make all your food?

Butterfly_Brain

emilykf wrote: »

I make bread, pizza bases, chips etc. The only think I can think of that I don't make from scratch is pasta. I'd like to try though, so ask again in 6 months

peterpan01, I make a large loaf and by day 3 it's still fine . . . we always finish it by then so not sure how much linger it would be good for!

HM pasta is surprisingly easy, so is gnocchi.

See here

http://www.channel4.com/search/?q=simply+italian

duchy

There's a lot of leeway in what "home cooking" means.
My OH says all my cooking is home cooked but to me I don't as I'll cheat.

A spagbol will be fresh mince with a basic sauce in a jar but I'll add my own seasoning to the sauce for example and extra onions etc.

Tonight is casserole but I've cheated as the veg in it although fresh came as a stew pack of fresh veg as it was on offer.

Easiest is to make gradual changes over time rather than go from everything ready prepared to everything home made. Pick a dish you like and master that-then move on to another -and accompanying veg can be moved to home prepared as you go.

Home baking not only tastes nicer but is more filling too.

Cally_Smart

We have to, to make the budget go further. My husband has type 2 diabetes so good to know how much sugar is in things. I try and grow my own tomatoes ,courgettes,lettuce, runner beans & herbs -that livens the food up no end and are ready to pick when needed saving money buying them & so much more convenient. I make my own bread in the bread maker,we eat it fresh on first day then it makes far better toast that a limp piece of packaged white bread does, the next day .I have to buy wholemeal as I couldn't make enough for his packed lunches every day.I would wear the machine out! Plus I forage for wild foods when I can but draw the line at mushrooms- far too dangerous they all look the same to me !! My relatives have apples trees/plum trees so I get some given to us in the Autumn. I make Cornish pasties(that's where my Grandmother came from& I can remember as a child watching her make them every Wednesday) As I'm over 50 I came from the age when you learnt how to make things in Domestic Science (as it was called then)at our comprehensive school. We were lucky enough to have a fantastic teacher who gave us a love of cooking & baking with simple things like scones ,Eves pudding & sausage plait. I've posted some of our meals in 'What are you making for dinner tonight' on the forum.

flea72

LameWolf wrote: »

Yes, I do.

Examples of dinners are:
Shepherd Spy made with soya mince
Lasagne
Toad-in-the-hole
Pizza - I make the dough in the BM, and top it with tomato puree, cheese, onion, Quorn bacon-style slices, basil (off the windowsill), tomato slices and pineapple chunks
Mushroom risotto
Pasta fusilli in cheese sauce
Quorn pieces in white wine sauce
Nut loaf (home made) with rice and sweet'n'sour sauce and pineapple chunks - I should mention I make all my sauces myself
Omelette - DH makes this on a Saturday for us and chucks in peas, tomatoes, onion, cheese and Quorn bacon-style slices cut small

Wow, you eat alot of processed vegi products.

Personally i only make things that are easy and cheap to make. If i cook cake/biscs regularly then we would be massive, as if its there we eat it. So cakes are about a once a month thing. Flapjacks and scones i prob make slightly more often (usually a last minute treat)

I make my own pies and takeaway stuff like, curry, chinese, chips, wedges and pizza. i make my own sauces, but that more because i dont like the flavour of shopbought ones as they tend to be too herby/sweet. I make fresh pasta occasionally usually for ravioli, as dried pasta is just so cheap to buy

I dont bake my own bread as again, its cheaper to buy and we get thru alot as a family of 5, so i couldnt keep up with the demand

It all depends on what you hope to achieve from baking everything. If its about saving money, then no, homebaking isnt cheap. But if you are doing it because you want to know whats going into the food you eat, then ok

[Deleted User]

we provide a large amount of our own food, keep chickens for eggs, raise cattle for beef, trade grazing land for lamb and pork, trade sausage and salami making skills for venison and duck, have a fishing boat, and live close to the sea for harvesting shellfish and crayfish, so the only protein we buy is the occasional chicken.


We have extensive vegetable gardens and a small orchard, forage for berries and wild plums.


In the kitchen I do most of our baking, make bread, cheese, pasta, pizza, cordials, wine and whisky.


I do this as DH is borderline diabetic and I would hate to tip him over the edge! I also like that I am in control of the amount of additives that go into our bodies (very important as I have cancer)


For inspiration for meals I frequent the allrecipes website and the recipes on the front pages of the monthly grocery challenge.

Tinwhistler

I make bolognaise, sausage casserole, macaroni cheese, lemon chicken, stir fry, soup and cookies regularly. I'll still take a night off and buy a pizza.

PasturesNew

It's just me and I don't like cooking, nor see the point of it most of the time. I want to eat something at the drop of a hat when I am hungry. Most days that's toast, or a crumpet.

Today I "made mac cheese from scratch" the super quick way: Pasta into a pyrex jug, salt/oil, fill jug with boiling water and whack a plastic plate on it. Go back 10 minutes later and drain/refill with boiling water. Go back 10 minutes later, drain, lob a load of cut cheese into the jug and spoon it round. Nuke it for a minute, stir, nuke for 30 seconds. Splash some brown sauce on top and eat it out of the jug with a fork.

SailorSam

peterpan01 wrote: »

can i ask, maybe someone will know, if i made homemade bread today how many days can i keep it for?

Once the loaf has cooled i slice it and put it in the freezer, then get it out a couple of slices at a time.

Shortypie

I cook most things from scratch eg sauces will largely be made from tinned toms/passata plus extras, or marinate chicken/fish in a mix of lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, cumin, coriander, seasoning and sugar. I don't bake my own bread and barely bake anymore while we are renting as the oven is banjaxed. Don't tend to do many "chuck it in the oven" meals like nuggets etc unless we are in a massive rush, maybe once a month.

I work, hubby works shifts so often I come in with 3 kids after school & work with a very long evening in front of me, so I don't think i do too badly.

meritaten

I don't buy ready meals etc. I do however 'cheat' sometimes. hey, my nan used Birds Custard Powder!
as another poster said - the diet was much more restricted in 'olden days'. my nan wouldn't have dreamed of making pizza! and pasta? spaghetti came in tins and was a snack on toast for the kids. (and she thought that 'adventerous', and rice was restricted to 'rice pudding'. and 'stir fry'? oh no way!