Cooking everything from scratch

[Dirtyhip]

It is time consuming.  Although, chopping vegetables is very zen.  I love chopping.  I do it slowly and methodically.  Try to get all the pieces the exact same shape and size.  

Tonight, Roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, tahini sauce and some quinoa with pine nuts.  Winning at this life shit.  

[jsharr ★]

4 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

It is time consuming.  Although, chopping vegetables is very zen.  I love chopping.  I do it slowly and methodically.  Try to get all the pieces the exact same shape and size.  

Tonight, Roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, tahini sauce and some quinoa with pine nuts.  Winning at this life shit.  

https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/anal-retentive-chef/n9924

[petitepedal ★]

Is quinoa the protein source of that meal? I want to do more vegetarian stuff but need to work the protein source stuff.

[Square Wheels]

My wife loves chopping, especially stuff from the greenhouse.

[jsharr ★]

1 minute ago, Square Wheels said:

My wife loves chopping, especially stuff from the greenhouse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUrbtUwsRXo

[Razors Edge ★]

11 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

Cooking everything from scratch

...as opposed to what? I would say most of what I consider "cooking" is from scratch, but there are several places we could go further.  We generally buy pasta, not make it. Same with bread and tortillas.  Both could seemingly be relatively easily done by us, but it does save time for sure.

My wife and I generally make 5 dinners "from scratch" a week.  Lunch is much more a mixed bag - sometimes leftovers, sometimes a sandwich, sometimes a take-out salad, sometimes a food truck.  

[Airehead]

I think made from scratch is really much better--- especially if you want to be mindful of sodium.  I try to make one of whatever to eat now and one to freeze so on busy days we have homemade microwave meals.  That said, sometimes, stuff just isnt' made for freezing; better for lunch the next day.

 

Today I have rice and delicata squash.  The squash is amazing.

[ChrisL]

1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

...as opposed to what? I would say most of what I consider "cooking" is from scratch, but there are several places we could go further.  We generally buy pasta, not make it. Same with bread and tortillas.  Both could seemingly be relatively easily done by us, but it does save time for sure.

My wife and I generally make 5 dinners "from scratch" a week.  Lunch is much more a mixed bag - sometimes leftovers, sometimes a sandwich, sometimes a take-out salad, sometimes a food truck.  

I take her comment as opposed to out of a can, box or frozen bag.  Breads & pasta could also be considered scratch but I think there are very few who make their own bread & pasta (in general but I know several folks here do).  
 

I tend to make 5-6 dinners a week fresh or from scratch and my lunches  M-F are the day before’s dinner.

[Longjohn ★]

From scratch can be taken too far. Did you make your own pasta? Did you grind your own flour? Did you grow your own wheat?

[Razors Edge ★]

Just now, Longjohn said:

From scratch can be taken too far. Did you make your own pasta? Did you grind your own flour? Did you grow your own wheat?

Yep.  I think we get where she is coming from, but I would never put it past her going that extra mile!  Certainly, "fresh" is key to making things from as close to scratch as possible/feasible.  If you grow your own veggies or have a local farmers market with in season veggies, you're gonna be eating well.  Whether or not you need to be the one growing or making the "fresh" items is often more about time, energy, and resources (money, land, climate).   

[Kzoo]

14 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

From scratch can be taken too far. Did you make your own pasta? Did you grind your own flour? Did you grow your own wheat?

This is the lady that built her own chicken coop (a she shed for Lucy) so she could raise her own chickens so she could have non-GMO, gluten-free, fresh eggs.  And you think she won't grow her own wheat.

 

[Reverend_Maynard]

If DH starts growing her own wheat, I'm moving to her commune ?

[Dirtyhip]

3 hours ago, petitepedal said:

Is quinoa the protein source of that meal? I want to do more vegetarian stuff but need to work the protein source stuff.

The quinoa, tahini, pine nuts, cauliflower and the sweet potato all have protein,  

3 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

...as opposed to what? I would say most of what I consider "cooking" is from scratch, but there are several places we could go further.  We generally buy pasta, not make it. Same with bread and tortillas.  Both could seemingly be relatively easily done by us, but it does save time for sure.

My wife and I generally make 5 dinners "from scratch" a week.  Lunch is much more a mixed bag - sometimes leftovers, sometimes a sandwich, sometimes a take-out salad, sometimes a food truck.  

as opposed to opening up a package of something, like prepared ravioli.

1 hour ago, Longjohn said:

From scratch can be taken too far. Did you make your own pasta? Did you grind your own flour? Did you grow your own wheat?

NO. I have a job.  Sometimes, I make pasta, but it is pretty time consuming.  I do make all my own bread these days, so there is that. I don't grind my flour.  I have no mill.  I do make my own granola from oats, my own sauces, my own dressings, etc.  That is good enough

 

1 hour ago, Kzoo said:

This is the lady that built her own chicken coop (a she shed for Lucy) so she could raise her own chickens so she could have non-GMO, gluten-free, fresh eggs.  And you think she won't grow her own wheat.

 

My garden has gone to fallow. 

19 minutes ago, Reverend_Maynard said:

If DH starts growing her own wheat, I'm moving to her commune ?

When I retire, after we travel around for a bit, I do plan to get things going again.  

[Reverend_Maynard]

3 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

When I retire, after we travel around for a bit, I do plan to get things going again.  

How do I get on the waiting list? ?

[Razors Edge ★]

2 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

22 minutes ago, Reverend_Maynard said:

If DH starts growing her own wheat, I'm moving to her commune ?

When I retire, after we travel around for a bit, I do plan to get things going again.  

You might be able to get a heckuva a commune going.  Good food, awesome biking trails, fun stories.  If not full on "commune" certainly "off the grid retreat center" would work.

[Indy]

You make flour from scratch?  Impressive.

[Dirtyhip]

6 minutes ago, Indy said:

You make flour from scratch?  Impressive.

You guys are ridiculous.  

I do make bread and that is from scratch.  

[Dirtyhip]

12 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

You might be able to get a heckuva a commune going.  Good food, awesome biking trails, fun stories.  If not full on "commune" certainly "off the grid retreat center" would work.

I am not sharing my toothbrush or my bikes.  

I like the idea of a work center and a centralized goal of nurturing each other and helping out.

[Indy]

Anymore, I think I have a good balance.  I don't use a lot of box stuff, unless I am really short on time.  But I've found often it doesn't take that much longer to just make it with maybe some predone ingredients to provide a couple short cuts.

 

Just remember, back at the start of the LF days, I barely could microwave stuff.  I've came a long ways, to the point, most of my family will not make a lot of my recipes because they swear they can't pull it off.  They say they try and doesn't come close to comparing to what it taste like when I make it, even following the exact same recipe.  And I've now reached the point where recipe's are just suggestions.  ?

[Razors Edge ★]

2 minutes ago, Indy said:

Just remember, back at the start of the LF days, I barely could microwave stuff.  I've came a long ways, to the point, most of my family will not make a lot of my recipes because they swear they can't pull it off.  They say they try and doesn't come close to comparing to what it taste like when I make it, even following the exact same recipe.  And I've now reached the point where recipe's are just suggestions. 

Awesome.

I actually think most of us are riding the wave of cooking that has taken place over the past 20 years or so.  It could be we are just getting older and wiser, but I also think the rise of the internet and a wide variety of cooking shows and youtube videos have made a lot of folks realize the way our parent's cooked isn't really the ideal.  Many - but not all - of us likely had a Mom who was great at baking or maybe Thanksgiving dinner, but was likely to stick to traditional American meals. Nowadays, with the world's best ingredients available, many of us know that cooking can be fun, healthy, and an adventure.

[Dirtyhip]

2 minutes ago, Indy said:

Anymore, I think I have a good balance.  I don't use a lot of box stuff, unless I am really short on time.  But I've found often it doesn't take that much longer to just make it with maybe some predone ingredients to provide a couple short cuts.

 

Just remember, back at the start of the LF days, I barely could microwave stuff.  I've came a long ways, to the point, most of my family will not make a lot of my recipes because they swear they can't pull it off.  They say they try and doesn't come close to comparing to what it taste like when I make it, even following the exact same recipe.  And I've now reached the point where recipe's are just suggestions.  ?

When I met my husband, I knew how to make one dish.   I would make that over and over.   Now, I just read a recipe as an idea, and then I wing it.  

Baking, I do tend to measure, due to quality standards.  Its a chemistry experiment and I hate it when things don't come out nice. Making bread I start with a basic recipe and add flour (that I BUY!) until it just feels right.  My bread recipe is in my memory.  Don't need a book anymore.  

My favorite thing is going to a farmers market and buying what looks nice and creating something.  My husband is very pleased with my cooking and appreciates all of this work.  

I never buy pre-chopped.  I really enjoy chopping.  Also, the pre-chopper seems to be less fresh, IMHO.  Also, I hate the excess packaging. Pre-chopped uses plastic.

 

[Indy]

8 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Awesome.

I actually think most of us are riding the wave of cooking that has taken place over the past 20 years or so.  It could be we are just getting older and wiser, but I also think the rise of the internet and a wide variety of cooking shows and youtube videos have made a lot of folks realize the way our parent's cooked isn't really the ideal.  Many - but not all - of us likely had a Mom who was great at baking or maybe Thanksgiving dinner, but was likely to stick to traditional American meals. Nowadays, with the world's best ingredients available, many of us know that cooking can be fun, healthy, and an adventure.

I grew up with old farm mother.  I cook a lot like that.  My food probably isn't always the healthiest, but probably healthier than hers.  I don't use nearly as much salt, nor do I cook with lard.

[Indy]

7 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

When I met my husband, I knew how to make one dish.   I would make that over and over.   Now, I just read a recipe as an idea, and then I wing it.  

Baking, I do tend to measure, due to quality standards.  Its a chemistry experiment and I hate it when things don't come out nice. Making bread I start with a basic recipe and add flour (that I BUY!) until it just feels right.  My bread recipe is in my memory.  Don't need a book anymore.  

My favorite thing is going to a farmers market and buying what looks nice and creating something.  My husband is very pleased with my cooking and appreciates all of this work.  

I never buy pre-chopped.  I really enjoy chopping.  Also, the pre-chopper seems to be less fresh, IMHO.  Also, I hate the excess packaging. Pre-chopped uses plastic.

 

My prechopped is relegated to the jar minced of garlic in my fridge and shredded cheese.

Otherwise, it doesn't make much sense because it doesn't take long or much effort to grab a knife and chop stuff up.  Besides, that the fun part.

[Dirtyhip]

Just now, Indy said:

My prechopped is relegated to the jar minced of garlic in my fridge and shredded cheese.

Otherwise, it doesn't make much sense because it doesn't take long or much effort to grab a knife and chop stuff up.  Besides, that the fun part.

I do admit to have a jar of ginger.  Forgot about that.  

I love chopping garlic and I think the jar of garlic has a different taste than fresh, to my palate.   Almost seems too bitter,

Don't make cheese from scratch anymore, or yogurt.  I do want a fancy cooker that does yogurt though.  It's on my holiday list. Making yogurt is difficult with my basic method.  Too much babysitting.

[Further]

7 hours ago, Airehead said:

especially if you want to be mindful of sodium.

A lot of take out & prepared food would be reasonably healthy but for the sodium. 

I haven't checked my bp since moving   ? 

[Ralphie ★]

9 hours ago, Dirtyhip said:

It is time consuming.  Although, chopping vegetables is very zen.  I love chopping.  I do it slowly and methodically.  Try to get all the pieces the exact same shape and size.  

Tonight, Roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, tahini sauce and some quinoa with pine nuts.  Winning at this life shit.  

I am still mad that I lost a half pint of pine nuts a decade or two ago!  They are so delicious in salads and pasta. I need to give up on finding them and break down and spring for some new ones.   

 

[Further]

35 minutes ago, RalphWaldoMooseworth said:

I am still mad that I lost a half pint of pine nuts a decade or two ago!  They are so delicious in salads and pasta. I need to give up on finding them and break down and spring for some new ones.   

 

They sprouted and are now producing new pine nuts...  About 12 feet tall this year...