Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with homemade

Baby Food Recipes

swift — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:33:31 -0800

Share your baby food recipes! In a month or so our baby daughter will be making the jump to solid foods, and we plan on making our own. Any advice on preparing, storing, and using homemade mush?

I'm too lazy to go to the store, and have a bag of rice in my kitchen.

motdiem2 — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:40:28 -0800

What would I need to do to bake homemade rice krispies ? This Cereal Timeline triggered this question, and I can't get this out of my head now.
I want to make my own rice krispies, frosted flakes, honey bunches, ...
I've googled a bit and found this, but I'm a little afraid to try it.
Have any of you already tried it ? Can you share your best tips, recipes ?

Made-in-advance cracker-like pizza crust recipes?

sdis — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:08:17 -0800

Quick Pizza: What is the fastest way that I can have a pizza-resembling thing in my mouth without buying anything premade? Rules allow for pre-making things at home, as long as those things keep and don't take up too much space. Last passover time, I had a box of matzo in the house and realized that if I dumped tomato sauce and cheese on top of a matzo, and stuck that in the toaster for 5 minutes, suddenly I had a pizza-resembling thing in my mouth that tasted awesome and took care of lunch. Unfortunately, matzo is *really* *expensive* out here.

So, basically, I could use some pre-made crust/large cracker recipes that are good and don't get stale rapidly (I.e., where I could spend a sunday and make enough crusts for 2 weeks, and at the end of the 2nd week, they're still actually usable). Bonus points for not requiring refrigeration/freezing (our fridge/freezer is 4 feet tall, total).

Thanks!

Yes, I cook for my dog. How can I do it better?

taz — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:39:17 -0800

I'd like nutritional advice for homemade dog food and maybe treats, using easy-to-find ingredients. I haven't been able to find high quality commercial dog food where I live, so I make most of her food myself, but I would like to make her homemade food as healthy as I possibly can with the resources I have, which are somewhat limited. Current routine, and many(!) more details inside. Our dog is a rescue that we've had for five months, and she's a completely different animal than we got - in the best way, so I know we are doing pretty good now, but I'd like to know more and do better.

We don't have access to most fancy health food ingredients, so I want to use ordinary ingredients as much as possible.

I currently feed her one of: turkey, chicken, fish, or liver, + brown rice or crumbled whole wheat bread, + vegetables (shredded carrot and zucchini with a bit of cooked spinach, or cooked and lightly mashed frozen veggie combo - peas, green beans, carrots, potato, lima beans). I portion these (protein, carb, veg) as roughly 1/3 each. At one point I upped the protein, but she began straining to poo and her poop was very hard. Normally her poop is very good/solid - never soft or runny, but not too hard, either. That may have just been an adjustment thing, so I'm not averse to increasing the meat to veggie/carb ratio if it's a better diet. I once tried cooked oatmeal instead of rice, and she seemed to really dislike it, but it was probably just because it wasn't what she expected, and we can give that another shot - if it's better for her. (She's really not picky or spoiled - she'll eat what we give her to eat, though I might have to feed her from my hand a bit at first to get her going...)

To this I add a spoonful of nutritional yeast, a small bit of chopped or dried garlic, a half a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, a small splash of olive oil. About once a week I give her a scrambled egg or two instead of meat/fish, and a couple of times a week I give her a few spoonfuls of low(er)-fat yogurt as a treat.

Her regular treats are slices of banana, frozen peas (which she is inexplicably crazy for), or a small bit of feta cheese. She'll eat a couple of bites of pear and apple as well, though not her favorite stuff. She's not crazy about fruit, generally. We don't feed her our leftovers (we eat 'em ourselves!)

I worry, expecially, that she's not getting enough calcium. I don't really find the proper sorts of raw bones for her here (we once asked our butcher for a dog bone, and he gave us something that looked like it came from a dinosaur... really, there was no way that was happening). And she could probably benefit from other additives, but I can't find a lot of health food ingredients here. The nutritional yeast, which should be available as a powder, I have to buy from the one place I can find it in pill form (and expensive), which I then grind up. There just isn't a lot of health food stuff available here yet.

I got the very nice book Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, but I can't find most of the holistic ingredients in the diet section. I ordered a book of dog food recipes that are supposed to be "Veterinarian approved" and the recipes were totally silly, plus even from my little knowledge, not really that healthy. So I'm up for a good book on this, but it has to be something that relies on regular ordinary ingredients that you could find anywhere, and of course it should actually have some canine nutrition science or background. I'm really, really not looking for something like "Bow-wow Brownies" with "Bow-wow Brownie Frosting" (actual, real recipes from the second stupid book I got).

Filler up!

np312 — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:34:34 -0800

What kind of filler should I use in the home-made microwaveable heat packs I'm making for holiday presents this year? I've been browsing sites like Craftster for hours, but can't get a straight answer on what to put inside my heat/cold packs (which will be microwaved 2-3 mins, within a cotton or flannel covering.)

I want the filler to retain heat for a long time, which flax seed and cherry pits are good for, but those fillers are expensive. Plus, cherry pits are poisonous to animals who might bite into them, and flax seed apparently can explode in the microwave. Not good.

Rice is what a lot of people seem to use, but many people complain that it doesn't stay hot as long as flaxseed/cherry pits, and that the rice starts to smell funky after a while. Same complaint with corn.

Dried lentils, millet or bird seed all sound like good ideas to me (cheap, easy to find, good texture) but does anyone know if these ingredients will hold heat for a long time? Or if they'll smell funky?

Buckwheat hulls are also intriguing, but I'm worried that their sharp texture wouldn't feel good through flannel.

Any advice, personal experiences, on which filler beats all?

Quality goods made by real people

dance — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:36:19 -0800

Talented people making high quality goods (belts, wooden objects, pens, misc leather items , clothes, manuscript books, etc) at reasonable prices. A recent askme thread whetted my appetite for lovingly crafted objects created by real people who have a talent and a passion for their work, and are maybe selling on eBay...or via a personal website.
These things are perhaps made simply but effectively, or in a traditional way - and the seller's aim is usually not massive profit but just to see their quality goods used by happy customers.

Or maybe people who refurbish antiques, get them working again and sell them on?

A real world example is a man called David Naish who sells his high quality leather wallets, belts, pouches etc from a bridge in Jesmond Dene, Newcastle, England for very small amounts of money.

Feeding My Cats Homemade Raw Meat Diet - Good Idea?

billysumday — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:50:59 -0800

I want to make my own homemade, raw meat (chicken and rabbit) cat food. My girlfriend thinks it's a bad idea. Almost everything I can find on the interwebs suggest that feeding a cat a BARF (biologically appropriate raw food) diet is healthy for the cat. This wiki suggests that there is no scientific evidence pointing to a clear resolution - in the references section there are some vets arguing one way or the other, but nothing concrete. Has anyone been there, done that, or have any other advice? Following the advice and instructions of this vet, I'd like to grind up whole pieces of chicken, add the necessary supplements, and feed that mixture to my cats as a supplement to their dry food.

Girlfriend is pragmatic and a Ph.D. student in the sciences and is demanding solid research to support this idea. There is no solid research, so far as I can tell, but there are a lot of supplemental anecdotes by random people on the internet that swear by this diet. Also, online companies selling people raw food to feed to their cats.

I would love any suggestions people have of other, better recipes; advice on how to make homemade cat food; and ideas to convince the g/f to feed the kitties my super awesome Billysumday's special all-natural feline delite raw food diet.

Come on Indian MeFites, spill the lentils, divulge your most tasty family recipes.

ageispolis — Sun, 25 May 2008 22:19:02 -0800

To the Indian MeFites - and the non-indian chefs as well - what are your favorite family Indian recipes and what are some tricks in the preparation to give the food that authentic Indian taste. You know, rich, delicious, mouth-watering, and savoury to the point that eating becomes a spiritual experiece in itself. Perhaps I should have worded this question after I ate, but now that I'm returning to the Western diet after a few months of pure Indian goodness I already begin to feel the withdrawal symptoms taking hold, "Where's the spice in these potatoes? This bread needs some buttery sauce! Why is this food so depressingly bland and dry?!" I've already promised myself I'd start practicing and preparing my own Indian food, and with a large Sikh population nearby I have access to an Indian market specializing in ingredients from the Punjabi region, which is good because I do love my dal makhani. But I'd appreciate learning of recipes that run in the family as well as some tricks to the art of Indian cooking. For example, what's a good method of emulating a tandoor?

Any online resources are also much appreciated. Time to go eat lunch.

Dog Treats

about_time — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:28:23 -0800

My dog loves dried sweet potato chews. They go for $20 a bag in the pet store even though the only ingredients are potatoes. It must be that I can make them at home for the cost of a potato. Do I need a fancy food dehydrator or can I just cut the potatoes up into thick pieces and put my oven on 200F for a many hours? Anyone have a specific recipe or experience making them? I didn't find any recipes on line. Thanks for your help.

My homemade ice cream gives homemade a bad name.

Mutant — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:56:02 -0800

A big problem and a small problem with my home made ice cream ... I need some tips and pointers on home made ice cream. Specifically, I've had inconsistent results across two dimensions - clumping, or the creaminess (more properly lack of) of my ice cream, and layering of fruit.

After much trial and error, I've settled into this basic recipe:

6 egg yolks
3 cups single cream
1 cup sugar (granulated)
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
Juice from a small lemon (fresh squeezed)

As we can get reasonably priced Spanish strawberries this time of year, my most recent attempts have me using 400g (maybe one half a quart) of the fruit. I puree about half, and split the remaining strawberries down the middle, but will cut again if necessary to render all pieces no larger than 1/2".

Over low heat, I whisk the egg yolks, ten tablespoons of the cream together than add sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. I continue whisking until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, all the while careful to keep the heat in check (i.e., avoid boiling). I try to let this cook for about ten minutes or so.

At this point I then add the remaining cream and strawberry puree, and continue whisking until the mixture thickens significantly. Then I add the remaining strawberry slices.

I freeze in a stainless steel bowl for between two to three hours (this part of the recipe is still changing) and we then consume immediately.

Here are my problems:

Big problem - The ice cream is very inconsistent in terms of thickness; sometimes almost soupy, other times it thickens up too much. Is this normal for homemade ice cream? The variance in batches is frustrating me somewhat (Mrs Mutant is a champ, and never complains!) as I'd like to at least have a repeatable process.

Small problem - Fruit - it all seems to end up on the bottom, at least the pieces. Is this just the nature of the product? I can't seem, for the life of me, to get uniform distribution. I've tried freezing the mix for a period of time then adding the heavier pieces, but still I end up with most - if not all - of the fruit chunks on the bottom of the ice cream. What are you folks doing to get a uniform distribution? I've tried mixing after freezing but before serving, but sometimes its difficult to even spoon out, let alone mix (see 'Big Problem' above).

I'm using this recipe each time as I'm trying to get a standard product. I'm eager to add flavours to my repertoire, but seems I'm having difficulties with the basics.

Any tips or suggestions welcomed. Willing to change recipes as well.

Thanks for your help!

Top my homemade pizza

nitsuj — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:19:56 -0800

What are some good, unique pizza toppings? I make homemade pizza about once a week. I've got the dough/crust down, but I'm getting bored with the standard selection of toppings. What are some interesting, del.icio.us combinations I can experiment with?

Homemade Ableton Live Packs?

MNDZ — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:36:40 -0800

Can I make an Ableton Live sound pack with my own samples? I have .aiff drum sounds that I want to make into a kit.

How do I make professional-looking homemade lip balm labels?

starsnstars — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:39:11 -0800

How do I make semi-professional, waterproof labels for handmade lip balm tubes? I am looking for a way to make labels that will fit on .15oz (4.25g) lip balm tubes. The labels need to be approximately 2 X 2 inches, have permanent adhesive to stay on the plastic well, need to be water resistant so the ink does not rub off, and have the ability to print on an ink jet printer. I have tried Avery 6572 Permanent labels, however the ink smeared and rubbed off the label. I then tried Avery 6578 Durable I.D. labels that are water-resistant, then I realized they were for laser printers only and will not work on my ink jet printer. I am seeking the most effective, best-looking way to create a durable label for the lip balm I make or an attracive, professional way to water proof permanent labels. I appreciate any suggestions.

I want my home-made microwave foods to be crisp, but how?

vytae — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 11:50:51 -0800

I want relatively crisp reheated food from the microwave. Can can I buy or make something to do this for me, like that silvery-coated paperboard that comes with frozen foods? Many bread-related frozen foods come with microwave crisping devices - frozen personal pizzas have round trays, hot pockets have wrap-around sleeves, and Lean Cuisine paninis come with the "revolutionary grilling tray". I know I can put together a healthier, cheaper melt sandwich or mini pizza if I make it myself, but the only source of heat in my office kitchen is a microwave. Without the magic crisper thing, I get soggy, unappetizing food.

Using google I've discovered that these coated paperboard things are called "susceptors" and I've found a couple companies that manufacture them for the food industry, but so far nobody seems to sell them directly to the consumer. Do you know where I could buy them? Or, can I make something at home to help crisp up my microwaved foods? I would experiment with aluminum foil, but I'm nervous about setting my kitchen on fire.

I've seen the Waveware Microwave Crisping Dish, but the reviews don't inspire much confidence. If you know anything more about this or similar products, I'd love to hear it.

hey man, how'd you make that lotion?

jadepearl — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:43:08 -0800

Need advice on making the ultimate moisturizer. I suffer dry skin and worse, sandal foot. You know, when you live in sandals and have chapped, rough, non-fetishizable feet. The rest of my body suffers winter skin. So, I was thinking of making my own cream using unrefined shea butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter and almond oil. First, which suppliers would you suggest; second, anyone with advice who has done this?

I know that there are many lotions out there but I want to have control and no petroleum products in my lotion/creme. I prefer organic and unrefined. Any advice, comments and sources welcome.

Homemade Toweletts

jytsai — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:23:43 -0800

TowletteFilter: Is there a specific name for the paper/cloth used in towelettes, and where can I get a few hundred for homemade sunscreen/bug-repellant wipes?

How best to store homemade muffins?

tomwheeler — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:21:40 -0800

How can I best store homemade blueberry muffins so that they'll last up to six days? My lovely wife has taken to baking homemade blueberry muffins for me to eat at breakfast throughout the week. She stores them in a large plastic zipper bag to keep them fresh, but they get damp in a day or two and downright soggy within three or four days. At five days they'll show signs of mold.

She read somewhere that storing a few saltines in the bag will absorb the moisture and spare the muffins, but it didn't help much. If we leave the muffins on the counter, they're hard as stones in two days.

What is the best way of storing homemade muffins for up to six days?

Gorgeous, useless thing.

gursky — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 17:44:48 -0800

Crafty MeFites: What can I do with a sturdy wooden box? Recently, I came across a wooden box (with four cups and saucers inside) at a Goodwill store. For the $2 it cost, I couldn't leave the box in the store. It's a sturdy, light wood (oak?) box with a lid that slides in/out. It is about the size of a standard shoe box, maybe a little wider. The top, or lid, has some French writing on it and a logo.

When I purchased it, I was hoping to use it for something crafty. Sadly, it has been sitting in a corner for weeks, untouched. I've googled for crafty ideas, but I'm only finding sites with wooden boxes for sale, or the 'brilliant' idea to store stuff in them.

What should I do with it? Can I make it into some kind of gift for someone? I don't really want to cover over the French writing or logo because it adds character, but I guess I could paint it.

What would you do with a durable wooden box?

Bonus: The dishes are free to craft & play with too!

Can I make my own delicious Aquafina water at home?

redteam — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 07:52:16 -0800

I love Aquafina bottled water. There's something in it that makes it taste much different than other bottled waters. Still, it gets expensive. What's in it that makes it taste so nice and can I make my own at home? BTW, I'm in California. I've had Aquafina in Vancouver, Canada and it was awful. It tasted very plain. Maybe there are regional differences?

The ones here in California taste very smooth, almost sweet. If you open an empty bottle that's been sitting for a while, it will have a nice smell that's similar to the nice taste.

Ribs-for-football-game recipe needed.

docgonzo — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 10:46:26 -0800

Nothing better accompanies the StuporBowl than a huge pile of ribs. My problem: I need a great ribs recipe. There is, unfort, a higher degree of difficulty than usual: I lack a smoker and, shameful truth be told, even a charcoal BBQ in my new apt. I've found some boil-bake recipes -- might those deliver the tangy, fall off the bone, carnivorous glory I require?

Thanks for any/all help and recipes.

Help my homemade cheese.

pithy comment — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 08:31:07 -0800

I'm looking for tips to add some excitement and variety to this homemade cheese. I made it once before and the basil kind of wilted and didn't look too nice, the sun-dried tomatoes were good. What else can I mix in? Are there better recipes? I'm going to make this next week for a Halloween pot-luck (so something gross sounding might be nice) and I'm planning on making several batches in December for holiday gifts, so 'winter' and 'holiday' suggested variations would be great, too.

Halloween Idea Websites

matimer — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 21:55:16 -0800

Halloween websites with tons and tons of pictures of homemade costumes? Google was not good to me... Accept for this one picture

Does this smock make me look frugal?

jbickers — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:37:31 -0800

Is making your own soaps/lotions/oils/candles/etc. worth the time and trouble? My wife and I have become interested in the notion of making our own soaps, lotions, candles, etc. We're big fans of Burt's Bees in particular, and have recently come across 3-4 different small, boutique lotions/candles/thingies that (a) are really appealing for a number of reasons (aesthetic, olfactory, other) and (b) seem pretty simple, compositionally.

I've spent enough time on frugality/simple-living message boards to know that there are many people making such products on their own, and I know that there are myriad recipes for such online (and wholesalers who supply the necessary raw materials).

I'd love to hear from someone who actually does this, whether or not they resell said products for profit. Do you find the products you make at home can compete with a Burt's Bees product (or other) on quality, for a comparable price? Is the amount of work, cleanup, mess, etc. worth the trouble? What's a good starting point for buying supplies? Any mistakes you made in your learning process that you'd be willing to share?

Homemade martial arts dummy

lunkfish — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 02:05:25 -0800

What can I use to build the frame for a martial arts dummy? Hi. I'm looking at building a dummy to beat up. The covering is quite straightfoward - carpet, foam, lots of duct tape - but the frame is tricky with my limited skills.

I want to make something along the lines of this but with two arms held out in front. I don't think the pvc pipe will be strong enough, and I want something thats quite hard and solid to hit.

My first thought was to use steel plumbing pipes and connectors, but they're not widely available in the UK. I've also thought of wood, but it would have to be round posts and I don't know if my DIY skills are up to making something solid. Also they're hard to find.

Is there another modular system with connectors I could use like pipes, or do you have any other ideas?

Homemade noice-reducing headphones.

kingb — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 21:16:14 -0800

Homemade noise-reducing headphones. Link wanted, please. My Google-fu is failing me... I recently came accross a website that gave step by step instructions on how to convert protective ear-wear into noice reducing headphones using an old pair of ("walkman"-style) headphones. I can no longer find the link. The site recommends a certain brand of protective headphones that are easier to convert. Can you help me ? Thanks in advance.