So, after spending all day yesterday in my p.j’s, and doing absolutely nothing all day, I had to get busy today.

Friday, I borrowed the Farmer’s Kitchen Aide Mixer, with all the attachments.  I had plans to make some cookies, and some home-made bread.   Seeing as how I did not get around to it yesterday, I got busy today. I got up and drank some coffee and chatted with the Electrician, then disappeared into my kitchen.

First thing on the agenda was to make some chocolate/butterscotch cookies.  I got all my ingredients out and had to do a face palm to the forehead.  So, I went back downstairs and asked the Electrician if he would do me a really big favor.  After getting “the look”, he asked me what the favor was.  ”Uhm…could you run to the store for me?”   The Electrician said he would go after he had taken his shower. “Whew” is what I was thinking.  After he had his shower, he asked me what I needed.  Apparently this is where the mix-up came into play.  He thought I meant run up the street to our local IGA, when in fact, I meant run into Town, to our local Aldi‘s.  I told him I needed eggs, flour, and butter, oh yea some Diet coke too.    I’m not sure if he ended up going, simply because he loves me or my cookies more, but he went for me.

Now I could get busy.  Seriously though, who plans to make 6 loaves of bread and a couple batches of cookies, and does not realize they have no butter, not enough eggs, and definitely not enough flour?  Yea, you guessed it, me.

With the cookies all made and sitting on the cookie sheets,( I am lucky I have about 8 of the Industrial size cookie sheets), waiting to take their turn in the oven, I washed all the dishes, and then shredded the Zucchini, and the apples for the flavored breads I was making.

First up was the zucchini/apple bread.  It might sound like a crazy combination, but it is actually really good.   After getting it all made and sticking it in line with the last of the cookies, I washed dishes again, and got busy with the pumpkin bread.  I almost had a disaster with that one, because I forgot to mix the oil into the dough, and then looked in my lazy Susan (where all my canned stuff is, along with my cooking oils), I only found a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil.  Uhm, nope that was not going to work, then I opened up the cabinet under my sink and remembered I had bought 2 great big bottles of canola oil, so I could change the oil in my fryer (uhm, yes, I am a procrastinater and have not done that either).  Problem solved.  Mixed it all together and then put it into the loaf pans.

With all the cookies being done, I stuck the bread in the oven.  Then realized something.  ANOTHER face palm to the forehead……I had planned to make Beer butt chicken, with roasted broccoli, cauliflower and mushrooms, and roasted potato’s, uhm…in my oven.  It was going on about 12:00 when I stuck the bread in the oven, and that would take about an hour.  Now on Sunday’s around here, we usually have dinner about 1:30 or 2.  Not going to happen today.

So, I warmed up the Electrician a leftover green chili cheeseburger from last night, and brought it down to him.  I don’t think he minded, as he was in pretty good humor, something about THE BEARS blowing up the Tennessee Titans.

Meanwhile, I got everything ready to stick in the oven when the bread was done.    I still had 2 more loaves of bread that I wanted to make, and these were the one’s that were going to take some time.  It’s called Amish Country Bread, and it uses yeast.

I have only just started working with yeast, because I used to be scared of it.    But the recipe I found is easy.  The mixer does most of the work, and I like that. There is the punching down of the dough, and letting it rise, but there is not much kneading, and no rolling.  I really like that.  The loaves are rustic looking, and I did something different this time.  Last time I made it, I topped the loaf with sea salt, fresh rosemary(from my plant) and Parmesan cheese.   One batch makes 2 loaves, this time, I did the rosemary one, but the second one I did with fresh Thyme (from my plant), kosher salt, and pecorino romano cheese.

Well….it is now about 5:30pm, dinner has been eaten, my kitchen is back to being squeaky clean.  I do have confess, the Electrician asked how come I made such a mess.  My kitchen kind of looked like a “flour zone”.  That’s when I told him, the Best cooks, make the biggest mess, and the food is yummy.

My breads have all been cooled, wrapped, and placed in the freezer, although I did send 1/2 a loaf of pumpkin bread to my neighbor.  I did have a bunch of fun cooking most of the day, and folks, my house smells amazing.

I did call the Farmer though and we did some negotiations over the phone, I still have 2-4 more breads I want to make, so I asked if I could keep his mixer one more day.  The price we negotiated was a small bag of cookies, and the mixer could inhabit my kitchen one more day.

So, tomorrow afternoon when I return from the Farmer’s house, I will finish up my bread making, and also some pie crusts.  Now some of you are probably asking yourself, why am I making so much bread and other stuff.  Hey call me Mrs. Ready, holidays are coming up and I am NOT waiting till the last-minute.