Buttermilk

You can get buttermilk here, but if you are like me you only need buttermilk for one recipe and it only calls for a couple tablespoons. Hardly a reason to buy a whole jug! Here's a simple buttermilk substitute recipe that you can make with those items you have on hand. The most common method is with lemon or vinegar, but the others are helpful too.

Lemon Juice/White Vinegar:
Add 1 Tblsp Lemon Juice or White Vinegar to a liquid measuring cup and add milk to fill the rest of the way. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, stir and walha! buttermilk!

Plain Yogurt
Start with 2 Tbsp milk in a measuring cup and add enough yogurt to fill the rest of the way up! Boo ya! Buttermilk!

Sour Cream
First thin out the sour cream by adding milk till it reaches a buttermilk consistency and there you go! Buttermilk!

Cream of Tartar
Cream of tarter is hard to come by in Azerbaijan but if that's all you have, here you go: Measure 1 3/4 Tbsp cream of tarter plus 1 cup milk.  Whisk to combine and let stand at room tempiture for 5-10 minutes, stir and bah-da-boom! Buttermilk!

Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Molasses (for light brown sugar) or 2 T Molasses (for dark brown sugar)
1 C White Sugar

Mix together.  Keep in a sealed container.  If you are just throwing it into a recipe right away, no real need of mixing it together just add both parts to your recipe.  I love having this on hand for oatmeal in the morning or for guests who like it in their coffee.

Banana Bread

1 1/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 medium)
1/2 Cups Buttermilk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Chopped nuts (Opt)
1 Package (2 Cups) Chocolate Chips

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottoms only of 2 (8x4") loaf pans or 1 (9x5") loaf pan.

2. In large bowl, stir sugar and butter until well mixed. Stir in eggs until well mixed. Stir in bananas, buttermilk and vanilla; beat with spoon until smooth.  Still in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened.  Stir in nuts and Chocolate Chips.  Divide batter evenly between 8" pans or pour into 9" pan.

3. Bake 8" loaves about 1 hour
             9" loaves about 1 hour 15 minutes
or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes in pans on cooling rack.

4. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on cooling rack.  Cool completely, about 2 hours before slicing.  Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days or refrigerate. 

Sand Brownies

1 c. Flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar (or 1 c. sugar + 2 Tbsp molasses)
1 c. choc. chips (or chopped choc. bar)
1/2 c. nuts (opt)
250g  melted butter (a little more than 1 c.)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x13 pan. Mix  flour, baking powder, cocoa, and sugar. Add brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla.  Stir in the choc. chips and nuts. Then spread out in pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Jar Brownie: Mix flour and baking powder together then layer the rest of the dry ingredients and add these instructions: "Empty brownie mis into bowl. Just add: 1 c. melted butter, 3 lg eggs, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla. Preheat 350. Use 9x13 pan. Bake for 30 mins"

BBQ Chicken

1 Whole chicken
2 tsp Oil
1/4 c. Chopped onion
1 1/2 c. Ketchup
1/2 c. Packed brown sugar (or 1/2 c. sugar + 1 T. Molasses)
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

1. Boil chicken till meat thermometer says 165 degrees F.  Let cool and pull meat from bone making bite size pieces, set aside. 
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in Medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion. Cook 2 minutes or until tender. 
3. Stir in remaining ingredients, return to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, covered for 10 minutes. 

Trail Mix

This is a super easy to make snack. I like to keep all of the ingredients on hand for a quick snack to make when guests come over or if I need a snack for my kids when we go out for the day or whatever. These are our favorite brands to use and of course you can add whatever you would like to your trail mixes, i.e. pretzels, mixed nuts, mixed dried fruit, etc.

Air Your Laundry

Tips on using clothes lines*: 

• For softer line-dried clothing, add a half cup of vinegar to your washer's rinse cycle.
• To keep dark or brightly colored clothes fading in the sun, hang them inside out. 
• Hang shirts by the hem or tail and clothespin marks won't show
• Don't set up a clothesline under trees! Birds might use your wash for target practice. 
• IN cold or wet weather, hang the laundry on the line in large, heated space that has good air circulation. 
• Shake and snap items briskly through the air before you hang them.  Most of the wrinkles will disappear. 
• To get jeans and towels completely dry, hang folded over the line until the outer sides are dry. Then refold and hang again, damp sides out.
• Put heavy items near ends of the line to reduce sagging
• Drape fitted sheets folded over the line so pockets are on the inside, where they won't catch leaves or debris.

*All tips taken from Country Women Magazine :)