Holiday Recipe Mishaps

Many people enjoy the holiday season because they get to try new recipes or because they enjoy making their favorite traditional recipes. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because I get to cook for my entire family. Something about cooking and having others enjoy my food gets me every time. Some people are intimidated with trying a new recipe for fear that it might not taste good or come out right, while others like to experiment.

So what happens if you are making a recipe and something goes wrong?

This year, while I was preparing my pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner, I realized that because of a typo in the recipe, instead of one cup of evaporated skim milk I had used one can. Now what, I thought? Can I save my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner, or will I have to throw it away? I quickly searched for my band-aid ingredient – another can of pumpkin, which would have been perfect. But I wasn’t that lucky and I wasn’t desperate enough to drive to the store on Thanksgiving morning. Fortunately, I did have some fresh squash that I was able to cook and puree. Needless to say, it took me much longer to prepare my pie, but in the end, it was a hit.

Did you have any Holiday recipe mishaps? Were you able to fix it?  Share your band-aid ingredients and what you were able to do to save your dish.

Some tips to fix recipe mishaps:

• For watery soup, stir together a tablespoon each of softened butter and flour, then whisk it into the simmering soup.
• Did you burn the rice? Don’t throw it away.  Place the heel of a loaf of bread on top of the rice and cover for 5 minutes to absorb the smoky smell. Carefully remove the rice, leaving the burned pieces in the pot.
• Whirl overcooked veggies into a smooth side dish by pureeing them with a bit of cream or yogurt.
• Broken cookies are perfect for making trifles or toppings for ice cream. Layer the pieces with whipped cream and fruit in a glass bowl to make a trifle.
• Did your sauce turn out too sweet? Just add a dash of vinegar or lemon juice to neutralize the sweetness.

Enjoy the Holidays!
Natalie

About Natalie Castro-Romero, M.S., R.D., LDN
Natalie Castro-Romero is the Chief Wellness Dietitian for corporate wellness at Baptist Health South Florida. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics from Florida International University.  She completed her master’s degree in nutrition and exercise science at the State University of New York, University at Buffalo. Ms. Romero is certified in adult weight management and works passionately to improve the health of both adults and children. Her clinical experience includes working with patients suffering from gastrointestinal disorders and critically ill patients in intensive care.  In addition, she has conducted research on eating behaviors and pediatric obesity.  Her research has been published in several peer-reviewed medical journals.