2022, Family, Food, Gatherings, holidays, Seasons, Uncategorized

Well, I’ll Be Stuffed!

22 Comments

It’s time for the annual CarbFest.  We always spend Thanksgiving with close friends and I am always asked to bring the vegetarian stuffing and a dessert.   A friend asked me to send her my recipe for the stuffing and as I typed it out I realized that I have probably never followed the recipe to the letter even once.

In fact, this year, I’m thinking of adding some cornbread  to the sourdough as the base of the stuffing.  And I have to go get craisins today because I always used them instead of the dark raisins.  I’ve also never used fresh parsley – not once in 20+ years.

I’m thinking I should probably have told this to my friend.  What if she makes the recipe as written and doesn’t like it and then wonders about my sanity??

Do you have a recipe that you always alter?

22 thoughts on “Well, I’ll Be Stuffed!”

  1. OT

    Sunday, January 22
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    The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
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    Blevins page also updated

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  2. Many actually. I’ll follow a new recipe to the letter the first time, then tweak it in subsequent makings. Other than with baking recipes like bread and cake, there’s no harm in substituting, omitting, or adding new ingredients in a recipe. You never know when you’ll drastically improve an ok recipe.

    Happy Thanksgiving, Baboons. 🙂

    Chris in Owatonna

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  3. Oh, let me count the ways. I think of most recipes as “suggestions”, and usually follow a recipe just the first time through, to get the gist of what they were thinking of. I make a lot of soups and stews that are very forgiving.

    Exceptions are for bread or things with baking soda, where the correct amount can be critical. And there’s Thai Carrot Soup whose taste I want just right, so I only alter the amount of coconut milk – an entire 14-oz. can instead of 1 C. And my dad’s mac and cheese needs just the right proportions. Come to think of it, I probably do follow a lot of recipes. Ignore what I just said above.

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    2. Recipes I alter right from the start:
      -Any recipe with garlic, I always double or triple the amount.
      -Recipes that entail custard-like component, like quiche or custard or bread pudding, I always add at least one extra egg.

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      1. Doubling the amount of garlic goes almost without saying. As does amping up the “heat” a notch in curries and other spicy dishes when cooking just for the two of us. My friend, Philip, can’t tolerate spicy foods, so I have to set aside his portion before I spice it to suit us.

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  6. Rise and Shine Baboons,

    Many of the Baboons are good cooks. Being willing to tweak those recipes must be part of that process. I am right there with the “always after the first time”crew. Most recipes are just suggestions. This is especially true of soup. It tolerates improvisation.

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  7. Oh, yes, soup. I think I may have told this before, but once for a church potluck, (which I had forgotten about until just a couple of hours before) I just threw in everything I had on hand into a pot. I had some bullion cubes, I had veggies, I had some tomatoes, I threw in a little bit of pasta. I was actually a little embarrassed by it, but several people that night asked me for the recipe. With the exception of Anna’s chocolate chip cookies, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked for a recipe for a dish more often than that kitchen sink soup. And of course I couldn’t duplicate it if I tried.

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  8. I’m flexible with everything except cakes and breads. You really need to follow the recipe for the correct amount of dried ingredients when baking. Otherwise, any sauce, like the pasta sauce on the stove right now, or soups, like my vegetarian chili can be tweaked in all kinds of ways. I keep the basic supplies on hand for the soups and stews I make often, then I clean out the refrigerator using up veggies, garlic and onions. I don’t follow the recipes anymore for things I make often. Just grab the basics that I need and clean the veggies. Most of the cooking I do is for myself anyway, so if something doesn’t turn out great, it’s okay with me. I’ll still eat it. Happy Thanksgiving, Baboons!

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  10. Like most everyone here, I improvise on most recipes and rarely measure ingredients. I don’t deliberately set out to alter recipes, but if what I have on hand isn’t exactly what the recipe calls for, I substitute or leave out ingredients – within reason, of course.

    I’m surprised by vs’ statement that she never uses fresh parsley! How is that even possible?

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  11. It would be hard to replicate the many of our recipes because of the canning that I do, so that the canned veggies from the store might taste different than the ones I canned myself.

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  12. I often simplify recipes – if I can use canned black beans or frozen squash instead of cooking from scratch, I usually do. Love canned tomatoes. There is also a frozen seasoning blend that is really easy for soups – it has chopped onion and peppers. Shortens my time in the kitchen.

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