Putting up Staple Foods

[Kchurchill5]

I think I'm a combo. I love the refrigerator pickles, better than any store bought for me. And I just tried them a a year in a half ago. LOVE them.

But working my crazy schedule which changes from day to day, I just don't have a lot of time. However ... I do make my own pasta sauce when I have time. But I do have a jar. But I always add stuff to it. I get the basic plain sauce.

I don't make laundry detergent, but I often make the window cleaner. I have made my cats treats and they puked them up. I tried 5 recipes. I gave up. For convenience, I do have some salad dressings; not many. Ranch because I rarely eat it - only with cut veggies like carrots and celery. Otherwise. Rarely touch it. I also have Thousand Island, because I like it know and then, but for reubens ... I do make my own. And I have a balsamic which I like for something quick. But NORMALLY, I do make my own.

Chinese sauces; I have made, but I don't eat it often. But I do make my own. But I on occasion may buy plum sauce.

Salsa. I make my own most of the time, but I do have a jar. Sometimes, I only need a tablespoon and I don't eat it that often.

BBQ, I do have store bought, but I always "jazz" it up with a fruit preserve, spices, herbs or alcohol ... pretty much anything. But - for company, I will make my own. So again, time is the key.

I eat fruit, cottage cheese or yogurt for breakfast. Rarely have eggs or anything else

Lunch, rarely. A small cup of soup of 1/2 of sammy if that. Usually some fruit, crackers and cheese.

So, salsa wouldn't get finished before it went bad. When I know it will get eaten with a party or friends or a main dish ... absolutely.

I'm a mix I guess. When time allows me to make it, yes. When time doesn't I may use a jar. But I make as much as I can, and I try to balance out ... home made vs a store brand "jazzed up." For me, I have to balance both to make it work. Two weeks ago, between home and at work, I logged 60 hrs which doesn't leave much time in the kitchen. So ... I work around it, the best I can.

[Dissie]

I didn't make what I make homemade when I worked either Kim. You just don't have the time!
I think more and more, we are listening to the experts and cooking and eating healthier. Certainly anything homemade you make is far better for you due to all the chemicals and fillers, food companies add to our foods. I think back 15 years ago and shudder at all the crap I used to eat!
Since I have more time than a few years back, I need to start making my own bread. I do make my own pizza dough, biscuits (Thanks to Derf!), and dinner rolls. But I am talking about making real bread. My mom used to make it and I am almost drooling remembering it coming out of the oven and her slicing it and adding butter and jam.
I don't buy pancake mix anymore either, its too easy to make your own. Can't believe people wont take 5 minutes and make it themselves.

[Kchurchill5]

Pizza dough, I cheat now and then, but for friends or a party. Homemade. Same with pancakes. If I am just making 1 or 2. Bisquick. But I eat them so rare. 4-5x a year if that. But yes, try to make as much as possible. It is so much healthier. I totally agree

[crazyndncook]

I am guilty of buying pancake mix. Because with all my training as a cook I just don't like my homemade pancakes, I find them too heavy. I make so many other things from scratch, I don't have any other baking mixes in my house. I bake all our bread loaves, but not buns, I just can't make them the right size or look decent. I make pie dough, cake and cookies from scratch. I go through more that 200 lbs of unbleached flour a year, and about 25 lbs whole wheat flour, that is alot of baking. Yesterday I made 6 loaves of bread (to me a small batch of bread), because we needed bread, but it was really windy, I was worried the power might go out, but I could probably bake of the 6 I had in the travel trailer oven before they deflated.

[Dissie]

Crazy, that is something, that you like the taste of a mix better!
My kids are with you when it comes to green beans for them! They hate fresh green beans. They love those limp canned green beans, refuse to eat the fresh ones!
Sometimes you just like it better and theres nothing wrong with that. I do know you do your own gardening and baking, so I think a mixed pancake batter isn't doing you too much harm! ;) Just like my canned soups that I use in casseroles occassionally. I figure as long as I am not eating them daily, it can't be "that bad" for me.

[Kchurchill5]

Funny isn't it. I love green bean casserole; but I only make it 1 maybe 2x per year. But I prefer the frozen green beans vs fresh; not sure why.

Corn, lima, and peas (frozen only)
I keep other frozen ones on hand (emergency back up)

Other fresh.

But NO canned veggies at all, not even corn for me. Hate the taste.

I like a ricotta pancakes, but honestly ... I like Bisquick regular pancakes better than homemade. I do make homemade and my son used to like them. Me. NO, I preferred Bisquick. Strange I know.

[Dissie]

Crazy and Kim, did your mother use a mix for pancakes? I think we get used to a taste and its hard to change. My mother never used a mix for pancakes, and she never bought bisquik. I used to buy them, for recipes, but stopped when I started to have to throw them out because I just didn't use them up! I know its the reason I still use miracle whip. My family used it growing up and I just can't change over to real mayo.

[Kchurchill5]

Bisquick always.
I have tried many homemade, and OK. But just not right to me. My ricotta ones are ok, but much different. Homemade for me is heavy or rich. Doesn't taste right.
I have had some good ones; and very tasty, and they are good. But for the average PANCAKE. NOPE, they just don't compare.
But real maple syrup is always best.

Mayo always, never MW, can't stand it. I do use it in 2-3 recipes and it works, but I can still taste it and it isn't a favorite. Too sweet for me.

[crazyndncook]

I don't think my mom used pancake mix, I never grew up with her, my dad on the other hand made awesome homemade pancakes, they were so big though we used to use them for sandwiches the next day by slicing them in half, using them like Fried Bread (aka Bannock).

We only used Bisquick for biscuits when I was a kid. We only had Miracle Whip growing up but I changed to Mayo, I found MW too sweet for my liking.

It was my son that hated canned green beans, they do like raw beans from the garden and cooked beans. I am not sure if the girls have ever eaten canned green beans. I grew up with canned veggies, and not to fond of them. I have tons of frozen from the garden. My kids love to head to the garden to eat in the summer. They could have just finished breakfast and want carrots or other veggies from the garden.

[Kchurchill5]

I grew up with a garden too in the summer. Mom was a teacher, so Mom, me, gramps and grandma stayed at our second home in Northern MI. Lake house and we had a huge garden. Dad drove up on the weekends.

Mom knew better than to tell me to go to the garden and bring back beans. I would eat 90% of them. Carrots, radishes, rhubarb. You name it. I loved growing up with all the fresh veggies. And we fished daily. So fresh fish and veggies were always around. We also went deer hunting, rabbits, and pheasant. So I was used to having those things around in our freezer. Canned and smoked salmon, We bought a whole cow every year; so that was in our freezer too, lots of smoking, canning, preserves of cherries, strawberries and raspberries; pickled veggies, etc.