8 Foods I Never Have to Buy Again

I'm no chef and there are days when I don't like cooking, but there are just some foods that I make myself, as opposed to buying them. Okay, so some of these my husband has to make. Still, they're always tasty. Most are cheaper and all are healthier than the store-bought versions.

1. Yogurt
Yogurt is so easy to make and so much cheaper than buying it, making your own is a no-brainer. All you need is milk, a thermometer and a tiny bit of plain yogurt to start with. If you save a little bit from every batch you make, you'll never have to buy it again. You can read these recipes and here's mine. Heat 1 Qt. milk to 110 degrees F, in a saucepan, stirring constantly. Add 2 Tbs yogurt and whisk in. Pour all into a Mason jar, tighten the lid and wrap in a dishtowel. (I stuff mine into an oven mitt sometimes.) Place in oven, close the oven door, turn on oven light and set timer for 8 hours. I always remove the knob so nobody can turn my oven on. Yogurt is ready in time for breakfast. Refrigerate when done. (If you want fruit or berries, add them at the end.)

2. Salad dressing
            Ranch: Use some homemade yogurt and add just a few small pieces of garlic and onion. Salt, pepper and dill to taste. (You can use fresh or dried garlic, onion and dill.) It tastes better after at least one day in the fridge. This stays good for about a week and a half.
            Vinaigrette: 3 parts olive oil, 1 part vinegar. Diced onions, garlic and peppers if desired. Salt and pepper to taste. For variations, try different types of vinegar or add a dash of sugar. You can refrigerate this but I don't.

3. Barbecue Sauce
Start with a tomato sauce base. For 12 oz of tomato sauce, stir in blackstrap (no sulpher) molasses until the sauce is the color you want (dark red-brown). Stir well. Add a dash of mustard powder and a spoonful of vinegar. Add a sprinkle of garlic powder, paprika .Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Hot Chocolate
Heat some milk, add cacao and your choice of sweeteners until it tastes the way you like it. I like honey. For variety, heat a cinnamon stick or peppermint leaves with your milk. Or, in place of half the milk, try substituting your favorite tea (blueberry is delicious.)

5. Peanut Butter or Nut Butters
Toast the nuts (toast them in the oven on broil and stir), put in blender, run until smooth, smash it down as you go, salt if desired. Try this link.

6.Egg Nog
It tastes even better than store-bought and you don't have to wait 'til Christmas. 1 Qt. milk in blender. (I like to add extra cream.) 1 raw egg*.  Add a couple tablespoons of sugar--or more if you like, and a sprinkling of nutmeg. This recipe sounds good too but I'd leave out the alcohol. *Note: uncooked eggs may contain harmful pathogens.

7. Hot Wings
Frozen chicken wings, some butter and a bottle of Frank's Original Hot Sauce. The recipe is here. Way cheaper to make than buy, and super good made fresh.

8. Granola
The nuts, seeds and berries for this dish make it expensive to get started, but you can make many batches before you have to buy more. It also has no dyes, artificial or "natural" flavors, no preservatives and it tastes really good. My husband is the granola maker in our home and he varies the type of nuts and fruits based on what we have in the house. It always turns out yummy. We use all organic ingredients so it's pretty expensive, but not as expensive as buying organic granola. Here is the recipe.

I still want to try making my own gelatin, flavored and colored with fruit juice. Someday I'll jerk my own beef. I love learning new recipes. Which ones are your favorites?