For the record, I have never had an original thought about cooking (as is witnessed by the fact that I still don’t have a TV show of my own), but I do believe in cooking from scratch whenever possible. I make my own chicken stock, beef stock, and veggie stock. I have been known to make my own bread and pizza dough. I shred my own cheese. Like everyone, I am constantly in search of something new to make for dinner so I turn to the web from time to time. I have never seen so many crescent roll recipes in my life (and that includes the fact that I have been a Pampered Chef sales director for 15 years – and we all know how PC feels about speed scratch* cooking)! I realize that Martha sometimes makes things MUCH more difficult than they need to be, but isn’t there a happy medium between the Sandra Lee (Semi-Homemade) garbage and Martha Stewart?

Like most of America I am enchanted with Pinterest. A digital bulletin board where I can store all the links I find that I like? Cool beans! And like most users I have a “recipe” board that I use to keep track of the recipes I want to try. In an effort to seek out new things to try, I visit other people’s boards, like everyone else, but I am mostly appalled by what I see. I simply cannot believe that people cook and eat some of the crap that I see on blogs, recipe sites and food sites. Most of the recipes I am finding are more like frat party food than anything a home maker would serve to her family, but yet some of these recipes are on the boards of home makers. There was one mother of four that had 5 different recipes for Philly Cheesesteak Rolls – yes, really. And the recipes read like an advertisement for the many packaged food products contained in the ingredient list.

I have a Sandra Lee cookbook that a friend gifted me with several years ago. At first I thought, “Oh, it’s like Pampered Chef recipes on steroids.” Lots of pre-made, store bought items tossed together in an uncharted way to create something new to eat. After reading thru the recipes in this book, there is only one that I have ever made and I tweak that one to be less “speed scratch” and more LeAnne style. The food is revolting and people gobble it up? WHY? Because it is easy that’s why. Here is something to think about: Easy doesn’t always mean GOOD! When I started with The Pampered Chef 15 years ago nearly ALL of the recipes included crescent rolls (yes, really) and as I did recipe trials getting ready for my demos, John asked, “Do all of these recipes include crescent rolls?” “So far, yes. Why?” “Because I hate crescent rolls.” I had been married to the man for 10 years and this was the first I was hearing of this. It became my mission to seek out PC recipes that DIDN’T include crescent rolls. It is much easier now (Moment of Truth – I love the products I sell, I dislike most of the recipes) since PC has developed recipes using fresh ingredients whenever possible. But that doesn’t alleviate the maelstrom of crap food on the internet.

Now before you start screaming that I am a snob, let me clarify a few things. I find nothing wrong with canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. They make a great base for loads of things, although I DO believe in doctoring the sauces. I find nothing wrong with canned chicken stock in a pinch. But canned pizza dough? Grated Parmesan cheese in a green tube? Grated cheese in a bag? Soup in a can? Why? All of these things can be prepped ahead of time and stored in the fridge or in the case of soup, frozen for later use. And don’t tell me you don’t have the time! It takes less than 5 minutes to grate an 8 oz block of cheddar and put it in a container in the fridge, and FYI it’s about 1/3 cheaper too! Why would you intentionally fill your belly with crap that you MAKE? I have publicly admitted to being a junk food junkie and I have been known to slide through the drive thru for convenience’s sake, but I can’t imagine eating like that AT HOME…all the time!

You can do some fantastic things that are easy AND good. Here are a few things to get you started on the right track:
• Grate your own cheese – it’s cheaper and it will melt better because freshly grated cheese isn’t coated with “cellulose fiber to prevent caking”. Read the label on pre-grated cheese. Sometimes there is more than just CHEESE in the package.
• Make your own chicken stock and freeze it – having it on hand for loads of different recipes from risotto to gravy will make you happy. Bonus – you can use a whole chicken or chicken parts, buy what’s on sale. Anthony Bourdain has a great primer on stock in his book The Les Halles Cookbook.
• When choosing prepared foods, if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, you shouldn’t be eating it.
• When choosing prepared foods, if you don’t know what the ingredients are, you shouldn’t be eating it.
• Learn to make your own pizza dough – you’ll thank me later – here’s my fave recipe.

On a completely tasty note – my Food Memories of last week revolved around my birthday. Lunch with friends at Honey Salt and getting spoiled for dinner at Nove Italiano by Chef Geno Bernardo (he is moving on to the David Burke group in NYC) with Al Mancini and his lovely wife Sue.

Chef Geno Bernardo and me.

Birthday Cake at Honey Salt

Clams with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe at Nove

The best Grilled Octopus at Nove

Butternut Squash Ravioli at Nove

Until next week, go out and make your OWN Food Memories.

*Speed Scratch = using store bought prepared foods and adding a few fresh ingredients, like chopped herbs, boneless skinless chicken breasts, onions and garlic, to create a dish that says, “I made it at home, so it’s homemade”. Sandra Lee is the queen of this crap.