Almost homemade

By about 6 today I was starving. The sandwich I picked up for lunch just didn't hold me over, and when I got home, the first thing I did was open the refrigerator.

All I found was beets, turnips, mushrooms, potatoes, carrots and some nearly decayed cabbage. Oh, and a slice of carrot cake. Not exactly dinner.

Perhaps if I cooked vegetarian meals more frequently I would know what to do with a refrigerator full of veggies, but I don't cook as much as I wish I did, and without other staples (like eggs, rice, etc.) I didn't have a clue.

So of course I ran down to the corner shop to see what I could buy for a main dish. My options were steak, which I don't eat, pork, which didn't sound good, sausages, which really didn't sound good, and fish.

Fish is not really my friend. My mother doesn't (or didn't) like fish so I didn't grow up eating much fish. I suppose it didn't help that we lived in the desert. The worm incident also continues to linger in my mind, but I was ready to give fish another shot today.

Just as I was deciding on marinated swordfish tips or salmon both were swept up by another customer (this is a very small shop with limited supplies). Instead I decided on crab stuffed clam shells that I was told I only had to warm in the oven. They were precooked and cheap! Perfect!!!

So back at the house I had to figure out what to put with crab stuffed clam shells, without much experience with this kind of food. Cole slaw seemed the only option. The cabbage was, after all, almost ready for the compost bin. Why not use it?

I suppose I could have ]mashed potatoes, but I got a wild hair and decided to bake bread. Did I mention I was already starving? Bread, even quick bread, is not exactly speedy.

But I have this great bread recipe.
http://www.theheartofnewengland.com/food-Simple-Bread.html

It takes about an hour, and the result is a hard crusted white bread (but you can add whole wheat flour instead) that smells divine and tastes great. I halved the recipe and put the bread in a bread pan (usually you just put it on a cookie sheet) and it came out perfect.

Not only was it worth the wait, but it made the evening meal feel truly homemade. Sure I cheated with the main dish, but everything else was all me.

What is it about bread that is just so special? It makes every meal so much better.