Making dinners completely from scratch is an old-fashioned pastime, but we need to revisit our roots every now and then. I know everything comes in a can or a box these days, but there's something magical about making a meal with no mystery involved — not having to guess what maltodextrin or high fructose corn syrup might be and what their purpose is in our taco seasoning packet or our ketchup.

I heard once if something has a label, it's not worth eating. That view is a little extreme for me — I'm no pioneer woman — but it's an interesting idea. If it has a label, it was probably made or processed in a factory. There's nothing wrong with that, but wouldn't we all like to say we have the ability to put dinner on the table without the help of machinery other than an oven and a food processor? It's an empowering feeling.

Making a completely homemade meal is actually not that difficult to do if you don't mind spending some extra time in the kitchen. And with a glass of wine, a pair of slippers and some music, extra time in the kitchen can be downright therapeutic.

So every now and then, I challenge you — set aside a Saturday afternoon, leave the canned green beans and the beef bouillon on the shelf, and do it the hard way. Get your green beans from the farmers market. Snap off the ends yourself. Boil them. Taste that perfect crunch.

Say no to the taco seasoning packet and make your tacos with cumin, chili powder and fresh garlic instead. I guess using pre-made tortillas is cheating, but again, I'm not pioneer woman, so I'm just feeling good about using actual spices instead of the mystery packet.

If you're looking for a real from-scratch treat, make your own stock sometime. Making stock is one of my favorite things, although I don't do it as often as I'd like. I did it a lot when we ordered a quarter of a cow from a local grass-fed beef provider last year — it comes with bones. What else are you going to do with bones but make delicious beef stock?

Using homemade stock in soups, stews and other dishes is a simple way to give your recipes deeper flavor and cut down on the mystery ingredients in your dinner.

Make this stock recipe on a weekend or day off, divide it into different quantities (1 cup, 1 quart, 2 cups, etc.) and place in labeled zip-top bags. It can stay in the freezer for months — just take out the amount you need and enjoy.

Homemade beef stock is a must for the French onion soup recipe in this issue. Try it and taste the difference.

Time: 6 hours

Yeild: ½ gallon

Ingredients

• 7 pounds beef bones, sawed into 2-inch pieces
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 cups red wine
• 20 peppercorns
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• 1 1/2 gallons water

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the bones on a roasting pan and roast for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and brush with the tomato paste. Lay the vegetables over the bones. Return to the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

Place the pan on the stove and deglaze with the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan for browned particles.

Put this mixture in a large stock pot. Add the peppercorns, garlic, and herbs. Season with salt. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 4 hours.

Remove from the heat and skim off any fat that has risen to the surface. Strain the liquid and discard the bones.

Once stock is frozen, remaining fat will turn bright orange and is easy to pick out and discard.