do it yourselfer

In general I'm a proponent of doing stuff myself. Mostly because homemade stuff is so much more personalized. If I make salsa, I know exactly what's in it. Though I will admit that the last time I made it I used canned, crushed, tomatoes rather than blanching, peeling, and mincing my own. Is that lazy? In the summer when the basil is flooding the window boxes, I'm happy to make a huge batch of pesto and freeze it in portions. Defrost, add some parmesan, and I'm ready to go. I've even been known to make my own puff pastry. And I can tell you, mine significantly puffs, and tastes a thousand times better than Pepperidge Farms.

One problem with making it yourself is cost. Why is it cheaper for me to buy a can of organic salsa than to make it from the farmer's market myself? The butter alone needed to make puff pastry costs more then the frozen crap.

Buttercream frosting I will always make. My recipe is made from sugar, egg whites, butter, and vanilla. In general, I don't feel confident without four pounds of butter in the freezer. It must fill more than half of the door shelf. Try reading the ingredients list on a can of Duncan Hines frosting. No, seriously. Not that I won't use it for work projects. It has a great texture. It is just too sweet and forms that weird skin.