I have to laugh at myself and one of the ways I have been forced to change over the past few years of marriage and living here. That is: flexibility in cooking and baking!!
Back in the day, I wouldn't make a recipe if I didn't have the EXACT ingredients. That gradually eased a bit before I was married. But now, flexibility is my new middle name, whether or not I like it. :)
We have a decent grocery store here in town and I shop there once a week. But I go to the capital city once a month and there I pick up my extras. Frozen peas, frozen corn, creamed soups, special condiments, frozen berries... to name a few.
I rarely have sour cream (which I truly miss) but I just use farm cream and squeeze a bit of lemon in it or white vinegar if I need it to be sour. I've made my own cottage cheese before in a pinch. Sometimes, recipes don't taste as good as they would back home with the exact ingredients but I have found that usually, the plan works.
Take that picture above. Someone was coming for dinner. (I think it was unexpected.) I didn't even look at a recipe. Made the crust. Peeled the apples. Sprinkled a bit of sugar, a squeeze of lemon, dotted with butter, oops! forgot the cinnamon....and popped that baby into the oven.
One thing that defines our life here is flexibility. Plans change in the blink of an eye. It is definitely not always easy but the more flexible a person is, the easier living here becomes. :)
