Recipes / DIY

Recipe - Pizza Dough

Recipe - Pizza Dough

It starts with the dough.

When trying to do more with less, having a consistent and delicious pizza crust on hand is always a win.

Michael Smith
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Recipe - No Knead "Sourdough" Bread

Recipe - No Knead "Sourdough" Bread

Bread. It deserves so much more than I can give it here in this paltry blog post. There are religious, cultural, and now dietary rants centered around this mythical mix of flour, water, and yeast, (and maybe another ingredient or two...salt? honey?).
Michael Smith
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Recipe - Pancetta, Italian-Style Bacon

Recipe - Pancetta, Italian-Style Bacon

I have made “American-style” bacon, pastrami, guanciale, corned beef, jerky, and a few other items that now fill our freezer. In most cases I have found that you can definitely save money by doing it yourself, but it certainly takes time and effort.

Now that you have your own pork belly, we should talk about one of my absolute favorites, pancetta. 

Michael Smith
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Recipe - Home Cured Bacon

Recipe - Home Cured Bacon

I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon, and letting the world roll on as it liked, than to occupy the most splendid post, which any human power can give. -Thomas Jefferson

I have purchased all kinds of bacon over the years. From the thin, slimy stuff, to thick-cut, “artisanal” bacon, and now my very own.

Michael Smith
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Recipe - Beef Stock

Recipe - Beef Stock

One of the staples of the pantry should be beef and chicken stock and since you probably received a bunch of bones from the beef you committed to this year, you should be able to make a lot of it and store in restaurant-style take out containers for the fridge, ziplock bags laid flat in the freezer (not the best) or pressure canned for your larder. 
Michael Smith
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Recipe - Chicken Stock

Recipe - Chicken Stock

In addition to making beef stock, you should ALWAYS have chicken stock on hand.  Whether you raise your own meat birds or even grab a rotisserie from your local grocer, keep the bones and make your own stock! You will love it!
Michael Smith
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