The Dark Ages of Cookery

I think I have some sad misconceptions about the modern world of cooking. Despite watching a multitude of cooking shows and owning a few cookbooks, I am obviously still in the Dark Ages of Cookery. I make most everything from scratch. I like to do it. I think it tastes better. (Feel free to disagree here.) I prefer not to pollute our bodies with unnecessary chemicals. It's probably cheaper. And not only to I make things from scratch, but with very few exceptions, everything I make is stirred by hand with a wooden spoon. I don't own a food processor, my blender is a piece of shit, and I don't really like to have lots of appliances all over the counters. That space is reserved for random crap that doesn't even belong in the kitchen. So I end up having to adjust recipes or substitute ingredients to make them work within my rigid, out-dated parameters.
I am currently mystified by Bob's Red Mill brand. I can stand behind their products. They are generally organic, or at least all natural. But their recipes! I was given three of their products for Xmas: Kamut Berries, Golden Flaxseed, and Amaranth. I managed to horrify the children with the amaranth, which is much like grits and therefore repellent to children north of the Mason Dixon line. Jeremy and I liked what I made, which was basically just the grain made with some chicken bouillon and veggies and cheese. I haven't yet embarked on using the kamut berries since they require both overnight soaking and one and a half hours to cook. But wait, there's more... the recipe on the kamut is for a fruit salad. Essentially they are asking you to soak organic grains overnight, cook them for and hour and a half, let them cool and then smother them in Cool Whip, instant vanilla pudding and canned pineapple. Not organic whipped cream. Not homemade vanilla pudding. Not a fresh pineapple. Cool whip and instant pudding and canned fruit. Why even bother with the organic grain from prehistory?
Which brings me to today. I decided to make the 3 seed bread from the package of golden flaxseed to bring to a potluck dinner this evening. I get all the ingredients out of the cupboard, get my mixing bowls and trusty wooden spoon, tie on my apron. I read the directions. "Add ingredients to bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer and select the basic bread cycle." Are you kidding me? I am the bread machine. At least I have made enough bread in the past to have some clue what I'm doing. But why?! Am I the only one who actually enjoys kneading her own bread? Where's the fun in dumping everything into a contraption and coming back 2 hours later to a square loaf?