On Research & Development

As I write I sit on my soft and comfy bed in a hotel in Minneapolis. This bed has not only been my place to sleep these last days, it has also been my couch, desk, and even my eating area. A very versatile bed!

Though you may not think a bed is where you would like to do all of your dining, I have to say it has been a very nice experience. Besides the fact that eating our own packed food cuts down the expense of a trip, we have found we are over all much more satisfied when not eating greasy and far-from-home-made restaurant food... at least most of the time. Of course there comes a point when bread gets dry and the contents of the cooler become unexciting. This was the case yesterday, day five of our trip. The two loaves of bread that lasted amazingly well were reduced to one puny crust. The rest of our food was also dwindling, and we were ready for a little variety. It was time to do something about this before there was mutiny.

A trip to one of my family's favorite specialty grocery stores in the Twin Cities, Trader Joe's, soon solved the problem. Milk, bread, and veggies were replenished, while several unnecessary but fun foods were picked up to make our meals more interesting. As we followed the instructions of our GPS through the confusing mess of roads back to our hotel, a pleasant smell met my nose - the aroma of "real" bread. Ahhh... none of that stuff that tastes and smells like saw dust! That smell could have easily brought me to snacking on the bread right then and there, but I refrained.

This noon was the exciting hour of sampling. With all the bread that is baked in our home, we rarely have the opportunity to try other people's bread. Here was our chance. Would it taste as good as it smelled? Chewy and with substance, the sourdough which was a bit more tangy than I like was mellowed and made pleasing with home-made strawberry jam. Multigrain and Seed Bread was a hit both with and without cheese. If stomachs could smile, ours would have been with this hearty and moist bread.

Our stomachs are satisfied, and our menus have been made more interesting. Besides that, I have had a chance to do some bread research. I have to say, this research and development job isn't half bad!

Speaking of development, there are some new things in the works in my kitchen. Though I have no plans to expand my breads this winter, I have been working on some new granola recipes. No finalizations have been made, so keep checking back for the releases of new granola!