This Christmas, my mom gave me a great treat by taking me to the far side of Vermont to the King Arthur Flour Baker's Store - Yes, an entire store full of baking and kitchen supplies, from specialty flours and grains, stand mixers, their own line of baking pans, herbs, flavorings, aprons...
...and even Himalayan Pink Salt. I read about it once, how the author of this particular book was baffled by the requirement of Himalayan Pink Salt in a recipe- and there it was before my very eyes!
We leisurely strolled through the store... and back through again... mom taking notes of some of the things that caught my eye, then while I went to the bakery to find and consume my first ever genuine croissant (oh my... oh MY.), mom went back and picked up some of the things I liked for my Christmas gifts. This works for mom and myself much better than her trying to secretly figure out what I would like and actually use. Let me just say, the pink salt was NOT on the list; however, the 2 1/4 teaspoon yeast spoon was. Honestly, if you bake a lot of yeast breads, like I do, and buy your yeast in jars, like I do, you'll be surprised at how often you use this little gadget. If you do neither, don't bother with it.And speaking of gifts for cooks... mom found this picture today. This appears to be my ninth birthday, and I'm quite sure the double-ended rolling pin was a gift I'd requested. It would seem I've been crazy for cooking for some time now! I've moved on to a French rolling pin, but we still have this one. Sadly, just a few months ago the wooden handle gave way and it's now a one-ended rolling pin, but we still use it quite a bit for rolling crusts into pan corners.
Wow, that looks like an awesome store!
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a 2 1/4 tsp measurement but that would be very handy for baking.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/yeast-measuring-spoon
ReplyDeleteIf you visit Ruth again you should visit the store! I think it's probably 2 hours from her house, but it's so interesting!
A 2 1/4 tsp. has got to be the most awesome invention ever!!!! I don't have one but I am so getting one whenever I see one!
ReplyDeleteOkay, next time I'm in that area, we are going to that store. And I will probably end up spending $200 just in baggage fees alone for everything I bring home with me.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm ever in the area again that would certainly be a store on my list to visit. :) Wished I could have visited with you when I was out there in Oct but the time just seemed to fly by.
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of you with your new rolling pin. That's too sweet :-)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had an enjoyable trip to the store with your mom, Valerie! I love the picture of you and your new rolling pin. :-)
ReplyDelete-Allison@KingArthurFlour