There are just some things that cannot be substituted or duplicated. Like ranch dressing, hazelnut spread, cherry pie filling, or Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. Try as you might, it’s just impossible to make some things at home that work as well in recipes or taste the same as certain foods, whether you like it or not.
‘Twas the month before Christmas and all of the weeks are spent visiting family, trimming everything, sending out Christmas cards, baking, attending school plays and parties, shopping, trying to squeeze twenty hours of continuing education in before the end of the year (oh, that’s just me) . . .
Have you made your Christmas list yet? Started your Christmas shopping? Finished your Christmas shopping? No pressure or anything. It’s not like I’ve done any of those things yet. I take that back, I bought my first Christmas present yesterday, so I guess I’ve officially jumped on the holiday bandwagon.
What mistake do you make in the kitchen most often? Omitting ingredients, forgetting to preheat the oven, or maybe not setting the timer? I’ve made all of these more than once, but I find the thing I do more than these is trying to cut a recipe in half, and forgetting by the end of the ingredient list that I’m halving the recipe and adding the whole amount of the last two or three things. Sometimes it ends in disaster. Sometimes not.
Oh, children and the things they will say. Like “My mom says you can’t come over ’cause you’re a bad influence” to a friend’s daughter. OH THE HORROR.
Here’s a good one to put on your baking list for the Holidays – Chocolate Citrus Biscotti. Perfect to bake and dunk in your warm beverage of choice while you do the rest of your work in the kitchen, and lovely to package and give away as gifts.
Shortbread 