Cooking from scratch

I make as much as I can from scratch - that's not to say I don't ever take a shortcut, but the more often I try to make something from scratch, the more I realize there really isn't much to it.  And, it saves us a TON of money.

My mom didn't cook a lot, but I grew up with a friend who's mom and grandmother were big "from scratch" people.  They taught me a ton about measuring and playing with recipes, but I will admit that a lot of what I learn comes from the internet.  I'm not afraid to Google ingredients and see what comes up.  To me, it's a lot of fun!

And when you can cook with a helper, it's all the more fun.  Stone loves to cook/bake with me.  His favorites are measuring/pouring, hand washing and taste testing.  Most nap times we cook together while the littles sleep.  Today we made a huge batch of oven-fried okra (since I got a supply from a friend and the CSA), sugar cookie dough and a sourdough starter for a friend (I try to always  keep a starter in the fridge for fresh bread, pizza dough and rolls).  We got it all done, and kitchen cleaned, in less than two hours.  That's what I calla nap time scramble!