The use of herbs and spices date back prior to recorded history. Early records reveal a mixture of medicinal and magical uses for herbs. The use of culinary herbs is a feature in one of the first recorded cookbooks from the first century epicure, Apicius.

There has been a wonderful awakening to the use of herbs with health conscious cooks, who have found that herbs contain no calories or fat. This is of great importance to those on weight loss diets. Doctors recommend the use of herbs and spices in salt-restricted diets to enhance flavor without adding sodium content. Adventurous cooks have found that raising their own herbs can be quite fulfilling as a hobby with the end results in cooking as just an added bonus.

But for me ....

Sitting down with the family for breakfast was a chance to share our plans for the day that was before us. My brothers and sisters would nervously tease each other while we waited for the hot breakfast rolls to come out of the oven. The smell was sweet and persistent. Dad would give Mom a wink as he would place the butter, milk and cereal in the center of the neatly set kitchen table. The aroma was unforgetable, the hot buttered bread was a perfect start to a day that was yet to begin.

Dinner was always the best meal of the day because we all took turns reliving our day. Mom would start and Dad would interrupt, my brothers would argue and my sisters would laugh. The bread was always hot and perfect for the meal we were about to dive into, sometimes fish, beef, pasta, chicken, turkey, pork, stuffing, sauces, salad, vegetables and bread ... oh the bread ... the
variety was as diverse as the chatter we had at our kitchen table.

Today, I see my children rush off to school with an ipod clipped to their belt or shirt, the headset planted firmly in their ears to avoid speaking. The cell phone beeping from the never ending stream of text messages, hastily written in a language that is foreign and encrypted. My husband is long gone to work, wading through the traffic that represents the mass of humanity
that live to work. I quickly scatter through the house to prepare my own exit for work, trapped in the same routine. The book of appointments that drive my life is as cold as the snow in a Norman Rockwell painting, but there is no raging fireplace to emit the warmth the beats back the cold.

We live on the East End of Long Island. Along the North Fork, Wine country. To the South, The Hamptons. Each with a stunning New England look and feel, blended with a dash of New York cosmopolitan and Boston charm. As a child my family's kitchen was the center of all the activities. Now it is a place where sterile appliances house processed food.

But when the oven is on and the bread, cookies or pies are baking, all motion stops, the kitchen table fills with kids, their friends and Dad sits patiently waiting for the tray to appear.  The kids garnish aprons, Dad cleans the proofing bins and bowls to squeaky perfection. All the plans are placed on hold, all appointments are re-scheduled.

With the mixing of herbs and the shaping of dough like the stroke of a wand, my kitchen returns to the very center of all the activities where just about everything is "home grown and homemade". Surprisingly, we grow so much of our food, the kitchen becomes the processing center for our garden. Certain times of the year, the kitchen is filled with baskets of fresh vegetables, bushels of apples, and armloads of fresh cut flowers and herbs. At other times, it is busy with dehydrators, canning jars, and large stockpots filled with sauce and soup.

The baking takes more time, effort, and energy but it offers a sweet, rustic, simple and special aroma to every meal served. Our fresh-baked breads add an unforgettable touch to a meal. With a variety of loaves, rolls, knots and treats to choose from, you can have a different one for every meal of the day!

Take a seat, make your choice, bake it for 5-7 minutes in 400 degrees and your family will think you were baking all day ... just for them ...