What do I do if I don't have...

• sour cream? Use yogurt in most recipes calling for sour cream. It is easy to make your own.

• butter for my bread? Pour 1/4 c. olive oil in a small dish. Add spices and a few drops of hot sauce to taste. Dip your bread in this mixture at the table.

• powdered sugar? Blend granulated sugar in the blender.
  

• brown sugar? Mix 3 T. molasses with 1 c. granulated sugar.

• cream cheese? Lay a square of cheese cloth, muslin, or other light weight cotton in a sieve, and set the sieve on a bowl. Pour a carton of yogurt in the sieve and allow to drain through the cloth for 20 minutes. Wrap the "cream cheese" in the cloth and gently squeeze out excess liquid. 

• sweetened condensed milk? Mix 1 c. plus 2 T. powdered milk with 1/2 c. warm water. Set in pan of hot water, add 3/4 c. sugar to the milk and stir until dissolved.

• buttermilk? To a cup of milk add 2 T. vinegar, stir.

• an oven to bake bread? Make chapatis, flour tortillas or add dumplings to soup.

• mustard? 1 T. prepared mustard = 1 t. dry mustard

• onions? 1 small fresh onion = 1 T. dried onion