Home cooking, for real

paulachuff

So I thought I'd do a post about cooking. I'm one of those old-fashioned guys who believes that food cooked at home out of ingredients that are the best you can afford is always better for you than whatever you can buy in a box. Sure, some things take a little longer to make than a boxed meal, but there are things like fresh pasta that you can make in about 20 minutes from start to served. A loaf of 22 grain/seeds bread (a recipe that I've tweaked over the years and will gladly share) can be had in about two hours and served in four (you have to let the loaf cool for two hours).

I know I do things that other people who are busy during the day can't do because I'm retired, but there are still a ton of things that you CAN do if you really want to. I'm kind of a survivalist and keep a year's worth of staples and canned goods on hand and it's easier for me to go into my pantry and pick food out to eat than it is to run to the grocery store every night. A great deal of the time I do my prep work the day before, or with certain things days or weeks ahead.

For example...I make pizza margherita pretty regularly. The night of I make the dough, but I make 3 times the batch. After letting the dough rest for 30 minutes I make my pizza, throw it in a 425 degree oven, then while the pizza is cooking I make round balls of each of the other pieces of dough, wrap it in tin foil and throw it in the freezer. Instant pizza dough for my pizza nights! It takes about 45 minutes to thaw the dough ball out, then all you're tasked with is rolling it out (5 minutes), putting the ingredients on the dough (another 5 minutes) and in the oven for another 12-15 minutes. So, at max, you're eating in just over an hour. If you have a little time to spare, you can always make the passata, which takes about an hour.

Well anyway, I've put in my 3 cents. If anyone wants tips and tricks on home made food, let me know. I'm happy to share.