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Fantastic List of Ingredient Substitutes

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Has this scenario ever happened to you? You wrote out your menu and grocery list, went shopping, and your week is on track. Then your plans change, and you need to make a dish for work or to help a family in need.

You piece together a plan and start to prepare the dish only to discover that you are missing one ingredient. In using time wisely, you don’t want to go to the store or find a neighbor that has a spare cup of sugar. What’s a girl to do?

For those of you cooks, who can change the recipe to fit what you have on-hand and the dish comes out perfectly, you might not need this list. But the bakers, who tend to ruin the entire dish when making a substitute, will appreciate this tip.

I found the following fantastic list of ingredient substitutions originally presented by Mary Jo in Denver, Colorado through the Krazy Coupon Lady network:

  • Eggs (baking) – applesauce, mashed banana, yogurt.
  • Eggs (cooking) – mayonnaise.
  • Ketchup – 1 cup = 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 tsp. vinegar and 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • Prepared Mustard – 1 Tablespoon = 1 Tbsp. dried mustard, 1 tsp. water, 1 tsp. vinegar, 1 tsp. sugar.
  • Hot Sauce – Three-quarters tsp. cayenne pepper and 1 tsp. vinegar.
  • Red Wine – Beef broth, apple cider, vinegar, or just plain water.
  • Milk – Thinned out yogurt, water, cream, half-and-half.
  • Buttermilk – One cup of milk plus 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for five minutes after mixing.
  • Sour Cream – Plain yogurt, drain water off in a sieve.
  • Soy Sauce – Kosher salt and granulated sugar dissolved in hot water.
  • Vinegar – Lemon and lime juice or white wine.
  • Bread Crumbs – Cracker crumbs, oatmeal, or matzo meal.
  • Cottage Cheese – Farmer’s cheese or ricotta cheese.
  • White Sugar – Brown sugar, confectioner’s sugar, honey or corn syrup.
  • Jam – Canned fruit drained and mashed.
  • Baking Soda – Baking powder but triple the amount.
  • Molasses – Three-quarters cup of brown sugar and 1 tsp. cream of tartar (per cup of molasses).
  • Mozzarella – For pizza or lasagna, jack cheese and Parmesan.
  • Pepperoni – Salami.
  • Allspice – Half tsp. cinnamon, quarter tsp. ginger, and quarter tsp. cloves (per teaspoon of allspice).
  • Beef or Chicken Broth – Bouillon mixed with 1 cup of boiling water or vegetable broth.
  • Butter – Margarine, shortening or lard.
  • Unsweetened Chocolate – 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa plus 1 Tbsp. shortening or vegetable oil.

NOTE: When I first read Mary Jo’s post, dated June 5, 2012, I starred the post in my Google Reader. Later, I clicked the link, and the post was gone. Since it was a great article to which I cannot link, I copied and saved the article. Now you can read Mary Jo’s article Put Me In, Coach: Hit a Savings Home Run With Recipe Substitutions  from my unedited copy.

As you continue using time wisely and prepare to feed your family, reach for this list of substitutes when your plans change. I know this list will save the day for me because one of my favorite marinade recipes calls for soy sauce which I ran out of twice last summer. (I did stockpile, but we still ran out more than once. :-)) Happy saving!

Question: What substitutions would you add to this list?

Summer Recipe: Pan Éclairs

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Today, I am sharing one of our family’s favorite summer dessert recipes.

These pan éclairs are not my original recipe. Since I am a baker (follow recipes exactly) and not a cook (adjust recipes to taste, what’s on hand, and spontaneity), I received this recipe from a friend a few years ago. I have seen similar recipes in magazines, but this particular recipe is my favorite.

Pan Éclairs

Ingredients

  • 2 packages instant vanilla or cheesecake pudding, 4-serving size
  • 2 cups milk
  • ¾ box honey graham crackers
  • Cool Whip, 8 oz.
  • Chocolate frosting (optional)

Directions

1. In medium mixing bowl, mix pudding and milk. Let it set for 5 minutes. Add Cool Whip and mix.

2. In a 9”x13” pan, put a layer of graham crackers, then ½ of the Cool Whip/pudding mixture, then a layer of graham crackers, then rest of Cool Whip/pudding mixture, and then graham crackers. Top with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. Refrigerate.

  

  

3. Make 1 day ahead and then cut into serving-size portions.

By allowing the mixture to cool for 8 to 24 hours before serving, the pudding mixture firms while the graham crackers soften which makes this dessert a crowd pleaser. This dessert must set, or you will have a runny mixture that will not cut into portions for serving.

Besides family gatherings, this dessert is great for parties, picnics, and cookouts. Made with milk, these pan éclairs are light, creamy, and delicious. Yum!

TIP: To print this post (or any post on Using Time Wisely), click the printer icon at the bottom of each post. This icon sits next to the LEAVE A COMMENT link (which you are welcome to do as well). 🙂

In using time wisely, prepare your pan éclairs a day ahead, and you will have a fantastic dessert without the fuss on party day. Enjoy!

Question: What is your family’s favorite summer dessert?

Thanksgiving: Turkey Brine Recipe

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Photograph Credit: Fickr (Paul Townsend)

Though our family chooses to make a turkey each Thanksgiving, I know some families prefer to serve a ham or chicken. The recipe I am sharing today works great for a turkey, and I would definitely try it for a chicken as well. For the ham, I would bag it like I plan to do with our turkey next week.

For those seeking a different baking option for the bird this year, try brining. I received the below recipe from a friend, who could easily run his own restaurant. When I need help tweaking a recipe, I contact him for a solution. His recipes are always a huge hit.

With his permission to share, here is my all-time favorite recipe for that tender, moist, and delicious turkey:

Turkey Brine

 Tuesday

If preparing the turkey on Thanksgiving Day, then begin defrosting the turkey on Tuesday or 2 days prior to meal time. Though there are a number of ways to defrost the turkey, I prefer to soak it.

1. Place turkey in a large pot, tub, or tote.

2. Add enough cold water to cover it.

3. Replace the water, if needed.

4. Check the turkey to see if it is soft.

5. Put in refrigerator if the turkey is fully defrosted.

Wednesday

1. Place the defrosted turkey in the large pot, tub, or tote.

2. Fill the container by gallons with enough warm to lukewarm water to cover the turkey. Paul uses a milk jug to add the water by gallons.

3. Add these ingredients:

½ cup pickling or kosher salt per gallon

½ cup brown sugar per gallon

5 bay leaves

2-3 Tablespoons of peppercorns

6 crushed cloves of garlic (With about 20 cloves per garlic, just break apart the whole and use 6 of them)

5-7 oranges, squeezed and tossed into the mixture

Other spices that can be added are basil, poultry seasoning, and thyme

4. Allow the brine to seep the flavored water into the bird for 12-24 hours prior to baking.

Thursday

Preparing the bird

1. Remove the turkey from the sticky, slippery brine mixture.

2. Drain the mixture from the bird.

3. Be sure the giblets and other guts have been removed.

4. Place bird on roasting pan.

5. Insert meat thermometer.

6. Preheat oven to desired temperature (I follow the recommendations attached to the turkey packaging.)

7. Measure out foil to “tent” your bird to prevent burning the outside, but do not “tent” it at the beginning of the baking time. I find getting the tent ready while the pan is cool saves so much time working around a hot turkey and hot pan.

Baking the bird

1. Put the turkey in the oven.

2. Check it between ½ and ¾ of the baking time.

3. Tent the bird when the outside is golden brown.

4. Carefully, remove the turkey when the meat thermometer indicates bird is thoroughly cooked.

5. Allow bird to cool before carving.

Though this option takes a little time each day for three days, the results are definitely worth it. In using time wisely and working around your other responsibilities, this option will give you a fantastic turkey to share with your friends and family. Just remember to start early in your preparations. Happy planning!

Question: When will you begin your Thanksgiving preparations? Please add your answer to the comments.

Recipe: Chicken Salad

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Photograph Credit: Stock.xchng (Linnell Esler)

In mentioning my homemade chicken salad earlier this week, I thought I would share this quick recipe with you. Making this chicken salad at least a day ahead helps the ingredients to mesh together for a great taste. Here are the ingredients:

                1. Chicken
                2. Mayonnaise (salad dressing, Miracle Whip, etc.)
                3. Celery
                4. Green Onions

Usually I like to have a recipe to follow when I cook. However, this recipe was given to me orally from a friend listing only the ingredients. Without a written recipe, I have tweaked it to my family’s taste. Here’s my revised recipe that now is in writing:

  1. Cook or grill 2-3 chicken breasts. Usually I will ask Paul to cook 2-3 extra pieces when he is grilling.
  2. After the chicken is cool enough to handle, break up the chicken into big chunks.
  3. Place the big chunks into a food processor and chop to a tuna consistency. (I usually chop the celery and green onions with the food processor as well.)
  4. Transfer chicken to a mixing bowl.
  5. Add 2-3 finely chopped stocks of celery.
  6. Add 2-3 finely chopped green onions.
  7. Mix in enough Miracle Whip to make it really creamy. The mayonnaise will be absorbed into the mixture, so you need enough to keep it creamy.
  8. Serve on croissant rolls, lettuce leaves, or your favorite bread.

This one batch makes about 10-14 sandwiches depending on how thick you spread the chicken salad. Enjoy!

Pork Chops: Slicing a Boneless Pork Loin

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Planning for Success

Photograph Credit: Fotolia

When Paul and I were first married, we enjoyed cooking together a new recipe each week. We had received some cookbooks for our wedding, and we would browse and choose one recipe to make. Besides giving us time with each other, these sessions also helped us find meals we both liked. I tended to cook foods that were coterminous with my mom’s style which was vastly different from Paul’s mom’s style. As a couple, we worked to find meals that were our style.

During these experiments, we tried different cuts of meat, including pork. We found that we liked the taste once we overcame the chewy consistency. As we added children to our family, the consistency of the pork I cooked, baked, or roasted was not tender enough for our little ones to chew. To spend my time wisely, I chose not to make pork until . . . I came across this great post from centsiblesavings.com.

After reading her post, I waited for boneless pork loins to go on sale for $1.99 per pound. At the sale, I purchased a small pork loin and tried her Chicken Fried Chops recipe in the crock pot. (Her recipe is included in her post here.) The result of trying this new recipe was . . . a family favorite! The pork was so tender after cooking in the crock pot for 6-8 hours. The realization that this was a “keeper” meal came when my children asked for more.

We love this recipe, and I have made some minor adjustments to stretch the pork more which saves me time, energy, and money. These are Tracy’s tips for this recipe:

  1. Purchase the boneless pork loin when it is on sale for $1.99 per pound or less. My rock bottom price for this cut is $1.99 per pound. In April, I purchased 5.17 lbs. of a “pork loin, loin half boneless” at $1.99 per lb. for a total of $10.29.
  2. At your time of purchase, ask the butcher to cut the pork loin into chops. Our butcher at Publix used a sharp knife to cut our pork loin into 11 pork chops. My kids loved watching this process. I am thankful for all the wonderful employees at Publix who willingly demonstrate and teach my kids as they help me save time, energy, and money.
  3. Consider using 3-4 pork chops for each meal instead of 6 or 7. To feed my family of 5, I use 3 pork chops.
  4. Add more ingredients. About an hour before serving the meal, I remove the fat from the edges of the chops, shred the chops using a fork, and stir in another mixture of ½ cup of milk and 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup.
  5. Allow the chops to complete the meal. Instead of serving a side of meat per person, I make open-faced sandwiches using toasted hamburger buns. The leftovers make great lunches. By using my time making this meal, I can serve one dinner and at least one lunch. Yeah, saving money, energy, and time while feeding my family makes me happy.

This meal is such a hit in our house that my son requested pork chops for his birthday dinner. I highly recommend this delicious recipe. You, too, can save time preparing dinner by allowing the crock pot to cook all day for you. Stay tuned next week for more on pork loins.