I've officially launched my cookbook, Scratch: Home Cooking for Everyone Made Simple, Fun, and Totally Delicious. I could pretend that I don't care whether or not you buy my book. But the truth is I do care! I want you to buy my book! Why do I care so much? I'll give you 10 good reasons...
1. Cooking from Scratch tastes better than anything else in the world. (Unless it's having someone else cook from scratch for you!) There is nothing quite like home-cooked food served up hot and comforting and just the way you like it. Do you prefer your mac and cheese crispy or gooey? I'll show you how to do both.
2. Cooking from Scratch is so much easier than you've been led to believe. Learn to make things that seem intimidating but are really super simple: Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, crackers! Pasta so simple my kids do it. (Even pie crust! Here's my recipe, plus 5 deliciously easy pie recipes.)
3. Cooking from Scratch is fast. Make the most delicious foods--all from scratch--like soups, full-course meals, salads, and desserts, in less time than it takes to go to the food store and buy something pre-made (which by the time you get home will taste old).
4. Cooking from Scratch is fun! Start having more fun in the kitchen! Gain the confidence to experiment and create, make a mess and laugh about it.
5. Cooking from Scratch will satisfy your deepest cravings. What are you really hungry for? Learning how to make your favorite foods satisfies your cravings, plus nourishes you in a way that just eating something out of a box never will.
6. Cooking from Scratch--even organically--is affordable. Spend your money on quality ingredients, rather than on manufactured "convenience," and cook from scratch in smart ways and you will save money when you shop and on your overall health costs.
7. Cooking from Scratch feels good. Yes, it will feel good in your belly when you are stuffed and full of nourishing goodness...but it will also feel good to know you know how to make stuff from Scratch.
8. Cooking from Scratch was a lot of work to create but is quick and easy for you to use. It took me 7 years of testing, blogging, testing some more, and experimenting to get these 200-plus recipes as simple and easy as can be. You don't need any fancy tools, giant ingredient lists, or days off from work to make the stuff in this book.
9. Cooking from Scratch will tell you how to hard-boil an organic egg and have it be super easy to peel...and other fun facts! I'm a little bit stubborn and don't stop till I figure out what works...in the easiest way possible. And anyone who has ever tried to peel a fresh, organic, hard-boiled egg will tell you it's almost impossible. Not anymore! On page 338 I share the super easy technique I learned that will surprise you...and make those deviled eggs on page 175 all the more easy to make.
10. Cooking from Scratch makes your life, and the whole world, better. As a mom of three kids, I know that if someone is cranky, they are usually hungry. Lately it seems like the whole world is a bit cranky and could use a good home-cooked meal! I will tell you here and now, it makes all the difference in the world. But first, start in your own kitchen.
Convinced? Here's how to get your own copy of Scratch. Have fun!
For more from Maria Rodale, visit RodalesOrganicLife.com/ByMaria.