I'm still here!

I warned you... I was a busy bee two weekends ago and I've been recuperating and having fun this past week, but I'm back!

Today has been a kitchen bonding day! I LOVE these days and I don't get them often enough. Cooking is my way of truly relaxing and unwinding... as long as someone else is picking up the kitchen... I get that fun job today :/. It has been especially nice because Jackson hasn't been all that interested in helping so I've gotten a chance to have a little "me" time as well. I do LOVE cooking with him, but some days I just want to do it myself. We're on the same page today!!

I love this awesome chocolate chip & oatmeal quick bread recipe. Its so easy and relatively quick, except for the baking time. As usual, I changed something about it and used almond milk instead of buttermilk. I actually preferred the taste and the texture to this round of bread, compared to the last loaf that I made with buttermilk. It is a lot lighter and the lack of tangy buttermilk lets the chocolate chips and oatmeal shine! 

I have also been on a homemade bread kick lately... I kidnapped my parents bread machine and have attempted to use it twice. The first time was an EPIC failure and well, the second time resulted in a literal brick of bread. Today I turned the machine on and watched it do what it does just to find out that it doesn't do anything until it starts to bake. Made me feel better about my two previous unsuccessful loaves of bread. This time, I have mixed the bread dough in my stand mixer, kneaded it by hand and have let it rise in an unheated oven {warmest, dry & most convenient place for me to put it while I continue to cook}. Its currently rising for the 2nd time, so we'll see how this turns out in a little bit. Haven't decided if I'm going to bake it in the machine, since that function seems to work, or in the oven... The machine is the seemingly best option considering the fact that I'd like to make more yummies today!

Posting this for now... I need to run to the store for a few things that I need to make the other things I'd like to munch on today :)