Inspiration: I don’t like to fly. 

Though, weirdly enough, I enjoy airports. All the different people mingling together, the opportunity to study them whilst standing in lines, and the eccentric selection of goods and services one can find leading to the terminals fascinate me.

I think this love stems from my parents taking me to watch airplanes take off and land as a small kid. On those evenings, when the terminals were quiet, I would tire myself out running hither, thither, and yon.

And all it cost was the price of a partial tank of gas.

Of course, these were the days before you needed a ticket to pass beyond the TSA’s metal detectors.

Interestingly, my first-ever flight didn’t frighten me at all. In point of fact, I found it exhilaratin, probably because the Captain spotted a pod of blue whales swimming in the Pacific Ocean and tipped the plane so we could see them too! Even thousands of feet in the air, these sea-faring mammals were monstrous in size, and I cannot help but thank this unknown Captain for showing them to us.

(Not my photo, my little Kodak Brownie camera did not capture this much detail. Nor, thankfully, did we get this close in a 737. Thanks to Unsplash for this image.)

However, sometime betwixt my 18th and 23rd birthdays (when I took my second flight), this wonder transformed into terror — that I’ve yet to shake….Despite boarding a plane about once or twice a year. (Until Covid, when my long-range travel came to a standstill.)

In any case, since then, I have discovered a few tricks to get me onto the plane. One of which is providing myself with something to look forward to on the other end. This helps curtail a nearly irresistible impulse to bolt from the plane, down the terminal, and out of the airport while declaring, “This is my new hometown now.” (When flying home.)

In this instance: Golden, Colorado.

Though a wonderful city, this sea-level girl did not exactly thrive at altitude. And yet, I still needed something besides my own bed to get my sneakers to stay still.

Then, King Arthur Baking Company sent me an email about a sale on their baking supplies.

Inspiration and credit card in hand, I ordered a modest assortment of specialized ingredients from their website. Amongst which was a bag of Harvest Grains Blend, which included a recipe for a new-to-me type of bread.

And it turned out beautifully.

Despite needing to substitute actual milk for powdered milk called for in the recipe, which I didn’t have on hand. And, since I was already straying off the beaten path, I swapped malt powder for white sugar. Since my palate thinks the flavor of malt pairs better with wheat than plain sugar. (I also used their Climate Change wheat blend, which paired beautifully with the grains and malt.)

Nutty and full of flavor, it made excellent sandwiches!

Christie: Speaking of sandwiches…..I think Captain Hastings and Inspector Japp would appreciate this loaf. Especially since I see both men as sandwich enthusiasts. Japp, whilst he staking out a person or place for either Poirot or his superiors. Unsurprisingly, I think Hastings would do the same whilst helping Poirot. Though, as an added wrinkle, I can also see Hastings making a sandwich or two for dinner during his bachelor days!

My 52 Weeks With Christie: A.Miner©2025