improvising in the kitchen

Here's the story: I had pork chops defrosting in the fridge for, um, 3 or 4 days. Oops. I really wanted to use this to make yummy Apple and Sage Pork Chops, but I didn't have apples. Or onions. Or apple juice. Or brown sugar. All of which are needed to complete the recipe.

Solution? Substitution! I left out the apples, onions, apple juice, and brown sugar. I subbed in dried sweetened cranberries, cranberry juice, and granulated sugar.

It was AWESOME! I was afraid it would be a puke-y pink color but it was a gorgeous caramel color instead. I was really pleased! The cranberry juice reduced down to a beautiful sauce that was sooooo good. I'd post a picture but it's all gone.

I'm not an adventurous cook. I usually follow recipes to the letter, so this was quite a stretch for me. I've had many disasters in the past when trying to substitute simple ingredients. This success definitely has increased my confidence!