Homemades To Do

I just got home from my friend Rob's house and, boy, have I met my match! He threw on a expert batch of moka stovetop coffee as he told me about a from-scratch tiramasu he'd just whipped up and had me try his latest batch of habanero sauce and new method of fat-sealing pesto. If I am anything in the homemade world - he is king.

So it got me to thinking about what neat homemades I've done:

• yogurt
• maple syrup
• soap
• grape juice
• salsa
• pickles, pickles, pickles
• red pepper jelly
• tomato sauce
• buns

And ones I still hope to do (probably with his help!):

• hot sauce
• beer
• wine
• mozzarella, ricotta, mascarpone, paneer

It's amazing how many things in this life are readily available in a ready-made form. If we want a quick dinner we pull out premade and dried pasta noodles and a jarred sauce, we spoon some premade pre-grated parmesan cheese on top and bust open a can of ginger ale. We're saving money and time in the short run at the expense of losing money and life in the long run. As I continue to figure out time- and money- management I want to move closer to being someone who makes homemade pasta noodles, and sauce, and cheese, and ginger ale. I've actually done two of those things - noodles too if you count a failed attempt; and cheese as of noon today.

What homemade things have you attempted?