Month: February 2012

Substitutions for Missing Ingredients

I came across this while surfing around and thought it might be of interest in  lieu of a recipe this week. Hope you find it useful! I believe it came from Betty Crocker…

Substitution guide

Out of baking soda? No buttermilk? Check out our Substitution Guide for a list of alternates that will ensure every recipe is a success.

INGREDIENT

SUBSTITUTION
Allspice (1 tsp.) 1/2 tsp. cinnamon + 1/4 tsp. nutmeg + 1/4 tsp. ground clove
Baking Powder (1 tsp.) 1/4 tsp. baking soda + 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
Baking Soda (1 tsp.) 2 tsp double-acting baking powder + replace acidic liquid ingredient in recipe with non-acidic liquid
Balsamic Vinegar Equal amount of sherry or cider vinegar
Bread Crumbs (1 cup) 3/4 cup cracker crumbs
Brown Sugar (1 cup) 1 Tbsp. light molasses + enough sugar to fill 1 dry measure cup or 1 cup raw sugar
Butter, salted (1 cup
or 2 sticks)		 1 cup or 2 sticks unsalted butter + 1/4 tsp. salt or 1 cup margarine or 7/8 cup lard or vegetable shortening
Buttermilk (1 cup) Place 1 Tbsp. white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measure. Fill to 1 cup with room temp whole or 2% milk and let stand for 5 minutes or 1 cup milk + 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar or 1 cup plain yogurt
Canola, Sunflower and Vegetable Oils Substitute one for one
Chocolate, Bittersweet or Semi-Sweet (1 oz.) 1/2 oz. Unsweetened chocolate + 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Cocoa Powder (3 Tbsp. Dutch-processed) 1 oz. Unsweetened chocolate + 1/8 tsp. baking soda + reduce fat in recipe by 1 Tbsp. or 3 Tbsp. natural cocoa powder + 1/8 tsp. baking soda
Corn Starch
(as a thickener)		 Equal amounts of Minute Tapioca for cornstarch, use slightly less for flour
Cream of Tartar (1/2 tsp.) 1/2 tsp. white vinegar or lemon juice
Egg (1 whole large egg) 3-1/2 Tbsp. thawed frozen egg or egg substitute or 2 egg whites
Garlic (1 fresh clove) 1 tsp. Garlic Salt or 1/8 tsp. Garlic Powder or 1/4 tsp. dried minced garlic
Ginger root (1 Tbsp. minced) 1/8 tsp. ground ginger powder or 1 Tbsp. rinsed and chopped candied ginger
Half & Half (1 cup)
for cooking or baking		 1-1/2 Tbsp. butter or margarine + enough milk to equal 1 cup
Heavy Cream (1 cup)
for cooking or baking		 3/4 cup milk + 1/3 cup butter or margarine
Herbs, Fresh (1 Tbsp.) 1 tsp. dried herbs
Honey (1 cup)
for cooking or baking		 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar + 1/4 cup of liquid appropriate for recipe
Italian Seasoning (1 tsp.) 1/2 tsp. dried basil + 1/4 tsp. dried oregano + 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
Molasses (1 cup) 1 cup honey or 1 cup dark corn syrup or 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup liquid
Mushrooms, fresh
(1 cup sliced and cooked)		 1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms, drained
Mustard, Prepared
(1 Tbsp.)		 1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder + 2 tsp. white vinegar
Onion (1 small minced) 1/2 tsp. onion powder
Poultry Seasoning (1 tsp.) 1/4 tsp. ground thyme + 3/4 tsp. ground sage
Pumpkin Pie Spice (1 tsp.) 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon + 1/4 tsp. ground ginger + 1/8 tsp. allspice + 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Sour Cream (1 cup) 1 cup plain yogurt or 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and enough evaporated milk to equal 1 cup
Tomato Juice (1 cup)
for cooking		 1/2 cup tomato sauce + 1/2 cup water
Tomato Sauce (1 cup)
for cooking		 1/2 cup tomato paste + 1/2 cup water
Wine, Red (1 cup) 1 cup nonalcoholic wine, apple cider, beef broth or water
Wine, White (1 cup) 1 cup nonalcoholic wine, white grape juice, apple juice, chicken broth or water
Yogurt (1 cup) 1 cup buttermilk or 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and enough milk to equal 1 cup or 1 cup sour cream

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Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta and Lemon

I have made this recipe twice in the last week, since I erred in the amount of pasta to make and had a lot left over. As a matter of fact I still have more left and am going to use it today to make Pad Thai, a traditional Thai dish. I will send that recipe another time. It called for baby shrimp, but I chose a larger one and it looked nice when served….

Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta and Lemon (adapted from Rachel Ray/Food Network)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 large shallot or two green onions finely chopped
  • 1 lemon, zested (if you don’t have a lemon, use orange zest)
  • 1/3 pound baby shrimp, (I used 15 – 20 count shrimp)
  • 1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine, eyeball it ( I used the vermouth)
  • 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
  • 1/3 pound angel hair pasta, cooked to al dente
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped or snipped fresh chives or fresh cilantro

Directions

Get your pasta water going. Start the scampi sauce when you drop your pasta into boiling water to cook.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and melt the butter into it. Add shallots and cook a minute or 2, stirring constantly. Add lemon zest and shrimp and heat shrimp through, another minute or two. Add vermouth or wine and tomatoes. Toss another minute to heat the tomatoes through. Add cooked pasta to the pan and toss to coat evenly in sauce and to distribute the shrimp. Season liberally with salt and pepper and serve with chives to garnish.

NOTE: This recipe can be easily doubled for four people!!! Serve it with a great salad…..

Slow Cooker Jambalaya (With or without shrimp)

Just found this recipe and it was very good….if you are not a shrimp lover, just omit it!

Slow Cooker Jambalaya (photo taken from http://www.dinnermequickly.com/chicken-sausage-jambalaya.html

Revised from a recipe by Robin Miller

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced ( or whatever sausage you like, depending on hotness)
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning (I used Montreal Steak Spice…one teaspoon)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 pound frozen peeled and cooked shrimp, thawed
  • 2 cups cooked rice

Directions

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, red pepper, celery, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, and thyme. (If you want it hot, add a little hot sauce)

Cover, and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. Stir in the thawed shrimp, cover and cook until the shrimp is heated through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over cooked rice.

Cranberry Date Squares

In his quest for the ultimate date square and his love of all things cranberry, here is Larry’s version of the old-fashioned date square.

Date Squares with Cranberries

Adapted from Food and Drink Magazine (LCBO) AUTUMN 2007

BY LUCY WAVERMAN

If you like thinner squares use a larger pan. Although the original recipe does not call for grated orange rind you can add about 1 tbsp (15 mL) to the filling mixture for a flavour contrast.

4 cups (1 L) chopped, pitted dates OR 3 cups dates and 1 cup fresh cranberries OR 2 + 2

¾ cup (175 mL) sugar (omit the sugar if using the cranberries*)

¾ cup (175 mL) orange juice

½ tsp (2 mL) lemon juice

2 cups (500 mL) flour

2 cups (500 mL) quick-cooking oats

1½ cups (375 mL) brown sugar

½ tsp (2 mL) baking powder

½ tsp (2 mL) baking soda

½ tsp (2 mL) salt

1½ cups (375 mL) melted butter, cold

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).

2. Combine dates, cranberries, sugar*, orange juice and lemon juice in a large pot. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring periodically, for 7 minutes or until mixture combines and becomes spreadable.

3. Grease and line an 8 x 10-inch (20 x 25-cm) baking pan with parchment paper. Grease again.

4. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and melted butter in a large bowl. Mix well. Divide mixture in half. Press half of the mixture into prepared baking sheet.

5. Spread date mixture over bottom crust and sprinkle with remaining flour mixture. Press down slightly.

6. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes or until topping is flecked with gold. Cool completely and refrigerate for 2 hours or until filling is set. Cut into squares and keep in a cookie tin, not the refrigerator.

Makes about 20 squares