Quick Trick: Buttermilk Substitute

While baking the other day I found a recipe which called for buttermilk.  I don't just have buttermilk on hand and I didn't want to buy a whole half gallon to only use a cup of it.

Than low and behold I found a substitute for buttermilk and I was shocked at how simple it was!

Add one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to one cup of milk and let sit for ten minutes.

I had lemon juice handy and used that.

It worked like a charm!  I was quite impressed and so relieved that I didn't have to go buy another ingredient.  Oh, and no one could taste the difference!

Check out what I made using this little trick!

V-Day Recap: Flowers, Cheesecake and Pizza

I know it's a wee bit past Valentines Day but...who cares.  It's my blog and I get to write whatever I want and I want to share with you all my Valentines day!

Oh February 13th while sitting at work on just another Monday I heard a man at the front desk ask the receptionist for me.  I walked out of my office and saw him holding a flower arrangement of nothing other than tulips, my favorite flower.  I knew right away that my hubby was to thank for these goodies!  I called him right away and gushed over how much I love him and all that jazz. (Back story: last year, our first married Valentines Day he didn't get me anything...I may or may not have pitched a little fit and on February 15th he got me my favorite candy...fun dip...and some movies)  He told me about all of the obstacles he went through trying to get them to me.  Somehow despite computer and internet connection errors, page refreshes and the unavailability of the flowers he ordered they got me my flowers.  He said that he got them one day early this year to make up for one day late late year!

Added bonus: these flowers came with a heart lollipop stuck in them.  SCORE!

My hubby works on Mondays until 9:00 and usually does not get home until 9:30.  I friend at work told me about Papa John's Pizza and their heart shaped pizza for Valentines Day only.  Papa John's is my husband's favorite...not at all mine.  Though, I knew I could make the sacrifice for my honey.  I ordered two pizzas and had then delivered right before he got home from work.

While waiting for him to get home I made some of his favorite dessert, the Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake cupcakes.  I made a whole batch just for him!  Check out the recipe HERE.

When he got home..a little late, about 9:45ish we sat at our dining room table and ate heart shaped pizza and watched an episode of Lie to Me (on Netflix...a great show).  No, it probably wasn't the most romantic of Valentines that was ever had but it was simple...just how we like it.

Oh, and we got to hang out with this little guy...our puppy named Gus!

February Lumpia Goal: Check!

Yay!  I completed my February goal of making lumpia!  My husband was quite thrilled as well, he has been asking me for the longest time to make 'his favorite food'.  I was incredibly nervous about making Lumpia (a Filipino Spring Roll)...I'm not exactly an 'exotic foods connoisseur'!

However, I followed a super simply recipe and was so shocked at how easy they were to make and how much my husband liked them!  I learned a lot about making any sort of roll...believe it or not I hit a few snags along the way.

Here's how I did it...

PI&DI: loaded potato soup

I know it's been a while since I've posted a 'Foodie Friday' post but trust me, this one is worth the wait!

I wanted a quick meal that was yummy and satisfying...but most importantly warm!  It was one of those super cold and rainy days where you just want to curl up and do nothing...but when you're moving in less than a week that's just not going to happen!

I found a recipe for homemade loaded bakes potato soup on Pinterest and I've made it a few times.  I know I haven't posted it, I have made it a few different ways and want to perfect it before I share with you bloggies!

This soup took me about fifteen minutes to cook and left me plenty of time to pack.  Here's how I did it...