12th January 2024
The weather forecast today was grim, there was eighteen inches of snow and fifty miles an hour winds expected, but it hadn’t started yet.
We had a dresser to pick up, and just as we set off, the snow and wind started.
It started off quite normal, the GPS was spitting out directions as normal, but then things took an odd twist. The order came through to take a right turn into a cemetery which we okayed. We drove down the track between the graves trying to understand what was happening. This didn’t make any sense, there were no dressers propped against any grave stones.
Then in desperation we drove out and took the closest right turn, the guess was correct, the address that we were looking for was just the other side of the fence.
The dresser was in a downstairs basement, my favourite location, but with shear determination I got it up the stairs. The only consolation was, if I died in the attempt, I was certainly in the most convenient place.
Whilst we were out, our other mission was to look for a Dutch oven. Kelli has decided to have a go at making bread. Driven by the high price of almond flower made loves, and the physical size of the them,(each slice was less than two inches square) she searched for a recipe using an organic old grain flour.
We had bought that and the yeast yesterday, and she set about making the dough.
We had to leave it for three hours to rise up or something. By the time we returned it had taken over the house! Well not quite, but it had risen a lot.
We tried to find a Dutch oven because the recipe called for it, so in good American tradition we went to Goodwill. Unfortunately there was nothing. Then we went to another thrift place, but it was closed due to the weather.
Finally we tried an upmarket resale store, a place with a better class of tat. They didn’t have any either. By now desperation was setting in, “Let’s try downtown” I said knowing that it would probably cost ten times more, but the snow was falling faster and there was spaghetti left overs in the fridge. That shop were closed as well, my wallet gave a sigh of relief.
“Surely your mother must have something we could borrow” I asked. Kelli sent a message and we waited for a reply.
Needless to say we stopped there to pick up a dish with a lid that should do the job.
So Kelli peeled the risen dough from the basin and placed it into the dish, placing the lid on top, putting it into the oven, for twenty five minutes.
It was like watching paint dry waiting for the timer to ring, then it was another five minutes with the top off.
The house was smelling like a bakery, so wonderful.
As the dish was pulled from the oven we could see the beautiful form of the loaf appear, slightly brown on the top, it was placed on a wire rack to cool. However we couldn’t wait, Kelli hacked off a piece covering it with butter that melted immediately. It was heaven, freshly baked bread, it made me glad I married her.
Another Lifetime to go 