Several years ago I noticed the label on my little jar of cream of tartar had some helpful tips on it. There were a couple tips about making angel food cake and making meringue, but it was the final tip that was more interesting to me. It was a simpleRead More
Make Your Own Oat Flour
In my quest to eat more plant-based meals, I’ve also been trying to add more whole grains to our diet. This has meant making some switches like trying to use more brown rice instead of white rice, eating oatmeal in the mornings, and replacing regular white flour with white wholeRead More
How To Replace An Egg With Flax Seed
When I wrote about my Healthier Homemade Muffins a few weeks ago, I included in that recipe a strategy I’ve been using more and more to replace eggs in a recipe with flax seed. I’ve learned that it’s a very easy and healthy egg substitution in recipes that still turnsRead More
Measuring Conversion Chart
The “Make Your Own” lifestyle is often about being resourceful. And as you learn to be more resourceful, you get more comfortable with improvising and adapting so you can use what you have. Of course not every improvised creation is a success (which is why I thought this poem wasRead More
How To Make Bread Flour from All Purpose Flour {and why I didn’t}
The last few weeks or so I’ve been thinking about dusting off my old bread making machine and putting it to use again. I tend to go in spurts when it comes to kitchen machinery. I’ll spend a few months using something all the time (whether it be my juicer,Read More
Homemade Yogurt Cheese {Almost Cream Cheese}
Today’s recipe was new to me, but it turns out it’s been around a long, long time. What I thought was a new and interesting way to make homemade cream cheese is really just . . . Labneh. And labneh is certainly nothing new. Labneh is the traditional Lebaneese wayRead More
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe
There are some recipes, that as much as I enjoy them, are just seasonal recipes for me. I make them once a year and that’s it. Like pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie is yummy stuff but I only make one when Thanksgiving rolls around, which I suspect is pretty typical forRead More
Homemade Butter
Homemade butter. It sounds like a delicious luxury, doesn’t it? Our great grandmothers who had no choice but to sit at the butter churn if they wanted butter would probably laugh at us. You have it so good now! The luxury is in being able to go to the storeRead More
How To Make Stabilized Whipped Cream
It’s been a couple years now since I first wrote about how to make homemade whipped cream. It’s one of those little tricks that once you start doing it, you realize how simple it really is. I very seldom buy Cool Whip anymore and have come to much preferRead More
DIY Evaporated Milk
When a recipe calls for a can of evaporated milk, did you know there’s a quick and easy substitute you can use instead? This little trick will let you make a homemade version of evaporated milk and it’s easy on the budget too! What Is Evaporated Milk? Evaporated milk isRead More
Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk
If at first you don’t succeed – try, try, again. And that’s exactly what a reader encouraged me to do after she read about my failed attempt to make your own sweetened condensed milk. She advised that she’s had good success with one of the same recipes I experimented withRead More
Can You Make Your Own Powdered Sugar?
Have you come across this recipe too? And maybe like me, you’ve been tempted to give it a try? The recipe goes something like this: To make your own powdered sugar combine 1 cup of granulated sugar and a tablespoon of cornstarch in a food processor and mix untilRead More
How To Make Brown Sugar
This isn’t the first time I’ve tried to make a homemade version of brown sugar by mixing together molasses and white sugar. My first attempt, however, was a dismal failure and I called it my bizarre brown sugar. But a couple of comments from readers inspired me to try againRead More
Homemade Bisquick Baking Mix Recipe
Do you like to keep a box of Bisquick baking mix in the pantry for a quick and easy way to stir up some biscuits or pancakes? If you do, here’s a way to mix together your own homemade version that will save you money too! The Bisquick brand ofRead More
Homemade Whipped Cream
Once upon a time in the not so distant past . . . . . . there was no such thing as Cool Whip. Whatever did the people do without Cool Whip? { Hint: They made their own. And it was good. } Cool Whip came on the scene inRead More
How to Make Your Own Self Rising Flour
Most recipes for baked goods call for all purpose flour, however once in a while you might come across a recipe you want to try that calls for self rising flour. Can you just go ahead and use your all purpose flour anyway? No, it’s best not to if youRead More
Buttermilk: The Pain In The Neck Ingredient
Has this ever happened to you? You’re reading a new recipe and thinking about giving it a try. It’s a recipe for some sort of tasty baked goods like muffins or a cake and you’re thinking to yourself *yum* this recipe sure sounds good. And then you come across it. TheRead More
The Make Your Own Sweetened Condensed Milk Experiment
Sometimes I really wonder about the recipes I find. Is anybody truly using them? Or do they just get passed around, over and over again, with everybody thinking they must work. Case in point – the recipes I found for homemade sweetened condensed milk. They were close, but notRead More
Don’t Have Pumpkin Pie Spice? Try This Mixture Instead
What’s a busy cook to do when a recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice and you don’t have it in your supply? Try substituting this handy mixture that uses spices you probably do have in your stash. PUMPKIN PIE SPICE 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8Read More
The Vanilla Extract Experiment – Second Follow Up
As some of you may know, I’m in the process of making my own vanilla extract. This was something new for me, so I’ve been posting as I go along. I’m trying out a recipe of two sliced vanilla beans and 3/4 cup of vodka that is supposed to set for 3 to 4Read More