Starting from Scratch Cooking

[NessaL_07]

I want to start cooking meals from scratch. Anything from bread to dinner meals. Does anyone have any books suggestions or online links to give me recipes and information about it all in general. I would be very greatful. TIA

[TMB]

Great question / thread! Once we get into more of a routine, I hope to tackle some 'real cooking' as well - so I will be interested in what the great gals at DS suggest!

[NessaL_07]

Yah Im gonna have to start cooking meals again here real soon. And i want to start cooking healthier foods not boxed foods with chemicals and such. i just dont know where to begin. Also, Im not that good of a cook, which is why i make our food from a box. I really wish I was a chief.

[bkwrm69]

Let's see...If you're browsing online, I like http://www.foodnetwork.com, or http://epicurious.com. They both have recipe ratings and food network also rates the degree of difficulty.

As for books, I love "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook"
by Beth Hensperge, "Desperation Dinners!"
by Alicia Mills and Beverly Gray, and any of Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals cookbooks. These are the ones I go to when I'm in a hurry, or if I just want to throw something in the crock pot and forget it until dinner! You too, can have real food, real easy! Good luck!

[MamaEli]

I have both volume 1 and 2 of the cookbook from Das Dutchman Essenhaus Amish restaurant in Shipshewana IN. (My mom got them for me.) Tons of from scratch recipes, even some home cures (like "Cure for a Toothache" and "Cockroach Powder".) I've tried many recipes in there, and have rarely been disappointed. Good place to get ideas and little reliance on pre-packaged ingredients.
As far as bread...which I really don't make often enough....I adore the recipe from the back of the King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour bag!
Good luck cooking from scratch--when I can do it I love it!

Linkie to the cookbook: http://www.berean.com/product.asp?sku=192891537X

[NessaL_07]

Thanks so much mammas. I will check out all the book and such.

[lmvanzee]

I have the better homes and gardens cookbook. We call it the checkerboard cookbook in my family though All teh recipes in it are from scratch. And I don't think that i have ever had anything come out bad if I followed the directions.

[Rachaelbee]

wehave a better homes and gardens cookbook too, it's great for a lot of recipes, banana bread, chili, cookies, ummm I've done a lot of their recipes! And for bread you just have to look there are tons of recipes out there, I'd go to the library myself and pick up a bunch of books. There's a book out there called "once a month cooking" and it teaches you how to cook in bulk and make your mixes in bulk so that way you only have to do your major cooking a couple times a month, but when you want a home cooked meal you just pull out your homemade food out of the freezer My mom did this while they were building the house, she made enough for 3 months ahead of time, and we ate good food quite a bit!! Also if you are going to do this you can do it by whats on sale, i.e. if ground beef is having a special reduced price you pick up 12lbs and cook it all up and put it into spagetti, lasagna, tacos, stroganoff, and so much more!!

I've been so bad about cooking lately, and spending too much at the grocery store I am even thinking about pulling out the bread maker so I can make a loaf for pennies, versus the $3 a loaf! and it's not even nearly as good as homemade!

[Rachaelbee]

Originally Posted by MamaEli I have both volume 1 and 2 of the cookbook from Das Dutchman Essenhaus Amish restaurant in Shipshewana IN. (My mom got them for me.) Tons of from scratch recipes, even some home cures (like "Cure for a Toothache" and "Cockroach Powder".) I've tried many recipes in there, and have rarely been disappointed. Good place to get ideas and little reliance on pre-packaged ingredients. As far as bread...which I really don't make often enough....I adore the recipe from the back of the King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour bag! Good luck cooking from scratch--when I can do it I love it! Linkie to the cookbook: http://www.berean.com/product.asp?sku=192891537X

oooh I'm gonna bookmark that for when I have a bit of money I can spend does it have the amish friendship bread recipe in it, that is