By LEAH LEWIS
Is there anything better than coming in the front door after a long day and being hit with the aroma of fresh baked bread?
Few things can erase the stress of a Monday like knowing dinner is bubbling away in the crock pot and the bread machine your Aunt Carol bought you for your wedding is being put to good use!
And we all love our Costco bread mixes and Amy’s lentil soups but c’mon, it gets a little ho-hum.
How about something gourmet on these last few rainy cloudy days before spring really springs? And even better that it’s from right up the road!
The Art of Good Food, I must say, is pretty aptly named.
I found these wholesome and delicious mixes over the holiday season at a few local craft shows.
I am always looking for goodies to tuck in gift baskets and I did send off a few packages of Lemon Thyme Cookie and Snickerdoodle Muffin mix, but I couldn’t part with the Black Paddle Breadsticks.
I wasn’t committed enough to roll and twist and bake (even though the instructions were not that difficult) but I did toss the mix and some water in my bread machine and was treated to a fantastic warm loaf of delicious a few hours later.
The herbs and spices in the chewy dough were the perfect balance to a pot of homemade roasted tomato soup I had made with the last of my frozen garden harvest.
So I went online to The Art of Good Food website and decided I needed to stock up on even easier soup mixes and some more Black Paddle mixes to keep in the pantry.
I know we are so wary (and rightfully so) of pre-packaged and processed foods.
It is so nice to know that even when we need a quick fix we can count on The Art of Good Food to be warm, delicious, very healthy, and all made in Montana! There are options for vegans, gluten-free foodies, even my picky children.
Stock up next time you are at the Good Food Store in Missoula or check their website for the next market appearance.
Bon appétit!
********************
Check out more of the Maiden’s favorite made-in-Missoula schwag and hometown services: Zootown Surfers, Jax Hats, and Made In Missoula Wedding Gifts. Got a Missoula-made product or service for Leah to review? Let her know in the comments.
********************
Leah Lewis is living the dream on Missoula’s Northside with her handsome and handy husband Mark, daughters Zoe and Mila, two dogs, and a cat. She enjoys making things on her sewing machine, with her knitting needles, and in her kitchen. You can listen to her play today’s pop music every day on U104.5 FM, or listen to her podcast about hundred or more year old pop music on her classical music podcast with Darko Butorac from the Missoula Symphony. You might catch Leah and her family relaxing in their backyard, cheering on the Missoula Osprey, or rooting for the Lady Griz on any given weekend.