Bread

The Washington County Commission on Aging offers noon lunches to anyone 60 years and older at five locations - Smithsburg, Keedysville, Williamsport and two in Hagerstown. Smithsburg, Keedysville and Williamsport are open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Potomac Towers and Francis Murphy are open Monday through Friday. The hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the days they are open. The agency requires that you call by 11:30 a.m. to give them a two-working-days reservation notice.

Former Hagerstown resident Gail Blumenthal's parents and uncle and aunt co-owned a bakery in Washington, D.C., in the 1940s and '50s. After they sold the business, Blumenthal's father continued to bake for the family. One of his recipes was mandelbrodt - "almond bread" in Yiddish. Mandelbrodt, or mandel bread, is a dessert of Eastern European Jews. Blumenthal liked certain variations on the traditional recipe. "When my father retired, he baked many wonderful breads and pastries at home," Blumenthal said.

In finishing out the series with seven ingredients or less, I wanted to reintroduce a favorite sandwich - but with my twist. I know there are eight ingredients listed, but I consider lettuce and tomato a staple that should be in the fridge. This is my sandwich spin off of a Hot Brown, which originated in Louisville, Ky., at the Brown Hotel in 1926.  Traditionally, a Hot Brown is an open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich that is broiled.  I decided to covert this into a panini and opted for pot roast for a more hearty style.

Author and historian Tom Clemens will speak at Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park's Sunday Circle at Ferry Hill Place Sunday, followed by a guided bike tour. From noon to 1 p.m., Clemens will speak about the Battle of Shepherdstown, W.Va. Following the talk, visitors are invited to participate in a Civil War bike tour, which begins at Ferry Hill at 1 p.m. The talk and guided bike tour are free and open to the public.  Attendees are asked to bring a chair to the talk.

By the time you read this, wheat harvest in the Cumberland Valley will be nearly finished. Washington County, for its efforts, will harvest about 350,000 bushels, ranking it 12th in the state. If you have ever doubted the significance of wheat and other cereal grains to Washington County, simply drive around and read road signs. You will find Lehman's Mill, Leiters Mill, Charles Mill and McMahon's Mill, to name a few. Many of these mills were situated along streams and creeks, since water powered the mills when they were built.

I will make this intro short and sweet: For all my family, friends and fellow cooks, chefs, grillers, smokers and such, I give you my friendship and my bread. Enjoy! - Scott C. Anderson is associate food service director and chef with Shepherd University dining services in Shepherdstown, W.Va., and Chef Ambassador to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Amish Friendship Bread For day 1: 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup milk, 2/3 cup flour For days 6: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk For day 10:  1 1/4 cup flour, 1 1/4 cup sugar , 1 1/4 cup milk For final bread: 1 cup applesauce 1/2 cup milk (skim or 2 percent)

Anything banana is considered my favorite food. I love banana cake, cupcakes, cookies, pies, custards and yes, banana bread. I used to ask my mother for a banana cake for my birthday, much to the chagrin of my sisters, Katie and Katrina. So in keeping with my bread theme and going with one of my favorite top 10 food items, I am creating banana bread - 1980s style, based upon Bananarama's song "Cruel Summer. "  With summer nearly here and fresh local produce on the grocery shelves, there is no better time than the present to pay homage to the banana.

For generations, the large brick-and-wood building in Hagerstown's West End was known for the wonderful smells it produced, maybe even more than the hundreds of jobs it provided. “Oh, my gosh, what a fragrance!” recalled Linda Irvin-Craig, 68, who lived in Hagerstown until 1952. “You drove down that street or anywhere in that neighborhood and, if you weren't hungry - you were after you drove by there.” The building - home to Manbeck Bread Co. until it closed in about 1980, and then a military contractor until last fall - is being demolished.

This triple-layer chocolate chip bread is a wonderful breakfast bread similar to old-fashioned swirl bread that you used to get right from your baker.  This bread is easy to make and is even better the next day after sitting in the fridge.  It's moist and flavorful and I suggest sticking with the natural peanut butter for the correct consistency and flavor.  -   Scott C. Anderson is associate food service director and chef with...

When looking through the pantry and cupboards, I came across a few ingredients that can create the most deliciously moist sweet bread. The key was to use the carrots' natural sweetness accompanied by a little bit of pancake syrup, and then cook them down until they are nice and tender. A key point here is that many call the small carrots, baby carrots, when in fact they are normal-sized carrots simply shaved down on a vegetable lathe. Try experimenting with maple syrup or honey in place of pancake syrup, or completely eliminating the syrup all together and increase the sugar up to 2 1/2 cups, or even 3 cups if you want a really sweet bread.