It is my not-so-humble opinion that everyone should know how to bake bread and cookies, cook soup or stew from scratch, and have one meal you can make to impress company. I have included my favourites of each of these here.
Basic yeast breads are time-consuming (unless you use a breadmaker, but that takes out all the fun of punching and kneading the dough) though nothing beats the aroma. I still haven't found a favourite, but here is a recipe for beginner's white bread from Fleishman's Yeast. They have many more recipes, too.
Banana Bread is a great way to use up those bananas which are going brown (or see if your supermarket sells overripe bananas at a discount) and tastes great warm for breakfast. I am also a big fan of zucchini bread.
Having soup, stew or chilli simmering on the stove is a wonderful way to beat the blues on a cold rainy weekend, not only does the smell permeate the house but the steam produced also cuts through any chill in the air. Minestrone is a tasty way to clear the fridge of wilting vegetables; here's one recipe to use as a base. I also enjoy corn chowder, potato-leek soup, beef stew and almost any kind of medium-spiced chilli.
My baking is something I am proud of and I enjoy trying new recipes but I can always fall back on my Mom's chocolate chip cookies or fruit crumble. I don't even bother following a recipe for the crumble. Just fill a casserole dish with chopped apples, rhubarb and/ or berries then mix margarine or butter with oats, flour, grated coconut and brown sugar until it is a crumbly consistency and spread evenly over fruit. Bake at 350° about 30 minutes.
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