Homemade Pantry

The weekend before last, Andy and I went to the farmer's market to get some stuff and then we spent the rest of the day making things from The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making by Alana Chernila. It was super fun. We made rhubarb-ginger syrup with lemon verbena (for pouring into seltzer water and making sodas), mayonnaise, ketchup, and hamburger buns! And I made another rhubarb custard pie (that thing is really good). We took turns whisking the olive oil into the egg yolk to make mayonnaise. I seriously don't know how one person could have the muscle strength to do this; our arms were yakisoba noodles after I don't even know how long it took (and we were also actually sitting down the whole time). Pffffft! The hamburger buns were seriously amazing. I couldn't stop looking at them. Our neighbors came for a cook-out later that night. We had burgers and sweet potato oven fries I sort of made up. I think they liked everything. They also thought we were kind of cracked but we're used to that. Then they had a neighborhood potluck party this past Sunday. (We have a lot of great neighborhood parties.) I spent almost the whole party talking to someone about suburban sprawl and someone else about window replacement and cedar shingles and I had a great time. I thought, "Ah. I must be in my forties."

Comments

[Jillian]

The homemade panty project looks ambitious! I have had intentions of making my own mayo for far too long. I may have to give it a try! :)

[Elizabeth Mackey]

You could open up a little bakery! ;) Those are pretty baked goods!!!

[severien]

Laughing out loud with the "our arms were yakisoba noodles" comment. Haha. :)

[connie]

I think I've seen somewhere that you can use a food processor or a mixer to make mayo...

[Rebekka]

Those ROLLS! Wowwwwwww

[leanne]

this makes me hungry...xo ...you two are amazing.

[Amanda]

Everything looks so yummy!! That book is going straight into my must have book list.

[Kathy]

Wow! Such gorgeous photos and now I'm hungry! (From that first photo ... yak and elk are both delicious and very healthy, BTW! Non-CAFO meat FTW!)

[anna]

The hamburger buns look like perfection along with everything else!! You keep outdoing yourselves. I love the DIY life. I made strawberry ginger syrup last week that we made strawberry lemonade with today. Delicious! I'll have to try it in seltzer water.

[Sabrina]

Yakisoba noodles! Funny! Your farmer's market is so beautiful and bountiful. You must get lost it when you go.
Everything you made looks delicious!

[Jacquelyn]

If you have a food processor, the white 'pusher' piece (that you use to push pieces of food into the processor chute) has a small hole in the bottom that is made for adding liquids in a slow, steady stream. When you make mayonnaise in the food processor, add the oil this way, and it will slowly trickle it in while the emulsion is forming. No yakisoba arms necessary.

[Adaliza]

That looks like so much fun - especially as you do it together. Poor arms - the mayo looks well worth the effort tho! The sun has finally arrived here in Hampshire, UK - AT LAST! Don't know about neighbourhood parties here, but we will be enjoying ourselves on our patio very soon - once the duck house has moved down the garden again for the summer! Keep us up-to-date with your market makes - it's inspiring!

[Adaliza]

Forgot to say - we went to a Gypsy Horse Fair yesterday - awesome horses and amazing characters!

[Lora]

I see someone has suggested using the food processor for mayo - I was going to suggest the same. I would also suggest a blender, that's how I make my mayo. So quick and easy that way and no sore arms!

[Julie Reynolds]

Mmmm, sweet potato fries dipped in the homemade mayo, that's what I'm talking about!

[Kim]

As always, you have transported us all ~ I'm drooling!

[Leila]

Conversation at neighborhood parties -- just give in to it! Where we live, it will be about septic systems, and I never thought I'd enjoy that, but I do!

[Lucy@Attic24]

That is so funny, I am also boring the pants off my friends and neighbours on a daily basis with the subject of replacement windows. Squuueeeeee we are having handmade wooden sash windows installed oh-soooooooooooo-excited!! Yup, being a forty-something is ace xxx

[Robin]

Wow! (Homemade ketchup??!!) Might have to give that book a look-see. And definitely make it over to the farmer's market.... soon!

[Jenny]

Those buns are seriously golden perfection.

I love how so many little domestic things excite me now that I'm in my 40's. It's fun.

Yakisoba noodle arms... lol.

[Heather M]

Is the mayo super delicious and worth it? We need to know this!!

[Heather]

Homemade mayo is one of the most delicious things in life. OMG. Sometimes I make it and have some fresh crusty bread with it just for dipping. Bliss. :) I think I may need to get that book - that rhubarb ginger syrup looks awesome! (...as does everything else you posted as usual!) :)

[Heather]

Too funny about being in your forties. It resonates here for sure.

[Lisa @celebrate CREATIVITY]

I browsed the "Homemade Pantry" recently at B&N and loved it.

I didn't get it because I settled on some other higher priority publications. Your delicious photos puts the Homemade Pantry on my new high priority list-lol.

Great post and lovely photos as usual. I'd love to take a bite out of those hot rolls-lol.

Enjoy your day!

[Polly]

That sounds like the kind of thing I would enjoy talking about and I am 24. I like to bake, sew and garden. I buy fabric rather than clothes or alcohol. My favourite places to go are a city farm and a botanic garden. People ask me what I am doing after work and I reply "oh, just going to sew a skirt, water the seeds, play with the cat" while they are making plans to go to night clubs. I think sometimes, it's just a state of mind rather than anything related to age-liking life at a slower pace, appreciating the little, homely things.