Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Recipe Recyclers: Keeping Food Fun and Healthy


biscuits on a cooling rack
The man in my life is a true Southern Gentleman who loves his granny's buttermilk biscuits. I'm a latte loving, health nut kinda Seattle girl. When my guy insisted on Biscuits Like Granny Used to Make, my whole grain spine shuddered at the thought of all that butter.

I wanted to please my man but I didn't want to clog our arteries. It was time to put on my apron for a session of Recipe Recycling. After a few experiments, my Old Fashioned Southern Buttermilk Biscuits Done Seattle Style successfully fooled my Southern Gentleman's taste buds.

Some people spend hours flipping through cookbooks looking for the perfect recipe. Others are content to follow a single cookbook and only venture into the suggested variations. Then, there are the Recipe Recyclers, like me, who are always testing new taste combinations, questing for new variations on an old theme, searching for the perfect taste treat.

When I need a basic recipe, I turn to my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. It contains over a thousand recipes and is my best source of cooking inspiration. Recipes are just guidelines and ingredients can be changed to satisfy taste buds, to meet dietary restrictions or to substitute healthier ingredients. Sometimes these recipe experiments turn into a new family favorite. Sometimes a flopped dessert can be salvaged.

A few of my friends are also Recipe Recyclers and put an international twist on the recycled and personalized recipe. I'm always surprised at what new culinary delights can be found in the Cyber Kitchen.

Marathon Running comes from Croatia and she specializes in dainty morsels that pack a powerful taste. Along with some great recipes, she uses step-by-step instructions and photographs to make sure your recipes turn out exactly right.

Smine27 lives in Japan and has family in Hawaii. He is always looking for great foods and ways to reduce the sugar and gluten from his diet. He knows that he needs to eat right to maintain a happy body weight. Yes, diet food can taste good. Try these delicacies:
Recipe Recyclers aren't just about creating new and improved food sensations. Recipe Recyclers are also on the lookout ways to reduce food waste by reusing leftovers. My neighbor to the north of me, Ruthi, has been known to make a Not Quite Paella Surprise when she has leftover vegetables in the refrigerator. Around our house, those wilted vegetables are turned into a Chicken Stew.

I hope you enjoyed our gastronomic journey into the world of the Recipe Recyclers. Do you try your hand at recipe recycling? I'd love to hear about your food experiments. Leave a note in the Comments section below and, if you've written a story about your recycled recipe, share the link to your recipe.

Until next time, be safe, buy real food and eat well!

Coletta




Posted by Coletta Teske
Coletta Teske

About This Contributor

Coletta Teske writes reviews on books, business management, writing, crafting, cooking, and gardening. She is also an avid recycler and shares her tips on recycling. She delights in upcycling an old object, recycling or transforming discarded items into a new treasure.




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


11 comments:

  1. Between that image of biscuits and all the delightful recipe links you've shared, my tummy is grumbling, "Feed me!" And I am not a breakfast person! Now I'm headed to check out those Light Apple muffins! Oh, and thank you for including my Not Quite Paella Surprise in the mix of your recycled recipes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, Ruthi, I may just turn you into a breakfast person. It's the most important meal of the day. And, yes, those apple muffins look divine. I hope our Chocoholic Contributor enjoys the brownies!

      Delete
  2. You've shared lots of great recipe ideas. Yes, I too am a recipe recycler who uses that red and white cookbook for her basic standard! I love trying new versions of recipes and I never quite make the recipe exactly as it is printed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary Beth, Isn't that little red & white checkered cookbook wonderful! I started cooking when I was about 4 years old. Time in the kitchen has always been play time. Awesome that you love to experiment, too!

      Delete
  3. Love this post! We certainly have some talented cooks on Squidoo. Looking forward to checking out these recipes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Susan! We have some talent on Squidoo. I love the surprises I find while I browsing the site.

      Delete
  4. I love experimenting and rarely use a standard recipe after trying something for the first time. My dad was an excellent cook who made things from scratch and instinct. Seems I inherited those kitchen cooking adventure genes. Looking forward to checking out the recipes and links featured here. We may need to come up with a whole series of Charlotte themed foods.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Diana, my mom started me in the kitchen before I started school and dad had me working in the garden by the time I could walk. I guess I've always loved playing with my food. I think Charlotte was a pie maker. She left behind 4 rolling pins and a dozen fancy glass pie plates.

      Delete
  5. I have the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook two...and stumbled on some old classics at an auction that I can't give up, and like to make the recipes healthier myself:-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Claudia! Experimenting with healthier foods is great fun. Too cool that I'm finding so many people that rely on Better Homes. Not only does it have great basic recipes, the food preparation tips are awesome!

      Delete
  6. I really like that title, recipe recyclers. I have never quite thought of it that way, but that is exactly what we do when we reinvent a delicious recipe for a healthier diet plan.

    ReplyDelete

Most Recent Reviews on Review This Reviews






Search for Reviews by Subject, Author or Title

The Review This Reviews Contributors



SylvestermouseSylvestermouseDawn Rae BDawn Rae BMbgPhotoMbgPhotoBrite-IdeasBrite-IdeasWednesday ElfWednesday ElfOlivia MorrisOlivia MorrisTreasures by BrendaTreasures by BrendaThe Savvy AgeThe Savvy AgeMargaret SchindelMargaret SchindelRaintree AnnieRaintree AnnieLou16Lou16Sam MonacoSam MonacoTracey BoyerTracey BoyerRenaissance WomanRenaissance WomanBarbRadBarbRadBev OwensBev OwensBuckHawkBuckHawkDecorating for EventsDecorating for EventsHeather426Heather426Coletta TeskeColetta TeskeMissMerFaeryMissMerFaeryMickie_GMickie_G

 


Review This Reviews is Dedicated to the Memory of Our Beloved Friend and Fellow Contributor

Susan DeppnerSusan Deppner

We may be apart, but
You Are Not Forgotten





“As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and or Etsy (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from purchases.” Disclosure Statement

X