My grandmother was one of those people where a bus load of people could show up at her door unexpectantly and she'd dig out some flour and pull together a bunch of ingredients and boom, everyone's eating this amazing homemade meal. She never measured anything. She knew exactly which spices to add to make the perfect taste. And I wish I had spent more time learning from this genius of a cook (and woman!)
I had posted HERE how making convenience foods on your own can help to save money on your grocery budget. Well, this new series, called Conveniently At Home, is my attempt to transform my style of cooking into one of more of a homemade nature. I'd love to someday be the amazing cook, like my grandmother. But for now...baby steps. I dream of someday living off a huge garden in my backyard that I'll can/preserve and only need to buy simple basics, like meats, flour, eggs, butter, etc. (I don't quite envision myself raising chickens, turkeys, pigs or cattle!) :)
Here are a few of the items that I am going to work on making first. While I'm not good enough, YET, to come up with my own recipes, I will share those that I find. So, here are my first set of goals:
~Pancakes & Waffles
~Pizza Dough & Sauce
~Spaghetti & Alfredo Sauces
~Breadcrumbs
~Homemade Bread
~Salsa
~Homemade Soups of all Kinds...especially:
*Beef Veggie
*Chicken/Turkey Noodle
*Stuffed Green Pepper
~Creamed Soups
~Homemade Egg Noodles (My grandmother's specialty!)
~More Pastas (I can already make tortellini. Can you believe it?!)
~Amazing Gravys
~Jams & Jellies
Latest Additions
~Pies! (I usually just stick to cookies.)
Well, that's just the start. If any of you have any great recipes to share, please, leave a comment with the recipe and/or a link to your blog.
In the end, I hope that my grocery store pictures start turning into more of basic ingredients and less of pre-made anything.
Is there anything "homemade" that you are wanting to learn how to make?
NOTE: Like the image for this posting? I found it HERE. They sell the cutest things at this site! I am going to have to convince my sister to make me an apron with it! :) I just wanted to use it so you see what cool things are at this site. I'll have a new one going forward.
Here is a link to posting on my blog about how to make your own chicken broth after you cook a whole chicken:
ReplyDeletehttp://chantelleg.blogspot.com/2008/10/frugal-and-green-meals.html
Chantelle,
ReplyDeleteThat looks great! Thank you for sharing. I've got you marked now as one of the chicken soup recipes and chicken broth/stock to try! I can't wait!
Thanks,
Jaycie
An excellent book about eating whole foods conscientiously in a world filled with hunger is the "More-With-Less Cookbook" by Doris Janzen Longacre. It will provide MUCH encouragement for your vegetable gardens and your simple cooking. It also saved my family when dry beans and rice were all we could afford to buy at the store during a terrible time. It has homemade recipes for everything (even waffles made out of flour and cottage cheese, in a blender!) and suggestions of how to get some of your staples like flour and dry milk, cheaper by wholesale -- through feed mills and dairy farms, for the serious home-cooker who is prepared to buy these 25 - 50 lbs at a time. When you bake your own bread, which is really simple even without a bread machine, you can go through that stuff like it's water.
ReplyDeleteThe book is dated, though. It was written over 30 years ago, but i've found that heat, milk, butter and flour haven't changed so much :) .
Vicki,
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like the perfect book for me! I'm adding it to my "must check-out" list for my library!
Thank you for the comment and for visiting Coupon Geek!
~Jaycie
These look like a great start. I am new to trying to make stuff at home too, and one thing I have looked into is laundry detergent. I have found some easy recipes, but for now I have such a stockpile of detergents I have gotten almost for free that I know there is no way I could beat the price, even with homemade. But once I run low, this is my next step. I am also just starting to make all my own baby food!
ReplyDeleteYou and I think alike, I've been thinking of the same things. I tend to buy so many things I could make myself just by taking the time to do it. I have a wonderful alfredo recipe, I'll go get it so I can share with you. It's so easy too.
ReplyDeleteI love the book Vicki H. mentioned, I'm going to check my library too! Here's a recipe for Ginger Cinnamon Pear Preserves, I made them last year and they are so yummy...and super easy. We eat them on bread, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, and fried chicken!
ReplyDeletehttp://familystampingfood.blogspot.com/2008/10/ginger-cinnamon-pear-preserves.html
Enjoy!
I just found your site tonight-which I have really enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to share my link to my recipes for homemade pizza dough/sauce and Alfredo sauces here. They're tried and true yummies and EASY!
Hope you enjoy.
Best Wishes!