making it from scratch

[jodi]

I am on a really big scratch cooking kick. So far I have attempted (successfully, even!):
granola
yogurt
muffins/cakes/cookies/pies/cinnamon buns - all baked goods
breads and rolls
pizza/stromboli
pancakes (SO much better than the mix!) and waffles
soups/chili/stew

What other things am I not thinking of? What mixes and prepackaged foods have you ditched?

[tinapbeana]

i can't stand jarred/canned spaghetti sauce, so i've always made it from scratch. i also make up a lot of spice blends/rubs to use when i cook b/c it's a cheap easy way to change flavors. buy the spices in bulk & make up a batch at a time...

let's see: BBQ sauce, soup, guacamole, mashed potatos... odd, the things i make from scratch

when it comes to pancakes, i'm thinking about making up my own mix & using that from a bin.

[budgetmom]

I made sloppy joe meat the other day and froze it for a later meal. I had always just used the canned stuff before. This tastes MUCH better!

[jodi]

Ooh, my DH makes the best sloppy joes from scratch.

Great ideas! I keep meaning to try my hand at spice mixes, but never quite get around to it. I made crockpot applesauce last night to take to a meeting - it was SO easy and so much better than the jarred stuff.

[JanH]

wow. growing up we made our cookies, pies, cakes, pizzas,cocoa, pancakes, even ice cream from scratch. Why, o why did we think convenience would be better. Scratch always tastes better.

[JanH]

I think I'm getting inspired from this thread.....

Cakes are the best when done from scratch! We live in such a convenience world, we tend to forget how to do things the "old fashioned" way.

If you haven't made Fruit rollups from scratch - try it! It just takes a dehydrator, fruit, honey, and applesauce. delicious!

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by PriceLimbo

If you haven't made Fruit rollups from scratch - try it! It just takes a dehydrator, fruit, honey, and applesauce. delicious!

PL, you can do the same thing with fruit yogurt and your dehydrator. Still healthy, and doesn't have to be refridgerated. Used to take them to school for lunch.

[Fern]

I buy just popcorn kernels and pop them with a bit of canola oil, rather than buy the popcorn in a bag with all that god awful hydrogenated fake butter and salt.

[Squantum]

I always make microwave popcorn from scratch. Used to try it with a bag, but it comes out much better in a specially designed container I found near the microwaves in a discount store that doesn't exist any longer (c. 1992). It's a round bowl on a base w/ a vented top. I've seen in other stores since then.

I haven't always made turkey burgers from scratch. But when I do -- mmm, they are so much better than frozen patties (even if I freeze them).

[PrincessPerky]

Originally Posted by PriceLimbo

Cakes are the best when done from scratch! We live in such a convenience world, we tend to forget how to do things the "old fashioned" way.

If you haven't made Fruit rollups from scratch - try it! It just takes a dehydrator, fruit, honey, and applesauce. delicious!

How much and how long, and how do you stop it from falling down the holes?

[kashi]

Thanks, PP, I was just about to post that. My mom used to make them but she used dehydrator sheets. Where on earth do you find them now?

[tinapbeana]

fruit roll-ups in a dehydrator w/out the liquid holding deydrator sheets: line the existing mesh dehydrator tray with plastic wrap.

[Fern]

Originally Posted by Squantum

I always make microwave popcorn from scratch. Used to try it with a bag, but it comes out much better in a specially designed container I found near the microwaves in a discount store that doesn't exist any longer (c. 1992). It's a round bowl on a base w/ a vented top. I've seen in other stores since then.

I haven't always made turkey burgers from scratch. But when I do -- mmm, they are so much better than frozen patties (even if I freeze them).

Definitely true about either turkey or beef burgers. I think the key is not pounding the patties out flat and thin; needs to be some air in there.

[tabbycat31]

I make salad dressing from scratch (I am allergic to pepper and most commercial salad dressings have that in it).
I used canned tomato sauce (really bland) and add my own spices (it's cheaper than say Ragu)
I made a cake and icing from scratch for the first time over teh weekend and it came out pretty good.

I wish I had more time for cooking

[lrjohnson]

Currently:Muffins.
Cocoa mix (baking cocoa, sugar and/or Splenda, and powdered milk).
Jam.
Popcorn (microwave bulk stuff in a regular paper bag).
Granola (so so so much cheaper, and I control fat/sugar content).
Bath salts and bath oils (don't eat'em).
Anything with potatoes.
Applesauce.
Veggie burgers-TVP based.

Want to/Plan to:
Tortillas.
Bread (except that I'd eat way to much.......).
Yogurt (looking for a freecycle/hand me down/garage sale heating pad or broken crock pot).

It's funny what people consider either convenience or scratch....I've read where someone considers bread a convenience food-for some of us it's a basic staple. On the flip side, some people wouldn't even consider making soup from scratch as note-worthy; they haven't even considered not making it! They might even think the storebought boullion cubes were convenience food! I'm in-netween on the scale; I just find the different perceptions fascinating.

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by lrjohnson

It's funny what people consider either convenience or scratch....I've read where someone considers bread a convenience food-for some of us it's a basic staple. On the flip side, some people wouldn't even consider making soup from scratch as note-worthy; they haven't even considered not making it! They might even think the storebought boullion cubes were convenience food! I'm in-netween on the scale; I just find the different perceptions fascinating.

i completely agree!

for me a "convenience food" is one that i don't eat or use regularly but might be nice to have when the urge strikes: ice cream, chips, shake'n'bake. staples are those that i use regularly. for many of them, i either don't know how to make it myself, i don't care to put in the time/energy, or (biggie!) i don't have the space available to store it once i make it in bulk. tomato paste, butter, yogurt, sausage, canned beans all fall into this category.

other items move from staple to convenience, and back again. i'm not a bread person, so i usually don't get it unless i'm on a toast kick (then bread & jam for all!). same for potoatos: i normally buy 1 lb bags of alexia's frozen organic fries b/c it usually takes DH and me months to go through a 3 lb bag of taters. then the holidays hit and BAM: 5-10 lbs gone in a month.

[jodi]

Originally Posted by tinapbeana

i it usually takes DH and me months to go through a 3 lb bag of taters. then the holidays hit and BAM: 5-10 lbs gone in a month.

Totally off topic, but I just had to laugh - DH's (very Irish) family cooks a 10 pound bag of potatoes for Thanksgiving alone!

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by jodi

Totally off topic, but I just had to laugh - DH's (very Irish) family cooks a 10 pound bag of potatoes for Thanksgiving alone!

yeah, my mom will cook the traditional holiday 4lb meatloaf (yup, that's my family, frugal till the end!) and a 5 lb batch of mashed potatoes, and there's nothing left after 2 parents, 2 daughters, and 2 SILs get done with it. sometimes it's 5lbs of meatloaf and 10 lbs of mash, and then it feels like more of a challenge. but, one must forge on and eat!

[PRICEPLUS]

Mashed potatos with cheese and scallions and a bit of milk(whole) MMMmmmmm! My mother makes mashed potatos that are to die for! Coming from an Irish background the spud takes center stage as "comfort food". It was our primary starch growing up!