Has anybody substituted buttermilk for yogurt in a baking recipe? How would you calculate the amount for the substitution? I wanted to make Alton Brown's blueberry muffins, but I didn't have yogurt, so I used buttermilk instead. But I only used 1/3 cup of buttermilk instead of 1 cup of yogurt asked in the recipe. The result was...not pretty. So what's you take on that? Thanks guys!

In need of suggestions on a rug for my kitchen. I have hardwoord flooring, but need to cover the area between my dishwasher and sink. Water is starting to damage my floor.
Thanks.

abush

I finally got a kitchen rug I like. It is microfiber and cleans up so well. I got the runner size to go from dishwasher to sink and it doesn't move and is very water resistant.

http://www.utilitieshome.com/store.php?crn=109&rn=563&action=show_detail

If you want more pattern you might try Dash and Albert Indoor/Outdoor rugs which I use on my deck. They are 100% poly but really feel and look like cotton. http://www.dashandalbert.com/product/rug/fiber/poly

I was watching an episode of "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern" last week. Because I caught the episode in the middle and only saw one tiny segment, I'm not sure where he was...Africa, I think.

He was being served very rich coffee by a group of women. And with the coffee he was eating corn-free popcorn. He said what it was, but I don't remember what he said.

Did anyone see this episode and what they were popping? It looked like popcorn WITHOUT the nasty husks. I want to try it for myself.

thanks!!!

mike - was it popped sorghum?

I ordered some Rancho Gordo beans, and they advise to cook the beans in the soaking water to preserve vitamins; Cook's Illustrated advises tossing the soaking water out to minimize production of greenhouse gases. Is there a "correct" answer?

All things considered, if I am not tossing too many vitamins away, I would prefer to minimize methane production, but if I am really throwing away something valuable, then I may keep the soak water. Any opinions?

thanks, faith. I believe it WAS popped sorghum.

I'm baking muffins and just realized I have no eggs! Recipe calls for one egg...can I substitute anything? Don't want to go out on a cold day with two tiny kids just for eggs. Thanks!

JD523-

I think both answers are "correct." You probably are saving some of the vitamins (and flavor perhaps?) by cooking in the soaking liquid, but cooking in fresh water also reduces gas that a lot of people experience from eating beans. If you have a solid digestive track, may as well keep the water.

JD523-

You could boil the beans with a sprig of epazote, which you can find in Latin groceries. This herb counteracts those negative effects. It will also impart a very herbaceous flavor to the beans so you have to take that into consideration as well.

Thanks...CallieKoch and Art.

Epazote is dried here in Seattle, at least at this time of year, but maybe I will see how it works and keep the soaking water.

reggiesoang -
I haven't substituted buttermilk for yogurt but I have done the opposite (plain yogurt for buttermilk) a couple times when making cornbread with no trouble. I would suggest not changing the quantity at all. Going from 1 cup of a wet ingredient to 1/3 is a big change in the proportions of a recipe. Even though the buttermilk seems a lot more liquidy than yogurt, they are both basically wet ingredients.