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What are things you absolutely insist on making at home from scratch?

 

We will not buy spaghetti sauce in a jar, I have to make it.

We limit dessert in the house, so if we have ice cream, we make it.

Pizza dough has to made from scratch.

Whipped Cream has to be from scratch with vanilla and powdered sugar.

 

 

That's all I can think of for now

Edited by Lost In Xanadu
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Mac and cheese

Chili

Chicken and dumplings

Sauces/gravies

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...and now for something completely different.

 

I cook pretty much everything I eat from scratch except loaf bread, corn/potato chips (crisps), sausage, pizza.

 

I almost always refuse (unless I have no choice) to eat steak I did not season & grill myself.

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Mashed potatoes. Flakes are a lame substitute.

 

I like making my own salsa (and put it on nearly everything). But there are some specialty types, like TJ's mango and peach salsa, that are easier to just buy.

 

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QUOTE (ioc @ May 25 2012, 10:02 AM)
...and now for something completely different.

I cook pretty much everything I eat from scratch except loaf bread, corn/potato chips (crisps), sausage, pizza.

I almost always refuse (unless I have no choice) to eat steak I did not season & grill myself.

You need to try making your own pizza. It's so easy, especially the crust.

Edited by Lost In Xanadu
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QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ May 24 2012, 08:02 PM)
What are things you absolutely insist on making at home from scratch?

We will not buy spaghetti sauce in a jar, I have to make it.
We limit dessert in the house, so if we have ice cream, we make it.
Pizza dough has to made from scratch.
Whipped Cream has to be from scratch with vanilla and powdered sugar.


That's all I can think of for now

All of the above minus the ice cream. Bryers All Natural is awesome. Other desserts are almost always homemade. I will buy dry pasta, but I make my own whenever possible. Meatballs have to be homemade, too. I've tried those frozen jobies, and I wanted to cry they were so awful. Sauce homemade. Pancakes homemade. I try very hard to make just about everything from scratch. I do indulge my kids with boxed cereal, just nothing of colors that wouldn't occur in nature.

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QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ May 25 2012, 11:13 AM)
QUOTE (ioc @ May 25 2012, 10:02 AM)
...and now for something completely different.

I cook pretty much everything I eat from scratch except loaf bread, corn/potato chips (crisps), sausage, pizza.

I almost always refuse (unless I have no choice) to eat steak I did not season & grill myself.

You need to try making your own pizza. It's so easy, especially the crust.

Yeah, it just never turns out as good as I can get somewhere else (hell, almost anywhere else). 'Awesome crust' is on my 'to learn' list; but as of right now, it's a no-go.

 

Dang, I should have added ice cream (and pasta dammit), but only because I'm too lazy. I've made them before and it's pretty stinkin' good stuff.

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QUOTE (sullysue @ May 25 2012, 11:53 AM)
QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ May 24 2012, 08:02 PM)
What are things you absolutely insist on making at home from scratch?

We will not buy spaghetti sauce in a jar, I have to make it.
We limit dessert in the house, so if we have ice cream, we make it.
Pizza dough has to made from scratch.
Whipped Cream has to be from scratch with vanilla and powdered sugar.


That's all I can think of for now

All of the above minus the ice cream. Bryers All Natural is awesome. Other desserts are almost always homemade. I will buy dry pasta, but I make my own whenever possible. Meatballs have to be homemade, too. I've tried those frozen jobies, and I wanted to cry they were so awful. Sauce homemade. Pancakes homemade. I try very hard to make just about everything from scratch. I do indulge my kids with boxed cereal, just nothing of colors that wouldn't occur in nature.

Yeah, meatballs definitely. Those are very easy, especially when baking them... my recipe can be found in this subforum somewhere smile.gif

 

I have never made my own pasta.... ever. I guess I should try, huh?

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QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ May 25 2012, 12:28 PM)
QUOTE (sullysue @ May 25 2012, 11:53 AM)
QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ May 24 2012, 08:02 PM)
What are things you absolutely insist on making at home from scratch?

We will not buy spaghetti sauce in a jar, I have to make it.
We limit dessert in the house, so if we have ice cream, we make it.
Pizza dough has to made from scratch.
Whipped Cream has to be from scratch with vanilla and powdered sugar.


That's all I can think of for now

All of the above minus the ice cream. Bryers All Natural is awesome. Other desserts are almost always homemade. I will buy dry pasta, but I make my own whenever possible. Meatballs have to be homemade, too. I've tried those frozen jobies, and I wanted to cry they were so awful. Sauce homemade. Pancakes homemade. I try very hard to make just about everything from scratch. I do indulge my kids with boxed cereal, just nothing of colors that wouldn't occur in nature.

Yeah, meatballs definitely. Those are very easy, especially when baking them... my recipe can be found in this subforum somewhere smile.gif

 

I have never made my own pasta.... ever. I guess I should try, huh?

omg... YES! Invest in a good, sturdy pasta machine. I'm not talking about one of those totally automated, motorized one. One like this:

 

http://www.target.com/p/Atlas-Pasta-Machine/-/A-10141984

 

You can buy a motor that attaches to it to do all the work. IMO that's cheating and you should be beaten mercilessly with dry fettucine.

 

Trust me... once you start making your own, the packaged stuff will be your second choice.

 

 

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QUOTE (sullysue @ May 25 2012, 12:39 PM)
QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ May 25 2012, 12:28 PM)
QUOTE (sullysue @ May 25 2012, 11:53 AM)
QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ May 24 2012, 08:02 PM)
What are things you absolutely insist on making at home from scratch?

We will not buy spaghetti sauce in a jar, I have to make it.
We limit dessert in the house, so if we have ice cream, we make it.
Pizza dough has to made from scratch.
Whipped Cream has to be from scratch with vanilla and powdered sugar.


That's all I can think of for now

All of the above minus the ice cream. Bryers All Natural is awesome. Other desserts are almost always homemade. I will buy dry pasta, but I make my own whenever possible. Meatballs have to be homemade, too. I've tried those frozen jobies, and I wanted to cry they were so awful. Sauce homemade. Pancakes homemade. I try very hard to make just about everything from scratch. I do indulge my kids with boxed cereal, just nothing of colors that wouldn't occur in nature.

Yeah, meatballs definitely. Those are very easy, especially when baking them... my recipe can be found in this subforum somewhere smile.gif

 

I have never made my own pasta.... ever. I guess I should try, huh?

omg... YES! Invest in a good, sturdy pasta machine. I'm not talking about one of those totally automated, motorized one. One like this:

 

http://www.target.com/p/Atlas-Pasta-Machine/-/A-10141984

 

You can buy a motor that attaches to it to do all the work. IMO that's cheating and you should be beaten mercilessly with dry fettucine.

 

Trust me... once you start making your own, the packaged stuff will be your second choice.

You know - now that you mention it... our Kitchen Aid stand mixer might have a pasta attachment. I cant remember if we have the sausage making attachment or the pasta one. We almost never use that thing though, I much rather mix and knead the dough for bread/pizza/pita by hand.

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QUOTE (sullysue @ May 25 2012, 01:39 PM)
QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ May 25 2012, 12:28 PM)
QUOTE (sullysue @ May 25 2012, 11:53 AM)
QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ May 24 2012, 08:02 PM)
What are things you absolutely insist on making at home from scratch?

We will not buy spaghetti sauce in a jar, I have to make it.
We limit dessert in the house, so if we have ice cream, we make it.
Pizza dough has to made from scratch.
Whipped Cream has to be from scratch with vanilla and powdered sugar.


That's all I can think of for now

All of the above minus the ice cream. Bryers All Natural is awesome. Other desserts are almost always homemade. I will buy dry pasta, but I make my own whenever possible. Meatballs have to be homemade, too. I've tried those frozen jobies, and I wanted to cry they were so awful. Sauce homemade. Pancakes homemade. I try very hard to make just about everything from scratch. I do indulge my kids with boxed cereal, just nothing of colors that wouldn't occur in nature.

Yeah, meatballs definitely. Those are very easy, especially when baking them... my recipe can be found in this subforum somewhere smile.gif

 

I have never made my own pasta.... ever. I guess I should try, huh?

omg... YES! Invest in a good, sturdy pasta machine. I'm not talking about one of those totally automated, motorized one. One like this:

 

http://www.target.com/p/Atlas-Pasta-Machine/-/A-10141984

 

You can buy a motor that attaches to it to do all the work. IMO that's cheating and you should be beaten mercilessly with dry fettucine.

 

Trust me... once you start making your own, the packaged stuff will be your second choice.

We got a really nice pasta maker for a wedding gift and ended up selling at a yard sale. More mess and effort than I have time for. I'm all about homemade sauce, but the pasta maker was a pain in the ass.

 

Yeah, frozen meatballs are little blobs of gristle and salt. Ew.

 

My skills are limited to the one variety, but homemade mozzarella is SO easy once you have all of the ingredients. It really is one of those "if you can read, you can do it" recipes.

 

Oh, I generally do agree with the whipped cream, but the cans (not the plastic fake whipped topping) are just TOO much fun. Plus you can suck the nitrous out of the can once the cream is gone and get a fun little 30-second high. biggrin.gif

Edited by Mara
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QUOTE (Mara @ May 25 2012, 01:59 PM)
QUOTE (sullysue @ May 25 2012, 01:39 PM)
QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ May 25 2012, 12:28 PM)
QUOTE (sullysue @ May 25 2012, 11:53 AM)
QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ May 24 2012, 08:02 PM)
What are things you absolutely insist on making at home from scratch?

We will not buy spaghetti sauce in a jar, I have to make it.
We limit dessert in the house, so if we have ice cream, we make it.
Pizza dough has to made from scratch.
Whipped Cream has to be from scratch with vanilla and powdered sugar.


That's all I can think of for now

All of the above minus the ice cream. Bryers All Natural is awesome. Other desserts are almost always homemade. I will buy dry pasta, but I make my own whenever possible. Meatballs have to be homemade, too. I've tried those frozen jobies, and I wanted to cry they were so awful. Sauce homemade. Pancakes homemade. I try very hard to make just about everything from scratch. I do indulge my kids with boxed cereal, just nothing of colors that wouldn't occur in nature.

Yeah, meatballs definitely. Those are very easy, especially when baking them... my recipe can be found in this subforum somewhere smile.gif

 

I have never made my own pasta.... ever. I guess I should try, huh?

omg... YES! Invest in a good, sturdy pasta machine. I'm not talking about one of those totally automated, motorized one. One like this:

 

http://www.target.com/p/Atlas-Pasta-Machine/-/A-10141984

 

You can buy a motor that attaches to it to do all the work. IMO that's cheating and you should be beaten mercilessly with dry fettucine.

 

Trust me... once you start making your own, the packaged stuff will be your second choice.

We got a really nice pasta maker for a wedding gift and ended up selling at a yard sale. More mess and effort than I have time for. I'm all about homemade sauce, but the pasta maker was a pain in the ass.

 

Yeah, frozen meatballs are little blobs of gristle and salt. Ew.

 

My skills are limited to the one variety, but homemade mozzarella is SO easy once you have all of the ingredients. It really is one of those "if you can read, you can do it" recipes.

Homemade mozzarella? Really? I'll have to check that out.

 

I agree, making homemade pasta is a mess and it takes time. But, if you're into that kind of thing it's worth it. Obviously, if it pisses you off more than makes you happy, I don't blame you for selling the machine.

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Any "meal" that comes in a box. Hamburger Helper... things like that. I can make up a pasta dish that's the exact same thing as Hamburger Helper, but tastes 1000% better and is a million times healthier.

 

Things others have mentioned: mashed potatoes, spaghetti sauce, meatballs, pancakes (whole wheat). Cookies, yes. Salsa, sometimes.

 

I'll add:

 

Seasoning blends. I mentioned in another thread making your own taco seasoning. I don't buy *any* seasoning blends with the exception of Old Bay and sometimes Tony Chachere's. Blend your own, there's plenty of recipes out there, it's easy, and you'll save a ton of money in the long run.

 

Also, rice blends. Never, ever, ever buy Rice-a-Roni. You can make your own rice/pasta blends with rice and a bit of orzo and one of the aforementioned spice blends.

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QUOTE (ioc @ May 25 2012, 09:02 AM)
...and now for something completely different.

I cook pretty much everything I eat from scratch except loaf bread, corn/potato chips (crisps), sausage, pizza.

I almost always refuse (unless I have no choice) to eat steak I did not season & grill myself.

Good for you! The healthiest way to eat for sure.

 

About the only thing I make from scratch is chili, but man do I kill it.

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Most every meal is from scratch except for food others listed, like bread, cereal, etc. Although this fall both kids will be in school full-day and I'm planning on making as much as I can from scratch. Food tastes so much better. I can't believe how tasteless and sodium-filled packaged foods taste! Edited by Janie
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Spaghetti Sauce

Chicken or Turkey Soup

Clam Chowder

Chili

Stuffing

Chocolate Chip cookies

Beef Stroganoff

 

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QUOTE (That One Guy @ Jun 19 2012, 04:28 PM)
Seeing all this homemade stuff reminds how much i really can't cook. :C

Ya gotta start somewhere. I love to make everything from scratch but I couldn't make a thing when I left home after high school.

 

My turning point came years and years ago when I got a hankering for my grandmother's cinnamon rolls. I called her up to ask for the recipe and she nearly yelled at me saying, "You just get in the kitchen and learn!" I was mad at first but then realized that she was right. You start making dishes, you make mistakes, you learn and you try and try again until you perfect it.

 

And it cannot be said enough... homemade is so much better than store bought.

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QUOTE (Janie @ Jun 20 2012, 10:10 AM)
QUOTE (That One Guy @ Jun 19 2012, 04:28 PM)
Seeing all this homemade stuff reminds how much i really can't cook. :C

 

And it cannot be said enough... homemade is so much better than store bought.

Yeah, that's definitely true. But I think for many people (including myself), lack of time is what prevents us for going that tastier route most of the time.

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