It’s strange how the less important things in life can so quickly consume us. We look away for just a minute and the water fills up passed our heads, threatening to drown us. Our bodies tread water as fast as they can, coming up for air periodically just to keep afloat.  Ironically, we forget about the drain at the bottom and that with just one hard pull, we can reclaim control over our lives.

I’ve been treading water for a while now, in survival mode, wading through bills, tedious tasks, and responsibilities that ought to belong to others.  This happens to me every so often no matter how much I try to be conscious of how much is on my plate.  Sometimes I feel like I have the broadest shoulders in the universe, carrying the weight of the world at times.  Once again, I’ve lost sight of the precious things I love, that keep me joyful.  These
are the things that give me perspective. They let me see the world the way it should be viewed:  through joyful eyes rather than weary ones.  They’re the simple things:

• laughing so hard that your cheeks hurt
• eating a caramel apple on a stick
• going for a walk on a beautiful Autumn day
• sharing a bottle of wine with a girlfriend
• writing a letter to my grandmother
• coloring with brand new crayons
• reading a really great book that a friend recommended
• staying in my pajamas all day
• frosting sugar cookies
• letting my daughter brush my hair

Eileen's Beer Bread Photography by Andrea Karapas

The simplest thing I’ve ever baked is Beer Bread.  I first tried this recipe when a friend and former co-worker, Eileen, brought it in for a work party.  I had never tasted anything like it before and probably ate enough for 3 people, leaving little for others to try.  I begged Eileen for the recipe and she rattled it off as she quickly wrote it down for me, only 4 ingredients:  flour, sugar, beer and butter.  I tucked it away in my recipe box and it was nearly 2 years before I pulled it out and actually gave it a try myself.  This past week I was looking through my recipes, searching for something simple to offset my recently unmanageable life.  There it was…beer bread, on the same tiny yellow piece of paper that Eileen had written it on so quickly from memory.  5 loaves later, it’s now in my memory to rattle off to everyone else that falls in love with this simply delicious bread.

When was the last time that you took inventory of the simple things that bring you joy?  Do it now!  It’s time to reprioritize and get back to the basics, the things that are most  important, the 4 ingredients that really matter…love, laughter, good health and Beer Bread.

Eileen's Beer Bread Photography by Andrea Karapas

Eileen’s Beer Bread
Ingredients:
3 cups self-rising flour
½ cup sugar
12 ounces light-colored beer
1 stick butter
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°.  In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and beer. Mix well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.  Pour into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.  Place a stick of butter on top of the bread and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  Cool. Remove from loaf pan.