Homemade Cough Syrup
This is the cough syrup of good intentions. I like making homemade things. Since I’ve been fighting some kind of super-illness for the past few weeks, I researched a few recipes for homemade cough syrup. There are two main varieties: one based on apple cider vinegar, and another based on honey. It should be no surprise that I tried the latter option. This cough syrup is simple: 1/4 cup […]
Apple Cinnamon Bread
Apple Cinnamon Bread Hardware Bread machine Appropriately-sized pan or a baking sheet Software 1 small apple 150 grams water 4 Tablespoons butter 520 grams bread flour 3 Tablespoons wheat germ (optional) 1 Tablespoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon yeast Directions Peel and dice the apple. Place the ingredients in the above order in the bread machine. Put the bread machine on the dough cycle and start it. […]
The Hyper-Local Challenge
Thought Experiment: Could I get to the point where 100% of the food I eat for myself is made from local ingredients? It’s an interesting thought. Let’s establish a few parameters: “Local” means within 100 miles. This doesn’t count social meals; going out with co-workers for drinks or taking friends or family out to a restaurant. I wouldn’t force this on my hosts if a guest at someone eles’s house, nor would I force it […]
Homemade
I’ve been eating a lot of Domino’s pizza lately. I’ve been busy, watching a lot of movies and TV shows, reading, and writing. I realized that I need to focus on chewing through all that material, so I simply don’t have time to make meals from scratch. But I want to. More importantly, my stomach wants to. Processed foods typically upset my stomach, like drunk tourists messing up the place. Once […]
Soups
My Mom was never much of a soup person. She’s always liked soups, but in the same way that people like cocktail peanuts or turf grass. When I think of my Mom’s cooking, I remember her chicken cordon bleu, her strawberry whipped cream cake, her divine chocolate fudge cake, her crusty French bread, her unimaginably soft homemade pasta. I don’t remember any soups. I’m sure she […]
Homemade Stuff
I like to make my own stuff. I’d love to make my own furniture, clothes, etc., and I’m starting with food and daily household items. Here’s what I currently make myself: Food (very little homemade in the past few weeks, as I focus on finishing up my RPG materials for the month) Laundry detergent Fabric softener — I use 1/4 cup of baking soda in the basin and 1/4 cup of vinegar in the dispenser. Dishwasher detergent — Unfortunately, […]
Gingerbread Hot Cocoa Mix
My Mom still fills a Christmas stocking for me every year. It’s the same stocking I’ve had since I was little, one that she knitted for me herself (and it’s the biggest one, of course). Every years, she fills it with candy, bags of tea, and goofy little things. Last year, one of the things […]
How to make bread of any size, in any form
I’ve blogged before about my nascent bakery business and the process for putting ingredients in a bread machine. Now I’m going to share the secret formula for bread. Really. It’s 3 parts water, 5 parts flour, a little yeast, and a little salt. That’s it. What about the punching down and the rising and all that? That’s easy: 2–400. Mix it, let it rise, then “punch it down” (push it into […]
Cooking and The Flavor Bible
Cooking is hard. Well, no, the actual act of cooking isn’t particularly hard; it’s the knowledge. How long does an omelette need in the pan? How hot should the pan be, and within what range? All that stuff. Plus, once one moves on in one’s cooking life from rotely following recipes, one is confronted by […]
How To Make Any Loaf of Bread In a Bread Machine
As part of my constant quest to learn cool, new things, I bought myself a bread machine several years ago. How’d I afford it, you ask? Easy: I bought it at Salvation Army for $20. Got a few weird looks from the cashier, who asked if I’d ever use it, but that’s fine. Problem: No […]