19. Cooking from Scratch

This was our delicious breakfast this Sunday morning. This was after we were stuffed. Please disregard the "I am Canadian" mug. I am not Canadian.

Since moving to South Asia, cooking from scratch is a skill that we've been able to work on. Ready-made or pre-made/semi-made stuff is just not that available. This morning we had pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon. Now the bacon is a story in and of itself. It came in a care package from America. It's that ready to serve stuff. You can't get bacon here. And it is a treat for special occasions only.

But, the syrup! Made from scratch. Yes, I know how to make syrup from scratch. It is so good. You'll notice that there is a syrup bottle in the background. We bought that before we learned how to make our own syrup. If I had a mixer or food processor, I would have made the peanut butter as well. But, we give in and buy the expensive imported stuff because we don't have the appliances needed to make our own peanut butter.

I love cooking from scratch. I feel so accomplished. My Grannie Ella would be proud. I can make tortillas, cakes, pie crusts, my own ground sausage (yep!), yogurt, sour cream, etc. Any beans that we eat are dry beans that we soak and then cook in the pressure cooker (oh, how I love the pressure cooker). I know how to make any baking recipe vegetarian (without eggs). I can bake bread. I make my own biscuits. I haven't made jam yet (still working on the supply of Mayhaw jelly my mama brought over). I have mastered my salsa recipe since coming here, and I know how to jar it to make it last for months. I plan on learning to make my own cheese.

I am going to make a good wife. ;-)