The Ultimate in DIY

Isn't this the most fantastically Better Crocker-esque photo?

DIY: Shoot an elk. Cut up the meat. Process and grind the meat. Make pepperoni. It doesn't get any more From Scratch than that.
The recipe I used called for half a cup of dry red wine. I love when recipes require wine. I get to go traipsing off to the wine cabinet, fondling each bottle as I determine which one will best suit my need. (Yes, we have a wine cabinet. It makes me feel Pretty Darn Cool to have a wine cabinet.) The best part about a recipe calling for wine is that I get to sample it. Whee fun! Except that with smoked sausage, you have to start early in the morning to be sure it has ample time to smoke. So I started drinking... err, cooking at 8:30 this morning

Once you have a glass of wine in you, it's hard not to notice exactly how phallic sausages really are. I had a splendid time cracking dirty jokes to myself and giggling. (And of course I did not send naughty pictures of the sausages to my husband via cell phone. No proper woman would do that.)

So anyway, I learned that, while not difficult, making sausages takes a long time not even including the smoking time. I spent a full two hours stuffing sausage casings.

And then I smoked them. And then I tasted them. And I realized it was so worth it.

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Since I feel like it, I'm including two fantastic recipes I use when making homemade pizza. Just in case you're as obsessed with From Scratch as I currently am and have a need to use up five pounds of pepperoni sausages and fresh garden produce.

Pizza Dough

This recipe came from a wonderful lady from the AOL Penny Pinching message board several years back.

1 Tbsp yeast
1 C. warm water
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups whole wheat flour (or a mixture of whole wheat and white, if you prefer.)

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water until foamy. In mixing bowl, other ingredients. When yeast is foamy, add to flour mixture to make a nice dough. knead 4-5 minutes till smooth. Let dough rest 5 minutes. Roll out onto pizza pan or cookie sheet. You can pre-bake this for 10 minutes or so if you want to a crispier crust, but it's not necessary.

Top as desired and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.

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Pizza Sauce

This recipe is from the Colorado Farmer's Market Cookbook, one of my favorites.

1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups peeled and chopped Roma tomatoes
1/4 cup sugar (I do about 2/3 of a 1/4 cup full... if that makes any sense.)
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (I skip this. I never have fresh parsley.)
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp fennel seed (I've skipped this too without trouble.)

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are soft. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.

Puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Add to the onion mixture with the rest of the ingredients. Return mixture to the stove and simmer over medium heat until sauce reaches the desired thickness. It takes mine about 2 hours.

I make as much sauce as I can based on the amount of tomatoes that come out of my garden. Then I freeze it in zipper bags in 1 cup portions.