Baking early

Well, this post is not coming until a bit after 10:30, but I've been up a while and had soft pretzels baked before 4:40. I'm getting in a bit of a rut, but soft pretzels are one of the few yeast-based breads that I can make in less than an hour from start to finish. I was even able to offer one to Daniel before I left at 5:15, but he was not interested. Too early for him this morning, despite the fact that he was up.


Why was I in a rush? I'm blogging before giving a guest lecture in NYC. After two mornings away, I wanted to bake for my family--and for me! The food in State College was good, but I love preparing my own. And, since my guest lecture visit doesn't include lunch, I packed my own. I cooked a 2 1/2 egg omelet (I say 2 1/2 because I used the remaining egg from the egg wash for the pretzels plus two more eggs) with some of the leftover cheddar and browned ground turkey from Tuesday's dinner. Cut the omelet in two, and made two "omelet on pretzel" sandwiches. I'll eat those for lunch. We'll see how they are. It's a promising way to combine leftovers and freshly baked goods.

I also have to hand it to Sherry! I arrived home last night between 7:30 and 8 not having eaten dinner in State College—big breakfast and lunch. I had some of the pesto and spaghetti she’d prepared for dinner. It was great pesto!