Healthy substitutions

When I cook and bake, I rarely go by recipe... I tend to substitute this and that and use more spice than it calls for (a teaspoon of cinnamon in carrot cake?!) Obviously this has ended in numerous disasters, most of which I will still eat. But lessons have been learned in the last 24 hours:

Do not substitute applesauce for an egg in any Polish recipe because you think it will be more moist. There is a reason WHY it calls for 6 eggs, okay? Also, make SURE you separate the yolks and the whites because otherwise the whites will not attain ultimate fluffiness (primary reason for failing any Polish cake). I probably should have doubled checked the exact baking term of "szklanka", which literally means "a glass"... but then we use cups?

Also, deep fried foods are deep fried simply because they taste better that way and are meant to be that way, and only that way. Baking, boiling, heating, whatever, will not end in the same flavor. (Prime example: seasoned french fries vs. seasoned boiled potatoes. I know I know, horrible! But I was convinced it would be "healthier", even after I covered it in butter and salt)


F A I L


Next on the list: russian tea cookies.