The Kitchen Whisperer

Now if you’re like me you bake all year round. Every week there’s at least one dessert to choose from plus the bajillion other recipes I’m working on for the blog or clients. However I find that most people really kick up their baking game once Fall hits. Perhaps it’s the ‘everything pumpkin season’ or perhaps it’s due to the cooler weather. Either way on today’s Tuesday’s Tip with The Kitchen Whisperer I’m going to be sharing with you my best baking substitutions. Some classics and some you may be surprised about.

Let’s face it, it’s happened to each of us at least once while we’re in the midst of cooking or baking. You’re mixing something together and when you go to add that one ingredient you realize that you’re out of it or worse, you have it but it’s gone bad/stale.  Or doubly worse… you checked your pantry, saw the container in your cupboard and didn’t buy any more. You go to use it only to grab the container from the shelf only to find that it’s EMPTY.  This has happened to me when I went to grab my baking soda and corn starch.  While he (points to Mr. Fantabulous) won’t admit to doing this, we all know he did that.  LOL

Unsweetened Chocolate Squares: Mix together 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa and 1/4 cup melted regular flavored Crisco. This makes the equivalent to a 4 ounces square.

Half And Half Cream: Take a one cup measuring cup and add in 3 Tbl plus 1/2 tsp of melted unsalted butter. Next fill up the measuring cup with whole milk. Top up the cup with whole milk. If you don’t have whole milk you can just use evaported milk.

What are some of your best baking substitutions?

Hey TKW Family. It’s another Sunday and it’s now officially Fall.  It’s Everything under the sun Pumpkin season.   Honestly I don’t mind it really as I do love pumpkin but seriously not before Fall starts and definitely NOT in June/July. Normally I’d start by telling you all about my week last week but honestly I just want to put it behind me.  I’m going through some really serious personal heartache with someone I love so dearly that I’m just heart-broken.

sigh..

today, I just need a hug…

I think this week or maybe next week I’m going to take a few days off of work, both jobs, and kind of stop life for a bit.  It’s like I need a time-out from being an adult, from having responsibilities, from being ‘me’. My life is so anything but normal that when people say “Chill Lor, take a break and relax” I kind of look at them with a look confusion as honestly I haven’t done that in years that I kind of forget how.  It’s funny as I have a work bestie and we’ll talk about stuff and I’m forever asking him “are you sure I’m not too old to runaway?” And every time he responds “Lor, you hate getting dirty. And while you’d make an adorable hobo, you’d have a fit because you’d have no place to cook your food.  You cannot take all of your All-Clad with you.  So yes, you’re too old to runaway.” LOL

Oh speaking of All-Clad, did you check out my post about this Winter’s sale?  I’m getting a big group together that Saturday to meet up at the sale.  If you’re going, let me know as I’d love to meet you! What I’d love is to go to the sale, shop for a bit and then perhaps go to one of the local restaurants for a TKW Family lunch!  Thoughts? All I know is while I’m out that way I’ll have to stop at Krispy Kreme for Mr. Fantabulous’ 3 dozen of glazed donuts.  *gag*  Sorry but I don’t like them (way too sweet) and truth be told, I really don’t like donuts.  If I do eat one it has to be a cake one.

I was looking at my TKW schedule over the next month – you guys are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE the recipes I’ll be posting.  I have 2 new Nordic Ware pans to share with you as well as the most AMAZING knife sharpener EVER from Brod and Taylor.  Plus OMG the Spooktacular Halloween posts… you’re gonna love ’em!  I actually am working on two Halloween recipes today for a partner client of TKW.  It’s spine-chilling, hair-raising, spooktacularly delicious!

So with that, I best be getting on my broomstick and flying out to the kitchen to whip up some ghoulish treats!

and guys, if I haven’t said it lately, thank you and I love you.

♥ Monday –   Spinach Crab Ravioli with a Shrimp and Lobster Cream Sauce
♥ Tuesday – Cherry Chipotle Cola Pork Tenderloin
♥ Wednesday –  Bacon Mushroom Florentine Quiche with Olive Oil Savory Crust
♥ Thursday – Cheesy Baked Ziti and meatballs
♥ Friday –  Roasted Grape Prosciutto Pizza Parma
♥ Saturday – Pressure Cooker Sticky Hoisin Ginger Sesame Wings
♥ Sunday – Crockpot Pork Loin with Apples & Onions Sauce
♥ Dessert of the week – Creamy Cheesecake Berry Parfaits

Happy Pumpkin Everything season people. Yep you guessed it, it’s the first day of Fall. Man this summer flew by. Thankfully this summer in the ‘burgh wasn’t too bad weather-wise. We didn’t have too bad of a rainy summer though it was hotter/more humid than the norm. Global warming? Perhaps. “Lor you’re just getting old.” Most definitely. LOL

So did you do anything fun this summer? This was the first summer in a long time we didn’t; not even a vacation. This house remodel has taken every single spare minute of our life. All I know is that in our next house, where ever that may be I’m not remodeling/painting/stripping/installing/plastering/grouting/anything-that-involves-me-going-to-HomeDepot ever again in my life! HELL TO THE NO! LOL I know way more about home remodeling than any woman (yes I just pulled the girl card) ever should. And the worse part, we are nowhere near done. UGH… Wanna come help install hardwood flooring? I’ll feed you!

And since it’s pumpkin everything season I’ll be sure to make you a batch of these Soft and Tender Pumpkin Spice Lofthouse Cookies! Seriously this “type” of cookie is one of my favorites! It’s so soft and tender that they practically melt in your mouth. And OMG the pumpkiny-flavor is soooooo good!
These cookies are going to be your new Fall Favorite!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BetterWithCraisins #CollectiveBias.

Living a healthy lifestyle I incorporate Ocean Spray® Craisins® Dried Cranberries into my daily diet. They are that sweet treat without the guilt! I love them in my stuffing mixtures, in salads, cookies (fyi these in oatmeal cookies are PHENOMENAL!), cakes, added in pork dishes, sauces and…my mouth.  LOL To me, these are nature’s most perfect treat.

Ocean Spray® Craisins® Dried Cranberries, to me, make dishes taste so much better and honestly make my choice of living a healthy lifestyle delicious and easy.  Like take today’s recipe for example.  I’m a ‘mix-it-together’ kid; always have been. I was that kid that didn’t necessarily mix everything together on a single plate but rather couldn’t take just a bite of one thing on the fork.  If I had meatloaf I had to have mashed potatoes on the fork with it.  If I ate a bologna sandwich, I had to have chips on the sandwich; never on the side. So when I partnered up with Ocean Spray® Craisins® Dried Cranberries I knew immediately what I wanted to make. I needed to share with the world my favorite wrap; my Crantastic Healthy Craisins® Dried Cranberries and Turkey Wrap!

You see this wrap I have been making for years.  It’s one of my favorite go-to healthy recipes.  And honestly the only thing I change is if I want to use an actual wrap or if I want to use a veggie wrap (i.e., lettuce or even shaved veggies). But it’s always roasted turkey, jicama (so love that stuff), carrot match sticks, spinach, cheese (because everything gets cheese in my world), a wee bit of ranch and of course a huge handful of Craisins® Dried Cranberries.

Seriously this is one of the BEST wraps you’ll ever make!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EggRollWithIt #CollectiveBias

This recipe is really pushing the limits when it comes to pizza and you know what? It TOTALLY WORKS!  It’s fantastic!  Actually, it’s “VANTASTIC!”  I’ve partnered up with Van’s Kitchen Egg Rolls and let me tell you what, I’m in LOVE LOVE LOVE with their egg rolls!  Right now when you join their Vantastic Club you can get a $1 off coupon for 2 packages (but trust me, 2 is simply not enough!). Now we’ve all had egg rolls but these… there’s something truly special about these!  Their company started in 1986 when the founder emigrated from Vietnam to the US. To live out the American Dream they started a company (thank you by the way!) with pretty much one simple mantra “Honest food made the honorable way”.  They truly show that simple ingredients, hard work and determination can make a dish not only delicious but successful.

So when the challenge was presented to take their egg rolls and ‘think outside of the box’ I knew exactly what I wanted to make with it – pizza.  I’ve never had an egg roll pizza and when I posed the question to the TKW Family no one had ever heard of one let alone had one.  Well you know me folks, I’m all about pizza-fying a dish and trust me, this is a TOTAL WINNER here!

Read more to find out my top secret crust ingredient!