Make the Bread, Buy the Butter

Another cookbook I've been reading this summer;

' Make the Bread, Buy the Butter' by Jennifer Reese. Love this book, funny stories and useful information....did you know how to make your own bacon? And that it is cheaper to make it than to buy it? There is a lot of information here that I may never use; duck prosciutto anyone? but it was fun reading it and if we ever start eating meat again I'll try some of the cured meats. (I did make summer sausage in college!)
Many of her recipes are of things I've already done like; bread, granola, yoghurt, bread crumbs, cocoa mix, creme fraiche...etc Many things I had never thought of doing; bacon, pastromi, Canadian bacon, pop tarts.
I've thought of making Fig Newtons; (I've had figs in the freezer from a friend for a year), now I have a recipe. I 'm shopping for pink grapefruit (for sorbet), cucumbers, and dill (for pickles) tomorrow.  (I've also located the grape leaves I need for the pickles.) I've done things she hasn't covered but I never analyzed the cost breakdown like she has.  Now I've started collecting prices of things I make just for the information...($5. worth of chocolate goes into a single batch of these chocolate cupcakes and I haven't added the cost of the cocoa or the eggs....)
We tried her pesto recipe, loved it even without the cheese.
I started her sauerkraut Saturday night (takes at least 5 days). Really was very easy, I was sure I would have 2 jars of it though. There is a lot of cabbage in that jar.

Those are carraway seeds in there...I hate carraway seeds, why did I buy them and then put them in even when I smelled them and remembered that I hated them? Everyone in this household might not hate carraway seeds although Jeffrey and Andrew may have never tasted them. I found out I hated them before they were born!.
Andrew and I started our own ginger ale last night (12 more hours until we can taste it). After all we had some of this in the refrigerator;

It did not take Andrew very long to grate 2 Tablespoons of ginger, but my part took even less time.

Reading about her goats made me laugh; then I read it out loud to my children and husband, and sister. (each separately, so I've read it 5 times; still funny.)
The author, Jennifer, has a blog here.