Special Bread - - - - - - -

Wow!  I have a personal baker

His name is Alex. He's young, smart, has his own real business - well

 actually two - and makes time for a fabulous hobby. . . . . . . . . .baking 

excellent sourdough bread to order. He doesn't use the somewhat strong 

flavor of straight lactic acid as in many store-bought loaves, his bread has a 

much more subtle flavor produced by many days of starter prep apparently.

In other words, the good, old fashioned way.

This is the loaf he baked for me - see the M - this week. We picked it up

 at his little apartment kitchen, while it was cooling fresh from the oven.

It was delicious the day baked (I couldn't wait to get home and cut

a slice), and makes wonderful crunchy toast for Irish butter and my

 favorite thick-cut Scottish marmalade breakfast.

I won't be ordering weekly as it's a large 1kg boule (he can make two smaller

ones though), but will definitely want more after Thanksgiving if I cut back

 on the pecan, pumpkin and apple pies. . . . . . but I really prefer just

good bread, and Alex's is great!!!

Sunday supper for three. . . . . . . . . and Poldark!

Yesterday's Sunday was not as fun as this one of a couple of weekends ago

when I invited a special, longtime friend to spend an Autumn evening with us. 

That day we started in the gazebo with the heater on and a drink. 

The sun was low and the birds came quietly to the feeders for their evening meal. 

A few leaves were fluttering down, the breeze turned cool. . . . . .we moved

 to the dining room.

I love the idea of sharing a 'Sunday supper' with a friend or friends, and keep

saying I must do it more often. We sometimes head to our daughter Kim's home,

just 12 mins. drive, on Sunday afternoons. Visiting for a while, we catch up the

past week's news, enjoy appetizers, a drink, and play with her Yorkie, Razzy, who 

is always so pleased to see us. This means just a quick, light supper for the two of

when we return home ready for some Sunday evening television, usually PBS.

Last night was the fabulous Poldark finale - how we will miss it with those 

beautiful, amazing actors, and the spectacular Cornish scenery. Near the end, 

I caught a sly grin between Aiden Turner who played Ross Poldark, and 

Robin Ellis, who played Ross in the original series so many years ago. 

Robin was a heart throb in his own way, and I was so much younger but 

remember it well. He was brought back in the part of the judge, appearing 

now and then, in this newer production. I'm sure that was very special for him.

Sharing a casual meal and lively chatter with friends can be so wonderful. 

I couldn't help wipe a tear when watching a scene in an Outlander episode we

 watched this past week. Family and friends all sat down at Jamie and Claire's

 kitchen table in their new home in North Carolina in another century, and for

 once seemed to have time to relax and enjoy a meal in peace. . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . .before another rollicking upheaval began to turn their lives

inside out!  

Thanks for your kind thoughts - I'm fine.

Here's to a great week dear friends and readers.

Let them eat Autumn cake. . . . . . .but pasta first!

In the blink of an eye things changed. . . . . . .Autumn arrived this week
and I almost missed it! 
 Medical appointments led to a major medical procedure yesterday - all is well
 thankfully. This morning after my first full night of sound sleep in almost a week, 
I awoke to a cold soaking rain, the leaden sky sunless and threatening, fallen
 leaves - the fig tree now almost bare - and a little voice telling me I can eat real
 food again after a five day liquid diet and a 6 lb. weight loss due to it!

 Autumn and Winter are my favorite seasons to cook. . . . . and eat!
Last week the jar of pasta sauce caught my eye in HomeGoods - 
Pemberton being my mother's family name, her father bringing it to England
 from his birthplace in Canada.  A name far from sounding Italian,
however this delicious sauce is as Italian as pasta sauces come, and actually
 came from a gourmet food company in the New England state of Maine!

I tell you, the world is really getting to be a small place in more ways than one.