Happy Thanksgiving!

We'd like to wish a happy and safe Thanksgiving to everyone out there! Enjoy the food, drink, and company. Here's a festive picture of cats for the occasion.

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A Quick Guide to Ingredient Substitutions

Cooking for someone with a food allergy this holiday? If you're committed to a particular dish, but need to replace a problematic ingredient then check out "A Quick Guide to Ingredient Substitutions" so that everyone can enjoy your delicious dish!

EGGS

• Substitute flax seed for eggs in baking.
• All about vegan egg substitutes.

FLOUR:

• The best gluten-free flour substitute.
• On substituting white whole wheat flour for white flour.
• Substitute a bit of corn starch and flour for cake flour.
• How to make a cake flour substitute.
• Substitute gluten-free teff for rye flour.

SUGAR

• Tips for substituting agave nectar for sugar in baking.
• Quick and easy sugar substitutes.
• On substituting regular sugar for superfine.
• How to make a substitute for cane syrup.

MILK + DAIRY:

• On substitutes for for buttermilk in baking. (And for more see here and here.)
• Vegan substitutions for 8 common baking ingredients.
• On substitutes for dairy and coconut milk.
• Substitute macadamia nut butter and cream for dairy in baking.

SAVORY SUBSTITUTIONS

• Substitute toasted bread crumbs for parmesan.
• Substitute yogurt for sour cream.
• Substitute yogurt or sour cream for crème fraîche.
• Substitute fish sauce for anchovies.
• Substitute jicama for water chestnuts.
• Substitute avocado for mayonnaise.
• Substitute spaghetti squash for pasta.
• On substituting tubed tomato paste for canned.
• On substitutes for lemon and vinegar.
• On substitutes for bananas in smoothies.
• On substitutes for espresso powder.
• A soy-free substitute for soy sauce.
• What to substitute for nuts in pesto.

Do you have any go-to ingredient substitutes you rely on for convenience (when you're out of the called-for ingredient) or health issues (vegan, dairy- or- gluten-free)?

Related: Substitutions: A Handy Kitchen App for iPhones and iPads

(Image: Faith Durand)

Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/try-this-for-that-20-quick-ingredient-substitutions-175015

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Make this Homemade Holiday Gift: Pine Sachets

This holiday season impress your loved ones with homemade gifts! These sachets contain the wonderful scent of pine, check out the steps to make them in "Make this Homemade Holiday Gift: Pine Sachets"!

Materials: 

• Freshly fallen pine needles


• Tartan scraps in 6-inch squares
• Sewing machine, or needle and thread

Instructions:

1. Place two squares of fabric with the fronts together.
2. Sew three of the edges, and turn your sachet right side in.
3. Stuff the sachet with pine needles. Sew the fourth edge closed.
4. Stack a couple and tie with a satin ribbon.

(Image credits: The Cavender Diary)

Original Article Here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/make-this-homemade-holiday-gift-pine-sachets-homemade-holiday-gift-idea-exchange-project-10-197017

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Fall Recipe: Quince & Vanilla Sorbet

It seems like fall just got here, and winter is only a few weeks away. Celebrate the season while you still can with this delicious "Fall Recipe: Quince & Vanilla Sorbet", perfect for cozying up with a blanket at the end of a long day.

Quince & Vanilla Sorbet

Makes about 1 quart

2 pounds quince (about 3 medium fruit), peeled and cut up
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 vanilla bean
2 star anise pods
Pinch salt

Place the quince in a large pot and add the sugar, honey, and 2 cups water. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the tip of a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Add them and the vanilla pod to the pot, along with the star anise and salt, and stir.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat and cover with a parchment circle (see general directions here for cooking quince) or loosely with a lid. Simmer for 45 minutes or until soft and pink.

Refrigerate the quince in its syrup overnight or for a few hours.

Remove a few slices of cooked quince for serving with the sorbet, and strain out about 1/4 cup of syrup for drizzling over top. Reserve these and refrigerate.

Blend the rest of the quince and its syrup in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to an ice cream maker and process for 20 minutes or until it's frozen. Spread in a freezer container and cover the surface of the sorbet fully with wax paper or plastic wrap. Put on a lid and freeze for up to 1 month.

Serve with slices of quince and a drizzle of the syrup.

(Image credits: Faith Durand; Rachel Joy Baransi; The Splendid Table)



Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/fall-recipe-quince-vanilla-sorbet-recipes-from-the-kitchn-196059

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My Favorite Childhood Halloween Treat: Dirt Pudding

This Halloween treat is a classic that everyone should recognize, so why not bust it out for your Halloween bash? Check out "My Favorite Childhood Halloween Treat: Dirt Pudding" below and 'dig' in!

Dirt Pudding
Yield: A lot! Probably close to 20 servings
Recipe by bakeeatrepeat.blogspot.com

Ingredients:
2 packages oreos
1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) melted butter
4 Tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
3 1/2 cups milk
2 small boxes instant pudding (mix and match chocolate and vanilla or find your own favorite combo)
16 oz Cool Whip
Gummy worms (optional)

Directions:
1. Place oreos in a large ziplock bag and seal. Use a rolling pin to crush oreos. Pour melted butter in the bag and shake to combine.
2. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and sugar. Beat until smooth, about 2 mintues. 
3. Add milk and pudding. Beat on low until partially combined then switch to high speed and beat until pudding begins to thicken. Stir in Cool Whip.
4. Place a layer of oreos at the bottom of a large bowl. Put a layer of the pudding mixture over top. Repeat until both are gone, beginning and ending with the oreos. Place gummy worms on top. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

(Images: Neighbor Food )

Original Article Here: http://www.neighborfoodblog.com/2011/08/dirt-pudding.html

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Ghastly Delicious Recipes for Your Halloween Get-Together

Hosting a Halloween party? Going to one and looking for something to bring? Check out these "Ghastly Delicious Recipes for Your Halloween Get-Together" and get ready for the holiday!

Try these tasty Halloween recipe ideas for your haunted Halloween gathering – you’ll be scared by how much your guests eat! Have fun while putting a ghoulish twist on old favorites or creating something scrumptious out of the seemingly unappetizing.

Sinister startersConsider these creepy foods to kick off your festivities. Weird food can gross out guests, while delivering a savory or sweet surprise with every bite.

Make deviled eggs extra devilish for your Halloween get-together using jarred red peppers, chives and scallions to create a bedeviled face. You’ve never had stranger-looking sausage balls than these Monster Eyes, but you’d better hurry and sample them before your invited ghouls finish them off. Bat Wings (actually seasoned chicken wings) may look completely unappetizing, but are sure to disappear when your first brave visitor takes a bite. Serve them with a macabre, but tasty, tapas dish calledDevils on Horseback, which are oddly-delicious, bacon-wrapped prunes.

Devilish drinksYou can ladle this spooky Brew Ha-Ha Punch into the cups of adults and kids at your Halloween party. When you place dry ice (safely) under the bowl, your guests will sense the smoky chill. For a truly creepy grown-up beverage, make this Eyeball Martini, using a radish and olive as a gruesome garnish floating in gin or vodka. A dead-of-night alternative is the Headless Horseman, made with Falernum, rum and pumpkin ale. This cocktail, with flavors of lime, almond and ginger, is seasonal, yet quite unexpected.

Sweet and spooky treatsWhat would Halloween be without spooky treats for the young and the young at heart? Your guests will love spider cookies, made with crispy chocolate cereal and black-licorice legs. (Here’s a gluten-free version.)

Chocolate bat cupcakes take two squares of chocolate, mints, or cookies placed on each side of the cupcake to form wings. Use a thick chocolate ganache frosting to hold the “wings” in place. With a frosting tube, draw on a bat face. Place small, white candies or white daubs of frosting for eyes.

No ladies’ tea would be complete without Lady Fingers cookies, but you can give them a gruesome twist at your Halloween party this year by serving them with Men’s Toes. These delicate biscuits will have your guests grimacing for more. Or serve up someBlack Magic Cake. The coffee in this formulation deepens the chocolate flavor, sending this dark confection to flavorful depths.

This year, plan ahead to make your Halloween get-together unforgettable with these delicious, sometimes weird food ideas that will have guests haunting your kitchen for more!

Photo Credit:  Shutterstock / Azurita

Original Article Here: http://www.apartmentguide.com/blog/ghastly-delicious-recipes-for-your-halloween-get-together/

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Fun And Easy DIY Halloween Decorations

(Image courtesy of kustom1958)

Halloween is almost here! One of the best parts about this time of year is the opportunity to let loose a little bit and adorn your apartment with fun decorations. Rather than going to the store there are a few, simple, projects you can do at home to get in the Halloween spirit.

Carving pumpkins and hanging wooly “spiderwebs” are what people typically imagine when they think of Halloween decorations, but this article from apartmentguide.com offers some great twists on classic ideas. To find out how to get creative with your decorations this year, keep reading!

Mason Jar Pumpkin

If you have canning jar lids laying around, this project will give them a new purpose. Gather together lids of the same size. String the lids together, tying the string tightly. Evenly spread the lids around. Next, stick cinnamon sticks in the center. To create leaves, cut some out of burlap. This goes perfectly as a centerpiece on your dining room table or coffee table. It can also be placed on a shelf on top of books.

Head in a Jar

If you’re looking for creepier decorations, this one is perfect for you. Use a wide mouth jar for this project. You’ll also need a great picture that goes in the jar. It needs to be a flattened image of a head. Run a quick search on a search engine, and you should find some great examples. Print this image on thick and slick paper, making sure it will fit into the jar. Roll the picture and place it in the jar, making sure it fills up about ¾ of the circumference of the jar. Fill the jar with colored water. This can be placed in the fridge to creep out the midnight snackers. On Halloween night, drop a few glow sticks in the jar for added ambiance.

Tin Can Luminaries

To upcycle old soup cans, use them for luminaries. If you have several cans, create a design in the cans, from ghosts to spelling out “BOO.” To start the project, fill the cans up with water and stick them in the freezer. This allows you to hammer a design into the cans without denting the cans. Use a nail and hammer to create the design. Once the ice melts, dump the water and place tea lights into each can.

Mummy Cereal Boxes

Old bed sheets in your linen closet that don’t fit any beds in your home are perfect for this DIY Halloween craft. Cut the fabric into thin sheets. Then, take empty cereal or cracker boxes and cover with the white sheets. Once the box is covered, tuck the end in. Optional: attach googly eyes.

Halloween Garland

Take old cardboard paper towel rolls and paint them pumpkin orange. Then, slice them into thin strips and create pumpkin shapes. Use twine to string the pumpkins together and hang on your wall.

Bat Mobile

Head out to your backyard and pick up one or two sticks from the yard. You’ll also need clear thread, or fishing line. For the bats, you use thin cardboard, such as cereal or cracker boxes. Cut several bats from the cardboard, and hang the bats to a branch. Hang in various lengths.

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