Asparagus

I LOVE asparagus but can never get it to come out right when I cook it. Here are some tips and recipes I'll try.

A Few Recipe Subsitutions

I've had to make several of these substitutions in the past...always handy to have.

• Substitute for 1 tsp lemon juice: 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
• Substitute for 1 cup cake flour: 1 cup less 2 Tbs of all-purpose flour
• Substitute for 1 cup buttermilk: 1 cup milk plus 1 Tbs lemon juice
• Another substitute for 1 cup buttermilk: 1 cup plain yogurt
• Substitute for 1 cup brown sugar: 3/4 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup molasses
• Substitute for 1 cup heavy cream: 2/3 cup milk plus 1/3 cup melted butter
• Substitute for 1 cup ricotta cheese: 1 cup cottage cheese

Brownie Pan

I know people who would NOT like this...they like the gooey center of the brownie pan. But for those who don't (me!), this is a good solution. The Baker's Edge Brownie Pan creates crusty edges and leaves the gooey behind!

Best Peanut Satay

I love peanut satay and this was voted #1. I haven't looked for it yet in the store, so I don't know if I can find it.

Sharwood's Indonesian Satay Curry

Measurement Cheating

I have 2 different magnets like this on my refrigerator that help me with measurement conversions. I just can't remember any of those that I learned in 4th grade! This Mix-n-Measure also looks like a great idea. The 16-ounce cup includes measurements for teaspoons and tablespoons, cups, ounces with breakdowns for "tumbler", "wine glass", "teacup" and more, grams, and milliliters. I'll guess I'll have to add this to my wish list.

How to Pit an Avocado

I thought I knew how...but I didn't know the last trick!
Check out the handy video.

Cookthink

Wouldn't it be cool to have a tool that could listen to what you were craving and then suggest something good to cook? Cookthink is that tool. To find a recipe based on what you're craving, tell Cookthink what you want, choose ingredients, what kind of cuisine you want and what mood you're in.

For ingredient, I chose cheese. For cuisine, I chose middle-eastern. For mood, I chose excited. Cookthink suggested Asparagus-Fontina Gratin, which sounded great to me!

Food Blog

My husband sent this food blog to me...some pretty tasty stuff.
BlakeMakes

Simple Substitutes

If you need help with a substitution for a recipe, check out Switcheroo. Did you know that a mixture of milk and vinegar will work if you don't have buttermilk?

Best Brownie Mix

Best Cakey Brownie Mix:
Cherrybrook Kitchen Fudge Brownie
(I've never heard of this brand or seen it in my stores.)

Best Fudgy Brownie Mix:
Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge