So this is our first official From Scratch Friday. Honestly, we were all fighting colds this week, so "from scratch" got adjusted a bit. But that's real life, right? Here's what we actually made: hard-boiled eggs (nailed it), ramen (with some help from the store), and homemade lemonade (which took two tries to get right).
The Eggs (Actually Perfect)
Caleb found this Dan-O's 10-5-10 method for hard-boiled eggs, and let me tell you—it actually works. Which is saying something, because I've messed up hard-boiled eggs more times than I'd like to admit.
The 10-5-10 Method
- 10 minutes: Boil the eggs in rolling boiling water for exactly 10 minutes
- 5 minutes: Remove from heat and let rest in the bowl for 5 minutes
- 10 minutes: Transfer to ice cold water with ice on top and let sit for 10 minutes
The result? Perfectly hard-boiled eggs with firm whites and fully cooked yolks. Every. Single. Time.
We season everything with Dan-O's, and their cooking tips are legit. This egg method? Foolproof. We're using it from now on.
The Ramen (Store-Bought, and That's Okay)
Here's the thing: we were sick. Like, everyone-has-a-cold-and-we're-just-surviving sick. So making ramen completely from scratch? Not happening. Instead, we grabbed Ocean's Halo ramen from Walmart.
And you know what? Sometimes "From Scratch Friday" means being honest about what's actually doable. We still made it special with fresh toppings and those perfect hard-boiled eggs.
Our handcrafted Japanese black walnut chopsticks ready for ramen night
The finished bowl: ramen with perfectly hard-boiled eggs using Dan-O's 10-5-10 method
Leo (our 3.5-year-old) helped arrange the toppings, which basically means he got to put seaweed on everything and was thrilled about it. Raphael (3 months old) watched from his bouncer and made happy noises, so we're calling that participation.
The Lemonade (Take Two)
Okay, so the lemonade. This is where things got interesting.
First attempt: way too sour. Like, pucker-your-face-and-question-all-your-life-choices sour.
What We Started With:
- 3 lemons, freshly squeezed
- 1 orange, freshly squeezed
- 3/8 cup sugar
- 1 cup water (for dissolving sugar)
- Half pitcher of ice
- Filled 3/4 full with water
Result: WAY too sour. Like, painfully sour.
So Stephanie added more sugar. And more water. And we tried again.
What We Added:
- 5/8 cup more sugar
- 1 cup more water
Second try: Actually drinkable! Sweet enough but still tart.
Total: 1 cup sugar, 2 cups water (plus ice melt and the juice)
That's the thing about homemade lemonade—you can fix it as you go. Too sour? More sugar. Too sweet? More lemon. Too strong? More water. It's forgiving.
Leo proudly showing off our fresh-squeezed lemonade (after we fixed the sourness!)
What We Actually Learned
The 10-5-10 method works. Seriously. Perfect hard-boiled eggs every time. No more guessing.
Store-bought is okay when you're sick. We're calling it "From Scratch Fridays," not "Everything From Absolute Scratch While Fighting Colds Fridays." Sometimes you use Ocean's Halo ramen. It's fine.
Lemonade is forgiving. You can fix it. Taste as you go. Add more stuff. It'll work out.
Leo loves helping. Arranging toppings, squeezing lemons, tasting everything—he's into it. Raphael contributes moral support from his bouncer.
Why We're Doing This
Look, we could've ordered DoorDash. We could've bought bottled lemonade. But then we wouldn't have a story. We wouldn't have Leo excited about seaweed. We wouldn't have learned that our first batch of lemonade was aggressively sour.
From Scratch Fridays isn't about being Pinterest-perfect. It's about showing Leo (and eventually Raphael) that food comes from somewhere. That recipes can be adjusted. That making mistakes is part of learning. That sitting down together at the table matters.
We're not chefs. We're just a family in Jefferson City trying to make Friday nights a little more intentional.
Next week: hopefully we're not sick anymore.
Want to Join Us?
Follow along with our From Scratch Fridays! We'll be sharing recipes, kitchen adventures, and honest stories about cooking with our family every week.
Have questions about the 10-5-10 method or want to share your own lemonade recipe? Drop a comment below!
Join the Conversation