This weekend I am going to make real food from scratch. That sounds ridiculous, because I make real food at least a few times a week. But I'm talking about old fashioned food production: applesauce and yogurt.
Why? Because they're the two things my son and I happen to love most, because they're actually easy to make, and because I'm convinced that anything I make at home is better in quality and taste than anything I can buy. Most days, anyway.
I've discovered the kitchn, an all-things-food blog that is downright inspirational. They have the yogurt recipe and it's ridiculously easy. The inspiration for applesauce comes from my neighbor's tree. Half of its branches reach into our yard, and I'm sick of just picking up the squirrel-eaten ones off the grass and ignoring the free bounty. It's probably as close to organic as I'm gonna get at that price, as my neighbors don't do anything to the tree -- no water, let alone pesticides. The tree's only company is birds, squirrels, and their two dogs. Think what you might about that, but at least it's all natural.
I'm pretty sure I can heat milk, cool it down, stir in a half cup of yogurt, and let it sit in the oven overnight. I'm also pretty sure I can boil unpeeled/cored apples and run them through my food mill that I bought for $3 at a second-hand store several years ago and have basically never used but just admired since it's about 50 years old and fully functional.
Now that half of our weekly meals come from Dream Dinners, I spend far less time managing meal planning. It's starting to uncover my foodie roots. I actually love cooking and baking, and eating at chef-owned restaurants. I'm also making dietary and exercise changes so I can back the scale further away from the 200 lb mark that I'm uncomfortably close to. Because of all these factors, I'm looking forward to creating a few easy foods that will nourish us and help keep me from eating crap. Wish me luck.
