Substitutions

So I have a specific idea about what I want for dinner and I don't have ginger...not even dry (which I'll have to pick up.) So I found a great blog, Raw Test Kitchen, that has a list of substitutions for all kinds of stuff. Thanks dude!!!


1 whole vanilla bean = 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 stick cinnamon = 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice = 1/3 teaspoon each (equal parts) ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg


1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves = 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh celery = 1 tablespoon dehydrated celery flakes


1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice = 1-3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, blended with 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or ground allspice and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves = 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 medium clove garlic = 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 medium clove garlic and 1 teaspoon salt = 1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger = 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon fresh herb leaves, chopped = 1 teaspoon dried herb leaves
(leafy green herbs, such as basil, cilantro, dill, oregano, parsley, tarragon, thyme)

1 medium onion, chopped = 1 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves = 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves = 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 tablespoon fresh parsley = 1 teaspoon dried parsley leaves

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper = 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

Basil substitute with Oregano or thyme

Chervil substitute with Tarragon or parsley

Chive substitute with Green onion; onion; or leek

Cilantro substitute with Parsley

Italian Seasoning substitute with a blend of any of these: basil, oregano, rosemary, and ground red pepper

Marjoram substitute with Basil; thyme; or savory

Mint substitute with Basil; marjoram; or rosemary

Oregano substitute with Thyme or basil

Parsley substitute with Chervil or cilantro

Poultry Seasoning substitute with Sage plus a blend of any of these: thyme, marjoram, savory, black pepper, and rosemary

Rosemary substitute with Thyme; tarragon; or savory

Sage substitute with Poultry seasoning; savory; marjoram; or rosemary

Savory substitute with Thyme; marjoram; or sage

Tarragon substitute with Chervil; dash fennel seed; or dash aniseed

Thyme substitute with Basil; marjoram; oregano; or savory

Allspice substitute with Cinnamon; cassia; dash of nutmeg or mace; or dash of cloves

Aniseed substitute with Fennel seed or a few drops anise extract

Cardamom substitute with Ginger

Cinnamon substitute with Nutmeg or allspice (use only 1/4 of the amount)

Cloves substitute with Allspice; cinnamon; or nutmeg

Cumin substitute with Chili powder

Ginger substitute with Allspice; cinnamon; mace; or nutmeg

Mace substitute with Allspice; cinnamon; ginger; or nutmeg

Nutmeg substitute with Cinnamon; ginger; or mace

Saffron substitute with Dash turmeric (for color)

More Cooking Gadgets

I just found a fun site with a nice list of cooking gadgets. I haven't read them all, but there's a fiberglass crisper for french fries and pizzas from Solutions that I really want. I knew it existed, but now I must have it. I think itwould be great for sweet potato fries that often get mushy.

KITCHEN CONTRAPTIONS

Bad Dreams...Do Come True

I had a terrible nightmare last night where zombies were chasing me. And my husband fled with friends and I was all alone except for a famous musician that was half zombie (I don't know what half zombie is, but it was a dream.)

So my husband sent this to me this morning:


It kinda looks like the musician, I guess dreams do come true...
Here's the link for the full story on this cake.

DIY PIZZA

This recipe is from mainstreet.com and it seems easy enough. Only 5 minutes kneading and 10 minutes rising isn't so bad.
DIY Pizza

Cooking Club

I did a bit of a crazy thing last night, and it stems from answering an ad on craigslist. Don't worry, it's not casual encounters or anything. While perusing the site, I happened upon a call for the formation of a cooking club and I responded to the ad which is totally out of character for me. The good news is that the organizers replied back and asked me to attend. The better news is that I actually showed up, I often flake when I have to drive more than 10 minutes to do something.

I'm so glad I went. All the girls that attended were really nice and welcoming; I was the only person that didn't have a tie to the host. And, for the first meeting, I thought it went extremely well. There were some missed ingredients and some substituted ingredients (but hell, that's hard to avoid when you have 6 different people bringing stuff for a foreign dish that no one's ever cooked.)

The theme for the evening was Thai food. We did Tom Yum, Pad Thai, and caramel dumplings.

We paired up to make these dishes which was fun and worked pretty well. My partner and I did the Tom Yum. Here is the link to the recipe we used from recipezaar. Our recipe had a few subtle differences but I believe they originated from the same source. The only thing I would change is the amount of green peppers. We were directed to cook them in the soup and it was really hot, like lips numb hot. The recipe suggests 2-3 chilis and unless you like super spicy things, I would say 1 is more than enough. 1/2 a pepper for mild, 1 for medium, 2 for hot, and 3 for crazy hot. We also didn't use rice noodles, but we had Pad Thai as an entree and that would have been overkill.

I don't know the exact recipe we used for Pad Thai, but I'll post it when I can, because it was great.

For dessert we had caramel dumplings. That one was a bit of a trial because carmelization can be trouble, but the girls were able to execute it perfectly after a lot of hard work.

I also don't have the recipe for the dumplings, but I'll post it later.

Next month we're going to try sushi, stay tuned.

Chilaquiles

After days of having tostadas and tacos we still have a bunch of corn tortillas left. Now corn tortillas freeze really well, but if you want to use them up and are bored of eating tacos and tostadas, you can use them for breakfast.


One of our favorite dishes is chilaquiles and it's super easy. You can search and find a hundred different recipes, but this is my favorite.

INGREDIENTS:
4 corn tortillas, cut in sixths
1/2 c salsa
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 c shredded cheese
2T olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in skillet on medium heat
Fry tortillas in batches until lightly golden brown but not super crispy
Remove tortillas and allow the pan to cool to medium low heat, about 3-5 minutes
Add tortillas back to pan and add eggs, kind of like a tortilla omelet
When eggs are almost cooked add salsa and cook until liquid is mostly absorbed
Remove pan from heat and add shredded cheese to the top and cover for 3 minutes.

This serves two, and can be served with beans if you want. Also, if you don't have salsa, you can use enchilada sauce, or tomatoes and onions. It's good with a tomatillo salsa as well. have fun with this recipe and enjoy.

Lucy's El Adobe

I haven't posted many recipes recently because I've been having tostadas every night and I don't really think you guys need to know how to make tostadas. The reason, though, that we've been eating tostadas every night is because of the restaurant, Lucy's El Adobe, which is on Melrose across from Paramount Studios. Lucy's has the best tostadas and what makes them the absolute best is the salad dressing that accompanies the tostadas. You can buy the little bottle of dressing, which I do, for an exorbitant fee of $7, but it's soooo worth it.

So what's in this dressing that makes it soooo great? It's a secret recipe that no one knows. Some people say garlic salt and butter. I swear there's some anchovy paste in there. But there's some congealed looking stuff that floats in it and you can see it on the side of the bottle; I know it sounds unappetizing, but it's amazing.

So if you're in LA and you're hungry, try a tostada at Lucy's. Or...if you know the recipe for the dressing, email me.