I grew up with a mother who always cooked from scratch. That is all I knew. Our home was consistently blessed with homemade whole wheat bread, granola, yummy casseroles, and what have you. My mom was ‘famous’ in our small town for her bread and rolls. Even things like maple syrup and other delicious syrups were homemade. Our family did a lot of canning and preserving too. I was jealous of some friends and kids that I babysat because they got to have store-bought macaroni and cheese, store-bought white bread, and other convenience foods. They were so lucky, I thought at the time.
I know differently now. I am so thankful my mother instilled in me the desire to cook from scratch. Not that I do it all the time. mind you. I have to fight that desire to do the quick and easy thing. Cooking from scratch takes more time usually, but it is healthier for you and much cheaper. Nowadays with all the great nutrition information out there cooking from scratch is having a comeback. Everyone is realizing how great and simple and cost effective it really is!
When you are cooking from scratch it is important to make sure you have a well-stocked pantry with basic ingredients and spices. Then you are able to throw things together quickly and easily. Things that I always have in my cupboards or freezer are: oats, sugar, wheat, rice, butter, sour cream, spaghetti sauce, cream cheese, peanut butter, taco sauce, pasta, chicken & ground beef, eggs, onions, potatoes, cheese, and lots of various spices..just to name a few things.
I wanted to share with you today a few of my favorite recipes when I am cooking from scratch. If you have a few favorites, please comment and share what you do! We can all learn and benefit from each other.
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
1 c. Magic Mix
3/4 c. Chicken Broth (either from a can, bouillon, or liquid from canned chicken)
1 t. Dry Parsley
Dash of Onion Salt
Mix together with wire whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Magic Mix
2 1/3 c. powdered milk
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature (NO margarine!)
Combine together in a mixer bowl. I use my Bosch. Whip up nice and thoroughly until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Put in the fridge and use for a variety of recipes, including condensed soups. (Using it for chocolate pudding is really good!) Will keep in the fridge for several months.
Banana Muffins
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 c. white sugar + 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (I use sour cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large or 3 small)
*In a large bowl combine flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine and stir the egg, oil, yogurt (or sour cream) and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in mashed bananas. Try not to overstir. Just moisten all ingredients. Can add chocolate chips. (We like them better without chocolate chips.) Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
Here are some other recipes that I make from scratch that I LOVE and make all the time. Some I have posted here on PYP before.
Drop Biscuits
Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Whole Wheat Bread
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oatmeal Pancake Mix
Chicken Ranch Pizza
Homemade Granola Bars
Homemade Crunchy Granola
Other posts in this series:
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan: Menu Planning
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan: Menu Planning Binder
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan: Monthly Check-in
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan: Budgeting
tinabaily
My mother was the same. She and my father raised 4 kids in the 70s and 80s on a single income. Eating out for such a large family (it was in California, and we were a large family for the area) was prohibitive, so we might get lucky at get Taco Bell on one of our birthdays or something special like that, but everything else was made by my mother. She bought no Hamburger Helper, no Rice A Roni, no gravy mixes, and no Bisquik, either. She even mixed our milk from powdered milk to help save money, because back then powdered was cheaper than fresh milk for our clan. She used coupons and sometimes came home with the store having paid HER for our food. She was the original coupon queen! The only things she bought that weren’t made from scratch were breads, breakfast cereals, and crackers (for lunch boxes). Breads were purchased at the Wonder Bread store, which used to sell day old bread at a reduced price.
Every kid at school envied the desserts she put lovingly into my lunchbox every day. I was willing to trade away something she made often for a rare chance to enjoy a Twinkie or a Ding Dong, but never when she made Whoopie Pies!! I have slowly been working up to her levels of scratch cooking, and I’m getting there. I’m proud of my mother.