Cinnamon (no raisins) Walnut Bread

I know my judges and they don't like cooked raisins. This week's challenge is a lovely Cinnamon bread. Once you have completed it, you may never be able to reach for the loaf in the grocery store again.

We have had a crazy week. My husband ended up with a four day weekend. We decided to update number one son's room. We are both skilled painters, I actually enjoy painting. Except ceilings... And the pergo commercials make it look so easy. Armed with our additional 10% off, we purchased enough pergo to do both boy's rooms. The painting was easy, tiring, my hands and forearms got a work out.

The wood floor? When two type A people embark on a project that involves measuring, it is guaranteed to be challenging. The first hurdle, where to set up the miter saw. It was 107 here this week. Who knows what the actual temperature was in the garage, but it wasn't an option. The kitchen table appeared to be the next logical site. Of course when your kitchen is coated in a fine layer of sawdust, you lose all desire to cook. Three days of take out on top of eight weeks of BBA challenge breads, the pounds are adding up.

The floor actually is easy to assemble. It looks great. But to achieve perfection, it required some exact cuts. Husband rose to the challenge. We spent two days crawling around the floor. Tom says that Pergo is like legos for grownups. I think it was worth it.





The recovery from the project has taken a toll. The kitchen needed to be scrubbed. The contents of the bedroom need to be sorted to see if they really need to go back into the room.

When it came time to knead the walnuts into the bread, I realized that the arthritis in my fingers had not enjoyed the weekend activities. My hands and knees are getting old.

The loaf is delicious, I decided to follow the directions for the swirl and formed a 5 x 8 inch rectangle. I should have followed my gut and made a 5 x 12 inch rectangle for a better swirl.

The big question is, what are you making to go with the corn bread?