Christmas Cookie Exchange is a fun way to get a lot of different Christmas goodies in the house for the holiday season without having to do all of the work!

How does it work?

Invite a group of local friends to join in on the fun!

Each participant bakes 1 type of Christmas goodie or cookie (each person’s choice should be communicated to the group so that there are no repeat recipes!)

Each participant will bake 1 dozen goodies per 2 participants (giving each participant 6 of each goody)

Ex. 4 total participants- bake 2 dozen

Decide on a date and place for the exchange to take place and bring your goodies to share!

Take home a variety of goodies without having to do all of the hard work!!

What should I bake?

If you have a family favorite recipe – that would be a great one to make! 

If you are looking for Christmas goody inspiration, follow me on Pinterest and check out my Christmas Cookie Exchange Board! – https://pin.it/wb6avxwnvwikqg

The post Christmas Cookie Exchange appeared first on Rachel Granstra - The American Farm Wife.

1 cup honey Sub: 1 1/4 cups sugar and 1/4 cup liquid

1 cup brown sugar Sub: 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 Tbsp. molasses

1 cup powdered sugar Sub: 1 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. cornstarch. Blend in blender

1 cup corn syrup Sub: 1 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid

1 sq. unsweetened chocolate Sub: 3 Tbsp. cocoa plus 3 Tbsp. shortening

1-oz. bitter chocolate Sub: 4 Tbsp. cocoa plus 2 Tbsp. butter

6-oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate pieces, melted Sub: 2 sqs. unsweetened chocolate plus 2 Tbsp. shortening and 1/2 cup sugar

Butter Sub: 2 sticks softened margarine, 1/3 cup vegetable oil and 1/2 cup buttermilk. Beat until liquid is absorbed. Refrigerate

1 cup milk Sub: 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water or 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk plus 1/2 cup water plus 2 tsp. butter

1 cup sweet milk Sub: 1 cup sour milk or buttermilk plus 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk Sub: 1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice plus milk to make 1 cup. Let stand 5 minutes. Or 1 cup yogurt

1 cup sour milk Sub: 1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice or 1 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar plus 1 cup sweet milk

Sweetened condensed milk Sub: 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk, 1/2 cup warm water, 3/4 cup sugar. Place water in bowl with dry milk. Mix well. Mix in sugar to smooth. Or mix together 2 eggs, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 Tbsp. flour, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. milk. Mix

1 cup half and half Sub: 7/8 cup milk plus 1/2 Tbsp butter or 1/2 cup coffee creamer and 1/2 cup milk

1 cup sour thin cream (for some milk recipes) Sub: 3 Tbsp. butter and 3/4 cup milk

1 cup sour cream Sub: 7/8 cup yogurt

Sour cream Sub: 1 cup cottage cheese, 1-3 Tbsp. milk, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Blend, store in refrigerator

1 cup butter Sub: 1 cup vegetable shortening plus 1/2 tsp. salt

Source: Zion Lutheran Church Cookbook (Paullina, IA)

The post My Favorite Baking Substitutions appeared first on Rachel Granstra - The American Farm Wife.

My husband can’t tell the difference between the ground beef that was browned in the microwave from the ground beef browned on the stove–and he’s a cattle farmer so he knows his beef!

If your ground beef is frozen, just remove the packaging and place it in the micro cooker for 4 minutes in the microwave on high.

When that is cooked just remove it from the microwave and use a spatula or ground beef tool to break it all up and place it back in the microwave for another three and a half minutes.

Once that’s done, I break it up one more time and finish it out usually for about 2 minutes or until it is fully cooked.

When it’s done, all you have to do is tip the micro cooker upside down and remove the grease from it. Now you can add your ground beef to any recipe you want!

If your ground beef is thawed, break it up right away into chunks and run it for 3 minutes, then 2, then 1 minute or until fully cooked, breaking it up in between each microwave session.

The micro cooker that I use is from Pampered Chef, and you can grab one here through my Pampered Chef consultant’s link.

https://www.pamperedchef.com/party/rachelgranstra0819

Try some of my favorite Ground Beef Recipes!

French Onion Beef Casserole and Pizza Pasta Casserole.

The post Cooking Tips: Browning Ground Beef in the Microwave appeared first on Rachel Granstra - The American Farm Wife.