I have been thinking about trying an experiment. (Okay, not really
thinking about it, more like daydreaming about it. Musing. I'm only
about half serious at this point.) We eat fairly well as a family,
relatively speaking—we cook a lot from scratch, we don't eat frozen
convenience dinners or meal-in-a-box things, etc—but there are still a
lot of processed/prepared items in my shopping cart every Saturday
morning. We certainly could do better.

So I was thinking, what if I only bought basic single-ingredient food
and we made everything else ourselves from those single ingredients?
If we want cookies, we make cookies—no more buying Oreos. Shredded
Wheat is fine, but Honey Bunches of Oats is not. (That's okay; I make
a damn fine granola.) Brownie mix? Nix. I buy chocolate, butter, eggs,
sugar, flour, vanilla, and nuts instead. We don't buy anything
prepared if it can reasonably be prepared in a home kitchen. Basics
all the way.

How would life change under this new approach? I think we would eat
better. I think, but am not certain, that our grocery bills would be
lower (or at least not higher). I think initially we would spend a
whole lot more time cooking, but I think over time we would gravitate
toward meals that were either simple and quick to prepare or were good
enough to justify the extra effort.

If you were to adopt this approach, how would your life change? Are
there prepared items that you would particularly miss? Any deal-
breakers for you? (I'm close to calling no more Diet Coke a deal-
breaker, but that's me.) Would your life be better or worse?

Scooter

Scooter wrote:
> So I was thinking, what if I only bought basic single-ingredient food
> and we made everything else ourselves from those single ingredients?
> If we want cookies, we make cookies—no more buying Oreos. Shredded
> Wheat is fine, but Honey Bunches of Oats is not. (That's okay; I make
> a damn fine granola.) Brownie mix? Nix. I buy chocolate, butter, eggs,
> sugar, flour, vanilla, and nuts instead. We don't buy anything
> prepared if it can reasonably be prepared in a home kitchen. Basics
> all the way.
>
> How would life change under this new approach? I think we would eat
> better. I think, but am not certain, that our grocery bills would be
> lower (or at least not higher). I think initially we would spend a
> whole lot more time cooking, but I think over time we would gravitate
> toward meals that were either simple and quick to prepare or were good
> enough to justify the extra effort.
>
Are you prepared to make your own ketchup? I've only made it once and it
was delicious, but a bit "thin". I make a lot from scratch and know I
could make more if I had to but don't.
I was talking to some folks I work with and they had *no* idea you could
make pudding from scratch! Worse yet, they only bothered with *instant*
<blech!> so we had a little "teaching moment" there as I explained how
simple pudding is to make from scratch.

Goomba wrote:
> Scooter wrote:
>> So I was thinking, what if I only bought basic single-ingredient food
>> and we made everything else ourselves from those single ingredients?

>>
> Are you prepared to make your own ketchup? I've only made it once and it
> was delicious, but a bit "thin". I make a lot from scratch and know I
> could make more if I had to but don't.
> I was talking to some folks I work with and they had *no* idea you could
> make pudding from scratch! Worse yet, they only bothered with *instant*
> <blech!> so we had a little "teaching moment" there as I explained how
> simple pudding is to make from scratch.


Good point, Goomba. There are things (like ketchup) that aren't worth
making from scratch. There are other things that are so much better
when homemade, it's worth the time and energy.

Another example: You can make spaghetti sauce from fresh tomatoes in
summer, but in winter the canned tomatoes taste better and are better value.

I wouldn't suggest "dumbing down" your diet to accommodate the scratch
concept completely. That would create a boring table.

gloria p

On Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:46:18 -0600, "gloria.p" >
wrote:

> Good point, Goomba. There are things (like ketchup) that aren't worth
> making from scratch. There are other things that are so much better
> when homemade, it's worth the time and energy.

That's the way I felt about chili sauce until I discovered Homade
brand and baked beans until I discovered that B&M tastes exactly like
what I made from scratch (so if all I want is a little, I buy a can of
B&M now).


--

Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

"Scooter" > wrote in message
...
I have been thinking about trying an experiment. (Okay, not really
thinking about it, more like daydreaming about it. Musing. I'm only
about half serious at this point.) We eat fairly well as a family,
relatively speaking—we cook a lot from scratch, we don't eat frozen
convenience dinners or meal-in-a-box things, etc—but there are still a
lot of processed/prepared items in my shopping cart every Saturday
morning. We certainly could do better.

So I was thinking, what if I only bought basic single-ingredient food
and we made everything else ourselves from those single ingredients?
If we want cookies, we make cookies—no more buying Oreos. Shredded
Wheat is fine, but Honey Bunches of Oats is not. (That's okay; I make
a damn fine granola.) Brownie mix? Nix. I buy chocolate, butter, eggs,
sugar, flour, vanilla, and nuts instead. We don't buy anything
prepared if it can reasonably be prepared in a home kitchen. Basics
all the way.

How would life change under this new approach? I think we would eat
better. I think, but am not certain, that our grocery bills would be
lower (or at least not higher). I think initially we would spend a
whole lot more time cooking, but I think over time we would gravitate
toward meals that were either simple and quick to prepare or were good
enough to justify the extra effort.

If you were to adopt this approach, how would your life change? Are
there prepared items that you would particularly miss? Any deal-
breakers for you? (I'm close to calling no more Diet Coke a deal-
breaker, but that's me.) Would your life be better or worse?

Scooter

Make a Ranch dressing from scratch and don't flinch when everyone asks you
why it is so runny...<no chemical thickeners>.

Kswck > wrote:

>Make a Ranch dressing from scratch and don't flinch when everyone asks you
>why it is so runny...<no chemical thickeners>.

Xanthum gum is right there on the supermarket shelf.

Steve

On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 20:21:46 +0000 (UTC), (Steve
Pope) wrote:

>
> Xanthum gum is right there on the supermarket shelf.
>
It is? Good to know, I thought I had to go somewhere special for it.
Where is it located?

--

Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

"Steve Pope" > wrote in message
...
> Kswck > wrote:
>
>>Make a Ranch dressing from scratch and don't flinch when everyone asks you
>>why it is so runny...<no chemical thickeners>.
>
> Xanthum gum is right there on the supermarket shelf.
>
> Steve


Xanthum gum is made from corn sugar... which means along with being a
stabilizer and thickener it also contains sucrose. It's probably not
something I want to add to my home cooking, but then again I don't eat
salads so I don't bother to buy or make salad dressings

Jill

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> "Steve Pope" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Kswck > wrote:
> >
> >>Make a Ranch dressing from scratch and don't flinch when everyone asks you
> >>why it is so runny...<no chemical thickeners>.
> >
> > Xanthum gum is right there on the supermarket shelf.

> Xanthum gum is made from corn sugar... which means along with being a
> stabilizer and thickener it also contains sucrose. It's probably not
> something I want to add to my home cooking, but then again I don't eat
> salads so I don't bother to buy or make salad dressings

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthum_gum

Xanthum gum can be made out of corn sugar (which is dextrose/glucose,
not sucrose). It can also be made out of sucrose. The end product
should not contain any of those sugars, though.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Jill wrote:

> Xanthum gum is made from corn sugar... which means along with being a
> stabilizer and thickener it also contains sucrose. It's probably not
> something I want to add to my home cooking, but then again I don't eat
> salads so I don't bother to buy or make salad dressings

You don't eat salads? I don't believe you've ever mentioned that here. Do
you just not like them?

Bob

On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 09:01:58 -0700 (PDT), Scooter
> wrote:

> So I was thinking, what if I only bought basic single-ingredient food
> and we made everything else ourselves from those single ingredients?
> If we want cookies, we make cookies—no more buying Oreos. Shredded
> Wheat is fine, but Honey Bunches of Oats is not. (That's okay; I make
> a damn fine granola.) Brownie mix? Nix. I buy chocolate, butter, eggs,
> sugar, flour, vanilla, and nuts instead. We don't buy anything
> prepared if it can reasonably be prepared in a home kitchen. Basics
> all the way.

That's reasonable. I can't cook without a well stocked kitchen. Too
frustrating for spur of the moment cooking and too much preplanning if
it's not.
>
> How would life change under this new approach? I think we would eat
> better. I think, but am not certain, that our grocery bills would be
> lower (or at least not higher). I think initially we would spend a
> whole lot more time cooking, but I think over time we would gravitate
> toward meals that were either simple and quick to prepare or were good
> enough to justify the extra effort.

Most of us here do that already. It's the things that take so long to
make fresh, but are completely gone in 10 minutes or less that make us
stop and wonder if it's worth the effort. I make my own caramel corn
for snacking, but it lasts for days so I don't mind the overall time
put into making it.
>
> If you were to adopt this approach, how would your life change? Are
> there prepared items that you would particularly miss? Any deal-
> breakers for you? (I'm close to calling no more Diet Coke a deal-
> breaker, but that's me.) Would your life be better or worse?

I think you're preaching to the choir here because most people on rfc
cook from scratch as much as possible. I'm not so sure about going
overboard to make your own granola or pasta... although I just bought
a hand crank pasta machine yesterday, so it remains to be seen if I
become a total convert to home made pasta. I'm focused on ravioli at
this point. I don't drink soda even on a semi regular basis, so
that's not an issue for me but I definitely would not make my own
juices. I don't own a juicer, have no intention of buying one and I
don't think making my own juice is cost effective.

--

Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

sf wrote:

> I just bought a hand crank pasta machine yesterday, so it remains to be
> seen if I become a total convert to home made pasta. I'm focused on
> ravioli at this point.

Are you totally set on that? Lasagna is easier.

Bob

On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 11:07:36 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> sf wrote:
>
> > I just bought a hand crank pasta machine yesterday, so it remains to be
> > seen if I become a total convert to home made pasta. I'm focused on
> > ravioli at this point.
>
> Are you totally set on that? Lasagna is easier.
>
I know I should start there, and I'll do it eventually (or even first)
but I'm focused on ravioli at the moment... actually I'm focused on
the type where you cut a circle, fold it over and end up with a filled
half circle... whatever that's called.

--

Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 11:07:36 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > wrote:
>
>> sf wrote:
>>
>> > I just bought a hand crank pasta machine yesterday, so it remains to be
>> > seen if I become a total convert to home made pasta. I'm focused on
>> > ravioli at this point.
>>
>> Are you totally set on that? Lasagna is easier.
>>
> I know I should start there, and I'll do it eventually (or even first)
> but I'm focused on ravioli at the moment... actually I'm focused on
> the type where you cut a circle, fold it over and end up with a filled
> half circle... whatever that's called.
>
> --
>
> Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

Mesa-luna?

On Aug 4, 2:53*pm, "Zeppo" > wrote:
> "sf" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 11:07:36 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > > wrote:
>
> >> sf wrote:
>
> >> > I just bought a hand crank pasta machine yesterday, so it remains to be
> >> > seen if I become a total convert to home made pasta. *I'm focused on
> >> > ravioli at this point.
>
> >> Are you totally set on that? Lasagna is easier.
>
> > I know I should start there, and I'll do it eventually (or even first)
> > but I'm focused on ravioli at the moment... actually I'm focused on
> > the type where you cut a circle, fold it over and end up with a filled
> > half circle... whatever that's called.
>
> > --
>
> > Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
>
> Mesa-luna?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

A mezzaluna is a half-moon-shaped sharp tool with a handle to use
chopping herbs, etc. It isn't a food item that is eaten. Empanadas
are traditionally shaped as described but they aren't ravioli.
Actually, does ravioli have to be square? Who says? You could make
yours in a half moon shape, and if it's pasta with a filling, couldn't
you call it ravioli?

N.

On Aug 4, 12:01*pm, Scooter > wrote:
> I have been thinking about trying an experiment. (Okay, not really
> thinking about it, more like daydreaming about it. Musing. I'm only
> about half serious at this point.) We eat fairly well as a family,
> relatively speaking—we cook a lot from scratch, we don't eat frozen
> convenience dinners or meal-in-a-box things, etc—but there are still a
> lot of processed/prepared items in my shopping cart every Saturday
> morning. We certainly could do better.
>
> So I was thinking, what if I only bought basic single-ingredient food
> and we made everything else ourselves from those single ingredients?
> If we want cookies, we make cookies—no more buying Oreos. Shredded
> Wheat is fine, but Honey Bunches of Oats is not. (That's okay; I make
> a damn fine granola.) Brownie mix? Nix. I buy chocolate, butter, eggs,
> sugar, flour, vanilla, and nuts instead. We don't buy anything
> prepared if it can reasonably be prepared in a home kitchen. Basics
> all the way.
>
> How would life change under this new approach? I think we would eat
> better. I think, but am not certain, that our grocery bills would be
> lower (or at least not higher). I think initially we would spend a
> whole lot more time cooking, but I think over time we would gravitate
> toward meals that were either simple and quick to prepare or were good
> enough to justify the extra effort.
>
> If you were to adopt this approach, how would your life change? Are
> there prepared items that you would particularly miss? Any deal-
> breakers for you? (I'm close to calling no more Diet Coke a deal-
> breaker, but that's me.) Would your life be better or worse?
>
> Scooter

You'll eat better, save a lot of money and KNOW pretty much what's
going in your bod.

I'd like to see the supermkts set up a Basic Ingredient aisle, so some
of us could get thru the store faster. My aisle would include
oils, flours, vinegar, maybe some raisins, oatmeal, coffee....

I don't buy 'prepared items' - I guess by that you mean salad
dressings, taco flavoring, Hamburger Helper type stuff. Yes, I do buy
mayo, but if I ever get that immersion blender -- Hellmanns, look out.

On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 11:12:26 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:

> Yes, I do buy
> mayo, but if I ever get that immersion blender -- Hellmanns, look out.

I love homemade, but even one egg makes too much to use before it
needs to be tossed.

--

Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

sf wrote:
> On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 11:12:26 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> > wrote:
>
>> Yes, I do buy
>> mayo, but if I ever get that immersion blender -- Hellmanns, look out.
>
> I love homemade, but even one egg makes too much to use before it
> needs to be tossed.
>

That's my life. ;-) I occasionally run out of mayo but I can't say that
it happens often because I rarely use it. A small jar of that stuff
lasts so long in our house that I don't usually think to replace it.
Then I use up the last of a jar and don't have a replacement on hand. If
I make a batch I will end up throwing out 3/4 of it. As much as I like
the home made stuff, I just don't use much mayo.

On Aug 4, 12:26 pm, Omelet > wrote:
> In article >,
>
> sf > wrote:
>
> > I love homemade, but even one egg makes too much to use before it
> > needs to be tossed.
>
> You've got to be kidding me...
>
> If your 'frige is as cold as it ought to be, even a pint of home made
> mayo will keep for a month.

Most published recipes for homemade mayo recommend storing for about a
week. I regularly throw the remainder out about then because I know
it cost me little and the next batch will take only moments to
make. -aem

On Aug 4, 2:26*pm, Omelet > wrote:
> In article >,
>
> *sf > wrote:
> > On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 11:12:26 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> > > wrote:
>
> > > Yes, I do buy
> > > mayo, but if I ever get that immersion blender -- Hellmanns, look out..
>
> > I love homemade, but even one egg makes too much to use before it
> > needs to be tossed.
>
> You've got to be kidding me...
>
> If your 'frige is as cold as it ought to be, even a pint of home made
> mayo will keep for a month.
> --
> Peace! Om


I would never keep anything with raw egg in it longer than 3 days in
the fridge; it would make me terribly sick (know this from
experience). Maybe Egg Beaters is different, haven't ever tried that.

N.

Omelet wrote:

>>> Yes, I do buy
>>> mayo, but if I ever get that immersion blender -- Hellmanns, look out.
>> I love homemade, but even one egg makes too much to use before it
>> needs to be tossed.
>
> You've got to be kidding me...
>
> If your 'frige is as cold as it ought to be, even a pint of home made
> mayo will keep for a month.


I use a spoonful of mayo every month or two. If I used it more or knew
it would be used quickly, would just make it up. But I don't because it
always ends up getting thrown out.

On Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:26:11 -0500, Omelet >
wrote:

> If your 'frige is as cold as it ought to be, even a pint of home made
> mayo will keep for a month.

I only keep it a week before throwing out. Don't trust raw egg to
last a month uncooked.

--

Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Aug 4, 9:01 am, Scooter > wrote:
> [snip]
> So I was thinking, what if I only bought basic single-ingredient food
> and we made everything else ourselves from those single ingredients?
> ..... We don't buy anything
> prepared if it can reasonably be prepared in a home kitchen. Basics
> all the way.
>
Where do you set your limits, what does "reasonably" mean? Make all
your own bread, fine. What about all the pasta and Asian noodles?
Make your own tomato sauce, fine; what about your favorite ten
different kinds of German, Italian and Chinese sausages? Make your
own mayonnaise, fine; what about mustards, ketchup, soy sauce,
worcestershire sauce, sriracha? Can I make key lime pie with
sweetened condensed milk or do I have to go the custard route because
the ingredients are more "basic"?

> How would life change under this new approach?

A lot more time in the kitchen. Time that would become work instead
of fun.

> I think we would eat better.

I think you might eat more wholesome food because fewer additives, but
very likely would also eat blander food.

> ....
> If you were to adopt this approach, how would your life change?

Wouldn't do it, too rigid. I'm not going to try to make my own
fermented bean curd or oyster sauce and I'm not going to give up soba
noodles or knockwurst or andouille sausage. And don't even think
about how to make my gin and tonic...... -aem

On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 11:29:51 -0700 (PDT), aem >
wrote:

>what about mustards, ketchup, soy sauce,
>worcestershire sauce, sriracha?

My list of foods I don't see myself attempting any time soon includes
the above plus:

fish sauce
vinegars
hot sauces (the fermented mash Tabasco style -- I can handle vinegar
and hot peppers)
olives
aged cheeses
peanut butter

Tara

Tara > wrote:

>On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 11:29:51 -0700 (PDT), aem >

>>what about mustards, ketchup, soy sauce,
>>worcestershire sauce, sriracha?

>My list of foods I don't see myself attempting any time soon includes
>the above plus:
>
>fish sauce
>vinegars
>hot sauces (the fermented mash Tabasco style -- I can handle vinegar
>and hot peppers)
>olives
>aged cheeses
>peanut butter

Nut butters, and vinegars, are practical to produces at home.
Ketchup is difficult because consumers don't normally have
access to paste tomatoes.

There are reasonably unadulterated versions of some of these products
already on the market (i.e. ketchup without HFCS, peanut butter
without additives, olives with just olives/salt/water, etc.)

Steve

> Nut butters, and vinegars, are practical to produces at home.
> Ketchup is difficult because consumers don't normally have
> access to paste tomatoes.
>

Curious...How can I make vinegar? I would have an easier time making
ketchup (with my store bought vinegar of course)

In article <8643291c-4a10-4ae2-9e67-bfe2361a6e10
@s9g2000yqd.googlegroups.com>, says...
>
> > Nut butters, and vinegars, are practical to produces at home.
> > Ketchup is difficult because consumers don't normally have
> > access to paste tomatoes.
> >
>
> Curious...How can I make vinegar?

From wine. First, you have to grow the grapes and crush them to make
the wine...

Janet

Adding on -- I don't see myself making butter for everyday use. We
do occasionally make butter as a project at school. It is fun and my
kids love to make it. I had a little wild child first grader who
shook that butter up like a champ.

I will learn to make yogurt one of these days. The crockpot 365
blog has a crockpot method that I would like to try.

Tara

On Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:13:21 -0400, Tara >
wrote:

> peanut butter

That one is dead easy to make - if you wanted to.

--

Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Aug 4, 12:25 pm, Omelet > wrote:
> In article
> >,
>
> aem > wrote:
>
> > > How would life change under this new approach?
>
> > A lot more time in the kitchen. Time that would become work instead
> > of fun.
>
> Disagree.

You don't really disagree, you just didn't read or understand what I
wrote. Try again when you're not so tired or in such a rush. -
aem

I've never taken the whole "basic" dive. I found, though, that, when I have gone from scratch, I'm more inclined to get my kids involved mixing and whipping, etc. Messier; but they can clean as well as they can make the food/mess. If not, you TEACH them.

Sounds worthwhile, especially if you have some rugrats. Your kids are much less likely to bolt down five brownies if they labored on them.

I can only see the positive. I don't eat much ketchup, admittedly, so I can't see missing that. My kids ahev learned, thoug, that homemade bread and soup is "basic" and one of the more perfect measl one can enjoy, while being flexibale enough to maintain regular interest in the two.

On Aug 4, 12:53 pm, Omelet > wrote:
> [snips]
> It's just that I don't consider cooking to be "work".
>
> YMMV or course! ;-)
>
> Cooking from scratch does not have to be that time consuming, if you
> know how and what.

Do you consider boiling dried pasta to be cooking from scratch? Sure
you do, but the OP talked about 'basic single ingredients'. If that
means flour then you've first got to make and dry and store your
pasta. I would consider that work. I bake bread sometimes, but not
always and not all the kinds we like to eat. Baking some is fun;
baking all of it, or going without some kinds, would be work.

You make some sausage. Do you make all the kinds you enjoy?
Knockwurst? Lop cheong? Andouille? Making some Italian sausage is
fun, making every kind we like would be work.

I buy very few processed foods but quite a few prepared condiments and
flavorings. My question of the OP is, which are "reasonably" prepared
at home and which are not? The ingredients for oyster sauce are
known; is making your own "basic"? You might think it's fun once; I
think it's work.

You're still missing the essential point, which is how do you choose
to define what is "basic"? -aem

On Aug 4, 2:15*pm, aem > wrote:
>
> *[snips]
>
> My question of the OP is, which are "reasonably" prepared
> at home and which are not? *The ingredients for oyster sauce are
> known; is making your own "basic"? *You might think it's fun once; I
> think it's work.
>

The "reasonable" part certainly is subject to interpretation. I
haven't made any serious rules yet in my mind; I've just been
thinking. But as an example, these are some things that I remember
buying last week that I would consider off limits (I think): club
crackers, microwave Spanish rice, canned soup, chocolate milk mix,
canned refried beans, Doritos, sandwich bread, barbecue sauce. Other
than the crackers and the Doritos, I have made all these items
successfully from scratch before, but this time I went for convenience
instead.
That's the trade-off I'm questioning.

On Aug 4, 1:49 pm, Scooter > wrote:
> On Aug 4, 2:15 pm, aem > wrote:
>
>
>
> > [snips]
>
> > My question of the OP is, which are "reasonably" prepared
> > at home and which are not? The ingredients for oyster sauce are
> > known; is making your own "basic"? You might think it's fun once; I
> > think it's work.
>
> The "reasonable" part certainly is subject to interpretation. I
> haven't made any serious rules yet in my mind; I've just been
> thinking.

Right. I thing we all think from time to time about where to draw the
line between 'make or buy'. I tend to think of it in negative terms--
that is, what do I have an active interest in avoiding. Too much
salt, HFCS, trans-fats, and so on.

> But as an example, these are some things that I remember
> buying last week that I would consider off limits (I think): club
> crackers, microwave Spanish rice, canned soup, chocolate milk mix,
> canned refried beans, Doritos, sandwich bread, barbecue sauce. Other
> than the crackers and the Doritos, I have made all these items
> successfully from scratch before, but this time I went for convenience
> instead.
> That's the trade-off I'm questioning.

Quality versus purchased product also comes into play. My Spanish
rice, refried beans, and barbecue sauce(s) are made from scratch
because they are *better* than their purchased counterparts. The
soups I make are better, too, but I don't make all the kinds of soup
we like to eat. On the other hand, the few times I've tried to make
crackers have not been successful.

When I worked, time mattered a lot. The big trade-off for me now that
time is not a particular concern is work versus fun. I quite enjoy
cooking and eating the results but I avoid the things that seem to be
more trouble than they're worth. I"ll make homemade egg noodles now
and then for a stew but I won't make most pasta. I'll make Sichuan
scallion pancakes but I'll not again try to make the steamed buns
(bao) for dim sum. I'll make rolls for a special dinner but I won't
make buns for grilled hamburgers. Come to think of it, I might if
somebody had a recipe for the potato buns I had a few times in San
Francisco. Might have been Acme? I don't know......now all this
typing today has made me ramble.... -aem

>
> If you were to adopt this approach, how would your life change? Are
> there prepared items that you would particularly miss? Any deal-
> breakers for you? (I'm close to calling no more Diet Coke a deal-
> breaker, but that's me.) Would your life be better or worse?
>
> Scooter

I wonder how you'd like making soda crackers or oyster crackers from
scratch. Or any number of condiments that wouldn't be refrigerator-
stable for long periods of time because they wouldn't have any of even
a minimum number of stabilizers and preservatives in them....

You apparently don't currently buy "meal in a box," but you have no
problem buying box mixes like for brownies? Scratch brownies are so
much better. And making granola is good, but how much variety can you
arrange for scratch cereals? Do you make one kind? two? four? The
packaged cereal gives about 50 times more variety.

As for Diet Coke, or any soda, that stuff will kill ya, and you
shouldn't be drinking it anyway - it has absolutely no nutrient value
at all, and is actually detrimental to many parts of your body.

N.

On Aug 4, 2:21*pm, Nancy2 > wrote:

> I wonder how you'd like making soda crackers or oyster crackers from
> scratch. *

See, I wonder that too. I might enjoy it. If I didn't, I might
question how important crackers are to me.

> You apparently don't currently buy "meal in a box," but you have no
> problem buying box mixes like for brownies? *Scratch brownies are so
> much better. *And making granola is good, but how much variety can you
> arrange for scratch cereals? *Do you make one kind? *two? *four? *The
> packaged cereal gives about 50 times more variety.

I agree that scratch brownies are better, and I do make them from
scratch most of the time. Sometimes I let convenience win out, which
is what I'm questioning now. As for variety, do we really need 75 or
100 kinds of cereal? If I have a choice of granola, coffee cake,
bagels, toast, or oatmeal for breakfast, all well-made at home,
shouldn't that be sufficient?

On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 13:58:07 -0700 (PDT), Scooter
> wrote:

> I agree that scratch brownies are better, and I do make them from
> scratch most of the time. Sometimes I let convenience win out, which
> is what I'm questioning now.

Ha! My scratch brownies suck, so I buy a mix. Not that I make
brownies very often.

--

Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On 8/4/2010 4:48 PM, sf wrote:
> Ha! My scratch brownies suck, so I buy a mix. Not that I make
> brownies very often.
>

You will find some good brownie recipes here in the group. This is my
recipe, which I think is wonderful, if I do say so myself. :-)


Brownies

4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour (or gluten-free mix)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup cooking oil
1 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze
4 (1-ounce) semisweet chocolate baking squares
1/4 cup butter

Or another glaze

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter or shortening


Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and vanilla, then whisk in the sugar, baking
powder and salt.

In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and cooking oil and stir until the
mixture is smooth. Add the cocoa powder to the large bowl and stir to
blend.

Add the flour and stir until incorporated, then stir in the nuts. Bake
for 22-25 minutes then cool on a wire rack.

To make the glaze, add the ingredients to a microwave safe bowl, heat
for about 1 minute, then stir until the chocolate has melted and the
mixture is smooth.

In article >,
Ema Nymton > wrote:


> Brownies
>
> 4 large eggs
> 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
> 2 cups granulated sugar
> 1 teaspoon baking powder
> 1/2 teaspoon salt
> 1 1/2 cups flour (or gluten-free mix)
> 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
> 2/3 cup cooking oil
> 1 cup chopped walnuts
>
> Glaze
> 4 (1-ounce) semisweet chocolate baking squares
> 1/4 cup butter
>
> Or another glaze
>
> 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
> 2 tablespoons butter or shortening

[snipped directions]

You're making me hungry, and I haven't had breakfast yet!

These are low calorie, aren't they?

:-)

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On Sun, 08 Aug 2010 10:32:52 -0500, Ema Nymton >
wrote:

> You will find some good brownie recipes here in the group. This is my
> recipe, which I think is wonderful, if I do say so myself. :-)
>

Thanks! I've never liked any brownie I've made from scratch. One
thing I do know now is that I prefer my brownies seriously under baked
so they are real fudge brownies and not cakelike at all.

>
> Brownies
>
> 1 1/2 cups flour (or gluten-free mix)

Becca, would you please post your gluten free mix recipe?

TIA

--

Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.