Scratch Food with a Side of Geek Mom and Pop Culture.
Many people don’t understand how to save money on computers when they’re looking to buy. It’s a big intimidating purchase for a lot of people, because there’s so many options available, and more often than not, people don’t understand what they require. Hubs and I are the people most of our friends and family come to…
I’ve pledged this year not to be such a slacker about organizing the garden. I know I’m still figuring things out and winter was terrible the last two years, but I could save so much money by starting my own seeds. And it’s time to get cracking on this, even though there’s still three feet of…
Some people believe that eating food prepared from scratch and having a full time job are mutually exclusive… or a recipe for exhaustion. It’s not true. I know this, because I’ve had that 9-5 job, a kid who required a lot of scratch food, and a commute. The secret, as anyone who has ever been in…
I always say the best single thing you can do to save money (after making the commitment to cook regularly) is to buy a large freezer. A chest freezer is worth it’s weight and space in gold. But when most people talk about using a freezer to save money, they either think make-ahead meals, or…
I’m one of those people who hate the idea of a standardized exercise routine. I hate the repetitiveness. I hate having to carve a hole out in my day and to schedule it in. I hate having to figure out plans and goals and all the effort about it. Sweating. Jumping. Running in place like…
I’ve only recently started to come around to embracing the idea of using un-enameled cast iron. The biggest obstacle in my acceptance, like for many people, was the question of care. How do you take care of this strange beast, which can never be washed in a dishwasher, or with soap? And–oh em gee–what if you…
There’s a billion “kitchen hacks” list out there, most of which is “duh” stuff (which is why they like to make themselves sound more amazing than they are by saying there’s 100 of them). Few are practical. When you’ve been around the block–er, kitchen a few times, you pick up some handy tips and tricks…
Have you ever wondered about how cream turns into butter, or why whipped cream and butter are different? I was thinking about post ideas, when someone said “have you done butter yet?” No, I haven’t done butter. Butter is gradeschool Homesteading 101, and everybody’s got a post on how to make butter. “Yes,” says my friend….
There’s actually two ways to make your own ricotta right at home! One method of making it requires the whey that may be leftover from making another kind of cheese, like your own fresh mozzarella, but the other method is much more straightforward and takes only two ingredients: milk and lemon juice. How does acid…
I almost always walk home with the bird carcass from any family gathering. Nobody ever fights me for it because nobody knows how to make delicious soup from it. Or they can’t be bothered. Their loss! It makes me giddy because I love soup, and I’d rather have the soup than huge chunks of leftover…