Here are some of the substitutions I've used in recipes recently:
Sherry (and other alcohol) = I recently made French onion soup from Rachel Ray's, Comfort Foods cookbook and one of the ingredients was sherry, which I never have on hand. I used balsamic vinegar instead and it tasted great. Here is a website I've found that has great information on substitutes for alcohol in recipes: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/alcoholsubstitutes.htm
Most of the time you can substitute a vinegar or citrus juice and/or chicken broth.
Evaporated milk or heavy cream = Another thing I often don't have is evaporated milk or heavy cream, so I just use whole milk because that is what I have on hand for my daughter.
Cake Flour = I don't do much baking but some recipes call for cake flour, which I don't always have so for each cup of cake flour you use 7/8 cup of all purpose flour + 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch.
Shallots = Don't always have shallots on hand, so I use less onion to get the same flavor. For each cup of shallots I use 1/2 cup of onions (minced or diced) or add some onion powder to taste. You could also use one large leek instead of a shallot or vice versa.
The web site I linked to above for alcohol substitutions also has a substitution dictionary/search engine which is very helpful: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/equivalents_substitutions.asp
Bread = Karina likes bread on its own but as a sandwich won't eat it, so I use whole wheat pita bread, whole wheat tortillas or whole wheat crackers instead. The pita and tortillas have been most successful. I make a wide variety of quesadillas from traditional (cheddar/jack, tomatoes, black beans and chicken) to Florentine (mozzarella, spinach and ham).
If you use any others feel free to comment and let me know! Happy cooking!
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