Lisa & challah, sandwich bread

I just have to tell you this story, because I believe it is the very definition of serendipity!!!  Last Thursday I stopped in the library to return some books.  I saw my friend Jan setting up books for the sale and went in to talk to her and to give a casual glance at the books.  I was only glancing because my house is FULL of books (especially cookbooks) and I really don’t need any more.  Anyway, as you probably know, I am a big fan of King Arthur Flour (and cookies) and I saw the KAF cookie compendium and thought to myself ‘I’ll just stop up on Saturday and see if it is still here’ (Saturday was the big book sale, and friends of the library get in an hour before the rest of the hoi polloi which includes me J).  Well, one thing and another happened on Saturday and I never remembered to stop.  On Tuesday (after the Saturday sale) I was again at the library picking up books and thought I would check the book sale room to see if my book was there…I even asked the librarian if they kept cookbooks in a special place and she helped me look for it to no avail L.  OK….I decide that God was telling me I didn’t need yet another cookbook, particularly a cookie book as I probably have more of them than any other.  As you already know, I spent the entire day Wednesday in the kitchen, working on candy.  At one point in the afternoon, I see Willa (president of the Thursday quilt group) come up to my front door (which we generally leave open, with just the storm door closed), open it up and place something inside the door…I go and look…what do you think?  It is the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion book that I had seen before the sale started!!!!!!!!!   I am FLABBERGASTED!!!  We talked later and she said she went to the sale late, and when she saw that book, she immediately said “Deb’!!!  Is that an incredible story or what!?!?!?

Anyway, Thursday morning (12/12) I get all packed up and head off to quilting.  I have 3 gifts, and 3 thank you notes….all written on the FABULOUS, personalized, quilting notecards that Ginny has made for me.  Naturally, the 3 quilters are PEA GREEN with envy over these cards J, not to mention the goodies I gave them.  I had a wonderful time at quilting, and Jan and Lisa and I met several other quilters for lunch at 521 BBQ before heading home.  Lisa wanted to learn to make challah bread, so she followed me home for a lesson.  Lisa put together the challah dough, then since we also needed sandwich bread (and I wanted her to see how the doughs differed) she mixed up that as well.  By then it was time to shape her dough and head for home so that she could bake it up:

 

She sent me a picture of her baked dough:

it's beautiful, isn't it?

 

and here’s ours:

 

 

along with the sandwich bread. 

Loree & Reg and Angie & Kevin shared the loaf in the back!

For some reason (I think it was Wednesday finally catching up with me) I couldn’t keep my eyes open and I headed to bed at 9:30.