Category Archives: Smart Substitutes

I like to make things from scratch, so these recipes are common ingredients that I make rather than buy.

Hellman’s Mayonnaise

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I remember my Mom making mayonnaise when I was younger.  I always kind of thought it was a big hassle and didn’t taste quite like I thought it should.  Well, this recipe changed all that!  I LOVE this recipe and have pretty much quit buying mayonnaise and now just make my own.  Not really difficult at all and it tastes really good!  Yeah, there’s a raw egg in it, but somewhere I’ve read that the vinegar kills any salmonella.  Whatever, I’m okay with it anyway….we all gotta die of something!  :p

1 egg (room temp)
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup veg oil.
dash cayenne pepper
1 cup veg oil. (I use canola oil because I need the omega 3)
3 Tbs Vinegar

1. Place First 5 ingredients in blender on low speed.

2. While the machine is blending, SLOWLY pour in another 1/2 c. oil. Add the vinegar and the remaining

3. oil. Blend until firm. Store in refrigerator.

Apricot BBQ Sauce for Grilling

My spicy sweet SuperHero requested barbecued chicken on the grill.  Since I didn’t have any store bought barbecue sauce, we played around with some ingredients and came up with this delicious sauce.  Served with a huge fresh salad, this was a wonderful dinner and SuperHero declared it blog-worthy (because “we gotta write this down!”

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1 cup (8 oz) apricot preserves (I used some I canned earlier this year)

1 packet taco seasoning

1 tsp dry mustard

1/3 cup ketchup

1 Tbs (or more) Salsa Chipotle

3 Tbs cider vinegar

Mix this all together!  It’s that easy!  We let the chicken marinate in it for about 45 minutes or so and then just cooked it on the grill.

ETA: Tips from my SuperHero (who is also the grill king)  To enhance the flavors, cook over 100% hardwood charcoal and mesquite wood chips.  Mesquite wood chips should be soaked in water for a couple of hours and then placed around the fire once it is going.

2nd ETA: This won a blue ribbon on the Just A Pinch recipe site!  My second blue ribbon.  

Yummy yogurt

A gallon of homemade yogurt!! I find, with the way my kiddos like yogurt, this is the best and cheapest way to do it. And this is plain yogurt, but I also have a great way to flavor it (other than just mixing in something at the last minute). So I thought I’d share the recipe as this is VERY easy to make

The recipe makes 2 quarts, so you’ll have to double it for a gallon

1 pkg unflavored gelatin (ya know, like Knox)
1/4 cup cold water
6 cups very warm water
3 cups powdered milk
1 can evap milk (or you can scald 1 1/2 cups of milk instead)
1/4 cup yogurt (yeah, you have to have yogurt to make yogurt)

Put 1/4 cup water in small saucepan, sprinkle with gelatin, mix and slowly heat until gelatin has dissolved and mixture is just about to boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine powdered milk with 6 cups warm water and mix well.  In saucepan with gelatin mix, pour in evaporated milk and yogurt. Mix well, then pour into warm milk mixture. Mix gently, then set in a very warm place to set for 6-8 hours (I put it in my oven with the light on). That’s it! Refrigerate before eating (unless you like really liquid yogurt!). Note that homemade yogurt is a bit “slimier” than store bought.

Now, for flavoring (and if you have picky people who are grossed out by the slimey yogurt). Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a large glass bowl. Pour a 4oz box of FLAVORED gelatin (one of our favorites is lime) into the water and mix until it is all dissolved. To this, add 3 cups of plain yogurt. Mix well, refrigerate. Later you will have a custard like yogurt to make any picky person happy!

Mexican Brownies

Something that bugs me is when people ask what is in something I’ve made.  If you have an allergy, that’s fine, by all means, ask…..but if you don’t, just be brave and give it a try and THEN you can ask what’s in it.  Why do I say that now…..these brownies have cayenne in them.  There!  I told you before you tried them.  But everyone who has tried these LOVE them, so be brave and bake some up.

2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for greasing

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2/3 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground Mexican cinnamon (canela)

1/4  teaspoon pequín chili powder or cayenne pepper

1/2  teaspoon kosher salt

1/2  teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 9×13 inch baking dishes with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.  Press the paper into the corners of the pan and lightly grease the paper with butter.

2. Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat; do not boil. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla to the saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.

3. Add the cocoa, flour, cinnamon, chili powder, salt and baking powder and mix until smooth. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out fudgy, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack, then use the parchment paper to lift out the brownies before slicing.

http://sweetlifebake.com/2011/06/14/mexican-brownies