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'Do-Again Recipes' are mostly comfort foods
that will find a place on your menu again and again
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If you hunger for good homemade food, you're in the right place
I grew up on homemade food. Most meals were prepared—as we said then—'from scratch'. It was simple, sensible food that had its origins in Scandinavia and in rural North Dakota.
 Bless her heart, my mother spent LOTS of kitchen time. But few today seem willing to devote so much effort to their food. Because of real or imagined lack of time, or because we don't want the bother, we choose convenience over quality. We willingly sacrifice taste, nutrition, the mouthwatering aroma of slow-cooked meals. To these I also plead guilty.
So how to adopt those home-cooking virtues without becoming kitchen slaves? It begins with fresh and minimally processed ingredients whenever possible. It requires some cooking from scratch. But it does NOT require a cooking degree nor a major investment in time, tools or cash.
I began carefully recording my recipes more than a decade ago. Over time I tossed out many of them—for good reason! When they held promise for a 'do-again', I made detailed notes. Since then I've revised and updated recipes, often many times over, as I've figured out easier methods, tried different ingredients, and worked in helpful feedback from the many who have emailed me. And I've posted revisions on the web where, unlike bound recipe books, changes can be effected immediately.
Because I'm a practical kitchen guy, I've tried to write my recipes so novices can fix a variety of dishes and meals using ordinary kitchen tools and skills. In every case it means that the recipes are either reworked from others to fit my own tastes or that the recipes are my own creations. None are, to the best of my knowledge, identical to any other published recipes.
| Although 'scratch' cooking isn't complicated nor overly time-consuming, too many recipes make it seem so: "Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add garlic and oregano and cook for 3 minutes. Add beans and some liquid and simmer for 4 minutes. Add more liquid and simmer 3 minutes. Season." That's easy for experienced cooks with both right and left-brain abilities. But why not use a simpler 1-2-3 approach? |
If you're expecting statistics about fat and sodium, caloric content, Atkins-fad carbs, etc., stop now. Not that numbers aren't interesting, but do they really have practical day-to-day value? I believe 'tis wiser to enjoy a diversity of foods and, if concerned about consuming too much of anything—including fat and carbs and salt and calories—eat less. That, of course, is easier said than done.
To indicate how much work/skill I think is necessary, I use a simple color coding for each recipe. The system isn't infallible, but rather a quick way to help decide whether you want to get into it:
 I've also written brief descriptions, hints for a successful outcome (a little skeleton key), and a shopping list (omitting staples like sugar, flour, butter, olive oil, salt and pepper because they should be in your kitchen anyway).
 Step-by-step instructions follow the shopping list. I've included images to suggest cookware for each part of the process. But like everything else in preparing food, there are few hard and fast rules!
Feel free to use any recipe for personal cooking. You may also link to this site or a specific recipe page. But kindly don't use a recipe in any other way whether electronic, in print, etc. And check back occasionally to see both new and updated recipes.
~ Jerry
| "The average American consumer eats three burgers and four orders of fries each week. A typical American child now gets one-fourth of his or her vegetables in the form of French fries or potato chips. Half our nation's family food budgets are spent in restaurants, with fast-food operations and chains getting the lion's share of the spending." - Allison J. Cleary, "Fast Road to Fat City" |
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