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One Hundred Dollars a Month

I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

Top 20 Common Ingredient Substitutions

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Common Ingredient Substitutions

With holiday baking right around the corner and the ever-annoying prospects of having to run to the store for one missing ingredient, I thought you might like a list of the most common ingredient substitutions.  Hopefully, it will be a handy dandy little reference that will save you a little time–or even better, keep you from having to throw on a bra and head to the grocery store!

  1. 1 cup packed brown sugar {1 c. white sugar plus 1/4 cup molasses and decrease the liquid in recipe by 1/4 cup}
  2. 1 cup butter {7/8 cup vegetable oil}
  3. 1 tsp. baking powder {1/4 tsp. baking soda plus 1/2 tsp cream of tartar}
  4. 1 clove of garlic {1/8 tsp. garlic powder)
  5. 1 cup half and half {1 tbsp. melted butter plus enough whole milk to make 1 cup}
  6. 1 tsp. dry mustard {1 tbsp. prepared mustard –only works in cooked mixtures}
  7. 1 cup molasses {1 cup honey}
  8. 1 cup tomato juice {1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water}
  9. 1 tbsp. cornstarch {2 tbsp. flour}
  10. 1 ounces unsweetened chocolate {3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 tbsp. shortening, melted}
  11. 1 cup buttermilk {1 cup milk plus 1 tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice}
  12. 1 cup ricotta cheese {1 cup cottage cheese}
  13. 1 cup heavy cream {3/4 cup milk plus 3 tbsp. butter}
  14. 1 cup corn syrup { 1 1/4 cup white sugar plus 1/3 cup water}
  15. 1 tsp. cream of tartar {2 tsp. lemon juice and vinegar}
  16. 1 cup mayo {1 cup sour cream OR 1 cup plain yogurt}
  17. 1/2 cup soy sauce {4 tbsp. worchestershire mixed with 1 tbsp. water}
  18. 1 cup sugar {1 1/4 cup powdered sugar}
  19. 1 cup self-rising flour {1 cup all purpose flour plus 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt}
  20. 1 tsp. lemon juice {1/2 tsp. vinegar}

How about you, do you have any go-to substitutions for cooking/baking?

~Mavis

 

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DIY Dishwasher Detergent

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Is it just me, or is dishwasher detergent stupidly expensive?  The worst part is that it’s one of those things we go through like crazy around here.  I’ve been kind of toying with the idea of making my own lately.

Have you tried making your own?  Are  you happy with the results?  I’ve done a ton of research and found that with dishwasher detergent, in particular, there are definitely mixed reviews.  I basically don’t want it to leave my dishes cloudy.  A big thanks to Kendra for telling me about this one:

DIY Homemade Laundry Detergent

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Borax
  • 1 cup Washing Soda
  • 1/2 cup citric acid {this is supposed to help with that cloudy problem I’m trying to avoid}
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt

Mix all of the ingredients together and use 1 tbsp. per load.  It is supposed to be even more effective if you use vinegar in the rinse aid part of your dishwasher.

I’ll keep you posted on the results.  Let me know what you think if you try it!

~Mavis

stack of white dishes

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Roasted Garlic Pesto Recipe

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Roasted Garlic Pesto Recipe

After an awesome garlic harvest this year, I’ve decided to use some of it to whip up some Roasted Garlic Pesto.  The roasted garlic gives this pesto an uh-mazing flavor, which tastes great over pretty much everything from pasta to chicken.

Ingredients

4 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped pine nuts or walnuts {I used pine nuts}
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 head roasted garlic {How to roast garlic}
1/2 cup olive oil

fresh basil

Directions

Start by roasting the garlic.  Then put all ingredients into a blender or food processer and puree to desired consistency {you may have to add a little extra olive oil to make it smooth}.  Season with salt to taste and you’re done.

Find More Recipes in my Recipe Index

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How to Bake a Perfect Cake

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how to bake a perfect cake

With holiday baking right around the corner, here’s a few tips on getting the best cakes possible for the least amount of effort:

  1. Use aluminum pans, if possible.  They reflect heat away from the cake, keeping the edges lightly brown instead of crispy.
  2. Even though nonstick spray is awesome, make sure to coat the pan in flour too.  It makes nicer more uniformly shaped cakes when you remove them from the pan.Christmas eggnog pound cake recipe
  3. Don’t skip the wire cooling rack.  It lifts the cake off of the counter and lets air flow around the entire cake, rather than trapping moisture.
  4. Don’t overmix your batter {this is especially true with cakes made from scratch}, it will cause your cake to become heavy.
  5. When baking a cake from scratch, measurements should be EXACT.  That’s why the “purists” will weigh their ingredients instead {I’m not a purest, but I do try to get my measurements exact by leveling them off with the back of a knife}.  The slightest bit off could cause your cake to fall in the center or taste too dry.
  6. Don’t lift your cake out of the pan.  Instead, bring the wire rack to the top of the cake, flip the entire pan, and then gently lift the pan off of the cake.How-To-Make-A-Boxed-Cake-Mix-Taste-Homemade
  7. When decorating your cake, use a toothpick to draw out your outlines first.  You can always frost over any mistakes, and it will give you an awesome guide.
  8. For sheetcakes, use a serrated plastic knife to cut.  They cut amazing without bringing lumps of cake with them.
  9. Don’t open the oven door to check on your cake–like ever.  The change in temperature can cause your cake to fall.  Use the oven light instead.
  10. Only use the low setting on your mixer in order to prevent over-beating.

How about you, any awesome tips for baking cakes that you’ve learned over the years?

~Mavis

How To Make A Boxed Cake Mix Taste Homemade

Eggnog Pound Cake Recipe

martha-stewarts-cakes-cover

Martha Stewart’s Cakes: Our First-Ever Book of Bundts, Loaves, Layers, Coffee Cakes, and more

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Mavis Butterfield Etsy