Early Morning Baking

SO happy to be home. In our home, our bed [Don't you REALLY miss your bed when you are gone? I know I do.] and especially my kitchen.  I love my kitchen.  I have had some really small kitchens, but this one is a pretty sweet set up. Plenty of counter space, perfect triangle between the fridge, stove and sink and almost enough storage.  Really, it would have enough storage if I would stop buying stuff [::cough:: flours and sugars::cough] in bulk.

I really like it because I know where everything is and I can bake and cook to my heart's content.  I still find standing up to be the most comfortable position to be in and the two things I do best standing up are cooking and walking.  Just don't ask me to sit down, lay down or get back up again, mmkay?

This morning I woke up when Pooldad came to bed.  Bless his heart he tries so hard to come in quietly and lay down gently so he doesn't wake me, but.....Let's just say he has the quiet part down, but when he sits down on his side of the bed, sorry, but you are going to notice. heehee

With 3 hours sleep in my pocket I went into the kitchen to concoct.  Do you ever get a craving for something and you have to have it?  I am like that with sweets.  This morning it was 'Nilla wafers.  Stores are closed at 1 am and besides I don't drive anyway so  I searched the internet for a recipe and found what I thought was a good one.  It is this one:  Serious Eats.  It is such an easy recipe [hello stand mixer] and they taste delicious, BUT they aren't vanilla enough to be 'Nilla wafers and I even doubled the vanilla extract.  They make the perfect sugar cookie though, so bonus there.  Expect them in your cookie box at Christmas Tadpoles. Yum. [Very low sodium from the egg whites]

Next up were the really brown bananas taunting me from my kitchen table.  Pooldad's coworker loves my banana nut muffins so I thought I would use those up and make him his own personal loaf.  Again, easy peasy.  The secret, I think, is I throw in apple pie spice [nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice] and applesauce instead of oil.  They are still incredibly moist, but a wee bit healthier.  Topher, the coworker, gets one and we will eat the other. [Sodium free]

Knowing I was completely out of bread I started up the yeast while I was making the banana bread and by the time I needed to put together breakfast and lunch for Pooldad I had rolls and a loaf of potato bread.

Not sodium free, not even low sodium - so for me I will make sodium free tortillas in a few minutes.  Those are also super easy and one of my favorite bread substitutes.  I find that you can put ANYTHING in a tortilla.  Sometimes when I am making them I don't dry pan fry the last one, instead I put a little oil in the pan and fry it up crispy, toss it in cinnamon sugar and drizzle honey.  It's the beauty of being the baker. :D

After I am done making the tortillas I will be finished for the day because I am now out of eggs and darn near out of sugar. :/  Ahhh, no worries. I can always walk to the store. ::wink::

Before I end my day with the tortillas I am going to sit down to a nice cup of homemade cocoa, a slice of banana bread with a spoonful of some delicious blackberry jam Pooldad bought for us. He found it at a roadside produce stand.  And THAT'S what I call a sodium free breakfast worth eating Tadpoles.

Oh and sorry that the "Wallene + Mom = Trouble" post is gone.  I had posted a picture I had doctored of what I thought were some random people modeling as a family.  Then I got to thinking they might actually BE a real family, so it would be best not to use the pic'.  Hope that makes sense.  No conspiracy or anything, just making sure I don't inadvertently post something I am not supposed to.

Have a great Wednesday Tadpoles.  Keep smiling and do just one thing that makes your heart sing, 'kay? You'll be glad you did. Promise.

"It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on Earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had." - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.