13 Ingredient Substitutions, Thurs 13 #3
I would really do well to live beside a grocery store. Somewhere that you don’t have to even cross a street to walk to it. Then, I could nickel and dime my checking account to death instead of giving it heart attacks with big grocery bills every week. There are people who live in houses that close. I envy them and wonder if they just run over when they need something or if they plan ahead, keeping their cupboards stocked and keeping a perpertual grocery list on the fridge for a once a week run.
Our grocery store is at the end of Main Steet. It would also be close enough to live on Main Street, above one of the stores. I still remember when I first found out that people live up there. I was 9 or 10. Every time after that, when we’d drive down Main St, I’d be looking up, not around. And dreaming of living up there one day, preferably in the one above the fudge shop. I’d sit out on the deck and watch the world go by and nobody would know I’d be watching because who looks way up when you’re shopping on Main St?! To be honest, I still look up there when I’m on Main St. Not because it’s still my dream to live up there, just because it still kind of intrigues me, I guess. I even took a picture of it a couple months ago, since I was on Main St with my camera anyway…
The street is snow-covered because the Birkebeiner Ski Race was going on… that’s why I was on Main Street with my camera. Looks like someone is hosting a Birkie party on their deck up there.
Anyway, since I don’t live in town and don’t plan my menus in advance, my big laminated ‘Ingredient Substitution Chart’ comes in handy pretty often. This is one time when I won’t run out of ideas before getting to #13… I could easy do a Thursday Thirty-three today!
I’ve tried substitutions on my own. Some of them worked, like substituting blown up marshmallows for marshmallow creme in this dip recipe. Others failed, like the time when we were first married and my brothers were overnight guests. My oldest brother is diabetic and late that night, I suddenly thought about it that I have nothing in the house for breakfast for him… no bacon, no English muffins, no eggs to make eggs or pancakes with, only sweetened cold cereal. Then, I thought about it that I could make biscuits from scratch and sausage gravy. In the morning, to my dismay, the sausage I thought I had happened to be hamburger, so I decided to try to spice it up to make mock sausage. Fast-forward about 20 minutes… my brothers are in the kitchen eating and as I’m walking towards the kitchen, I hear my younger brother (who’s back is toward me) mutter, “This is gross.” as my other brother gave him a ’shut up, she’s coming’ look. They never said anything to me about it… I guess they knew not to attack a new cook on her cooking. I don’t remember if I hadn’t test-tasted it first or what, but I did later and yeah, he was right, it was gross.
1. When you’re out of unsweetened chocolate, for every ounce or square that is called for, substitute 3 Tbsp. cocoa and 1 Tbsp. fat or oil.
2. When you’re out of cornstarch (for thickening), for every tablespoon that is called for, substitute 2 Tbsp. flour.
3. When you’re out of whipped cream, chill a 13 oz. can of evaporated milk for 12 hours, add 1 tsp. lemon juice, whip until stiff, and measure according to recipe.
4. When you’re out of eggs, for every egg called for, substitute 1/4 cup egg substitute OR 3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. thawed frozen egg OR 2 1/2 Tbsp. dry whole egg powder & 2 1/2 Tbsp. lukewarm water. Or, just make these cookies. 
5. When you’re out of garlic cloves, for every clove called for, substitute 1/8 tsp. garlic powder.
6. When you’re out of flavored gelatin, for every 3-oz pkg called for, substitute 1 Tbsp. plain gelatin and 2 cups fruit juice (then omit the water you’d normally add to a 3-oz pkg).
7. When you’re out of fresh herbs, for every Tbsp. called for, substitute 1 tsp. dried.
8. When you’re out of lemon juice, for every tsp. called for, substitute 1/2 tsp. vinegar. But don’t do this for lemon meringue pie!
9. When you’re out of miniature marshmallows, for every cup called for, substitute 10 large marshmallows.
10. When you’re out of buttermilk, for every cup called for, substitute 1 cup plain yogurt OR 1 cup minus 1 Tbsp. milk and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar and allow to stand 5 or 10 min OR 1 cup milk and 1 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar.
11. When you’re out of fresh onions, for every small onion called for, rehydrate 1 Tbsp. minced onion.
12. When you’re out of shortening (for use in baking), for every cup called for, substitute 1 1/8 cups butter or margarine and decrease salt in recipe by 1/2 tsp.
13. This last one, I just recently got from a friend… when you’re out of sour cream, combine 1/4 cup skim milk, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 8 oz. cottage cheese, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Blend all in blender. Makes 1 cup sour cream.
And if you’re out of the substitute items (for example, no cottage cheese on hand to make the sour cream that you’re out of), I don’t know what to do about that either. I guess make something else or go to the store.
Don’t forget to go visit other Thirteeners over at Thursday Thirteen!
Featuring: Cooking with the Horse and Buggy People cookbook
Ok, I’ve been talking about this cookbook lately and so I’m going to share it with you. Well, just part of it. Because it has 275 pages.
I think it’s my favorite cookbook (right now anyway, I go in spurts) in my cookbooks-that-don’t-have-pictures section of my collection. Ha, no, I don’t have my cookbook collection categorized. I’m not that organized or that much of a perfectionist. Anyway, if I would take the time to do it one day, guess who’d be the one messing them all up again by not putting the cookbook back in it’s proper place. Me.
Maybe one reason that it’s my favorite is because… you know how cookbooks are divided into categories? This cookbook has 14 categories and guess which category has the most recipes in it. The COOKIE category! Now, if that wouldn’t make you love a cookbook, I don’t know what would. There are 113 cookie recipes. I’d love to just start at the front with the ‘Oatmeal Chip Cookies’ and go thro’ all 113 ending with the ‘Snow Balls’. I know, you’re probably tired of me forever talking about snow on this site when you’re having Spring, but this isn’t the real thing this time… it’s name is most likely coined from the fact that the last step in the recipe is rolling them in powdered sugar.
Another reason I like this cookbook is because there is something very unique about it. Using this cookbook makes me feel like an accomplished cook who knows her way around the kitchen. As though I’d be as kitchen-savvy as my mom is. Seriously, though, a new cook would be a bit lost with this cookbook. Here, I’ll give you some examples and when you read these recipes, picture yourself as a very amateur cook who’s about to make them…
Wasn’t that kinda fun? Alot of the recipes do have good directions, but alot of them also have brief instructions like not saying what temp to bake or what size pan to put it in. And quite a few recipes have just the ingredients listed like the Beef Barbeque Sandwiches recipe above, then you gotta figure it out from there. I think the Fudge Nut Bars must be a typo, with the last half of the directions missing… just this evening, 22 pages later, I found another recipe about like it with more directions. I was going to have you guys help me figure it out because I was dying to make them, but now I think my problem is solved.
I don’t even remember where I got this cookbook, but I’m just glad I have it. It’s just so perfect for my cookbook collection, with that unique feature in it. And I look forward to featuring more recipes from it… even if I’ll have to ask Mom to fill in the blanks for me with more directions once in awhile.
I LOVE Taco Soup!
But I’m still looking for that perfect recipe.
I just recently made taco soup. I’ve had it at other people’s places, but this was the first time I’ve had it from my own kitchen. The taco soup I made was really good, but I’ve had better, so I’ll keep trying some other recipes in my cookbooks.
Actually, now that I think of it, I might put that on hold for awhile… that sounds like a great winter project for next year. With the snow melting outside and the promise of Spring, who wants to be making taco soup or any soup?!
Unless it’s bread soup. Now THAT’s a summer soup! Did you ever have that? Rip up a piece of bread, put some fruit chunks in (bananas, fresh peaches, or fresh strawberries are best), sprinkle some sugar over it, then add milk. On a hot summer day, that is just a great lunch. So refreshing! And you don’t break out in a sweat while eating. Mom made that now and then when we were growing up. Another cold soup (that I don’t know if I’d ever have the nerve to try) is Cool Raspberry Soup. I see it in one of my cookbooks now and then and even though there’s a picture, I always flip past, knowing I’d never make it.
Anyway, back to the taco soup. It’s cold and damp and rainy outside, so I think it’s still ok to talk about and feature hot soups. This recipe comes from the Fix-It and Forget-It cookbook. I’ll bet alot of you have that cookbook. It seems pretty popular. One thing I think is so neat about it is that I know a couple people who submitted recipes and tips. I have a few cookbooks like that. Makes it feel like it’s just not some random cookbook compiled by some random unknown people. I even know someone in one of my Taste of Home’s Quick Cooking cookbooks!
Taco Soup with Pizza Sauce
2 lbs. ground beef, browned
1 small onion, chopped and sauteed in ground beef drippings
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 pkgs. dry taco seasoning
1 qt. pizza sauce
1 qt. water
Tortilla chips
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Sour cream
Combine ground beef, onion, salt, pepper, taco seasoning, pizza sauce, and water in 5-qt, or larger, slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours. And there ya go, easy as that! Top individual servings with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream. Notice there IS soup under the toppings. Can almost see it.
Makes 8-10 servings.
At the bottom of the recipe, it says, “Variation: Add 15-oz can black beans and 4 oz. can chilis to mixture before cooking.” I thought that sounded good, so I added both.
The soup went perfect with cornbread muffins! About every time I post, I wish there’d be a way to give you a taste of whatever food I’m featuring. Technology and computers keep advancing, but I’m quite sure there will never be software to install for that feature. Oh well, you’ll just have to come visit sometime… or try the recipes yourself.
Do you have a favorite coffee cup?
You know, the one that you use every morning for that mandatory first cup of coffee. I don’t have one. Not anymore anyway.
My dishwasher is on the blink right now, so the other day when I was washing dishes by hand, I was washing my good ol’ faithful coffee cup and wasn’t watching what I was doing and slammed the handle down on the edge of the sink. The handle broke off. I nonchalantly told my husband, “Uh, I just broke my coffee cup.” But, in my mind, as I was carrying the broken parts to the trash and as I put them in, I actually felt like crying.
Yeah, I’m not kidding about that. But don’t take it too seriously. I’m overly nostalgic. I won’t go into a long list of all the stuff I’ve got lumps in my throat over, like an old trailer house that I used to live in, and leaving the 1900s behind, entering the 2000s.
Do you want to know what my coffee cup looked like? It’s right up there in my header. Ah, I’m so glad I used it for my header, now I can still see it every day. Sleek and black. Not just any ordinary shape… instead of curving out slightly at the top, mine curved slightly in. It had thick walls, which is more my style than thin dainty cups. I get all thumbs when I’m holding dainty teacups, like at my Aunt Ruthie’s tea parties.
I love going to tea parties though… all the elegance and lovely snacks, BUT whenever I’m invited to one, the first thing I think of is those dainty teacups. And, well, I’ve been to tea parties where I didn’t even drink tea just because I’m sure I’ll drop and shatter my cup. And then the more I worry about doing it, the more nervous and left-handed I get, and the more chance there is of me actually bobbling and dropping it.
Anyway, back to the coffee cup… or rather, the lack of one. I am now officially in search of a new coffee cup to once again become my personal favorite. I’ve been looking and just haven’t found the perfect one yet. There are so many different ways I could go. I could go the classy route, the cutesy route, the authentic route, the decorative route, the vintage route. Anything but like what I had. If I’d find a cup exactly like I had, I wouldn’t get it. That would seem like it was just some ol’ coffee cup that can easily be replaced.
So, for now, I’m just using one of the many Coca-Cola cups in the cupboard. Just grabbing whichever one is closest. Nothing special.
What about you? Do you have a favorite coffee cup? I know my aunt Ruthie has a favorite tea cup and when she has a tea party, she puts it out with all the other teacups, serves herself last, and it usually happens that her cup is one of the ones left and she gets to use it! I think that’s neat.
13 Recipes You’ve Gotta Have! Thursday Thirteen #2
I don’t know how many recipes are on here, but I have spent the last while going thro’ and picking out my favorites. Well, that’s not quite accurate… if they’d be my top favorites, they’d probably all come from the dessert or cookie category. Chocolate this, chocolate that. And your eyes would glaze over. So, instead, I went thro’ the categories and picked one from each of 13 categories… some categories were hard to choose from!
So, here are 13 of the recipes I’d recommend trying sometime (the recipe name is linked to the post that the recipe is featured on). Try something for supper tonight! If you have all the ingredients, that is. I often think it would be so handy to live nextdoor to the grocery store, what with my lack of planning ahead and all!
1. Monster cookies - from the Cookies and Bars category.
This is the kind of cookie that I make the most often, even way more than regular chocolate chip cookies. I bake these probably about every 6 - 8 weeks… more often if I’m not on a diet. Speaking of which, yes, I do know the calorie count. It’s 175 calories per cookie if you get 7 dozen out of the batch.
2. Glazed Meatloaf - from the Beef category.
After years of looking for the perfect meat loaf recipe, I finally found it. It is just incredible. And I don’t even put the shredded carrots in. That top ketchup part is great too! Mmmmm, now I’m getting hungry.
3. Red Lobster Biscuits - from the Breads, Biscuits, and Rolls category.
Ever been to Red Lobster? These taste like the real thing! They are so soft and so good and very melt-in-your-mouth. Just delicious! And they’re fast and easy… except the part where you beat the dough with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds!
4. Raspberry Cream Cheese Rolls - from the Sweet rolls and Coffee cakes category.
I’ve gotten several recipe requests for these after people have tried them at my house. You start with donut mix instead of from scratch. I couldn’t find donut mix at any grocery stores around here, but found it then at a bulk foods store. That cream cheese filling in there is so good. You could also try other fruit filling instead of raspberry.
5. Fudge - from the Candy category.
I’m taken with this stuff! Fudge is probably the food that I have the hardest time resisting. We won’t go into detail about things like how much I’ve eaten in one sitting already. This is so easy to make with only 4 or 5 ingredients and you don’t need more than a microwave and something to stir with.
6. Easy Chocolate Lover’s Cheesecake - from the Desserts category.
Ok, you just KNOW you can’t go wrong here! Cheesecake, caramel, and chocolate… what a trio!
7. Steak & Cheese Stromboli - from the Main dishes category.
As good as it looks! I make the pizza variation quite a bit too. Sometimes, if I’m in a hurry, I use Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough (from a pop-able can).
8. Brown Sugar Pie - from the Pies category.
I’ve loved this pie for as long as I can remember. My dad grew up with it and his dad grew up with it. If we have an extended family get-together and there’s not brown sugar pie there, there will be a complaint or 2. And don’t put Cool Whip on it! I thought it was weird that when I got married, my husband didn’t know what it was. Then, I found out that alot of people don’t know what it is. The recipe has good tips from Grandma… try it!
9. Open-faced Pork Chop Sandwich - from the Pork and Ham category.
Fire up the grill! My husband made up this sandwich. In fact, he wrote the post that the recipe is featured on. We have this sandwich pretty often and have made it for company. It’s great! Very basic ingredients. Perfect for those summer-time cookouts!
10. All-in-one Taco Salad - from the Salads category.
Delicious!!!! One handy thing about this salad is that it can be put together ahead of time, then tossed just before serving. One of the church ladies makes a huge bowl of it pretty often for potlucks and it gets licked clean about every time. It’s not spicy, but it’s got lots of flavor.
11. Twice-baked Potatoes - from the Side dishes category.
Company coming? These make a good impression! They’re very attractive, not to mention very good! This is actually something I serve quite a bit when we have company. Another nice thing is that they freeze well, so you can make them ahead of time or just keep them on hand in the freezer.
12. Layered Finger Jello - from the Snacks category
This is more in here for the fun it is than for the taste, although I still have enough kid in me to really like finger jello! The reason it’s fun is because you can make it fit to any occassion by using certain colors of jello (red and green for Christmas; red, white, & blue for 4th of July, etc.). I also tried a sugar-free version and it turned out great!
13. Iced Tea - from the Beverage category.
The Pampered Chef pitcher that I use to make this tea doesn’t really have a home in the cupboard. It’s better off in the fridge with iced tea in it. If you know what meadow tea is, it’s comparable to that. But this is a much handier and faster way to make it!
Don’t forget to go visit other Thirteeners at Thursday Thirteen!
About Me
Hi! Welcome to my kitchen! My name is Kay. I'm from central Ohio. I love cooking and baking. Especially baking. It's thereapeudic for me. I'm not a professional or gourmet cook by any means. I'm a Christian homemaker who happens to take pictures of some of the food I make. I have 2 little 'helpers'... Lexi (7) and Tiffany (3), who are young cooks in training. I don't do anything on the grill... that's where my husband Shannon comes in! He grills quite a bit, especially in the summer. So, sit back and enjoy browsing thro' the recipes. If you try some of them, I'd love to hear feedback on how you liked them! If you want to contact me, my email address is kaylouann@gmail.com
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