I’m sure I am not the only one who knows how frustrating it is to find the perfect recipe, start making it, and then realize that I am out of a crucial ingredient. (What’s that? You don’t make recipes without double-checking that you have all the ingredients on hand? Well, aren’t you special.)

Because there is nothing more annoying than having to run to the grocery store and leave your raw cookie batter sitting on the counter, I took the liberty of putting together a handy-dandy substitution cheat sheet of things you can use when you find yourself without the genuine article.

For self-rising flour, substitute flour with baking powder and salt. Self-rising flour is really just a fancy name for flour that already has baking powder and salt added, so you can cheat the system by adding those things yourself. For each cup of flour, just throw in 1 ½ tsp baking powder and about ½ tsp salt.

For cream/half-and-half, substitute milk. Keep in mind that this will only work sometimes. Milk is a lot thinner than cream and has a lot less fat (added health bonus), but that also means that it doesn’t behave the same way. For a recipe in which you’re mixing everything together anyway (quiche), it will work fine, but it’s not going to get you anywhere if you pour it in a bowl and try to whip it into real fluffy cream. If you don’t have regular milk, try using buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream. Read More »

If spanakopita to you is just another word you can’t pronounce, you’re REALLY missing out.

The term for Greek spinach pie, spanakopita is made with phyllo pastry and is probably one of the most delicious things on the planet. Naturally, it also contains a lot of spinach, which gives you a chance to bulk up those muscles like Popeye.

To make my spanakopita, I cut this recipe in half with a few modifications: I omitted the parsley, kept all eight sheets of phyllo, and used less olive oil.

This recipe would be a complete cinch if it weren’t for the phyllo. Phyllo is a pain to work with, and you have to make sure to thaw it properly (at least a full day in the fridge or 3-4 hours in a normal room). When it’s finally thawed, you have to work

with it at lightning speed and keep it covered with something moist at all times… not to mention paint every sheet you’re using

with a little melted butter or olive oil.

Here’s the good news: if you don’t want to mess with phyllo dough (or if you don’t have any), the recipe works fine for quiche, too. Your final quiche product might turn out tasting a little less eggy/cheesy than a usual quiche, but it’ll be delicious anyway (and beautiful)!

Spinach lovers, unite!