The Cursing Gourmet Tip of the Day:
PSA: I rarely follow recipes exactly. Sometimes I add things, sometimes I omit things (for personal taste as well as allergy reasons). And sometimes the recipe is actually a hybrid of a few recipes for the same dish (and the one I reference on here is simply the closest to what I ended up creating.)
Sometimes the changes aren’t about the ingredients at all. I always turn my oven temp down about 25 degrees below the temp stated in the directions because at my altitude, in this dry air, things cook a lot quicker.
I thought of these types of changes as I was making Veggie Pesto Lasagna yesterday. I don’t layer the noodles like they say. I also have a layer of Parmesan in the middle as well as near the top. That’s just how I make my meat lasagna, and I didn’t even realize I did it differently than the Neely’s until I read their directions. I know how to layer a lasagna without reading the directions, believe you me!
Also? I don’t measure things. I trust myself enough to ballpark a teaspoon and a tablespoon. I measure liquids more often, but just as often not. (Cooking/Baking newbies: DO NOT ballpark when baking. Ballparking works for dinner, but not for baking.)
When you hate cooking, every tiny shortcut adds up. NOT measuring saves me a few seconds, plus a few more seconds of not having to clean up measuring cups or spoons.
And here’s the Tip of the Day you’ve been waiting for: On your standard size spice jar, one tablespoon is approximately the width of your thumbnail. (Of course this depends on the size of your thumbnail, some women and most men have wider thumbnails.) So if you hold the spice jar with the edge of your thumbnail lining up with the top of the current spice level, and pour until the spice level lines up with the other edge of your thumbnail, that’s a tablespoon, give or take.
And you know YOU: Maybe you want more spice… Maybe you want less salt. The whole point is, modify where necessary, according to your tastes. Get creative. What could possibly go wrong? ?