Veg*n Mamas
Today I got to buy a man's groceries. At the checkout I had been forced to go back twice; the second time I grabbed a smaller pack of tp as I realized I wasn't willing to bike through the screaming wind with a giant 24-pack toilet paper "sail" balanced on my handlebars. When I came to the checkout a man in a motorized scooter had taken my place (which was fine, of course). We waited and waited and when it was finally his turn he held up a food assistance card (we have electronic food stamps in washington state). The checker said with compassion, "Those aren't working. Anywhere in town. Something wrong with the state." There was a brief pause as this man considered his groceries and said, "Um well, I guess forget it then."
I stepped forward. "I'd like to buy his groceries," I offered. The checker gave a brief glance, nodded, and started ringing me up. The man tried to look over his shoulder at me as he said, "Oh, that's not necessary." I touched his shoulder and said, "No, I'd like to." (touching someone gently often softens them, I've found). The checker piped up, "Happy Father's Day!" and the man laughed and everything moved forward. His bill was only three items: a gallon of milk, a pack of hot dogs, and some Lay's chips (an excellent lunch, I might add). It only took a minute and I wrote my check for his items and mine.
After the man scooted off the checker said, "That was nice," and I said, "Yeah well, I appreciate it when someone helps me out." "You never know," she said (inexplicably). I was happy because how often do we get a chance to help someone? Usually when the situation presents and the impulse strikes I literally don't have the means to do it or I just am too shy and the moment passes. Besides, I have had to leave groceries before when my card was declined or some other minor financial drama and I know how much it fucking sucks.
Today's discussion: making it homemade!
What things have you learned to make from scratch? Do you enjoy cooking from scratch or do you prefer prepared? And before you answer, fuck the whole, "Ooooh I'm so healthy" proper answers - what do you LIKE to do? What's your favorite overly-processed guilty pleasure? What's something that should ONLY be made from scratch or fresh? What can you literally not tell the difference on?
Is there something your partner can make better than you, every time? Vice versa?
Last night I made vegweb's "Outrageously Easy BIG Bread" (my version and method here). Currently Ralph is following instructions for homemade falafel with cucumber sauce (I'll be sure to report if it's better than the mix); we're also having Israeli couscous and Korean cucumber salad. Our kitchen smells so good - garlic, cucumber, cumin, broth - and it's extra awesome he's doing the work of cooking.
"Macaroni - let me finish! - salad."
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that I grow in my organic garden & I bottle my own spring water 
Well I have noticed that after a year of going without, store bought donuts taste like shit. Maybe that's just grocery store donuts though. I almost never make them but I so prefer homemade. If I could just buy them to lick the frosting off that's another story entirely.
I can not tell the difference between my bread & the fancy one I buy sometimes except that mine is fresher, of course but Dave says he can.
I love processed food. I try to stay away but I buy myself something good every time I go to the market. Lately it's been veggie corn dogs but it changes every month or so.
My favorite homemade, could actually say I dislike store bought? Probably pizza. I love mine & am always dissapointed with the commercially made kind. That's a total 180 from how I felt two years ago.
I think I may be allergic to dairy. I had some organic feta the other day & got a raging headache, then today I used real mozzerella in my pasta, and felt aweful for hours. Then to prove I didn't learn my lesson I had pizza for dinner. I have been pretty careful to only but organic dairy but I don't think that makes one bit of difference. Dave is sick from it too, but Bug seems to be fine. I don't get it honestly
looking for coffee and they didn't have any but the pastries looked fantastic. Maybe that was just my longing vegan eyes but I'll try 'em out anyway. There are just a few donut places around here, I come from the land of coffee & donuts, and they are all run by grouchy men who don't seem to enjoy their work. It's off putting.
Okay pizza, my pizza dough is just my calzone dough while you already know. If i remember I dimple it with a fork after stretching it out (or cheating & using a rolling pin) and my sauce is my dad's old recipe. He would crush the tomatoes by hand but I use the blender because I don't like chunks as much.
I am going on memory right now...
a large can of tomatoes, peeled italian style
four-ish cloves of garlic or so
handful of fresh basil or a teaspoon of dried
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of olive oil
but I am not 100% at the moment. I just woke up and I can't get online until much later in the afternoon, Dave sleeps in here, so I well find my old recipe and post/modify this later today.
I love this topic.
What I have learned to make from scratch:
So far mostly basics, soup, risotto, beans and rice, tortillas, bread - all kinds, pasta...
Fresh vs. prepared:
I prefer the taste of fresh almost every time, but I can be monumentally lazy and have often indulged in prepared foods, especially soups, pizzas, and things like those boil in a bag indian dishes. We haven't indulges as much lately, we've been tightening our proverbial belts and when we do "splurge" we are now more likely to just go somewhere where we will be served and some one else does the dishes.
My favourite overly-processed foods:
B&J's Vermonty Python ice cream - I have been craving this for over a week, I have been known to eat an entire tub in one sitting, it is the only ice cream I would do anything for. Any ice cream with coffee in it would rank a distant second.
Boxed macaroni and cheese with hot dogs - *this* is as close to comfort food as it gets for me. Real mac and cheese is better, no denying it, but also so very different.
Things I almost always make myself or buy fresh:
Salsa - it is so freaking easy and so, so freaking yummy. If I am really jonesing and just can't make it I will buy Que Pasa, and only Que Pasa "fresh" packaged salsa. I have yet to find a good source for inexpensive fresh salsa here.
Guac - I never, ever buy it packaged.
Pie Crust - my pie crust is so killer that until last year, when I moved to another province, my mother would have me come over a couple times a year to make it for her apple and saskatoon berry pies. (note - I will buy packaged pies - but rarely pre-made crusts)
Things that are interchangeable:
Soup, as long as it is a decent soup and not some condensed crap.
Salad, I will very often buy those "salad packs" of mixed baby greens and herbs, it would cost me more to buy all the ingredients individually and half of each head of greens would likely rot before we got through it all.
Dh vs me:
Dh's claim to fame is his east indian cooking, he has the touch and easily kicks my ass in that arena. He is also way better than me at following recipes - I am always tweaking, usually with great result, but occasionally we have to choke down something barely resembling food. So for anything that requires a strict attention to detail, he's the man.
I improvise really well, I am awesome at making meals out of nearly nothing... though I have lost my knack a little while pregnant (last pregnancy I literally lost my sense of style, it was weird). I am also really good at knowing based on smell or taste exactly what a dish needs to bring it back from the brink. I think both talents come from being entirely self-taught in the kitchen.
I am eager to hear how those falafels turn out - I may pass the recipe onto Andrew and see if he can come up with a new signature dish.
Herdez, it comes in little cans in the mexican food aisle. It's surprisingly tasty and fresh -- I would have it any time over stuff in jars and some of the fresh ones.
always added salsa to my guac, it was the one way I had learned to do it. But then one night we were at a friend's for a mexican-themed potluck and she made close to your recipe (lime instead of lemon) and Andrew sheepishly told me afterwards it was better than mine. I've been making it her way ever since. I once read the label on the store-bought stuff and it had all sorts of weird crap in it, including "modified milk ingredients".
I am taking an extended break from the kitchen - going to Seattle for the week - and I am really looking forward to it, and am also really looking forward to finding some new things to try after we get home.
If you keep the pits in the gauc, it keeps if fresher longer, prevents browning too, but you prob already know that. 
"Have a safe lunch, use a condiment."
But I've found the lemon juice prevents browning, the quac is consumed completely and quickly, and if I put pits in there we'd probably scarf them down by accident! We are big avo-philes.
"Macaroni - let me finish! - salad."
Lentils -- always from scratch and so super easy, it's literally impossible to mess 'em up.
Rice pilaf -- I don't understand why, but I LOVE rice pilaf from the box. Always have. Never tried making it from scratch cause the boxed stuff is so easy and good.
I love that stuff. Why even bother doing it homemade?
my food stamps were denied today too...must be everywhere! I just charged it though, and at least the checker was nice and gave Indigo stickers and sunglasses..he definitely felt bad. One more reminder though, can you imagine visa being like, oh, our computers are down, sorry?!? On a happy note, I am off food stamps come Sept. and can't wait! As for your questions, I actually like making things homemade from scratch and did quite a bit of cooking in my youth, but *never* seem to have the energy or inclination now. I just feel bone tired much of the time and try to use what little energy I have to interact with her. Therefore, as for prepared foods: I like TJ's mostly, lentil and split pea soups are good and some of their frozen pasta dishes and turkey meatballs are delicious for last minute easy dinners. My ex could always do meat better, all meat, esp. bbq and cornbread. I'm better at putting together a whole meal..I also made better soup, any kind of beans and veggies.
I'm not.
We're cutting back on meat, mostly for expenses but also because this last E coli scare really put DH off his feed and he wants me to only buy kosher meat. Ack! It's 5.00/lb for ground beef *breathing deep*
I like to cook from scratch. The spark is back for me since I'm learning new methods--vegetarian--and I prefer to make things myself. I think pizza and beans should always be made from scratch. I am trying to figure out what they do to non-organic canned beans that they are always hard. Nasty. Now, my favorite convenience food is hot dogs cut up in Annie's canned pasta and when I'm really jonesin' for junk I like ramen.
I find that I can usually tell when something is storebought, because I can taste the preservatives. I would never front someone out about it, but I usually know. Now as far as cakes and stuff like that...who can tell...I just buy the box and call it good.
Dinner tonight was Bockwursts and Mac-n-cheese. It was the annies kind which is theoretically healthier (less orange anyway) but still...put a dollop of pesto in for flavah and balanced the whole thing with salad --
with homemade dressing (I hate the premade kind) -- a little oil, salt, pepper, herbs, mustard, vinegar/lemon juice/OJ/cran J, tad of braggs
My big thing is improvising on the fly -- usually don't cook with a plan but look in the cupboard and see...hmm, peanut butter, noodles, tofu, and green onions plus a can of pumpkin, whatever veggies & something spicy = thai pumpkin curry noodles. So I guess my MO is mixing scratch and processed stuff.
WHen I have time (like once a year) I love to cook from scratch -- hits have been pizza crust, risotto, sweet potato gnocchi, and kitchen sink soup (this is a regular -- whatever veggies need to be eaten go into a pot and getcooked, then pureed)
Did crab cakes from scratch once, they were the bomb.
I've tried cakes and cookies from scratch. Not my faves...lots of effort and not as good as the betty crocker cake mix/nestle toll house tube.
I use Tasty Bites (premade Indian food in boil pouches) a LOT -- they go over pasta, mix with rice to make stuffing for stuffed peppers, what have you. They are like another food group in this house.
We eat a lot of frozen waffles and Amy's burritos around these parts also.
2 more things I love, don't do often, but I love homemade are hummus and pesto.
All the soups, sauces, dips, etc. in my house are made by me and if not great, they are usually edible. I like cooking from scratch but sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of process that can go into something as simple as pizza or soup. Yeah it's a good end product but it takes hours to get there some days. On the other hand I love that I can look into the fridge and put together a meal out of whatever i find in there.
My favorite homemade thing is mac 'n cheese. It is so damn satisfying and cheesy and sharp and gooey. I just make a white sauce and add sharp cheddar, dijon, salt, pepper and garlic (and parmesean if we got it). While the sauce is thickening I boil up some pasta with some broccoli and carrots and whammo--dinner is done. I could eat this until I explode.
My favorite guilty pleasure the humble potato chip in all its many forms. I also love Newman's own caesar dressing both the creamy and the vinagrette versions.
In terms of Alfred and I--he usually does the big cuts of meat that I don't want to touch or eat (we do this maybe once a month and the foods traditional to his family that I have no interest in making (pickles, fleish piroski, zweibak, platz...). Because he grew up watching his mom make this stuff he seems to have a better understanding of how to make it-especially the bready things that I am too impatient to let rise properly.
I have to admit, my fav. is really crispy french fries with lots of salt and ketchup and.. something called pump cheese, think of it as Cheese Whiz kinda,
Healthy wise:
Today tho we went strawberry picking, and there is something wonderful about red ripe strawberries warmed by the early morning sun, uggggghhh ugggghhh,(homer simpson style, with the drool rolling off my chin) I think I ate about a pound all by myself.mmmm
My husband is the world shittiest cook, I hate the things he cooks, for example Canned tomato soup mixed with a can of sardines, yuck.
I have a following for the cheesecakes I make, and I feel very confident in the kitchen.
Side note Kelly: that was a very nice thing you did, how could the whole state fuck up that card system, I mean people have to eat right??? That is a sad thing indeed.
"Have a safe lunch, use a condiment."
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We have this amazing you-bake pizza place going out of business after 25 years. Their pizza is better than any I've had. We also have a great italian restaurant that has pizza. So in other words, there's so much pizza around here I haven't had to learn how to make it.
But if you have a recipe or methods you're willing to share I'd love it!
I don't like storebought doughnuts either but desperately would love to have a tasty doughnut.
"Macaroni - let me finish! - salad."