Today, I made my first successful batch of baked beans. I've tried cooking dried beans before, but I usually start soaking at the wrong time and then forget about them. I'm learning that patience and organization are the keys to making food from scratch.
I'm looking forward to trying other recipes that will be both better for our health and our budget.
What are some of your favorite from scratch recipes?
Homemade granola...it saves money and you can choose exactly what ingredients to use, especially local (like maple syrup or honey).
ReplyDeletePatience and organization. Those help with so many aspects of life, no?
Mmmm... we love homemade granola. I use honey, toasted almonds and coconut.
DeleteThey look really good. My kids grew up with me making everything from scratch. There was a great cookbook that promoted scratch cooking and co-ops. http://www.amazon.com/More---Less-Cookbook-World-Community-ebook/dp/B00AKHQ7N2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395867941&sr=8-1&keywords=more+with+less+cookbook+spiral+bound
ReplyDeleteI grew up without much processed food, too. We do most of our meals from scratch already, but I'm trying to take it a step further with little things like dried beans/vs canned, homemade pasta, homemade mayo/dressings/condiments, and completely eliminate the need to buy anything processed. I'm having a hard time replicating my mexican rice from a box, though! Sometimes, MSG is just so good. ;) Thanks for the link, I'll be sure to check it out.
DeleteHeh heh heh... welcome to the dark side.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I tried cooking beans a new way. I put a pound of beans and 6-ish cups of water in my cast iron dutch oven. I brought the beans just to a low boil on my stovetop. Then I added the dutch oven lid, and transferred the whole business to the oven. I baked the beans for 2 hours (some may take less, depending on type and freshness), adding 2 tsp. of salt to the pot after it had baked for an hour. Today we had them for our mid-morning snack reheated and with butter and maple syrup. Amazing.
I'm loving the dark side! What a great idea to use a dutch oven for the stove top and the oven. Cooking everything from scratch makes so. many. dishes.
DeleteI tend to avoid beans because of the whole soaking thing, but it is really not a big deal. Our favorite recipe, which saves money and tastes so much better than packaged, is homemade hummus. I make three kinds - garlic, beet, and sweet potato. http://lifewiththecrew.typepad.com/my-blog/2014/01/easy-and-super-easy-hummus.html
ReplyDeleteI haven't had good hummus in a long time. I bet homemade would be fantastic, I'm adding it to the list!
Deletehummus and crackers...I'm looking forward to eventually growing and harvesting my own chickpeas! That will be even more homemade!!! Homemade crackers are wonderful...and fun for kids to make, too.
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