Ode To My Bread Machine

While it is one of the most popular items found at a garage sale, I will always love mine. I will admit to pulling it off it's place on my shelf and having to wipe a few layers of dust off. But right now I am smelling the most delicious garlic seasoned bread baking as I write this. There is no denying that food and gas is getting very expensive. I do my fare share of complaining about it. Lets face it complaining isn't going to put food on my table. When you are trying to feed a family of 5 and one of those is a growing 14 year old boy, who is in the middle of football training, you need to figure out how to get food on your table without selling a body part. My answer to that is to dig deep in my arsenal of recipes and make more things from scratch. Now I know that using a bread machine isn't exactly from scratch but I am also thinking of energy prices. I have some really great from scratch bread recipes. But when it's going to be hot outside, I am not turning on the oven. Plus, when you have two kids in soccer and one in evening football camp, who has time for all that. So for tonight's dinner I will be serving yummy garlic bread and pasta with homemade pesto on top.

I am cleaning last years frozen pesto out of my freezer. Did I mention that I have 12 (yes I said 12) very healthy basil plants growning in my garden. Can you say Pesto, Yummmmy, and we will have lots of it this summer. I have a bunch of new ideas for using fresh basil that I am going to work on in the next couple of weeks. My parents are coming up and I will be experimenting on them. My Mom is another big fan of basil and it is her recipe for pesto that I love.

So go ahead and laugh at my bread machine. A couple of years ago people where laughing at slow cookers and now look, they are hip again. I also have never stopped loving my slow cooker. It is the only way I get food on the table during football and baseball season.