.   A great combination!  The English Muffin Bread is always a winner! 
Being a cook who loves gadgets can sometimes be a problem in a house where the kitchen is, oh shall we say.....old.  There isn't a thing fancy or special about my kitchen.  Basic, basic, basic...but it gets the job done.  Storage is a problem too.  Especially for those larger appliances like bread machines.  I don't have a cupboard to store them in, since my cupboard space is all used up with other things.  I keep my two bread machines and crock pot in m laundry room, stored underneath a cart that holds my microwave and Keurig coffee machine.  I use a baby crib sheet to cover the larger machine.  Simply knotting it up on either side, using the elasticized corners to grip the machine, keeping it perfectly covered and dust free.

For the other machine, which is slightly smaller, I used a king sized pillowcase.  I just slip it on over the top, and roll up the bottom portion.  These can be tossed into the wash as often as needed, and they work great at keeping them clean.  I also cover my crock pot with a king sized pillowcase. 

I wish I had a nice big pantry that these could be put inside, but I don't, so this works great in keeping them clean. 
This afternoon, I put a pot of potato cheese soup on in the Dutch Oven. 

I just love the beautiful shade of green of this Dutch Oven, made my Lodge.  We purchased it up in Big Bear at The Copper Q culinary store. 

Today was a perfect day for soup.  Erika and Noah came over to eat with us too. 

It was a nice weekend.  A cozy weekend.  A stay inside with your socks on kind of weekend.   We enjoyed it.   Geeps finished up his big file transfer project.  I can't say that I got a lot done, but it was relaxing.  And sometimes that is just what we need! 
Hope you had a great weekend too.
XO  Kris