Recipe Box, Kitchen Tips & Substitutions

Here are some random tips to make your life easier/better in the kitchen!
Kitchen Bucket shower centerpiece/gift
BAKING SUBSTITUTIONS
Cake Flour= Measure out 1 cup all purpose flour and remove 3 Tablespoons.
Replace the removed Tablespoons of flour with 3 Tablespoons of cornstarch to equal 1 cup cake flour
Powdered Sugar= Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar with 1 T cornstarch in a blender or food processor.
Let the dust settle and violà, powdered sugar!
Heavy Cream= Substitute evaporated milk for heavy cream when you want to trim down a recipe
It’s 16 grams of fat and 120 calories lighter per 1/4 cup. Evaporated milk is thick and creamy
Try it in soup, mac and cheese, or creamed veggies
OR:
heavy cream substitute: 2/3 cup whole milk mixed with 1/3 cup melted butter
Corn Syrups:
For each cup of light corn syrup in a recipe, substitute 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup water.
For each cup of dark corn syrup, substitute 1 cup of packed brown sugar and 1/4 cup water.
For each type, bring water and sugar to a slow boil and then let cook on low about 3 minutes until thick and clear
Pie Crust: Add vodka to your pie crust dough to make it extra flaky. See recipe here
PASTA
Salt pasta water, if not your pasta will taste bland, and it’s hard to correct that later
For a pasta dinner that comes together in minutes flat, simply soak the pasta sealed in a gallon-size plastic bag of water overnight. Then, your pasta will cook in boiling water in just one minute!
Or bring water to boil, add pasta, stir into water, then cover and turn burner off. Let pasta sit in the covered pot while you prepare something else, and in 10-15 minutes it will be ready
For creamier pasta casseroles, undercook by 2 minutes, drain but do not rinse. Toss hot pasta with 8 oz cream cheese per 12 oz pasta, and mix until cheese has melted. Proceed with your casserole and enjoy this creamier, moister dish
SALAD
Infuse the vinegar for your homemade salad dressing with chopped red onion for an hour, then remove it. The vinegar is left with a richer, more complex flavor, without a strong onion flavor
Balsamic Vinegar= Substitute 1 T red wine vinegar, 1 tsp grape jelly, and 1/4 cup soy sauce to make approximately 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Lemon Juice: Instead of cutting a lemon in half to juice it, first roll it back and forth on the counter with the palm of your hand. Now pierce the stem end with a metal skewer and then squeeze until you have the amount of juice needed. Lemon will stay fresh longer this way than if it’s cut, and juice will come out clear with no seeds
Minced onion and garlic: Instead of tedious chopping to get minced onion or garlic, peel them and then use a cheese grater to finely shred them
Peeled garlic: Place 1 garlic head into a jar with a lid. Vigorously shake the jar. Open and remove garlic and discard garlic paper. Continue this process of shaking in the jar until all the casings come off and you’re left with just the garlic cloves
ICE CREAM
Store ice cream in large ziplock freezer bags to keep it soft
Ice Cream Sundae in Society 6 Shop here
HOUSEHOLD
Sharpen dull scissors by layering 5 pieces of foil and cutting through it several times
Cook Top: Make a paste with baking soda and hot water to clean your glass cook top.
Mix hot water with enough baking soda to make a thick paste and smear it on soiled areas of cook top.
Let paste sit for 15 minutes, then rub briskly with a thick cloth. Clean cook top with glass cleaner to finish
I leave you with this Tomato Heart… cut tops off two grape or roma tomatoes at an angle, then join together with a toothpick
Valentine’s Day is on it’s way!
Valentine Collection Society 6 here
🎂 ❤️ ✂️
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Meal Plan Monday Love Your Creativity What’s for Dinner?
Between Naps on the Porch, Make it Pretty Monday
Turn About Tuesday Celebrate Your Story, You’re the Star
All About Home/ Common Ground Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Tasty Tuesday Oh My Heartsie Girl Full Plate Thursday
Thursday Favorite Things Creatively Crafty Home Matters
Ha-ha, cute tomato hearts! Have a great week Jenna:@)
Very fun tips. I’ve found so much stuff I have doubles of or need to pitch, maybe I’ll make a wreath like that — I even have the chef’s hat!
You should! It would be fun to have in your kitchen!
Wow, Jenna, you have given us some wonderful tips! I’m going to put these in safekeeping. Just the other day, I was fretting about not having enough powdered sugar for a recipe. I never new you could make it with sugar and cornstarch. By the way, I made the peanut butter mousse treats, and they are yummy! They are just the perfect treat to help me stay on my diet!
Thank you Shannon, I’m so glad you like the peanut butter mousse minis, I had one myself last night for dessert, such a tasty little bite!!
Great tips, and I love the tomato heart!
So many great tips!! 💗💗
Thanks, Jenna!
Thanks Patty Anne, I love kitchen tips and short cuts!
Lots of great tips Jenna! 😍 Thank you! 👩🍳
Your welcome!!
Great tips Jenna! Love the tomato heart. I can handle that.
Love the tips! Thank you for sharing!
I made the peanut butter and whipped cream treats! Yum! Yum! And I licked the spoons! 😃
Oh I am so glad! Thanks Nancy!
Wow, great tips Jenna. Printing and stashing in the file in the kitchen. Love the tomato heart, clever. I need to follow you around in the kitchen for about a week! Love the centerpiece/gift and the hearts. The ice cream sundae looks pretty enough to eat and the kitchen wreath is adorable. You are so creative…………
thank you Emily, I am always looking for tricks and short cuts!
Thanks for these great tips, Jenna. Love that little tomato heart. Will have to remember for Valentine’s day! 😊
You’re so welcome Cyndi!
Thanks for the tips and substitutions Jenna! I always keep evaporated milk in the pantry to help cut down on calories. ♥
I need to use it more often, I tend to forget how handy it is!
Some great tips for the kitchen and a great post! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen