My Cooking Aspirations - Aloha Friday

Mark and I went on a date night last night which landed us at Borders....which landed me among a sea of cookbooks. How perfect. I can read cookbooks like novels, but I have a problem. I have a THICK file of recipes that are on the "to-make" list, a select few cookbooks which have recipes that I can't wait to try (I got rid of a massive amount of cookbooks that I would never use - freeing) and a hefty amount of tried and true recipes. I might be a little addicted to new recipe collection. I have to really limit myself at blog recipe linkups. More and more I come back wanting to master the basics.

Processed items just have too much junk in them. I make my own yogurt, fruit sauces to add to my yogurt, spaghetti sauce, broth, salad dressings, pizza dough, refried, baked and black beans, etc..

I want to starting making:

tortillas - have you seen the ingredient list?

hummus - I want to master a really good go-to recipe

ketchup - do you think my kids will eat it?

cultured butter - is the expense worth it (it's not expensive, just more than store bought)?

kimchi - spicy Korean cabbage - so good and so expensive in the store (and sub par)

kefir water - this would require me to buy kefir grains, which may be too much for our budget

buttermilk biscuits - this one is for my husband - his grandmother made the most fantastic biscuits and nobody can replicate them. I need to practice more often.

And not only do I want to make them, I want to be good at making them (which also means they are easier to make). I'll be looking to expand my list :)

"In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response."So head over to her site, An Island Life and answer her question but while you are here you might as well answer mine:

Any staples that you have in your repertoire already or would like to get good at making?