Tasty Tuesday

               It's all about tips this week, not how to, but the useful kind found in kitchens! I know you have your own, don't we all, but we all can use the best of those tired and true tips. Don't worry, I have a recipe too, one that you will want to keep handy!

    As you know, and I've shared on my blog, I prefer to make my own vanilla, it's that secret ingredient that just makes all my baked goods, scrumptious! You can find the post by using the search bar on the upper left hand side of this blog.  Good vanilla really does make all the difference.

   Another favorite tip of mine is, make your own buttermilk! With the price of regular milk so high why would you buy another carton of specially milk just for a recipe? I sure don't. Just measure the needed amount of milk needed, in this case, the amount of buttermilk you need, and add one tablespoon of vinegar to the milk, let sit for a few minutes and you will have the correct amount of buttermilk for your recipe without leaving the house. In case you ask, I've used both kinds of vinegar and both had the same results.

    This last tip was only recently discovered over Thanksgiving and am I ever grateful! The BEST potato salad I ever made came from left over mashed potatoes. We had a good bowl size full of mashed potatoes left over so I boiled about 6 eggs, added all my usual potato salad ingredients and combined them all in my big mixing bowl and beat them with the mixer for a minute or two and oh my! Not only did I get 2 meals out of one pot of spuds but it was quick and the best!

      Now, onto the recipe, I don't remember where I found this treasure but I'm sure glad I did! I'm the muffin mama for our Sunday School class which has turned into feeding all classes so this recipe is my little helper. You can turn ANY cake mix into muffins! Yes, it's true, I know what your thinking, all those possibilities and add ins! Yep, just take your cake mix, pour into a big bowl. Add these ingredients ONLY:
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. flour
2/3 c. milk
1/3 c. oil
3 eggs
NO NOT go by the box here. Just combine the cake mix and the ingredients above, mix well and pour into 24 muffin cups and bake till done. They usually take longer than cupcakes because they are denser but keep a eye on them, usually about 30 min. depending on your oven.

        New tips, I hope, for the New Year so you are set to reclaim your kitchen! My word for 2011 is simple, I want to create a simple life. So, bake up some cake mix muffins, pour a cup of coffee or tea and simply enjoy!