Over the years, I’ve made a few key decisions in my eating and shopping habits that dictate the way I cook today. These decisions vary from what I use store-bought vs homemade, splurge vs. save, shortcuts I use, etc etc. Often times, these are suggestions or inspiration from others that went on to become a staple in my life. Keep reading for some of these lifestyle adjustments:
Homemade salad dressing
I stopped buying bottled salad dressings around the time I was in college. Salad dressings tend to range from $2-$4 at any grocery store, have added sugar, and often have a gloopy consistency. (Note about me: I tend to lean towards an acidic flavor profile and very rarely consume creamy dressings.) Well - it turns out that homemade vinaigrettes are also pretty dead simple to make. I immediately switched to buying various types of vinegar and lots of cold-pressed EVOO and I’ve never looked back. Below is the general structure of every vinaigrette I make at home. Play around with the ratios until you’re happy.
vinegar (or lemon juice)
extra virgin olive oil
grainy dijon mustard
dried herbs
salt + pepper
if i’m feeling fancy:
shallots
tiny bit of mayo
tiny bit of honey
finely chopped garlic
fresh herbs
if i’m feeling extra fancy:
freshly grated parmesan
Chicken and eggs
If I could, I would buy organic, free-range, grass-fed everything. But then I would have no money. So in an effort to be more sustainably-, ethically-, and quality- conscious without emptying my wallet, I made the decision to take baby steps and start with chicken products.
After I got my first job out of graduate school, I switched to those $4-$6 cartons of free-range, pasture-raised eggs. You know what I’m talking about. The fancy, flower-y cartons from Whole Foods or straight from the farmer’s market. I did an internal “eek” when I looked at my grocery bill the first few months but immediately converted when I saw the bright gold yolk and tasted the difference. Worth it? Worth it.
I also started buying organic chicken thighs (cheaper and more flavorful than chicken breast). To be honest, I can’t taste the difference. But I like to think that those chickens were a little happier than their non-organic counterparts. Worth it? Eh…happier chickens though.
Pasta Sauce
I whole-heartedly admit that I am a total control freak in the kitchen. There’s a reason why I don’t like following recipes - I like doing whatever I want. Instead, I love learning new techniques and cooking strategies from others (Samin Nosrat & Carla Lalli Music are great for this) and then applying it to my own dishes.
That’s also why I don’t like jarred pasta sauce. It’s got lots of added sugar, salt, and other stuff that I may not necessarily want in my tomato sauce. I also change my mind constantly on the consistency of my tomato sauces (rustic with large chunks of tomato, crushed with basil, super smooth, etc). As a result, I always buy canned whole tomatoes and spruce them up myself. It’s super quick and I get to control exactly what goes into it. Here is the foundation of all of my tomato-based sauces. The quickest version takes 25-30 minutes.
canned whole tomatoes
finely chopped onion
garlic
dried oregano + thyme
red pepper flakes
if you’re feeling fancy:
ground beef or pork (or both)
finely chopped carrots + celery
tomato paste
red wine
bay leaves
If you’ve got nothing but time, let it simmer for 1-2 hours.
Eggs by Alison Marras (@foodbymars) and Olive Oil by Roberta Sorge (@robertasorge_food)