In an effort to shave some money off our astronomical grocery bills ($650-$800 monthly), I've become the cook I've always wanted to be: the kind that makes everything from scratch. For a long time now I've loved the idea of making my own everything: stock, sauces, bread, etc. But with time in short supply, Rocky and I have always fallen back on the convenience items like store-bought stock, canned beans, frozen veggies. Not so anymore.
It still feels like the days have too few hours, but we've made a concerted effort to carve out a few minutes here and there to work homemade into our weekly routine. Over the weekend, I made a vat of vegetable stock and soaked and cooked beans from dry for a soup. Today? Soaking more beans and baking a pumpkin, which hopefully will become Southwestern pumpkin burgers and Louisiana red beans and rice by day's end. It's mostly fun to cook this way, and reassuring to know that I know exactly what our family is eating, but sweet mother of all that is holy, it takes a LONG FRICKIN' TIME. No wonder the pioneer women of ye olde days spent all day in the kitchen.
Aren't you lucky you don't have cows to milk and butter to churn. Oi vey! The upside is the savings and the TASTIER meals. You go girl!
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty insane amount of money just for food! How does electricity an gas cost compare to the States? Does cooking more make an appreciable change in that bill?
ReplyDeleteYou've always been a good cook, BTW. :)
Goodness. That's pretty serious cooking-from-scratch. Good show.
ReplyDelete@Kelly Hirano
ReplyDeleteI know, right? Food is expensive! Electricity is, too (go figure), but I haven't paid attention to the bill closely enough to tell if the increased cooking has had any significant impact.
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteMilking and making butter should only be Girl Scouts projects these days. Who would have the time? Guess that's why families were big in those days, eh? More unpaid laborers . . .
Are you going to start making yogurt too?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteNO to homemade yogurt. Milk isn't significantly cheaper here than yogurt, so why go through the bother? Rationalization? Maybe.
Rationalization in order of importance:
ReplyDelete1) The "live" cultures in yogurt from the store are barely clutching to life. I guess they aren't very refrigerator shelf-stable.
2) You can control the sugar
3) It's fun
4) Cute jars!
And you can make spiced yogurt!
ReplyDeleteWordy, you are a kitchen goddess.
ReplyDelete