In my kitchen this Lent...

In years past, I have had a more fulfilling Lent when I take something on rather than give something up. My most memorable Lent was 2003, my brother's senior year of high school, when he, my mother and I made a conscious effort to spend time together on a weekly basis. We didn't miss a week and had a good time. Emotionally, that was a very full year for me, and starting it that way really helped. My least favorite Lenten discipline was giving up chocolate one year while I was in high school. I was miserable. My mother told me on Easter that I was never allowed to do that again.

My Lenten discipline this year is going to be baking bread and making baby food. This will serve two main purposes, and multiple other ones as well. In the main, we will save money and eat healthier. It will also taste better, which is always a good thing. I made a batch of the master loaf from the wonderful book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. (That's the jclc.org library link. If you want to buy it, visit your local independent bookseller. They need the business more than amazon.com.) The premise of the book is that you make a large batch of dough that gets refridgerated and used over a two week period. The resulting bread tasted good. I've baked three loaves and a pizza from it and I really like it. I think I'm going to enjoy this. My grandfather (who passed away in 2003) used to love making bread. I think he would be glad that I have picked up his habit.