You Done Good, Friend

Remember this post? Well, probably not, since many of you didn’t read my blog way back then.

I wrote it on March 17, 2010 – the day my breadmaker died.

Fortunately, later that week, my Fabulous Dude was able to fix the machine and get her workin’ again for me.

And once again, the delicious smell of homemade bread filled our home.

Until last Saturday when we were having a few of our friends over for dinner and I attempted to make braided bread to go with our chicken tortellini.

When the dough cycle completed, I lifted the lid to begin to knead and shape the dough but, sadly, what I saw was in no way, shape or form something that I would call acceptable dough.

It was crumbly and in little pieces. Clearly, it had not mixed properly.

This weekend, the Dude took a look at the machine to see what was up.

And then, he delivered the most heart breaking news.

My breadmaker has reached a point of no return.

Sadness.

As I say goodbye to my faithful companion, all I can say is, “You Done Good, Friend”.

Because my trusty sidekick stuck with me for the entirety of two years and one month. And although that may not seem like very long, for a machine that was used at least 2-3 times per week, I’d say it’s pretty good.

I would say I got my money’s worth (er, um, my mother-in-law’s money worth – Christmas present!).

This is the machine that transformed our home from one that consumed a ridiculous amount of store bought bread products to one that consumes mostly homemade products. In fact, for the entire year of 2009, the only thing we ever purchased was one package of tortillas and one package of bagels. Every other bread product we ate in our home was made in my trusty little machine.

So now, I will begin looking for a new machine to take up residence in the empty corner of my kitchen where my old bread machine once stood.

The search is on!

a sad day

Yesterday was a sad day.

In the morning, I did what I do on most Monday and Tuesday mornings.

I organized and measured my ingredients for whole wheat bread.

I dumped it all in the bread maker.

I set the machine for the dough cycle.

And then I sat down and got to work, knowing that in one hour and fifty minutes my dough would be ready to be kneaded, shaped, risen and baked.

I sat in silence, waiting for the 15 minute rest period to end, and the mixing to begin.

And when it did, I heard the most pitiful sound I have ever heard.

The sound of a broken bread maker trying to mix dough.

I knew this day was coming.

Over the past month or so, my bread maker has sounded like an over worked machine, working harder and harder each time it is instructed to do it's job.

I knew one of these days, I would turn it on, and it would tell me that it quit.

And yesterday, that day came.

My bread maker told me "I have had enough. I quit".

Even though I knew it was coming, I felt let down.

I screamed at my bread maker "Come on, you can do it! Just one more loaf!"

So, I reset it, and tried again.

And again, after the 15 minute resting period, the machine let me know that it would not be mixing another loaf of bread.

Thankfully, the FD's aunt rescued me and lent me her bread maker until I can either find a good sale on one or the FD can fix my old one.

Apparently, these things weren't made to be used multiple times a week.

Apparently, I worked my baby too hard.

So, farewell, dear bread maker.

You've done good.

Menu Plan Monday

It's so hard to believe that July is already here! After being away for most of last week, I'm doing my best to get back on track with my regular cooking and baking. If you've been over to Lucy's Kitchen lately, you will have noticed that there has not been much going on there over the past week or so. I'm hoping to change that this week ... but not for long because starting Friday I'll be away for another week and a bit. Crazy summer days!

Other than a new tortilla recipe

Rice and Beans

Onion and Black Pepper Bread
and another shot at Apple Cinnamon Muffins

...nothing new has been going on. Hmm, now that I write that down, it does seem like a lot but it sure didn't feel like a lot.

Here is the plan for this week...

Sunday
BBQ with Friends from church

Monday
Chili
Mexican Cornbread

Tuesday
Western Omelets
Toast

Wednesday
Chicken Tortellini Alfredo** (this is one of our favourites but I just realized I have not made it since I started my cooking blog)

Thursday
Chicken and Corn Chowder** (this is something like the fourth week in a row that this recipe has been on the menu but things keep getting in the way of me making it. I am determined to try it this week)
Bread Sticks

Friday
Gone away for another week!

Saturday
Gone!

Breakfasts
Cherry muffins
Apple muffins
Fruit smoothies
Cherries

Lunches
Leftovers
Ham sandwiches
Cherries

Snacks
Cherries
Cherries on ice cream
Cherries in a bowl
Cherries on a plate
Cherries
Cherries
Cherries
Black Forest Bread
Whole Wheat Cherry Scones**

**recipes will be posted at Lucy's Kitchen

Head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas!

My 2009 Kitchen Goal

I know it's a bit late to be sharing my new year's goal but I was reluctant to post about it at first because I was afraid it was a bit to pie in the sky and that I would flunk out and then feel silly when people asked me how it was going. It is also not like me to really make new year's resolutions (which you may not believe now that this is my second post talking about new year's resolutions). However, I made it through the first month and have been successful so I thought it was about time I started writing about it.

Anyway, earlier in 2008, I came across the CrockPot Lady. If you haven't visited her blog, let me tell you a bit about her. She vowed to use her crockpot every single day in 2008 and succeeded! You go girl! My goal is not nearly as ambitious but she certainly did inspire me to set a "Kitchen Goal" and to strive to do somethings differently this year.

So here it is ...

Drum roll please ...

I have made it my goal to make all of our own bread products in 2009, or at least be consistently making everything myself by the end of the year. So far, I haven't bought a single bread product since before Christmas. I'm having a load of fun with it, too.

Let me tell you about it. I am not necessarily setting this goal in order to save money or to be healthier (although those are certainly benefits and strong motivators). The truth is, I got a breadmaker from my mother in law for Christmas and I have heard so many people say, "I have a breadmaker that I used twice, then I put it in storage and never used it again". I am just too darn stubborn to be one of those people. I figure by setting this goal, I'll be sure to get good use of my breadmaker.

On that note, I know some people's response may be, "Using a breadmaker doesn't count as making your own bread." Well, in my opinion, if it's the first step I can take, then fine by me. For most recipes (so far) I have been using the dough setting and finishing the bread in the oven. But, I am by no means opposed to doing the entire baking cycle in the bread maker. The bread pan in my machine is horizontal, so the bread comes out the same shape as a regular loaf. The only thing I don't like is that the mixing paddles leave those annoying holes in the bottom of the loaf. In the summer, I started making some bread by hand, but at this point in life, I know there's no way I would stick to my goal if I had to do all the mixing and kneading by hand. It's just too time consuming. It's so much quicker to use the dough cycle, and so far the results have been fantastic.

The problem with making homemade bread is this ... sometimes it tastes a lot better than store bought bread which means sometimes I eat a little bit too much of it. In that case, homemade bread would not, in fact, be more health conscious. However, I have a theory that has held up thus far: the more you make homemade bread, the less novel is becomes and the less you feel the need to eat half a loaf in one sitting. I have really been impressed that we haven't been overindulgent. I really haven't been making any more than I would normally be buying, so that's a good thing!

My pasta making expedition was a part of this experiment as well. I wasn't as pumped about the extra time/effort that it took, but I'm definitely not giving up on it yet. I think the pasta portion might be one of the components that I include in the "I will be consistently be making everything by the END of year" clause. If I have to buy dried pasta sometimes, big deal. Besides, there's no way I'm going to try making elbow macaroni or other complex shapes myself. No way.

I'm sure this will be a learning process and I'm hoping to share as much of that process with you as possible. I'm going to spend the next little while catching you up on the recipes I've tried (that I didn't post through January in case I gave up on this). I will let you know what worked and didn't work and I'd love to hear from any of you if you have recipes you've tried before, or recipes you've been wanting to try. I would definitely be willing to try them out on your behalf. And if you ever come over to visit, be prepared to be subjected to taste testing!

So, now the secret's out. I'm making my own bread. Hold me accountable, would ya?