Like any good cook, I like to experiment with recipes. And like any mom in a tight economy (and a mom with a kid who has a peanut allergy), I try to find substitutions to recipes. Thus, the following list was born. It originally started on The Twix (there are pictures there as well), but I thought it might be good to have a page for it here. Below are some ways to mix and match recipes in my cookbook, Stories from My Mother, as well as some substitutions/modifications for recipes and some new recipes I’ve come up with since I published. I apologize that this list isn’t super polished. It is what it is. I will try to add more as I come up with them. I hope you enjoy this list and that it helps you and yours in your own world of baking and cooking.

Blessings to you,

~Madelyn Rose Craig

Breakfast

• Stuffed French Toast -> Stuffed Muffins
  • Divide and ladle batch into 24 greased muffin tins and bake for 45 minutes
• Waffles
  • Replace milk with heavy cream or half and half. Will be more cake-like.
  • Freeze-dried fruit makes for a great mix-in

Main Course

• Macaroni and Cheese
  • Replace sour cream with cottage cheese for more protein
  • Replace flour with 1 tbl cornstarch (mixed into milk first)

• Beef Stroganoff cheaper
  • Replace beef sirloin with 2lbs ground beef

• Chicken Stew (New recipe but rapidly becoming a favorite. Still experimenting with it)
  • 4lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 tbl garlic powder
  • 1 tbl salt
  • 1 tbl dried basil
  • 1 tbl parsely
  • 1 tbl cumin
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp better than bullion paste
    • Mix water and spices together in large crockpot
    • Add thighs and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours
    • Remove chicken and shred
    • Boil 2lbs pasta (egg noodles) in stock pot. Drain but KEEP pasta water. Set noodles aside.
    • Return 1 cup pasta water to pot with 8 oz cream cheese, 2 cups milk (whisk with 1 tbl cornstarch), and juices from crockpot. Whisk until thick.
    • Stir in pasta and chicken.
      • Alternatively, fry cubes of potatoes with corn, season with 1-2 tbls everything seasoning (below) and top with chicken and sauce, sans pasta.

Soups

Sides

• Cheesy potatoes
  • Shred 8 cups of potatoes, soak in cold water for at least 1 hour, drain, and mix into recipe.

Spreads & seasonings

• Garlic salt (I mostly use it on my pizza crust)
  • 1 tbl salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder

• Everything seasoning
  • 3 tbls salt
  • 2 tbls garlic powder
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

• Pie Spice
  • 3 tbls cinnamon
  • 2 tsp ginger
  • 1 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• Taco Seasoning
  • 2 tbls chili powder
  • 1 tbl cumin
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp cornstarch

Breads, biscuits, & baked goods

• Beer Bread -> Buttermilk bread
  • Replace 12oz beer/gingerale with buttermilk

• Banana muffins -> applesauce muffins
  • Replace mashed bananas with applesauce
  • Replace cinnamon with pie spice
• Banana Muffins -> Chocolate banana muffins
  • Replaced 1/2 cup of flower with 1/2 cup of cocoa

• Pecan sticky buns -> blueberry rolls
  • Replace cinnamon sugar with 1/2 batch of blueberry pie filling
• Pecan sticky buns->Sourdough cinnamon rolls:
  • Sub water and 1/2 cup flour with 300g starter
  • Only 1 tsp salt
  • Rise overnight
  • Form into rolls and rise again.
  • It took a bit longer to bake, but I’m still not sure if it’s the oven or changes. Otherwise, recipe is the same.

• Cinnamon egg bread > Blueberry bread
  • Replace cinnamon sugar with 1/2 batch of blueberry pie filling

• Baked Cruellers
  • Pipe batter onto parchment-covered baking sheet
  • Bake at 425 for 5 minutes and then turn down oven to 350 for 18 minutes. Then turn off the stove and let them sit in the oven for 10 minutes.
  • Something more like a glazed creme puff, but a slightly “healthier” donut that doesn’t involve frying

• Scones simplified
  • Use a 1/4 cup cookie scoop to portion out scones on parchment paper
  • Use a 1/4 cup cookie scoop to portion out scones into greased muffin tins

• Pizza
  • Buns and Rolls: divide pizza dough into 12 sections and either
    • roll into circles to stuff with pepperoni and cheese to make pizza buns (baked in an oiled cast iron pan)
    • roll into rectangles to roll with pepperoni and cheese to make pizza rolls (baked on a parchment covered baking sheet)
  • Sourdough pizza
    • Replaced yeast with 200g of starter (no other changes)
    • Rise overnight in fridge
    • Do not put toppings on until just before putting pizza in the oven

• Pita chip pita bread
  • Brush baked pita with olive oil and dust with salt and garlic powder
  • Cut into 6 pieces and lay on parchment-covered baking sheet
  • Bake 400* for 25 minutes
• Sourdough pita
  • Replaced yeast with 200g of starter
  • Rise overnight in fridge

Pies, crisps, & cakes

• Pecan pie->Pretzel pie
  • Crush 8 cups pretzels down to 2 cups
  • Leave out salt from filling (pretzels make up for it)
  • Bake the same

• Apple Coffee Cake -> Pumpkin Coffee Cake
  • Replace sour cream with 16oz pumpkin puree
  • Replace cinnamon with pie spice
  • Can be done with or without apples

Cookies, bars, & treats

• Sweet potato cookies – 350 for 12-15 minutes
  • 2 Cups Puréed Sweet Potatoes
  • 1/2 Cup Butter, melted
  • 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 1 1/2 Cup Quick Oats
  • 1 Tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 Tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Tsp Pie Spice
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 1 1/2 Cups Chocolate Chips
    • Use 2 tbl cookie scoop

• Yogurt Cookies – 375 for 10 minutes
  • 8 tbls butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup yogurt (plain or flavored)
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup quick oats or unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips or crasins
    • Use 2 tbl cookie scoop
      • Lemon Greek yogurt with crasins tastes like little scones
      • Replace butter with 1/2 cup yogurt will make for something more like a muffin top
      • Replace butter for coconut oil, oats for unsweetened coconut flakes

• Cheaper/Allergy “free” Cowboy Cookies
  • Replace nuts and coconut flakes with quick oats
  • Replace nuts with more dried fruit
  • Different flavor profile, but it can help make the cookies cheaper and avoid particular allergies. Can also substitute different nuts/seeds/dried fruit depending on allergies and still make a hearty cookie.

• Apple cider donuts -> pumpkin donuts
  • Replace the applesauce with pumpkin puree
  • Replace cinnamon in the topping with pie spice
  • Bake for 15 minutes in the oven

• Rice Crispies -> Scotcheroos
  • Replace 1 cup of butter for a nut butter or sunflower butter
  • Use 1 tsp vanilla
  • Once the base is spread into a pan, add chocolate chips on top, let then melt, and smooth.

• Brownies -> Brownie cookies
  • Chill batter for half an hour
  • Use 2 tbl cookie scoop
  • Bake at 375 for 11 minutes.

• Crumble Bars
  • Coconut Caramel
    • Replace Oats with unsweetened coconut flakes
    • Caramel sauce for filling
    • Bake for 35 minutes
  • Pumpkin Bars
    • Replace fruit filling with:
      • 1 cup pumpkin puree
      • 1/3 cup brown sugar
      • 1 tsp pie spice
      • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • Blueberry Bars
    • Replace fruit filling with 1/2 batch of blueberry pie filling

• Rice Pudding and Whipped Cream
  • Replace half and half with heavy cream
  • It will get thicker faster
  • Whipped cream: 1 cup heavy cream, 2 tbls powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla beaten to stiff peaks

Polish desserts

• Paczki
  • Lemon Creme
    • 1 batch of lemon filling chilled and then combined with whipped cream (1 cup heavy cream beaten to stiff peaks with 1/4 cup powdered sugar)