Okay, so you have been invited to a pampered chef party, tried some of the recipes, have been told about how the business works and even bought some of the products, but the thing that stuck in your mind was the fantastic varieties of pampered chef recipes.
These recipes are all very easy to use and more importantly are totally adaptable to what you have in your store cupboard.
So flexibility and versatility are key.
With this in mind I am going to take several recipes and show you how you can use alternatives or substitutes and still turn out great.
Recipe 1 - Chicken Satay with peanut sauce The recipe tells you to use chicken, however what I have found that works really well with the satay sauce is pork tenderloin.
This cooks in around the same time as chicken breast and remains succulent and juicy.
Pork also has a natural ability to take on flavors and will absorb all the spicy flavors of the dish really well..
..
Alternatively if you do not eat meat, then this works fantastically well with large shrimp.
I would advise to use the uncooked variety and cook them in the lovely marinade.
The great thing about shrimp is that they tell you when they are cooked in that they will turn from a grey color to a fantastic pink color when they are ready.
Another alternative that you could use and again works very well, is vegetables such as courgette, peppers and carrots.
The key here is to part roast them first, then add the marinade halfway through cooking and let them finish off in the marinade.
Pop on skewers and dip in to the lovely sauce.
Recipe 2 - Gingery rice pilaf The recipe calls for rice, chicken broth or stock, ginger, mushrooms, onions, butter or margarine..
The idea behind it is that you would steam the rice in the stock and ginger with the other vegetables so that the rice absorbs all of the stock, leaving a vegetable rice.
This is where you can get creative..
..
If you are in the mood for fish, try substituting the chicken stock for fish stock and adding mussels and clams.
The ginger works well with both the mussels and the clams and will give you a really hearty pilaf..
Alternatively if you are vegetarian, use vegetable broth or stock and use some really earthy mushrooms like morels to give it a deep balance of flavors.
Recipe 3 - White chocolate and Cranberry Gateau This is one decadent dish.
The recipes tells you to use white chocolate and cranberries and also in the recipe is cranberry sauce.
If you are not a lover of cranberries or you simply don't have any to hand, some of the best fruits that go with white chocolate are raspberries or blueberries.
The reason for this is that they both have a slightly tarte taste, which balances out the sweetness of the white chocolate perfectly.
If you need a little sauce, then blitz up a few tinned ones As you can see these recipes are not only easy to make but are also, with a little know how, incredibly versatile.
So have fun in experimenting with your ingredients and you can and will wow your family and friends with your new found pampered chef recipes.