What should you do if you are in the middle of a recipe and realize you are out of an ingredient? You could send your child to the local convenience store for cream cheese and end up having to serve your caviar with Velveeta because to a 13 year old they are both soft cheeses. This really happened when my Mother sent me for cream cheese.

Instead of sending off the kids, or launching into a panic attack and reaching for the Zoloft try substituting.

Here are a few quick and simple substitutions.

When using fresh herbs instead of dried, use 1 Tablespoon fresh for 1 teaspoon dry.

Vinegar for lemon juice. Use teaspoon white vinegar for 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

When your recipe calls for buttermilk add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to your regular milk. Some old banana bread recipes even call for this substitution.

1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder can be substituted for 1 clove of fresh garlic.

1 pound of fresh mushrooms will be about the same as a 10 ounce can of mushrooms.

Powdered sugar can substitute for granulated sugar in baking. If you are looking for a delightful taste alternative try a cup of honey with a pinch of baking soda in place of a cup of granulated sugar.

2 cups of fresh chopped tomatoes is equivalent to a 16 ounce can of crushed tomatoes. You may have to drain the can or adjust for moisture in the recipe.

Adding about 2 Tablespoons of molasses to a cup of granulated sugar will substitute well for a single cup of brown sugar.

Sherry or port wine can be used instead of red or white wine. Just lower the amount to 2 Tablespoons equals cup.