When in Doubt, Improvise!

I bought a chocolate cake mix the other day, and I finally got around to think about baking it. The only trouble was, I forgot to buy frosting.  So the next time I was in our local store, I picked up a can of frosting and got ready to mix the cake.  But what's this? Reaching for the box of cake mix, I saw that it was not a chocolate, but a white cake.  And I had bought white frosting! Not what I wanted!

If I had some cocoa, I could remedy my situation by adding cocoa to the batter, I reasoned.  No use. No cocoa. What to do? Well, I did have a bottle of chocolate syrup, so I tried it, a little at a time.  Still not very dark looking, so some more syrup had to be added.  All I could do was wait for the results now, as I put the pan in the oven. The cake came out looking more caramel than chocolate, but it was delicious with the white frosting!  And not too sweet! We loved it!

Probably like other homemakers, I often have to get creative when it comes to meals. Not long ago I was making chili, but realized I had no beans to put in it. However, there was a can of Boston baked beans in the cupboard, so in they went, and the men of the family  raved over the chili! I have even substituted pork'n'beans in chili and no one was ever the wiser!

Way back when I was a child, during times when foods and goods were rationed and some not readily available, there was a popular jingle that went: "Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without!"  Things are not like that today, with the abundance of offerings in the shops and supermarkets.  People used to have just a few changes of clothing, now our closets are overflowing.

Once we looked at a house we were tempted to buy, an older house made of native rock and very substantial and solid looking. We loved the inside of the house, with its fireplace and breakfast room. The only problem was there were no closets! The house had been updated and well decorated, but several of the rooms were very small. I don't know how or where they kept their wardrobes!

I plan to use my new Christmas gift Instant Pot for tomorrow's roast, another convenience unheard of in the past. My mother used a pressure cooker, but we were always a little wary of it. Mine has worked out wonderfully so far, so perhaps I can produce a meal with no set-backs, substitutions or surprises!