Back In The Kitchen

I knew that after sharing other people's kitchens for almost two years, it would be so nice to have my own again. But I've been surprised how much I'm enjoying it. Not that I necessarily had a problem sharing, which is why I'm surprised. I've been doing TONS of cooking (mostly baking). Partly to try to save money by making snacks, but mostly just for the enjoyment of watching the rest of the family eat it. I few things I've been enjoying making:

Orin is a granola bar addict and they can be pretty expensive. I know a few people who make their own so I'd thought I'd try. A lot of recipes have a tendency for the bars to crumble but I found one that works great. I add a little Rice Crispies cereal and coconut, substitute chocolate chips for the raisins, and omit the cinnamon. Orin calls them "Momma's 'nola bars" and, to my surprise, prefers them over Quaker.


I've also been trying to make our bread. I've been working a lot to get the recipe right. There are a lot out there, and some have been really good. But none have been "perfect." Damien really likes 7 grain bread and there only a few recipes for that. I'm thinking about getting an actually cookbook of bread recipes instead of just looking online. Plus, we decided that we don't like the loaf size that the bread machine makes. Bread machines are a little tall compared to store-bought loafs. So I'm thinking about buying a bread loaf pan (different from the one you might make banana bread in) and just use my bread machine to make the dough and let it rise, etc... and then just transfer the dough to the oven to actually bake. Unfortunately, the pans are a little expensive.


I'm also enjoying just trying new things as well as well as making some old favorites that I haven't been able to make in a while. These are Damien's favorite cookies (oatmeal raisin). Orin and Caiah like them too, and for some reason Orin has named them "cowboy cookies."