Scratch

As I write this, I am sitting at our dining table in the kitchen.  My daughter sits next to me snacking on her favorite breakfast foods- turkey bacon and dry cereal, of course.  It is a beautiful sunny day outside, but it is cold, cold, cold, and a relentless wind has been threatening to take away our warmth for nearly 24 hours.  I can hear the dryer running, full of clean clothes just about ready to be folded.  Our oven door sits open, as we use whatever warmth is has left after making the turkey bacon to aid our tired furnace in keeping our home a toasty 68 degrees.  

I love these days at home.  But what may be my favorite part about them are the fragrances that come from the stove as I prepare dinner for later tonight.  Homemade dough for Honey Oat Bread has just been kneaded and sits, rising on the stovetop next to a big pot of homemade chicken stock that has been simmering for an hour or so.  The pot contains the leftovers from last night’s whole roasted chicken, which has been stripped clean of any remaining meat for the chicken noodle soup that will come from some of the stock for our dinner.  Along with the chicken remains in the stock pot, there are several cloves of garlic, leeks, onion, celery root, celery stems, carrots, and parsley, all from our local CSA.  A generous pinch or two of salt, a few peppercorns, and of course a cup of white wine all soak in a bubbling bath of hot water. 

When the stock is done, skimmed, and separated, some fresh veggies and garlic will be added along with the salvaged chicken meat.  A short pasta will be tossed in with more salt and pepper, and probably more white wine.  It will all cook until the pasta is done while the bread bakes in the oven.  Easy meals from scratch, like this one, remind me of what life must have been like in a simpler time, and it brings some much needed coziness on this blustery day.  I’m anxious for our man of the house to walk in the front door so we can enjoy our dinner together…maybe even by candlelight.  Our home smells like Thanksgiving Day now, and since I am so thankful for so much, that seems just right.  Wishing you warmth and coziness as winter approaches, and thanks for reading!