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12:16 am
November 8, 2011
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Cooking from scratch also allows you to appreciate how versatile natural ingredients are. I have large tubs with locking lids that I fill with my most basic and useful ingredients; Sugar, Flour, Jasmine Rice. This allows me to have a small emergency stockpile. I make tortillas, sugar cookies, biscuits, Rice pudding, etc. simple things. I am making Tamales in a day.
12:34 am
December 21, 2011
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CD,
You have brought back such wonderful memories. I can just see your daughter dragging up the chair. Sounds like she is still too young for this but the day will come all too soon.
My daughter was around 12 or 13 when she decided she would rather be the cook than the helper. So we made a deal. She would look through and choose what she wanted to make from the cookbook, then make me a shopping list and I would buy the ingredients and do the dishes. She learned to cook from scratch and would cook at least 2 nights a week. The meals were delicious and we all got to try things I may never have made.
8:38 am
December 19, 2011
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I work full time, so while I try to make most things from scratch…some things are just not practical for me time-wise.
I occasionally make my own bread, but mostly buy a $.89 loaf at our local bread store, same with hot dog & hamburger buns. I do however make dinner rolls. I buy butter & pasta. I buy canned tomatoes in the non-growing season, but do make my own spaghetti sauce. I haven't ventured into making my own mayo or ketchup yet, but will try it one day. I do make my own ice cream, chocolate syrup, pancakes/waffles, pudding pops, chicken broth, cookies, pizza, fruit leathers, granola & instant oatmeal. I also buy yogurt, because while I have made my own, the kids don't care for it, so it usually goes to waste, so I just buy it.
8:53 am
June 2, 2010
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fiveladybugs
I use the following recipe to make bread for the family. It takes less than 2 minutes of hands on time and you can use any flour or combination of flours that you like. With only four ingredients it's a real money saver as well. I mixed this up before I headed out this morning and will bake it for dinner tonight.
http://chickensintheroad.com/f…..ead-bread/
It makes the best toast in the world.
9:20 am
May 5, 2010
Online
kellyb said: "I use the following recipe to make bread for the family. It takes less than 2 minutes of hands on time and you can use any flour or combination of flours that you like. With only four ingredients it's a real money saver as well. I mixed this up before I headed out this morning and will bake it for dinner tonight."
Oh my, that's pretty much up my alley with my arthritic wrists troubling me in the morning … tell me, please, have you tried doubling it? I don't have any small lidded casserole dishes but do have an oval iron roaster that would create a large 2# loaf. So easy to cut in half and freeze one part. I'm already thinking of a little cornmeal and a little rye …..awesome toast in the morning with jam. Thanks!
9:33 am
June 2, 2010
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I have doubled it and baked it in a very large straight sided Pyrex container. Having a straight-sided baking dish allows the bread to rise to a tall enough loaf. I didn't explain that very well but when I baked it in a "slope-sided" casserole dish I got a tasty but flatter loaf. This gives you a very artisan looking loaf. My friend allows her dough to rise in the fridge for 24+ hours and free forms the dough on a baking tile. She covers the loaf with a large dish to help it steam and form the cripy crust. My family likes this shape best.
I like your flour comination. We enjoy prairie gold wheat, oatmeal and a little white flour. Very yummy and delicious as toast.
My daughter's roommates would text me requesting loaves of this bread. I'd make them several if I was visiting. The loaves would be gone before the weekend was over. Hungry college students can eat a lot of food!
9:46 am
May 5, 2010
Online
Hmmm, I'm not blessed with a baking tile and don't think I'll be that choosy about whether the loaf flattens with sloped sides …. do recall reading somewhere that straight sides support whereas sloped sides allow the increasing weight to collaspse the forming bubbles. This idea definitely looks like a go for this cold time of year when aching wrists make kneading lack its usual joy. Am thinking I'll set up a dough tonight for tomorrow! Thank you for the reminder of your posted recipe … gotta luuuve simplicity with a time-crunched life!
10:37 am
September 12, 2011
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Good Morning all…Yes, I was a Master Gardener about 10 years ago. What a wonderful program! I volunteered a lot of time, but moved to a different growing area and now I just putter along. Arizona has almost a year-round growing season for vegetables, so we really enjoy our gardens. Now oranges and lemons are coming out of our ears, really yummy and fresh.
I can't wait to try Kellyb's no knead bread. Grandmother bread is wonderful, but this sounds like a perfect Sunday bread. My grandkids will be loving me this weekend!
I like to bottle my vegetable soups and chicken separately. I had a situation once where I had volunteered to take a man in my church dinner one night…he had just had bypass surgery so we were all helping him out. I forgot until 5 p.m. and had to have something there by 5:30! I pulled out my vegetable soup, added some canned chicken and thickened the broth with flour and milk. Took it with homemade bread and was delivering it by 5:30. (He said it tasted just like his mother's chicken stew…he was tickled pink!) Having a back-up like this just makes sense..what if power goes out? You can have a healthy dinner by candlelight and make some memories.
Love this topic and all the wonderful ideas.
10:54 am
December 14, 2010
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Something every kitchen should have is a good scale. It makes life in the kitchen much easier.
For bread making using baker's percentages allows you to make any size batch of bread. Because all of the ingredients are a percentage of the total flour. Liquid is generaly between 63 and 68 per cent of the weight of the flour. salt is always between one and half and two percent. Yeast is about a half tablespoon for most batches but if you are in a hurry you can push it with a little more yeast.
If you have a partial bag of flour and want to make bread and you don't have the full six cups(for example) you can weigh what you do have and proceed from there..
Meat roasts for twenty minutes per pound but when do you start it if you don't know the weight. Too soon and it is either over done or cold when the rest of the meal is ready. Too late and the meal will be delayed.
11:21 am
November 9, 2010
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A few words about making your own butter. I agree that it does not make economic sense to buy expensive cream, but…. once and a while it is a wonderful treat. I generally try to get cream from a local dairy and make just enough for the table. I have made more and it generally goes bad before we can finish it. ( just 2 of us). For baking and any serious cooking I still use store-bought butter.
Completely agree with having to be realistic about what makes sense. For my family it is about processed food and local sources. Many years ago I knew 2 sisters who were in their 90s. Both in great shape and very active. When asked what has kept them so young and healthy they replied," We eat nothing from a box.". I have always remembered this and think they were on to something. Making your own food is a gift you give yourself and your family. It can certainly help your checkbook too. When I do go to the grocery store I find myself buying less and less processed/convience food. I ask myself, "Where did this food come from? When/how was it processed? Is the farmer being compensated fairly for his/her work? and Can I make this myself?".
This is a wonderful topic and gets to the heart of CITR.
11:41 am
May 7, 2011
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After joining CITR I, too, find myself saying no to those boxed foods (cake mixes, meal helpers, etc). I also am leaning toward buying more locally grown food products.
Personally, I would not make ketchup, again. It is time consuming and requires a large quantity of tomatoes and the yield is relatively small. The oldest granddaughter coerced (LOL) me into making some last fall. It was a learning experience for both of us. If you grow your own tomatoes or have access to a large quantity then maybe.
Years ago, I made butter (using a hand crank butter churn and the food processer) for Thanksgiving to impress my step father in law while it was good and we enjoyed it but unless I had a cow or access to cream I wouldn't do it again. But I know that I can do it. The same can be said for mayo (which I have) and mustard (which I haven't done).
11:53 am
December 14, 2010
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We had Jersey cows when I was growing up and had a large surplus of milk. The morning milking was always separated and the cream went into the fridge and the skim milk was mixed with hog mash and fed. When the quarts of cream over crowded the fridge we made butter. In the summer when the cows were fresh we made a lot of butter and salted it well and froze it.
Churning was with a hand cranked churn and it often seemed like it would never make. We used to tease that you had to turn the crank always in the same direction or you would unwind the butter.
12:22 pm
May 7, 2011
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Mine is a glass jar with a paddle built into the lid. I remember my grandmother having a big wooden one that sat on the floor.
6:26 pm
November 23, 2010
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These are the things I would add to the 'make' list that no one else has mentioned:
-yogurt (so easy, no special tools required. If you don't like it watery, strain it through cheese cloth for 'greek' style). Use the remaining whey in baked goods.
-taco seasoning
-Bisquick
-refried beans
-salsa
-crackers
-granola bars
-vanilla extract
-laundry detergent
-Nutella
There are only a few items on my 'must buy processed' list, and they include ketchup, ranch dressing, Italian dressing, and Ragu.
I second the recommendation for "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter" book. Her granola recipe is amazing, and my kids love the English muffins.
7:43 pm
February 5, 2012
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Ruby said:
A few words about making your own butter. I agree that it does not make economic sense to buy expensive cream, but…. once and a while it is a wonderful treat. I generally try to get cream from a local dairy and make just enough for the table. I have made more and it generally goes bad before we can finish it. ( just 2 of us). For baking and any serious cooking I still use store-bought butter.
Completely agree with having to be realistic about what makes sense. For my family it is about processed food and local sources. Many years ago I knew 2 sisters who were in their 90s. Both in great shape and very active. When asked what has kept them so young and healthy they replied," We eat nothing from a box.". I have always remembered this and think they were on to something. Making your own food is a gift you give yourself and your family. It can certainly help your checkbook too. When I do go to the grocery store I find myself buying less and less processed/convience food. I ask myself, "Where did this food come from? When/how was it processed? Is the farmer being compensated fairly for his/her work? and Can I make this myself?".
This is a wonderful topic and gets to the heart of CITR.
I agree. Today I went food shopping and I noticed how little food I was buying. From the crackers to the butter, I read all labels. I got nothing with more than 5 ingredients (not counting water).
7:48 pm
February 5, 2012
Offline
prvrbs31gal said:
These are the things I would add to the 'make' list that no one else has mentioned:
-yogurt (so easy, no special tools required. If you don't like it watery, strain it through cheese cloth for 'greek' style). Use the remaining whey in baked goods.
-taco seasoning
-Bisquick
-refried beans
-salsa
-crackers
-granola bars
-vanilla extract
-laundry detergent
-Nutella
There are only a few items on my 'must buy processed' list, and they include ketchup, ranch dressing, Italian dressing, and Ragu.
I second the recommendation for "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter" book. Her granola recipe is amazing, and my kids love the English muffins.
I have been making my own laundry detergent. I use borax, fels-naptha or zote soap, and super washing soda by arms & hammers. It is cheaper, natural, and you get more for your load.
7:51 pm
February 5, 2012
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mamajhk said:
After joining CITR I, too, find myself saying no to those boxed foods (cake mixes, meal helpers, etc). I also am leaning toward buying more locally grown food products.
Personally, I would not make ketchup, again. It is time consuming and requires a large quantity of tomatoes and the yield is relatively small. The oldest granddaughter coerced (LOL) me into making some last fall. It was a learning experience for both of us. If you grow your own tomatoes or have access to a large quantity then maybe.
Years ago, I made butter (using a hand crank butter churn and the food processer) for Thanksgiving to impress my step father in law while it was good and we enjoyed it but unless I had a cow or access to cream I wouldn't do it again. But I know that I can do it. The same can be said for mayo (which I have) and mustard (which I haven't done).
I decided not to make my own butter today. I went to the store and the organic cream was super expensive. Olivio is the best natural choice.
7:54 pm
February 5, 2012
Offline
Bev in CA said:
So many great ideas. Having lived far from town and our roads closing often in the winter the one thing I found that helped the most was being able to make any baked good from scratch. Having the basic ingredients on hand really helps. So many baked goods are so quick to make. There are many yeast breads that you don't have to knead. Most recipes only call for 5 minutes or so. Not too much time involved., then you wait. Most good loaves of bread cost $5.00 a loaf. You can make so much cheaper. Anything from scratch is always cheaper. Already mentioned knowing what is in your food is a major plus when you make your own, using Farm Bell mixes is great! As your children grow they will really enjoy learning and knowing how to make something tasty to eat. Something that will follow all through their lifetime. Case in point, the young man featured on Farm Bell today. Only 16 and look what he can do. Canning does take time, so worth it, but so much can be frozen, too. A freezer goes far in the yearly food budget. Buying in bulk really helps. Great topic.
I got a loaf of wheat bread from whole foods with all the same ingredients you will use to make your own bread for only $2.99. That does not include the cost of gas to get over there.
But I love making my own bread, it is a fun activity and the bread taste so good hot with butter. Plus who does not like impressing people with a slice of bread made from scratch.
8:50 pm
November 11, 2010
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jbalt, this was a great topic to start.
I think if you know your motives/goals for scratch cooking, you'll be able to decide which things to do. The reasons can range from saving money, being self-sufficient, eliminating additives and on and on.
YOUR reason is one of the best: you want to make memories for your family in the kitchen. I would go with quick breads and cookies. These are things that kids really love and the homemade version is cheap and EZ to do plus always better than store bought. I always have homemade baking mix on hand and this could save you money, too. Pancakes, waffles, homemade biscuits can make a weeknight dinner or a weekend breakfast special. One tip on cookies: make a large batch of dough and bake only a few at a time. You can drop the rest onto a sheet pan and freeze, then plunk the frozen balls in a baggie. This way you can have hot cookies any time and if that's not making a memory, I don't know what is! I also second the idea for the no knead bread. In fact, I've been thinking of teaching a class on it at the YMCA or local rec center. Anyone can make and have fresh, hot, nutritious and satisfying bread for pennies! A simple (cheap) bowl of soup is so much better when you have a loaf of crusty bread to go with it. Everyone has the right to homemade bread! 
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