Well, I really, really botched it. Yesterday was Mother’s Day and we celebrated by gardening, cooking and entertaining. I had cards for Suzi but in the madness of a most busy day, I forget to give them to her. She never said a word. Of course, her attention was focused, as every weekend, on bread making.

If your mom baked bread, you may remember the smells that the cascaded through your home. If you never had that experience in your house, you are just a few steps away. There are awesome bread making books out there. Courses at cooking schools. Youtube videos. A relative or neighbor who can give you start. And maybe even some sourdough starter.

Everyone can bake bread. Gee, the start of civilization thousands of years ago was the end of mankind being hunter-gatherers and a transition to a culture centered on bread baking.

Flour, water, and yeast are an unmatched culinary trio. Give them a try. The pictures here are Suzi’s weekend product: regular sourdough and then Pullman loaves augmented with pumpkin seeds and raisins. You are not restricted at all to just water, flour and yeast.

Oh, does Suzi really bake every weekend? Yes, she does. At her cooking school, Cooking by the Book in New York City, she has 100-200 students each week. As they come into our Tribeca loft, they are greeted with appetizers included her breads matched with cheeses or tomatoes or dips in a rainbow of varieties. Everyone begins the meal with bread. It is, remember, how we all became civilized.