From scratch...

I was a bit shocked to learn today that my lovely cousin Kira was planning on using ready mashed potatoes for her Thanksgiving dinner she is hosting. At first she just told me that she's doing mashed potatoes, the turkey and the cherry pie...I asked her if she was making them all from scratch (well, obviously the turkey will be bought...but her husband will be brining it.). I was a bit shocked to learn that she was just going to use ready mashed potatoes...luckily she will be making the pie crust for the cherry pie, and just a canned filling. I am sure this is the case with loads of families this holiday season though, not just with my cousin...besides, I believe I convinced her to make her potatoes from scratch...and then she'll also be a believer that mashed potatoes from scratch are super easy and the way to go!

This got me to thinking about how we (as a people in general, not just my husband and I) are eating. How is it that we have come so far in evolution, but insist on powdered mashed potatoes? Well, it is probably because we have come so far in evolution that we used these quick canned meals, ready meals...you name it. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Maggi Fix (a packet of powdered sauces that help out meals) and I use them often during the week. But this is a holiday! I wonder how many other American families are going to used pre-made things instead of trying their hand at making them from scratch?

I used to be of the thought that if it is in a can, dammit I am using it since it is simple! But seriously, making things from scratch is also pretty simple! Mashed potatoes, for example, are one of the simplest things you can do. Peel, cut into chunks, boil until tender, drain, mash with butter, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder (or real garlic) and onion powder. If you have a pressure cooker, then it makes things go a whole lot faster!

Before moving over here, I would make dinner by calling the local take-out. Now, that really isn't an option, plus, it is my opinion that Germans are more about cooking a meal and sitting down at the table as a family rather than in front of the boob-tube. Because of this, I have re-discovered my love of cooking and if I could, I would cook from scratch every day instead of using Maggi Fixes, but alas, with an almost 10 week old, this isn't really that possible. I try to at least make dinner from scratch at least 4 times a week, and so far, it works out pretty well. Tonight, for example, we are having tortilla soup. Yes, this requires canned stuff, but it is all canned veggies. I think veggies in a can are pretty good, especially since you can't really find sweet corn at the ready here in Germany!

So, this is the challenge to myself for the coming months/year. I am going to make at least 4 meals from scratch each week and post about at least one of on the blog. There might not be time to get around to posting about all of them, but nonetheless, this is the challenge to myself.

To start, I'll be making tortilla soup. You can play along with or just read about this little adventure...This week should be pretty easy considering I'm making loads of stuff for our Thanksgiving feast on Saturday... :)