Last week I woke to the smell of baking cinnamon rolls while staying with my parents in Schroeder. I was cozy and warm under my weighted blanket and looking forward to a warm cup of blueberry tea with my breakfast of warm bread when it suddenly occurred to me I really like the feel of warmth.
Is there anything better than a warm hug or a warm smile? How about the warm sun coming through the window or a warm dog curled up at your feet? Most of these warm gifts are free and easily obtained. Some take a little work but in the long run, are well worth the effort.
I used to make homemade bread a lot when Mike and I were first married. I got out of the habit as we started eating healthier and deciding bread was somehow a taboo. That all changed this week. My mom gave me the simplest bread recipe that got me back on the homemade yeast bread bandwagon. I made dinner rolls, breadsticks, and two batches of cinnamon rolls in four days. Okay, maybe a little overkill, but I was on a breadroll. (Pun fully intended.) When did we decide we couldn’t eat bread? I grew up eating bread fresh from the oven with butter and maple syrup. I remember my Grandma letting my brother and me eat a full loaf one afternoon. I believe we had bread in one form or another every single day of my childhood.
I also discovered I really like Amish butter or rolled butter. If you’re going to take the time to make homemade bread it would be blasphemy to top it with margarine. (I can hardly type the word.) Rolled butter looks expensive (about $4.50 a pound) but you don’t use it for baking. Keep it on hand to serve with warm bread of any kind.
So as we look forward to the chilly winter ahead surround yourself with all the warmth you can find. For me it’s the kind warmness of friends and family and of course, warm bread.
All the statistics in the
world can’t measure the
warmth of a smile.
Chris Hart
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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