Now that fall truly is here and I don't feel bad keeping the oven on, I've made French bread, cinnamon rolls, and quick breads. I love nothing more than a fresh slice of bread and a fresh cup of coffee with a splash of cream or creamy milk. I have many quick bread recipes, mostly compliments of the 1987 church cookbook I've been using over and over the last 34 years. I also am pretty good at winging it with ingredients I have on hand. Here was my concoction on Saturday-started out as muffins, but I folded into three small loaf pans instead. Don't be shaking a finger at me, but I used the last of a box of baking mix so it was even easier.
- Roughly 2 1/2 cups of baking mix (dumped what was left in the box)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- heaping tsp cinnamon
- splash of vanilla
- 2/3rd cup of blueberry's because that's what was left in a freezer bowl
- 1 smallish apple, peeled and small diced, added because it thought it was too light on fruit
- 3/4 c approximately of milk ( I really just poured a bit at a time and stirred to get the consistency I needed.
Poured in three mini loaf pans, and baked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. It was so good-light, moist, and the apple, berries, and cinnamon was a unique and tasty blend. You can Google a basic universal muffin mix to do the same from scratch, but essentially 2 cups flour to 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Plus, you may want to add egg and oil to bring a bit of fat. I'm not sure what is in the baking mix that doesn't really require either. There is no issue keeping baking mix on hand in my book-I literally mixed these muffins up with no measuring in two minutes, and had the pans sprayed, filled, and in the oven in less than another two. Likewise, if you hate these mixes, don't buy them!
Even though I don't mind my oven being on to take that chill out of the air, I'm still a big fan of my crock pot or rather my slow cooker since mine is a Hamilton Beach model. The more dump and go the better in my book, though I'm conscious of what the ingredients are that get dumped, trying to use fresh or frozen veg and unsalted meat and pasta so that if I do take a short cut with a canned soup or jarred sauce, I'm spreading out the less than healthy ingredients across more servings. Here's one of my recent meals.
Pizza Hotdish-No recipe, just what I threw in the crock and in what order.
- 1 24 ounce jar pasta sauce (or homemade) + one cup water (mine was a 28 oz jar, but I kept some aside for mini pizzas for lunch)
- 8 ounces fusilli pasta (or pasta of choice)
- 1/2 punnet of mushrooms
- Handful of frozen spinach or use several cups of fresh
- 4-6 ounces pepperoni slices
- 12 ounce cottage cheese mixed with one egg, pepper, garlic, onion, and Italian seasoning
- 4-6 ounces mozzarella.
Layer in crock pot
1/4 of sauce, 1/2 noodles, 1/4 of sauce, mushrooms, spinach, and 1/2 the pepperoni, the cottage cheese mixture, then 2/3 of the shredded mozzarella, then the other 1/2 pasta, and the rest of the sauce so that the noodles are covered, but not soaked, then remaining pepperoni. Add more water if you think it's needed, but then likely you'll want to add more seasoning,. Cook on High for 2 1/2 hours covered. Sprinkle remaining cheese, turn to low for another 30 minutes. Let sit to set before serving. This easily would feed 5-6 people as we each ate well, and had a couple portions left over. This really tasted like pizza, and for a pizza fiend household, a win.
Easy works for me. I don't always rely on premade baking mixes and jarred pasta sauce, but I'm not shy about using them either. Sure, would from scratch be even better and healthier? Most likely, and more often than not, I do that. But these easy hacks make my life less stressful and still is more affordable and nutritious than most take out as relied upon by a great segment of people who work as many hours as DH and I do in a week. Are you a precise measurer with ingredients, or a grab and dump eye cook? Does it vary if cooking or baking? Regardless of the method, I'll keep trying new to me recipes and experimenting with both quick breads and crock pot meals.
Your pizza hotdish sounds yummy. I would like the pepperoni but my one picky person wouldn’t eat it because of that. Is the pasta dry or cooked when you put it in the crock? I measure for baking but not so much cooking. The pumpkin cake I made the other day used one can of pumpkin pie mix, one cake mix, spices and butter. I eyeballed the spices but wish I would used more. I would make again but I think it would be better as muffins, with some pumpkin seeds or nuts and sugar on top for crunch. I made cream cheese frosting for the cake but cut way back on the powdered sugar and still found it too sweet. I do rely on mixes and canned stuff probably too often, especially since I’m perfectly capable of making things from scratch but these days I barely feel like a functioning human being and fed is best, so it what it is! JoAnn
ReplyDeleteDry pasta, which is why I add more water. I've seen YouTube on the pumpkin cake mix as muffins. Scratch snobs, I say with love, can cut us corner cutters some slack.
DeleteI use the baking mix, Bisquik, about three times a year, but do not feel guilty. I suppose I should, but, oh well. If I decide to use it more often, I will...lol. I have a box on the shelf and a half-used one in the freezer. The crockpot dish sounds so delicious. I need breakfast now.
ReplyDeleteSome people are down right appalled at baking mixes.
DeleteThat pasta dish sounds great- more like lasagna to me but I like pizza too. I want black olives on my pizza though! I have a yeast starter I keep in the fridge- it makes great rolls and sweet white bread. I usually give the rolls away but I do enjoy kneading the dough and baking them. Usually by this time of year I have 2 fruitcakes made and aging in the fridge. I just was able to get the fruit so I’m behind on that. Someone sent me a recipe for aged eggnog (Alton Brown’s recipe) I want to make now- I just need brandy! This weekend might turn out to be a fun cooking one. Nan
ReplyDeleteThe cheese layer sort of melted in, so didn't really have a lasagna like layering feel once done. It tastes like pepperoni and mushroom pizza. Your bread and rolls sound delicious.
DeleteI keep baking mix, cake mixes, and jarred sauces all the time. They are excellent for times I have no time!
ReplyDeleteI am not a measurer. I just eyeball everything, but sometimes I do the taste test to see if more of anything. is needed.
Your squash soup sounds like that was a successful no recipe recipe. I'm glad to know other people use convenience foods too without letting lightning strike.
DeleteI love my slow cooker too. It was fantastic when I was working to come home to an already cooked meal that had been bubbling away all day!
ReplyDeleteI don't have many things though for the whole day so haven't used my slow cooker while at work, but 1/2 day, or frozen and thaw meals were Staples when kids were home and I worked out of the house.
DeleteSlow cookers are great when you have a crowd or are going to be busy. I LOVE BREADS AND MUFFINS< THE PROBLEM IS I have no self control and will eat the whole loaf or the whole batch in a day. But it sure sounds good.
ReplyDeleteMy trouble now is waste if I don't get things froze. As you said, good for crowd feeding!
DeleteYour quick bread and pizza hotdish sounds good and tasty!
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with mixes. I think some of the brownie mixes taste better than what I make from scratch actually. I keep bisquick and a few cake mixes and some spaghetti sauce in my pantry.
So do what works for you and your family.
I have a really good from scratch one bowl brownie recipe but haven't made in ages. Boxed work great.
DeletePerhaps the FIRST time I use a slow cooker recipe I follow it exactly, but, when it comes to the slow cooker, I tend to toss in the ingredients on hand and hope for the best. I DO, for the most part, precisely follow recipes for baked goods, as it's a formula.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with mixes, and have several, mostly cake mixes. If I can get them for under $1, then I figure it's cheaper than scratch. My trick is to add a TBSP so of rum to take out the "boxy" taste. The latest haul of cake mixes came at $0.79 each. I also picked up w some $0.49 gingerbread mixes this summer, for the kids to use when they make their obscene gingerbread men. (No way I'm using my Kerrygold butter to make THOSE from scratch.) I also shamelessly use cream of soups, which I stock up on at $0.50/can, and pasta sauces when they are under $1.00/jar. ($2.50/jar for Newman's own Sockarooni.)
Fun, or perhaps appalling fact: When I had an apartment in a major metropolitan area, the only spot for my slow cooker stay on while I was at work, was on the toilet tank. The kitchenette was too small for it to stay, and I didn't trust it to sit on either the wood of my table, or dresser.
Oh I remember interesting space use. Pretty industrious to use back of toilet. True, baking is a formula but I think I just might keep my eyeball method unless it's something I'm trying to recreate and won't be confident in results. The copy cat Nothing Bundt for the example, I followed to a t.
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