More DIY Cooking Fun

Sometimes, I just want to get crazy in the kitchen and make everything from scratch, because I want to know what's in the food I eat, and if food really does cost less if I make it myself.

Good thing author Jennifer Reese did this for me already. Her little, chubby cookbook, Make the Bread, Buy the Butter, documents her experiments in the kitchen, from making cheese to raising (and butchering) her own chickens to canning. She discovered that some things are worth doing (making your own bagels) while others are not (making your own pop tarts). The book includes the cost of making versus buying (based on prices in 2011) and recipes on how to make many foods, from the most basic (pancakes and salad dressing) to the most complicated (which is, arguably, the cheese). 

Flipping through the book, I have learned how easy it would be to make my own yogurt and beef jerky. Today, I made the granola. Oh, was it good! I had it as a snack with some milk and leftover quinoa. And I already had all the ingredients in my pantry! I will never go back to buying granola, or maybe even breakfast cereal, again! For those of you who are interested, I will share this recipe and the recipe for cocoa mix with you. They are both easy enough to do as a project with a toddler, or use as a homeschooling math exercise in fractions and measuring. And... they make great Christmas presents. One year, my friend Elizabeth made granola, put them in decorated jars, and blessed us all with a delicious Christmas present! 

(One note: Reese's calculations are based on the cost of ingredients and time, not the cost of home-made goodness versus pre-packaged, preserved foods. There are a few items, like burritos, where she concludes that it is cheaper and less hassle to purchase the food item than make your own. I am not always in agreement with that.)

GRANOLA:

(According to the book, this granola costs about $1.10 per cup to make.)

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup almonds, slivers or roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup sweetened flaked or shredded coconut
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
(tweak as you like: add dried fruit, try different kinds of nuts, use honey instead of maple syrup, add cinnamon or orange zest. Chocolate chips, if desired, should go in after the granola is cooled.)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Mix all ingredients and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and break apart and large clumps. Store in a sealed container.


COCOA MIX: 

(One ounce of homemade costs about $0.18. A one-ounce packet of Swiss Miss mix costs about $0.38.)

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Whisk or sift all ingredients together. Keeps indefinitely in a lidded jar.
To make hot chocolate, use 2 tablespoons per cup of hot milk. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla.