I've been thinking a lot about my philosophies on food in the past few months. Having issues with low blood sugar, I have grown to see food as a fuel that is necessary for me to enjoy my life instead of viewing calories as bad. I want things to taste good because, why bother eating if you're not going to eat well? Being an artist has also made me want to eat things that are aesthetically pleasing.
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| photo by HelenPalsson on Flickr |
I have realized that one of my life food goals is to make everything I eat from scratch, at least once. Think about all the things you buy prepackaged or premade. Often, it takes as little effort to make it from scratch, just a little extra time. I've found that most of the time things taste so much better that I don't go back to the prepackaged stuff.
Things I've made from scratch, at least once:
- pizza dough
- soft pretzels
- artisan breads, baguettes, rolls
- blackberry jam, peach jam, strawberry jam, elderberry jelly
- dill pickles, bread and butter pickles
- applesauce
- salsa
- mustard
- spice mix - Mexican
- french fries, sweet potato fries
- tomato sauce
- smoothies - peanut butter + banana
- naan (Indian flatbread)
- granola bars
- trail mix
- cakes, cupcakes, pie crusts
Things I'd like to make from scratch:
- English muffins
- bagels
- macaroni, including ravioli and tortellini
- sausage, bacon
- chicken, beef, veggie stock
- ice cream
- mayonnaise
- yogurt
- cheese, especially mozzarella
- wine, beer, limoncello
- honey (with Uncle J)
- marshmallows
Are there other things that should be on this list?
cheese (goat or otherwise), butter, honey and wine! :)
ReplyDeleteMm I knew I was forgetting some dairy. I have a recipe for fresh mozzarella that I've always wanted to try.
ReplyDeleteFresh mozzarella is the easiest cheese around--you can be eating it half an hour after you start. And it's fun, and good exercise!
ReplyDeleteStock, ice cream, and mayo are all pretty easy and quick... and worth the effort.
You said macaroni; have you considered other forms of homemade pasta? I think homemade tortellini are the bee's knees.
Chocolate truffles :) on homemade caramel centers.
I kind of want to try homemade salami.
I notice that you have links to other food blogs. Aside from yours, of course, I like Closet Cooking at http://closetcooking.blogspot.com . A guy from Toronto writes it and I think he has some interesting ideas. It may be too "meaty" for your taste, however.
ReplyDeleteAs for what I'd like to make more of from scratch: more soups, more breads, and good Indian food. Also cookies that are both tasty and somewhat healthy. Can this be done?
@Bee Balm Gal - in response to healthy and delicious cookies, I suggest the Carrot Cookies with Lemon Glaze. ... also, thank you for the Closet Cooking recommendation! I like his stuff.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you- love making things from scratch and often don't go back to the "easy" way. Yogurt is EASY (just made a batch today) so I'd highly recommend you give it a try! I found marshmallows to be a lot of work but it was fun to say they were homemade!! Keep cooking...!
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