Rule #1

When I bake for myself, I try and live by the two rules that I learned very randomly from Wolfgang Puck. No, not directly, it wasn't like I was talking to him or anything, he said it on TV. And I'm sure he's not the first person to say it either, but rule #1 is: Buy the best quality ingredients you can afford.

This blew my mind when I first heard it. Of course! How simple! I used to watch cooking shows or read cookbooks, or even be at work in a restaurant and think that there was no way I could make something like what I was seeing. Why even try? I can't afford truffles! We can't all afford dry aged, USDA Prime steak. I know I can't.  Hell, not everyone can afford steak period. Not everyone can always have locally raised organic seasonal food. It just doesn't work like that for most of us. You go to the market when you can, pick up what fits in the fridge and your budget, and do your best to eat it before it goes bad. I know how it works.

The point is to get the nicest stuff you can without killing your budget. Try and use your money on things that matter most in the recipe. Yes, it would be lovely to have fresh creamery hand churned butter to use in your brownies, but what's the main flavor in there? Wouldn't it be more useful to get the better grade of chocolate? Save the fancy butter for your shortbread. And when you go fancy, use it on the stuff that lasts. Get the nicer bottle of olive oil, get the fancy salt that you use 1 gram of. They're not going bad anytime soon, you'll be ok.

My husband and I are DINKs (dual income, no kids) so right now, I'll be able to afford to splurge sometimes, to get the Valrhona, or the nicer cheese. I recognize that. I know buying for a family of 2 is different than buying for a family of 4 or 6, especially now. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try a recipe. Your pasta dish won't be a failure if I say freshly grated parmesan and you use the stuff out of a bottle. You won't be seeing many dishes on here with super specialized ingredients. I do have some pet peeves (no margarine!) but there's a lot of leeway here people. The food police aren't out to get you. Rachel Ray won't kick your door down if you use canola oil instead of EVOO.

When I can, and when it's appropriate, I'm going to include substitutions, and alternatives. If something cannot be made with a sub, I'll tell you and I'll tell you why. We're not all shopping at Waitrose. (Goodness knows I'm not) But if you can afford it, go for the gold and get the good stuff.