A New Tip!
Hi! Our trip down memory lane on Saturday sparked a renewed interest in sharing random tips I've learned since our early days of saving money together. After all, an entirely new generation of blog readers have grown up, and they will need money-saving tips too. It has been a LONG time since a tip came along that I could actually use, but FINALLY, one did. Here it is:
*A pinch of cream of tartar can be used in place of corn syrup in recipes. Also, for every 1/2 t. of cream of tartar in a recipe, 1 t. lemon juice or white vinegar can be substituted.*
Viola! Two tips for the price of one! If you already knew this, just ignore my happy dance. By the way, I did try this tip before passing it on, just so you know. I tried it out in two recipes. One recipe was for hot fudge sauce and the other for caramel sauce. It worked beautifully in both. I was so happy to find an alternative to using corn syrup!
If you got stuck on the part about the hot fudge sauce and caramel sauce, I totally understand. The recipes I used were from the Better Homes & Gardens 17th Edition New Cook Book. This particular cookbook happens to be one of my new favorites. It was received as a Christmas gift the Christmas before last and already has earned a spot in my all time favorite category. That's a big deal for a cookbook in my house!
Also, in the spirit of full disclosure, the aforementioned sauces were absolutely delicious on BOTH sourdough brownies AND sourdough blondies. Either sauce on either flavor of bar, seriously seriously delicious. So delicious that I didn't even wait for a cup of coffee or tea to brew first. The fact that I did not wait for a cup of coffee or tea nor did I care I didn't have a cup to drink alongside the desserts is testimony in and of itself to their deliciousness.
Granted, hot fudge and caramel sauces may not be the healthiest recipes to try this substitute out on, but they worked. Let it also be noted that the brownies and blondies were both delicious ways to use up sourdough discard. However, both recipes also used enough butter to earn them a spot in the extra special occasion recipe category. So, let that also be duly noted: lots of butter was used in the making of these desserts. Actually, now that I think about it, there was a lot of dairy in these desserts. The sauces both contained cream, and the bars contained significant amounts of butter. Yep, definitely belongs in the special occasion category.
The first cool - er day after a string of incredibly hot days counts as a special occasion, right? Because that's why I baked them; there was finally a day cool enough to run the oven. That seems like a special occasion to me. When I recall how miserably hot it had been it really seems like an important day. Well, whatever. The tip worked! No matter what recipe you use it in, ENJOY!