My second "cook from scratch" recipe (my first was here) was Megan's delicious homemade Macaroni and Cheese dish. See picture and recipe here. Loved it.
My third and final dish for the Cook Challenge was another Jamie Oliver recipe, but I'm so sad to say it didn't turn out. Not at all. It was super bland. I thought I followed the recipe pretty straight forward, but somewhere between England and America - this recipe got lost in translation. Boo. This was it here.
Gina's cooking from scratch conclusion: I loved the experience of cooking from scratch. But a few things I didn't like. 1) Not having most of the ingredients on hand = more expensive grocery bill, 2) Non-popular items, or things I hadn't heard of before = expense, again, and a frustrating grocery shopping day . . .with two kids, and lastly 3) spending an hour making my own stinkin' marinara sauce by hand, just to be let down when the entire dish didn't turn out. :(
What were your conclusions?
4 comments:
hey at least you gave it a shot... unlike me :) i'm a semi-home-made kind of girl.
Gina,
I agree with many of your sentiments, especially the more expensive grocery bill. One way I combat that is that I participate in a local food co-op. $15 dollars each week buys a laundry basket full of fruits and veggies, sometimes herbs. I plan my meals around my produce.
Also, I noticed that the cannelloni recipe calls for creme fraiche. Hard to find huh? I learned that you can make your own using milk and buttermilk and allowing it to ferment for 24 hours.
Things like imported cheeses are pricey, but I get a lot of use our of a wedge of Parmesan and Gruyere. Most recipes don't call for that much. It's an initial splurge that goes a long way in my opinion.
I say, cook from scratch when have time and the desire, but there is nothing wrong with a good semi-home-made recipe. Balance is a wonderful thing.
that why you just dont do it, then you cant fail! ;)
chicken. :)
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