bed, bath...

As of late, I have been on a baking frenzy. We finally unpacked many of the kitchen oriented items from our wedding gifts: cookbooks, bowls, mixer, pastry board, etc.

I've learned to make pizza dough, bundt, carrot, banana and persimmon cake. I've rearranged and cleared out several cabinets and baker's rack shelves to keep up with the various baking pans. Consequently the kitchen is getting better organized as I learn to consolidate the tools and ingredients together and come to an understanding of how the kitchen should work.

This morning we went to Bed Bath and Beyond to fill in the gaps of certain kitchen items. If I really want to start baking, especially breads not made from the bread machine, then I needed a kitchen scale as the density of flour in a physical cup cannot be trusted. This inaccuracy in measuring density already left me disappointed during one try at banana bread. I was rather perturbed.

Also on the shopping run picked up a French style rolling pin, a pizza stone (at a very good price), and a roaster with rack. The roaster was for the hubby who wanted a chance to roast various succulent fowls.

I'm not sure why I've been on this kick, maybe it's the opportunity and incentive with new tools to use them. Growing up I always liked baking and learned to make chocolate chip cookies and rice crispy treats at an early age. And I really love bread so learning how to make bread was an extension of that love. Once my technology skills were paid for in part by two loves of homemade whole wheat bread. The best payment I'd ever received.

It's so easy to go into a store like BBB or Williams-Sonoma and think I need all of it, but you really don't. Our next purchase will most likely be a really good cleaver, but that will also have to include the purchase of a really nice butcher board too.

If you pay attention to what you have, then you know exactly what you need.