Make Your Own

There is a certain amount of pride in making your own things.  My fiancé and I try hard to avoid single use products which includes things like containers of vegetable broth and plastic wrap around bagels.  We are slowly relearning the recipes that our grandparents (and maybe parents) knew, but did not pass on because it is much easier to go grab it at the grocery store

Our first experiment was bagels.  I know it sounds impressive and difficult, but it’s really not.

The recipe can be found at the following blog:  https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-bagels/

1. Combine yeast and warm water to activate.  We don’t bother with the packets of yeast because I make these every week.
2. Add bread flour and some wheat flour along with salt and brown sugar and kneed.  We have a stand mixer for convenience, but you can do this by hand… I used to…
3. Once the dough comes together I coat a bowl with oil to keep the dough from drying out and put it in a warm place for 1.5 hours to let it rise.  The longer the better.
4. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts, and shape them into small bagels
5. Let them rise a little more.
6. Boil water with a bit of honey in it.
7. Boil each bagel for 1 minute on each side.  This creates the hard outer shell.
8. At this point you can do an egg or oil wash and add toppings.
9. Bake in the oven at 425 for 25 minutes +/-

Our second experiment was vegetable broth.  This is really easy especially with the recipe we got from our new cookbook called Thug Kitchen: eat like you give a f*ck: the official cookbook.  Basically, save all of your kitchen scraps like onion peels, ends of carrots, pepper core, zucchini ends etc. in a freezer bag.  Once you get a full bag of scraps (1 gallon size) do the following:

1. Add a little oil to a pot and add some chopped onion, carrot and celery.  This can be scraps or good stuff.  The idea is to jump start the flavor.
2. Add as many cups of water as you want to make broth.  I usually go for 8 cups because that’s what I can fit in my pot. 
3. Add the bag of scraps and let the water come to a boil.
4. Turn the burner down to let the water simmer.
5. Let it go for 40 minutes or so and then strain it into whatever containers you would like to store it in.  It will last for about 1 week in the refrigerator, but freeze it for a longer shelf life.

We have successfully made risotto, vegetable soup and couscous with the homemade broth and all were delicious!

Anyway, eliminate the packaging by making it yourself!

-Nate