Friends!
The food from The Homemade Pantry is amazing! I have made the cornbread, hummus, granola bars and a few other recipes and I have to say -- amazing. Just delicious. If I could give you food, I would...but as we are Internet friends, I'll use a story.
Here's my example...
DIY Granola Bars tend to be some epic compromise. Either they aren't chewy or they aren't crunchy, generally they aren't delicious and seem like a lot of work when the ones in the wrappers are soooo good. You can disagree with me, it's fine, but in my experience of making granola bars, I hadn't found a recipe that outstripped the ease and yumminess of the store bought brand. Until Alana Chernila's Car Snacks #3 The Nutty Granola Bar blew my mind. It is perfect. Sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy, filling, portable--perfection. They are on my weekly to-make list and when I'm eating one my little 22 month old buddy says, "More! Share! More! Please!" That's probably the highest praise there is.
This book is officially on my to-buy list. Added bonuses: great storage tips and the canning method is integrated into the recipes so you it is all spelled out for you. Anything I can freeze, can or shelf is a win in my world.
I am about to make a advent calendar that is about doing something each day that prepares our family for Christmas, reflects what it means to us and helps us spend time with each other in quiet, significant ways. One day is definitely going to be making homemade marshmallows and hot chocolate. Actually, maybe more than one day!
You might have guessed that I love to read. And I love to eat. So reading about eating is kind of my favourite thing. And I love cookbooks.
My big hesitation around sampling/eating through a cookbook is food cost (not to mention the cost of the books!), specifically random ingredients that I am going to use in tiny portions and be left with a bag full of when the meal is complete. Not my thing and not my stage of life. I need recipes that are simple, delicious, healthy and cheap. And, I am learning, this is completely doable.
To my great joy, I found The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making by Alana Chernila. Here plentiful book contains great pictures, captivating stories and (what I hope are) delicious recipes. I started reading this book when I should have been napping and my fingers have been itching to start creating a pantry full of treats ever since (Thanksgiving kind of got in the way).
My library-borrowed book now looks like this (picture is also a mini-plug for the ease of these removable tabs):
I'm excited to get started and see if this book is a buyer (ie, I'll buy it) or a library books (ie, borrow and use intensively for a short period of time). On my list to make...well, everything! Butter, ricotta, creme fraiche, instant oatmeal, ketchup, hummus, pesto, roasted tomatoes, granola bars, fish sticks, hot chocolate, marshmallows, butternut squash soup, graham crackers, cheese crackers, caramels and potato chips. To start, anyway. I *might* need more than a two week loan!
This weekend we made cornbread (perfection -- exactly how you want cornbread to taste -- a little sweet, buttery and amazing dipped in chili) and potato chips (time consuming but worth it! Will absolutely do again. The crunch and flavour were fully addictive). I'm going to keep going...so far this one reads and tastes like a winner!
