Description: Tips for cooking on a budget.

Many people think when they follow a recipe from a cookbook they must follow it exactly. This is not true, and it is not cost effective.

This is especially true when it comes to casseroles. Some recipes have numerous ingredients, many which can be discarded without any significant loss of flavor.

You need only to look up the recipe for something like Beef Stroganoff in several different cookbooks to see the many variations of this basic dish.

If you are trying to save money in the kitchen, you will want to make your food as delicious as possible, using the fewest amount of ingredients possible. A lot of recipes call for things we don't normally stock in our cupboards. If we buy them, we may only use a portion of them, and the rest may go to waste.

Sometimes a recipe calls us to purchase just too many ingredients. We don't make it because we calculate that the cost per serving is too expensive.

Sometimes we can get the flavor we want by using substitutes for items we don't want to buy. There are many commercial substitutes already...such as IMO for sour cream, and margarine for butter. I use IMO both in dip and when I make beef stroganoff. I almost always use margarine.

Here are a few substitutes that may help you. You can decide if there is a noticeable difference in quality.

* If a recipe calls for cake flour, just remove 2 Tablespoons of flour for every Cup of Flour.

* For self rising flour add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to every Cup of Flour.

* If out of milk, use 1/2 Cup evaporated milk mixed with 1/2 Cup water.

* A Buttermilk substitute can be make from yogurt. Add 2 Tablespoons milk, and 1 Tablespoon Vinegar or Lemon Juice to 1 Cup Milk. Let it set 10 minutes and then stir.

* To make whole milk out of 1 Cup of skim milk, add 3 Tablespoons of cream.

* A cream cheese substitute is 1 Cup of cottage chess mixed with 1/4 Cup of butter/margarine.

* For sour cream use 1 Cup of yogurt mixed with 3 Tablespoons melted butter.

* For baking powder use 1/4 teaspoon baking soda mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar.

* When baking with chocolate, 3 Tablespoons Cocoa with 2 1/2 teaspoons butter is equal to one unsweetened chocolate baking square.

* For lemon juice, use 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar.

* All canned tomato products may be interchanged. Add water to tomato paste to make tomato sauce.

Olives, mushrooms, green peppers, onions...and such can usually be left out of recipes. Think of a casserole like a pizza. You can eat a plain cheese pizza, or you can eat one that is fully loaded!

Reprinted with permission from:
The Pennypincher
An E-zine for the Frugally Minded