Olive oil tends to be one of those things that you always think you have more than you do. If you don't have enough (or any at all), you can actually substitute good, ol' canola oil for your olive oil. Just keep in mind that the reverse of this does not hold true. If a recipe calls for canola oil, use canola oil. Olive oil has a very distinctive flavor and would alter the taste... probably not a flavor you would want in your baked goods!
Ok! Week two in the blog... I tried to think of something exciting to put on here, but came up with convenience instead. This week is busier than normal as I am running a 5K tomorrow and have been prepping all week for a joint birthday party for my three-year-old and one-year-old (I will be posting more on that later).
So this week we have Hamburger Rice Casserole. This is a quick-prep recipe that is super easy to throw together, especially if you already have browned hamburger in the freezer that just needs thawing. This is a great recipe for kids, both of my kids eat this with no problem.
I actually discovered this recipe from another blogger when I was on the hunt for some variety from all of the taco soup style chili recipes that are out there. This is one of my husband's favorites. I used this recipe at a Chili Cook Off last year, and it was gone within the first ten minutes!
After each cooking endeavor there is usually a slew of cups, spoons, bowls, etc. that have been used. Before you pick up the first measuring utensil or ingredient to cook, fill one side of your sink with hot, soapy water. You can then place each utensil or dish into the soapy water after you are finished with it. There may be some minimal wiping (think wet peanut butter), but you just made the majority of clean up a part of your "process".
Need a substitute for wine in a dish? Here's a whole list:
Alcohol Substitutions
|
||
Alcoholic Ingredient
|
Description
|
Substitution
|
Amaretto
|
Italian almond-flavored liqueur
|
Almond extract.
|
Beer or Ale
|
Various types.
|
For light beers, substitute chicken broth, ginger ale or white grape juice. For heavier beers, use a stronger beef, chicken or mushroom broth or stock. Non-alcoholic beers may also be substituted.
|
Brandy
|
Liquor made of distilled wine or fruit juice.
|
|
Calvados
|
Apple brandy
|
Apple juice concentrate or juice.
|
Chambord
|
Black raspberry liqueur
|
Raspberry juice, syrup or extract.
|
Champagne
|
Sparkling white wine.
|
Sparkling white grape juice, ginger ale, white wine.
|
Claret
|
Light red wine or Bordeaux.
|
Non-alcoholic wine, diluted currant or grape juice, cherry cider syrup.
|
Cognac
|
Aged, double-distilled wine or fermented fruit juice. Cognac is considered the finest brandy.
|
Other less expensive brandies may be substituted, as well as Scotch or whiskey, or use peach, apricot or pear juice.
|
Cointreau
|
French, orange-flavored liqueur.
|
Orange juice concentrate or regular orange juice that has been reduced (by boiling) to a thicker consistency.
|
Curacao
|
Liqueur made from bitter Seville oranges.
|
Orange juice frozen concentrate or reduced fresh orange juice.
|
Creme de Menthe
|
Thick and syrupy, sweetened mint liqueur. Comes both clear and green.
|
Mix spearmint extract or oil with a little water or grapefruit juice. Use a drop of food coloring if you need the green color.
|
Framboise
|
French raspberry liqueur.
|
Raspberry juice or syrup. Depending upon the recipe, seedless raspberry jam may also be substituted.
|
Frangelico
|
Italian hazelnut liqueur.
|
Hazelnut or almond extract.
|
Galliano
|
Golden Italian anise liqueur.
|
Licorice extract.
|
Grand Marnier
|
French liqueur, orange-flavored.
|
Orange juice frozen concentrate or reduced fresh orange juice.
|
Grappa
|
Italian grape brandy.
|
Grape juice or reduced red wine.
|
Grenadine
|
Pomegranate syrup, sometimes alcoholic.
|
Pomegranate syrup or juice.
|
Hard Cider
|
Fermented, alcoholic cider.
|
Apple cider or juice.
|
Kahlua
|
Syrupy Mexican liqueur made with coffee and cocoa beans.
|
|
Kirsch (Kirchwasser)
|
Colorless liqueur made of cherries.
|
Black cherry, raspberry, boysenberry, currant, or grape, juice or syrup, or cherry cider.
|
Red Burgundy
|
Dry French wine.
|
Non-alcoholic wine, red wine vinegar, grape juice.
|
Red wine
|
Sweet or dry wine.
|
Non-alcoholic wine, beef or chicken broth or stock, diluted red wine vinegar, red grape juice diluted with red wine vinegar or rice vinegar, tomato juice, liquid from canned mushrooms, plain water.
|
Rum
|
Liquor distilled from molasses or sugar syrup.
|
For light rum, use pineapple juice flavored with almond extract. For dark rum, use molasses thinned with pineapple juice and flavored with almond extract. Or use rum extract flavoring.
|
Sake
|
Fermented rice drink.
|
|
Schnapps
|
Flavored, colorless liquor.
|
Use corresponding flavored extract such as peppermint, peach, etc.
|
Sherry
|
Fortified dessert wine, sweet or dry, some with a slightly nutty flavor.
|
Orange or pineapple juice.
|
Southern Comfort
|
Bourbon mixed with peach liqueur.
|
Peach nectar mixed with a little cider vinegar.
|
Tequila
|
Liquor made of the agave plant.
|
Cactus/agave nectar or juice.
|
Triple Sec
|
Orange-flavored liqueur.
|
Orange juice frozen concentrate or reduced fresh orange juice.
|
Vermouth
|
Wine-based drink infused with herbs. I may be sweet or dry.
|
For sweet vermouth, use non-alcoholic sweet wine, apple or grape juice or aged balsamic vinegar. For dry vermouth, use non-alcoholic white wine, white grape juice or white wine vinegar.
|
Whisky
|
Distilled liquor.
|
Bourbon, Scotch and whiskey may be used interchangably. Small amounts may be eliminated. Large amounts cannot be effectively substituted.
|
White Burgundy
|
Dry French wine.
|
Non-alcoholic wine, white grape juice diluted with white wine vinegar.
|
White wine
|
Sweet or dry wine.
|
Non-alcoholic wine, chicken broth or stock, diluted white wine vinegar or cider vinegar, white grape juice diluted with white wine vinegar, ginger ale, canned mushroom liquid, water. For marinades, substitute 1/4 cup vinegar plus 1 Tablespoon sugar plus 1/4 cup water.
|
Now these cookies come to you courtesy of yours truly. I initially set out to create the greatest chocolate chip cookie known to mankind. Then I had a not-so-fun day and a mere chocolate chip cookie just wouldn't do. I thought why not make the perfect cookie for whatever ails ya! Hence, the PMS Survival Cookie was born. Not to over sell them, but these may just be the Best Cookies EVER! Then again, I am prejudiced as they are my brain child.
If you have ever made a roux based sauce or gravy, you know there are usually some lumps that look... questionable. Rather than mixing the sauce to death to get those itty bitty chunks, poor the liquid into the serving dishing through a small colander. No more chunks!
P.S. Thanks, Grandma!
Ever have a lid stick to a pot or pan? It is the most disconcerting thing ever! To get the lid to release, put the pot or pan back on a burner and turn the burner on low to medium heat. When the air inside becomes warm enough, the lid will release.
The Why: the reason the lid sticks in the first place is because as the air inside the pot or pan cooled it created a vacuum effect. By reheating the air inside, the air expands eventually breaking the seal!
Alcohol Substitutions
|
||
Alcoholic Ingredient
|
Description
|
Substitution
|
Amaretto
|
Italian almond-flavored liqueur
|
Almond extract.
|
Beer or Ale
|
Various types.
|
For light beers, substitute chicken broth, ginger ale or white grape juice. For heavier beers, use a stronger beef, chicken or mushroom broth or stock. Non-alcoholic beers may also be substituted.
|
Brandy
|
Liquor made of distilled wine or fruit juice.
|
|
Calvados
|
Apple brandy
|
Apple juice concentrate or juice.
|
Chambord
|
Black raspberry liqueur
|
Raspberry juice, syrup or extract.
|
Champagne
|
Sparkling white wine.
|
Sparkling white grape juice, ginger ale, white wine.
|
Claret
|
Light red wine or Bordeaux.
|
Non-alcoholic wine, diluted currant or grape juice, cherry cider syrup.
|
Cognac
|
Aged, double-distilled wine or fermented fruit juice. Cognac is considered the finest brandy.
|
Other less expensive brandies may be substituted, as well as Scotch or whiskey, or use peach, apricot or pear juice.
|
Cointreau
|
French, orange-flavored liqueur.
|
Orange juice concentrate or regular orange juice that has been reduced (by boiling) to a thicker consistency.
|
Curacao
|
Liqueur made from bitter Seville oranges.
|
Orange juice frozen concentrate or reduced fresh orange juice.
|
Creme de Menthe
|
Thick and syrupy, sweetened mint liqueur. Comes both clear and green.
|
Mix spearmint extract or oil with a little water or grapefruit juice. Use a drop of food coloring if you need the green color.
|
Framboise
|
French raspberry liqueur.
|
Raspberry juice or syrup. Depending upon the recipe, seedless raspberry jam may also be substituted.
|
Frangelico
|
Italian hazelnut liqueur.
|
Hazelnut or almond extract.
|
Galliano
|
Golden Italian anise liqueur.
|
Licorice extract.
|
Grand Marnier
|
French liqueur, orange-flavored.
|
Orange juice frozen concentrate or reduced fresh orange juice.
|
Grappa
|
Italian grape brandy.
|
Grape juice or reduced red wine.
|
Grenadine
|
Pomegranate syrup, sometimes alcoholic.
|
Pomegranate syrup or juice.
|
Hard Cider
|
Fermented, alcoholic cider.
|
Apple cider or juice.
|
Kahlua
|
Syrupy Mexican liqueur made with coffee and cocoa beans.
|
|
Kirsch (Kirchwasser)
|
Colorless liqueur made of cherries.
|
Black cherry, raspberry, boysenberry, currant, or grape, juice or syrup, or cherry cider.
|
Red Burgundy
|
Dry French wine.
|
Non-alcoholic wine, red wine vinegar, grape juice.
|
Red wine
|
Sweet or dry wine.
|
Non-alcoholic wine, beef or chicken broth or stock, diluted red wine vinegar, red grape juice diluted with red wine vinegar or rice vinegar, tomato juice, liquid from canned mushrooms, plain water.
|
Rum
|
Liquor distilled from molasses or sugar syrup.
|
For light rum, use pineapple juice flavored with almond extract. For dark rum, use molasses thinned with pineapple juice and flavored with almond extract. Or use rum extract flavoring.
|
Sake
|
Fermented rice drink.
|
|
Schnapps
|
Flavored, colorless liquor.
|
Use corresponding flavored extract such as peppermint, peach, etc.
|
Sherry
|
Fortified dessert wine, sweet or dry, some with a slightly nutty flavor.
|
Orange or pineapple juice.
|
Southern Comfort
|
Bourbon mixed with peach liqueur.
|
Peach nectar mixed with a little cider vinegar.
|
Tequila
|
Liquor made of the agave plant.
|
Cactus/agave nectar or juice.
|
Triple Sec
|
Orange-flavored liqueur.
|
Orange juice frozen concentrate or reduced fresh orange juice.
|
Vermouth
|
Wine-based drink infused with herbs. I may be sweet or dry.
|
For sweet vermouth, use non-alcoholic sweet wine, apple or grape juice or aged balsamic vinegar. For dry vermouth, use non-alcoholic white wine, white grape juice or white wine vinegar.
|
Whisky
|
Distilled liquor.
|
Bourbon, Scotch and whiskey may be used interchangably. Small amounts may be eliminated. Large amounts cannot be effectively substituted.
|
White Burgundy
|
Dry French wine.
|
Non-alcoholic wine, white grape juice diluted with white wine vinegar.
|
White wine
|
Sweet or dry wine.
|
Non-alcoholic wine, chicken broth or stock, diluted white wine vinegar or cider vinegar, white grape juice diluted with white wine vinegar, ginger ale, canned mushroom liquid, water. For marinades, substitute 1/4 cup vinegar plus 1 Tablespoon sugar plus 1/4 cup water.
|
