Substitue equal amount of plain or a flavored yogurt – depending on what you’re making. I’ve used both and they work wonderfully. One time I was making a sour cream coffeecake and the sour cream in my fridge was way past the expiration date so I used lemon yogurt instead. It was great!

It just won’t come off the dishes, right? Well, soak them in cold water for a while and it’ll come off much, much easier. My mother taught me that one. Thanks mom!

This is simple: never in the fridge, it deadens the flavor. Store them in a bowl on the counter. They look nice there, too.

This is sometimes a pain in the butt for me, too. Where can I leave a bowl of dough where it won’t get knocked around and still keep it warmish. Well I got an idea. . . While you’re getting your ingredients ready, preheat your oven to 200 – 250 degrees for about 15 minutes. [...]

When a recipe calls for room temperature eggs, butter, etc., the best way to do this is to leave the items out on the counter for 30 – 60 minutes, depending on what time of year it is. This is pretty safe to do for 60 minutes in the cooler months, but in the warmer [...]

Place the amount of eggs needed into a pot large enough to hold them comfortably. Carefully add cold water to cover them about an inch. Place on stove and crank heat to high. As soon water comes to a full boil, remove from heat, place on a rack, cover and let sit undisturbed for 30 [...]