As I move back into my newly repaired home — repairs which have changed it almost beyond recognition — I begin with the kitchen. Yes, there are beds set up, and desk in the study, but the real heart of the house is the kitchen. In a well regulated house, this should be a comfortable room where meals can be prepared, family can gather, and any messy crafts can be dealt with from start to finish. Right now, my kitchen space has a way to go.

But one thing that makes a kitchen special, makes any home special is the way it smells. I like a house that smells of herbs, spices, lemon oil and baking. I revisited some of the recipes and food articles I have posted on Triond. These include: Easy Toaster Oven Yeast Bread, Easy Holiday Toaster Oven Cookies, Making Jambalaya, Beans, Good Old Reliable Spaghetti, Healthy Snacks, and Snacks I Love.

Soon I had I had oatmeal cookies baking in the little toaster oven and bread dough sitting on a pan balanced on my old, metal colander on top of the oven. Bread doesn’t like to rise well when it is cold. Today, the temperature outside is 15F. Inside, I’m not sure — but absolutely not warm enough. Yeast likes a warm spot in which to grow. Once the yeast colony had multiplied sufficiently, I put made small buns and put them in pans to rise again. I covered the pans with a clean tea-towel, and went back to my typing.

When I next looked up, there was Carmen, sitting on top of the towel! I shrieked, and rushed to rescue my bread. I removed the cat, then the towel and stared sadly at my carefully made buns. Although the towel had kept the dough clean, the plump little buns were sadly flattened. Well, I had thought about making flatbread anyway. Guess that’s what we are having.