Homemade

A few years ago I made a conscious decision to make as much food from scratch as I could. I attended Agriculture and Life Sciences school in college, and though I was adamant that I was part of the LIFE SCIENCES part of the college, I didn’t manage to escape without a few ag-related classes which taught me a lot about food. That quickly changed to “make as much food from scratch that’s economically feasible for two people fresh out of college, working full time, and living in an overpriced part of the country.”

It can get expensive to make everything yourself. And silly when you spend more money on ingredients than you would on the finished product.

But it’s also not so silly. I felt so incredibly empowered the first time I ate a (store bought) bagel with homemade strawberry jam on it. Homemade chicken noodle soup is so much better with fresh stock from your Thanksgiving turkey. And don’t get me started on noodles made from scratch. They WILL change your life.

Sean’s the same way. He’s quite an excellent cook and was easy to ensnare in my home cooked obsession. I’d say his biggest homemade claim to fame is beer. Yes it came it a kit but I know he was the proudest Sconnie in Maryland when he cracked open his first home bottled cold one.

Then we moved overseas, and suddenly a huge majority of our staples weren’t available. Pasta sauce, bagels, almond milk, ground chicken, sausages (except bologna; if you like bologna, Tajikistan is the place for you). We worked with what we had for a few months but finally my homemade dreams resurfaced and all hell broke loose.

By hell I mean homemade almond milk (which is surprisingly easy if you have a good blender), homemade pasta sauce, homemade ground chicken, and, the current crown jewel, homemade bagels.

Real bagels. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside New York style bagels.

Carb heaven, here I come.

If anyone wants to try at least some of the recipes I’ve been using (or plan to use) check out my Canning and Homemade Pinterest board.