View Full Version : What have you made from scratch lately?
Bastelmutti
12-31-10, 3:38pm
I have been on a kick that I hope to continue in the new year: learning to make various foods for my family from scratch. This goal is partly motivated by health concerns, partly by wanting to keep the food budget down and partly by fun - I just enjoy it.
Finishing off the old year, I bought the book "Wild Fermentation" (at full price :o - never seems to be available used!) and tried out homemade yogurt. I had made it before, but now don't have a yogurt maker, so I rigged something up from a crock pot liner. Used Greek yogurt for starter & organic whole milk, and it is delicious. Have yet to try it out on the kiddos. There is a lot left, so I may also experiment with using it for making fruit-flavored yogurt drinks for them. I just ate mine with summer-picked blueberries from the freezer.
Second try - chicken soup from chicken bones & veggie scraps saved in the freezer. Also delicious. Have done this before, just need to get in the habit of saving the veggie scraps more consistently.
Next up (hopefully) - sauerkraut or kimchi & hard cider from Wild Fermentations; start making homemade granola and Lara bars again. If anyone wants them, I can re-post my easy granola & homemade Lara bar recipes I adapted from recipes on the Internet.
What food have you learned to make from scratch lately?
This past year I've been playing around making hard cheeses. It's been a mixed bag, but I was finally getting the hang of it. It's not something to do on a whim, and it's moderately expensive to get set up correctly. The blues were fun and tricky, and am currently using an asiago. I was going to start a separate thread on the subject in the future. :)
Today I am making beef broth from all the scraps I'd been saving in the freezer, plus wine, garlic and cayenne. Italian seasoning to be added later.
I also played around with making home-made carbonated sodas using water, juices, and a bit of yeast. Then the weather turned cool.
ONe of the most interesting things this year was watching olive oil being made from someone else's olives. Next year I think a friend and I will scour the town and harvest as many olive trees as we can find and make some for ourselves - as in take the olives to a processor and pay for them to do it.
I love the subject of making things from scratch too. :D
Nothing that elaborate. I do make my own salad dressing. Lara bar/granola bar recipes please!
I've made sauerkraut from the Wild Fermentation book before. It turned out pretty good. I'm considering trying it again. I'd love to do kimchi, too.
earthshepherd
12-31-10, 5:15pm
I have a great big pan of apple crisp in the oven right now. Mmmm, smells great!
sugarbowlbaby
12-31-10, 5:46pm
I made an apple crisp 2 days ago and it hardly made it to the end of the day. Everyone is begging for another.
I
Next up (hopefully) - sauerkraut or kimchi & hard cider from Wild Fermentations;
My DH makes rubykraut (sauerkraut with red cabbage) and kimchi from scratch. It's really healthy food, especially this time of year. Sometimes the fermentation is so loud, I am startled when I enter the kitchen, lol! I like the kraut but not the kimchi. However, people who like kimchi go crazy over the homemade version. Have fun with that project!
The latest thing I've made from scratch is homemade pizza - which is on the menu for New Year's Day at my place.
Today I've made three batches of granola, a batch of bean soup, summer rolls, a big batch of peanut sauce and a batch of biscuits. I'm pretty much done cooking until Sunday.
ApatheticNoMore
12-31-10, 9:00pm
Making baked Mac and Cheese from scratch (it's not mostly for me, I cook healthier than that when cooking for me, I mean this stuff is all flour and dairy, it's a nutritional nightmare :)).
Recently made for myself: pesto (I freeze it), Arroz con Pollo (chicken with tomatoes, rice etc.).
stella - is this the food network recipe you shared with me? also, could I have your recipe for the peanut sauce (do you freeze it when you make a big batch?)
puglogic
12-31-10, 10:30pm
I love Wild Fermentation (I got a used copy for xmas) :)
Can't wait to make his sauerkraut again. I also use his Alaskan Sourdough Pancakes recipe quite often, and relish it every time.
This year I made sauerkraut, tons of homemade bread, blackberry vinegar, cilantro olive oil, hard apple cider, echinacea extract, cranberry liqueur, sundried tomatoes, other stuff. I'd like to do pickles (I never have!) I also want to make kombucha, but have to find a 'mother' to do it first.....
Next up (hopefully) - sauerkraut or kimchi & hard cider from Wild Fermentations; start making homemade granola and Lara bars again. If anyone wants them, I can re-post my easy granola & homemade Lara bar recipes I adapted from recipes on the Internet.
What food have you learned to make from scratch lately?
I'd like to see those recipes.
Homemade? Soup with home made veggie stock. Homemade Beef Stroganov last night. Well, ok, I didn't make the noodles but I made the sauce. Planning on stuffing some poblanos for chile relleno casseroles.
Fun thread. I just started reading an Italian cookbook last night from the 1960s which talks all about how "real Italians" eat in Italy. Not only is it interesting but it seems it can be very frugal and healthy. For instance I was just telling DH that they do not have bread and pasta in the same meal. They rarely eat meat, if they do it is more of a condiment. Although different regions of Italy have different styles.....it seems tobe the original local eating movement. It made me feel very Italian today and I made Pizza Rustica with a light starter soup of broth with escarole. Can't wait to try some others. Maybe a polenta that they top with an over easy egg and cheese. mmmmm.....
I cook almost entirely from scratch and today made the most delicious vanilla bean coconut cupcakes as a special treat. These are bakery quality products and taste divine.
http://iliketomakethings.blogspot.com
DH and I cook everything from scratch. We've been over doing it that last couple of months, so its back to some basic, low-calorie meals starting tomorrow.
Bastelmutti
1-1-11, 7:09pm
All of your creations sound great!
I based my granola recipe on this: http://www.thatsmyhome.com/bakers/maple-granola.htm
I make about half the recipe and use less salt. That's one batch. Then I make another batch with nuts and fruit for those in the family who don't like it so plain.
Lara bars are based on this: http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2008/02/home-made-lara-bars-energy-bars-part-3.html
I use her basic proportions & make apple pie flavor, apricot and cherry-chocolate chip. Yum!
I'm in the process of making a gluten-free pizza (Bob's Red Mill crust mix). Semi-scratch, you might say. Fingers crossed.
I'm making wholewheat blueberry pancakes tomorrow. I don't like the Christmas season so this is one of the little things I like to do for a special occasion, such as extra time off. If not using a mix, counts as from scratch. Still only 6 ingredients. Also made a big batch of veggie lentil soup the other day, using broth I made. Probably apple crunch tomorrow too.
Gluten-free pizza review: meh.
Maybe it needed salt, herbs, or a slightly longer cooking time. Just as well; I enjoyed eating the top part of it.
I made Morrocan Lentil soup and buttermilk bisquits this evening. We will have them for lunch tommorrow.
I'm a baker - I love making scones & bread. Yumm!
Whole wheat crackers. And chicken enchiladas (including the tortillas) which got rave reviews for a friend's birthday dinner not too long ago.
Made a batch of chicken soup and a loaf of babka with cranberries and golden raisins.
For me this weekend,
mini blueberry muffins for breakfasts, peanut chicken, white dinner bread, Asian meatballs.
Today hoping to make pumpkin bread and some mixed berry bread. The pumpkin is from pumpkins I cooked down and the berries are from picking this summer.
Tracy
Thanks for the recipes, bastelmutti. I don't have a food processor but I'm sure the bars recipe will be of use to those who do.
I made chocolate -chocolate chip muffins for the kids tonight.
Baked bread (whole wheat with oatmeal and sunflower seeds).
Spanish stew from Moosewood Cooking for Health cookbook. Navy beans, sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, green beans. Really tasty.
I'll be making my rendition of German chocolate cake (e.g. greatly reduced fat and sugar) for DH this week, for his birthday. His European and Asian coworkers all like it because it's not as sweet as most American desserts.
i have wanted to master a good cake for a long time.
I am going to have to try that granola. But I am going to see if I could do it on the stovetop and toast it rather than bake it. Not sure how it will do, but we rarely use an oven.
I make almost every day, oatmeal from scratch. It is extremely hearty and for 2 people:
1 C rolled oats
2 C dried milk/water
1 T Wheat berries
1 T Wheat bran
1 T Flax
2 T Oat Bran
A good handful of dried fruits - blueberries, cranberries, raisins, apricots, cherries
A small squirt of Elderberry extract
A dab of concentrated pomegranate juice
Cook it all up in a pan, until it gets to be the consistency you want, then cover and wait for a while. With the different juices put in it, there rarely needs to be sweetener, but my DH puts a teaspoon of jam on it.
My DH is the cook in the family, but I can make the breakfast like that.
I like the principle: eat like a King for Breakfast, a Prince for Lunch, and a Pauper for dinner. Although I do not know many paupers that eat some of the soups and salads we do, it is still a pretty good concept. :laff:
Today I made my 2nd batch of the Artisan Bread. It turned out even better than the first one.
Tomorrow I'm making chewy granola bars. And maybe some banana chocolate chip bread.
Whole wheat crackers. And chicken enchiladas (including the tortillas) which got rave reviews for a friend's birthday dinner not too long ago.
cow-hi Recipes, please! These are two things on my list of likely recipes to try (and hopefully master) in 2011....
Thanks!
lhamo
Bastelmutti
1-3-11, 12:08am
Gluten-free pizza review: meh.
Maybe it needed salt, herbs, or a slightly longer cooking time. Just as well; I enjoyed eating the top part of it.
Nope, it needed gluten ;-) I can't say I've loved most of the GF baked goods I've tried (a few, since we have celiac family and friends), but my MIL swears by Jules' baking mix & her lemon bars were just like "regular" ones. Good luck w/ the GF baking!
Yeah, I was thinking I didn't appreciate good bread as much as I should have while I wasn't avoiding it. There's a local pizzeria that makes a decent GF crust, but its $25 price is a bit beyond the pale. I have some pizza-esque recipes that don't involve grain, so maybe I'll just stick with those. (Jules, eh?)
Kally - CARROT CAKE!!! What a good idea, I was just sitting here thinking about a large number of carrots I have to use up soon. I might just grate and freeze the carrots until I have time to make it... do you have a recipe you'd be willing to share?
lhamo - I'll look up the recipes for the crackers and tortillas and post them when I get home tonight.
I pretty much winged this one, but it turned out ok. I had some bread dough from Bae's old recipe for 5 minute a day bread in the frig. Took some pieces about the size of an apple or a little larger and rolled them out til they were round and thin and filled filled them with mashed potatoes, frozen peas, and some meat. Folded the bread over to form like a half circle and baked on a cookie sheet. Probably not a prize winner, but not bad and I may try another variation some day. Seems like a good place to put left overs or be creative with the filling.
AmeliaJane
1-4-11, 12:12am
I don't always cook from scratch, but I almost always bake from scratch. I am very picky about baked goods, and the only ones I like as much as mine come from the really expensive bakeries! I have a hard time paying those prices when I knew what the raw ingredients cost. My latest project was Candy Cane Kiss Cookies which are not strictly from scratch as they did involve Hershey Candy Cane Kisses. :|( But they were pretty darn tasty.
Blackdog Lin
1-4-11, 5:06am
Terri - I'm not Kally, but reading the thread, I remembered my Granny's old and wonderful carrot cake recipe that I've been making for 30 years to rave reviews. I know you'll love it.
Carrot Cake
1 1/2 c. cooking oil
2 c. sugar
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 c. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
3 c. grated carrots
1 c. chopped pecans
In mixing bowl beat together oil and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder (personally I skip this step and still get a great cake); blend with egg mixture. Fold in carrots and nuts. Pour into greased/floured cake pan (or 2 cake-layer pans). Bake at 350 degrees 50-60 minutes for cake pan, 30-35 minutes for layer pans. Best (of course) with a cream cheese frosting.
Lin, thank you! I've saved that to make on the weekend. (I grated and froze the carrots this evening).
Lhamo, here is the recipes I use:
Tortillas:
2 cups flour - I use all whole wheat, but you can do sub white flour for some or all
1/2 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup to 1 cup boiling water
flour for rolling
1 - Stir together dry ingredients
2 - Add oil and mix until the texture of coarse oatmeal
3 - Add water and mix until evenly incorporated
4 - Knead until smooth and not sticky (add extra flour or water as needed)
5 - Make into 10-12 balls and let sit for at least an hour, more time is OK (cover with a damp towel)
6 - Heat frying pan to medium high
7 - Roll out one ball of dough to a tortilla shape (mine never get perfectly round, but they work fine as enchiladas)
8 - Put on frying pan for 10 sec or until it gets puffy
9 - Use fingers to flip and wait 30 seconds on other side
10 - Flip again and do 30 seconds on first side, then remove from heat.
11 - Repeat steps 7 - 10 for all tortillas.
12 - Can be made 1 day ahead, or frozen if you need to keep them longer. Heat slightly before rolling.
Crackers:
3 cups flour - I use all whole wheat
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water or more as needed
1 - Mix all together, knead and roll out to 1/8 " thick and try to keep it rectangle shape
2 - Put on baking sheet that has been greased and sprinkled with flour
3 - Use a dull knife to mark (indent, don't cut) where you want the crackers to split apart
4 - Sprinkle with salt, pepper, dry herbs, as you want
5 - Bake at 350*F, 12 - 20 minutes depending on how thick the crackers are - until they are dry and brown and break apart easily.
My husband asked for a "brothy" soup, so I put together a nice mushroom, non-cream soup with a vegetable and chicken stock base. I used garlic, miso paste, tamari, sherry, carrots and kale.
Turned a cooked chicken breast into salad for sandwiches. Chopped fine added chopped celery to stretch it and a little minced onion. Tossed in golden raisins and dried cranberries, s & p, light mayo and some horseradish cream bought at the polish store. Will make about 5 sandwiches over the next few days.
Bastelmutti
1-4-11, 11:28am
More yogurt on the way - this time I'm trying the crockpot method. The first batch got eaten a lot faster than store-bought!
IshbelRobertson
1-4-11, 11:57am
I make nearly everything from scratch, ie always fresh vegetables, hate frozen or tinned (except for frozen petit pois, which I use as a veg and to make soups!), make a lot of my own breads, bake scones, cakes (sad, really, as I cannot eat them anymore). Casseroles, stews, soups - even make my own pasta some of the time. Can't remember the last time I ate a shop-bought pizza, for instance!
I find cooking therapeutic, always have done. I come from a family of great cooks/bakers - and have ensured that the skills are being carried forward into the next generation, too.
Bastelmutti
1-4-11, 1:38pm
That sounds wonderful, Ishbel. Do you have a recipe for pea soup? I think I would like it, but not sure about the family. I saw a nice-looking one from frozen peas on Nigella Lawson (she put a load of cheese in it, of course!)
I make everything from scratch but this week I mastered Country Style Pate. I had this type of pate when on vacation and absolutely loved it. It's the course textured loaf wrapped in bacon that you slice. This one had chunks of duck breast (cured with spices and Grand Marnier, pork loin, and was studded with fat back, pistachio nuts and green peppercorns. It came out beautiful and tasted just like the stuff I had on vacation that I could never afford to buy here. We have one wine and cheese shop that sells something similar for about $19 a pound and it honestly wasn't as good as mine. I really love to make stuff I can't afford to buy.
And the best part was I got the ducks on super sale during the holidays and cut them up making duck confit out of the legs, which I later turned into Duck Rillettes (Don't ask, but it made a great hostess gift for a foodie friend of mine.) I got the fat back, which has now become a trendy ingredient that I can't find anywhere here, by calling a local beef and pork processing plant and ordering it. It was about $1.25 a pound.
IshbelRobertson
1-5-11, 6:06am
That sounds wonderful, Ishbel. Do you have a recipe for pea soup? I think I would like it, but not sure about the family. I saw a nice-looking one from frozen peas on Nigella Lawson (she put a load of cheese in it, of course!)
I don't measure anything when I make most soups - but here goes!
Fry off a small onion until translucent, but not browned. Add about 3/4 of a pint of vegetable stock or a bouillon cube. Add a small bag of petit pois (I like the added sweetness of the smaller pea) which have been cooked with a good handful of fresh mint. Zap in a blender, adding salt and black pepper to taste. I don't use cheese, but I don't suppose a good handful of parmesan would go amiss!
This is a much lighter, brighter soup than my family's preferred pea and ham variety.
flowerseverywhere
1-5-11, 8:39am
I made biscuits from scratch for the first time. They were light, fluffy and delicious. Very inexpensive for a big batch that we had for dinner with leftovers for breakfast with jam. Flour, milk, shortening and a little salt. Yummy.
also, had a ham bone so made bean soup. Dry navy beans soaked overnight went into the crockpot with sauteed onions, carrots, celery and the ham bone. 8 hours later a delicious soup.
last week I made pancakes one cold morning and we had them with maple syrup our neighbor made from tapping his trees. A few simple ingredients and they were heavenly.
I'm making sandwich bread today. Mother Earth News has a great article and recipe for bread this month.
I used Mark Bittman's recipe for lentils and rice (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/weekinreview/02recipes-2.html?ref=weekinreview). Boy, was that a big pot o' food. Can I freeze it as I won't be able to eat it all this week?
Today's lentils and rice I pureed and spread on a tortilla. Tomorrow, I'll add roasted red peppers. I can also add more water to make soup.
Bastelmutti
1-5-11, 12:17pm
Dried black beans in the crockpot today!
Thx, Ishbel. Must try.
flowerseverywhere - I also made biscuits for the first time recently. They are so good! And thx for reminding me of the ham bone stuck in the back of my freezer!
carrot cake with pineapple
curried lentil soup
whole wheat bread
I try to make most of my food items from scratch -- am looking for a recipe that is similar to the Planter's Nut Bars or Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Nut Bars.
I drink mostly water or unsweetened iced tea. SO loves my homemade version of Gatorade: 1/8 tsp. Morton Nu-Salt; 3/8 tsp. salt; 5 - 8 tablespoons sugar, 1 packet unsweetened Kool-Aid or generic brand and 64 oz water -- mix and pour into containers. I use 5 tablespoons sugar since he doesn't care for it too sweet. This makes two 32 oz size Gatorades for .10 to .15 each. Gatorade 32 oz size on sale is $1.00 and regular price is $1.50, so quite a savings.
Bastelmutti
1-5-11, 1:55pm
carrot cake with pineapple
curried lentil soup
whole wheat bread
That's my favorite kind of carrot cake - do you have a good recipe?
I make all our bread every week, when it isn't too darned hot out.
Recipe and techniques here. (http://hangininsac.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-knead-no-brain-bread-versus-trendy.html)
P.S. Like the easier hyperlink in the new forum.
I'm vertically roasting a chicken with vegetables. The chicken will go on to an encore performance in pho (more like faux, as I'm--you should pardon the pun--winging it). I'm toying with the idea of some kind of eggplant/ground beef lasagna. And brandy-spiked flourless fruitcake. I bought a nice rack of ribs I'm completely unqualified to cook. Hope the ribs turn out better than the GF pizza did.
Did the world's easiest yogurt yesterday! I bought a tiny dannon plain greek yogurt for $1 (the kind with nothing in it but milk and culture). Poured water into a 22 oz corningware mug and nuked it for 3 minutes to get the mug really hot. At the same time, warmed some full fat organic milk stovetop to warm-not-hot. Dumped water, poured in milk, added 2T yogurt, snapped cap on, shook it up and let it sit on top of my space heater all day. Perfect!
That's my favorite kind of carrot cake - do you have a good recipe?
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/canadas_best_carrot_cake_with_cream_cheese_icing.p hp
It is pretty easy and I used walnuts instead of pecans.
Baked Potato Soup - from Best Bites. Oh, man it was good. I could have eaten the entire pot. Sub'ed Veg broth for Chicken
broth.
I do most of our cooking from scratch, including baked goods. This week's from-scratch lineup is:
Bangers and mash (leftover mashed potatoes became 1) potato pancakes with last night's ham dinner and 2) will become rosemary-potato bread with Saturday night's dinner;
The ham from last night will become: Red beans (cooked with vegetables and ham) and brown rice. Beans are soaked and ready to go for tomorrow.
Sourdough whole-wheat english muffins (today and wow, turned out great!)
Banana-nut muffins (using frozen bananas I tossed in the freezer the day we left on vacation in December)
Rosemary-potato bread (on deck for Saturday's baking, using last of mashed potatoes from dinner earlier this week)
French vegetable soup (Saturday night's Soup Night with friends)
Anadama bread (will be baked Sunday as the week's sandwich bread)
Butter-rum cake (to accompany Saturday night's dinner).
Then, for Sunday dinner, I'm making homemade pasta with meatballs. My kids will help.
Most nights, I just put together protein + veggies + carbohydrate, but I enjoy making nearly all of our dinners from scratch. It's very fulfilling.
P.S. The Victory Garden Cookbook has an amazing carrot cake recipe, with some whole-wheat flour and lemon zest. It's wonderful. I like it with a lemon-powdered sugar icing instead of the traditional cream cheese frosting. Yum!
I cook from scratch as much as time will allow. I will often cook double portions of something and than reheat it tomorrow for dinner. Luckily my family has never been picky about that. Today we had meatloaf which was a duplicate of last night. I also grow most of our veggies and a lot of our fruits so I am so happy when I can put a meal on the table that came from our yard. :) Today we had meatloaf, mashed taters, broccoli and the final leftover sweet potato biscuits. All from scratch. All the veggies and fruit from my garden. Snack tonight was my home canned peaches and popcorn. Odd combo but the kids were happy. We grown the popcorn and pop the whole mini kernels in a paper bag in the microwave.
This winter I'd like to master some cheese making.
Tomato soup! which I love and no one else in the house likes. oh well :)
Fab curry simmering as I type, with brown rice in the rice cooker (best appliance EVER), and dinner is soooon!
This isn't as exciting as homemade yogurt but I just made a big batch of chicken soup (The recipe is on my blog at www.livingwelllivingsimply.blogspot.com). I try to make most things on my own but sometimes convenience takes over. I am most proud of my cereal. Cereal in my house is a must have. Husband eats it at least 3 times a day. I couldn't afford continually buying cereal so I began to make my own. It is a real money saver and is much healthier. Did you know that those plastic bags inside the cereal boxes contain toxins?
I made homemade sauerkraut that we are enjoying and today, I am baking whole wheat and raisin bread. They just got popped into the oven. Now we have wait 40 minutes. Nothing better than homemade bread with butter!!!!!
IshbelRobertson
1-7-11, 6:05pm
Tonight we had chicken Marengo, served with rosemary roasted new potatoes and green beans.
There was the remains of a Tipsy Laird pudding (Scotland's answer to an English trifle) for those that wanted it - or a great cheeseboard with home-made oatcakes.
Cream of potato soup from scratch - so easy, so tasty!
Made the Chicken Adobo recipe that was in the NYT yesterday. Kind of meh -- I was expecting better, given how well known and popular the dish is. It was kind of a hassle, too -- had to first marinate the meat, then cook in the dutch oven, then take out and grill, then return to the dutch oven.
Also made a cabbage salad loosely based on one of the recipes in How to Cook Everything. That one was more to my liking, but still not sure I'll make it again.
My goal was to try 11 new recipes this year, so I am 18% of the way to my goal.
lhamo
Chicken soup. I admit to using canned stock, usually I make my own, but I had no carcass or bones to work with. So, the broth was from a can and the pasta from a box, but the rest was yummy. Fresh veggies and garlic. I have a cold, so I put in lots of dried red chile peppers. When serranos are cheap I by lots and thread them and hang them to dry and turn red in the kitchen. When I need to spice things up, I grab two or three and cut them in thirds and add them to stir fry, Mexican food, or in this case spicy, garlicky soup to help a cold.
Chicken soup, pancakes, pb&j muffins, 5 pounds of mini-meatballs. It's been a productive week!
Quarts and quarts (and quarts!) of lemon jam...which wound up being more like lemon syrup. This past summer I did a fair bit of ice cream from milk, eggs, sugar and flavorings. Also did a lot of pizza including making the crust from scratch. My main experimentation was with cooking it on a gas grill. My mom got me a yogurt maker for my birthday so I've been making yogurt regularly, with which the lemon, um, syrup will go for breakfast.
Rosie-think warm gingerbread with lemon sauce! Yum!
Bastelmutti
1-10-11, 8:52am
lhamo - There is a good and easy adobo chicken recipe in a Williams-Sonoma slow cooker book I have. Comes out kind of stewed (which we like), but no transferring from one cooking appliance to another. I'll see if I can post.
My first project of the year is homemade crackers. I have made three batches so far. The first batch was basically inedible. But the birds seem to be enjoying it. The second batch was much improved. The third batch was even better, but I'm not entirely satisfied with the recipe. So I will try the recipe that was posted here (thanks, Terri!) and see how that works out.
Wow, how did I miss this thread? What good ideas.
We cook at home most of the time; I have been messing around with lentils and vegetables but need to get seasonings right. Last night's stew had great veggies but too much heat and not enough flavour. Not sure what to do about that.
The Good News is that DSD is taking her baking to a new level. She asked about cupcakes and then made a batch (from scratch) and icing (from scratch) after we got back from skiing yesterday (that belongs in the Frugal Fun thread; xc skiing in town). She's really taking on the home baking thing; it used to be only chocolate chip cookies but now she even wrote down "her" cupcake recipe from the Joy of Cooking.
We make pizza here. In the fall we made bread for a few weeks but have gotten off track with that a bit. It will come back though, because we can't find bread we actually like in any of the local shops.
We cook at home most of the time; I have been messing around with lentils and vegetables but need to get seasonings right. Last night's stew had great veggies but too much heat and not enough flavour. Not sure what to do about that.
I also am fiddling around with beans and lentils - for a long time now LOL. Have found tips below to be helpful. [I always use slow cooker after soaking beans at least overnight]
- use 3 tablespoons salt in the water when soaking dry beans over night before cooking [salt before cooked does NOT make beans tough - per America's Test Kitchen AND per my own experience]
-use soy sauce instead of salt in the water [not the same water they soaked in] when they are actually cooking in the slow cooker - I use about 1/4 cup per 16 oz of dried beans
- use honey - a couple tablespoons is all you need - some think honey is good for you
- use 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup nutritional yeast in the cooking water also (I slow cook all my beans) - adds nice hearty flavor especially helpful if you are vegetarian -which we are
- use 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup olive oil (depending on how many calories you mind but remember - oil/fat adds flavor)
- use 1/2 cup ketchup (unsweetened since you have the honey- I try to avoid high fructose when I can)
- just before serving, add a couple of tablespoons of Basalmic vinegar - nice little zip (fresh lemon juice also would probably work - or other type of vinegar if you don't have basalmic)
Above is the basic. If I have time, I will add the veggies about an hour before beans are finished cooking. If I don't have time, add later when using in recipes.
All of the above in addition to using veggies - sometimes I roast the veggies before adding, sometimes I saute depending:
-1 fresh jalapeno, minced
-4-6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- chopped leeks, and/or red onions and/or shallots - all are good - 1-2 cups each per 16 oz of dried beans
- large handful of flat parsley, minced
I don't like to overcook the veggies - reason I add toward end.
Also add a chili powder/cumin combination for chili or sometimes oregano/basil/thyme combination for Italiian - plain without herbs is good too. Add with veggies about 1 hour before turning off slow cooker.
If I don't have time to chop veggies, I freeze portions of the basic beans and add veggies later.
I would like to know what tips you have learned that you think have enhanced your bean cooking.
Anna Hart
1-10-11, 12:53pm
I had a bunch of apples in the fridge from the fall so I made some easy, yummy, apple sauce. My recipe is on my blog www.livingwelllivingsimply.blogspot.com if you are interested. January is my mid year canning month. I begin to can some of the things I threw into the freezer because I ran out of time. I am excited to try some green tomato jam, some strawberry rhubarb jam, and maybe some more salsa.
IshbelRobertson
1-10-11, 4:59pm
The first Seville oranges are in the local shops. That's the signal for my marathon marmalade-making sessions. Have to make enough for our family, relatives and friends.... And we STILL run out at the end of the year!
Bastelmutti
1-10-11, 6:08pm
Just found this information while searching around for ways to clean out the fridge this week:
http://www.svusd.org/hp_images/1662/Original%20Casserole.htm
I am going to try it & report back.
The colcannon was quite good. I'd never made it before. I had broiled portobello mushrooms with mine. DH had sausage, I think kielbasa.
Bastelmutti
1-10-11, 11:28pm
Here's the adobo chicken recipe I use:
http://www.livepantry.com/recipe.cfm?id=441
What have you made from scratch lately?
Stock. Lots of stock. Beef, chicken (turkey actually), seafood and fish. It's soup season here so need a freezer full of stock to use as the base.
IshbelRobertson
1-11-11, 5:31pm
Today I made enough beef casserole with wine for 3 meals - I also made a couple of Scottish steak pies and some Cornish pasties.
Tonight we had a chicken curry (made from scratch) with basmati rice.
Snowstorm today! DH is making two loaves of bread, I'm baking an applesauce cake. Will also make meatloaf and have defrosted some grated, frozen zucchini to stretch it.
I made my first batch of kimchi today. I'll be making a stir-fry for dinner tonight.
I think this summer I will be brave and try making pasta. Then perhaps very brave and try pickling......???
Bastelmutti
5-6-11, 11:16am
Tiam - Basic salty cucumber pickles are really easy. I have a large IKEA glass jar I use. Stuff in 1/2 bunch dill + 3-4 garlic cloves (or more) in the bottom. Chili flakes optional. Fill with cut cucumbers (I use Japanese). Pour over water mixed with 1 T. salt and 1 t. sugar. Leave on the counter. They're salty at first, then get sour. When they're the saltiness/sourness you like, put in fridge. Also, the water needs to be hot to dissolve the salt & sugar, but cool it before you pour over the cukes or they will get rubbery. My friend also puts the cukes on a bed of ice while she's prepping the rest to keep them crispy. Friends also tell me that certain plants' leaves will keep them crispy - I think it's black currant leaves. Enjoy!
A couple of days ago I made fresh lemon/zucchini muffins using coconut and almond flour. Today I'm making chili and my version of pho.
Well, I have "conquered" yeast breads (not that it was hard, thanks to Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, but it was new territory to me), so my next goal is tortillas.
I already cook mostly from scratch on a regular basis to save money and for health reasons.
Kara
Made an enormous pot of split pea and ham soup. Wondered how I'd get through it all without getting totally bored. Then my Dad came over... Now I wish I had made more!
Scalloped potatoes and broccoli; strawberry and rhubarb crumble ...both yummy!
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