I'm giving a few of my small kitchen appliances a workout today, and how handy it is. I was able to throw a stew in the crockpot before the party this afternoon, therefore now that we're home, I can hang out as it bubbles away. Decided a side of fresh bread would be good to serve with the stew, so I fired up the bread machine and now it's doing its' thing as well (I'm making "Sage Walnut Bread", with fresh sage picked from my herb garden). How relaxing it feels to have dinner all taken care of like this, ahhhhh...!

This morning DD and I made one of our favorite breakfasts with yet another handy kitchen appliance -- our 'sandwich maker'. I picked one up years ago (second hand of course), and have used it for making grilled cheese, etc. But recently, DD and I have been putting pancake batter in it, along with a filling of some sort. It makes perfect, toasted, filled 'turnover' thingies -- good topped with a touch of syrup for breakfasts and snacks (or dessert!). This morning we made a filling of mashed banana, grated apple and a sprinkling of coconut. It works like this: a bit of pancake batter dabbed on the bottom, followed by a spoonful of filling, with another 'blop' of batter on top. Close the sandwich maker and let it go. Easy and cheap. Tasty too.... (I should experiment with cake or muffin batter as well, to see what that does....).