Homemade Baking Mix Biscuits

Yesterday my little one was sick. We had planned to attend a birthday party, but we had to cancel. My older two were disappointed. Plus, it was raining, which meant that they were not able to go outside to play. No one was happy. But, mom to the rescue! As my little one began to feel better in the afternoon, we made a trip to the dollar store and everyone was able to pick something. And later we watched a movie from the library.

As I began to think about dinner, I knew that I just might have a revolt on my hands if I didn't do something that they loved. After all they missed out on pizza, cake, and ice cream at the party. So, I asked them what they would like. The answer was Chicken Caesar Salad. I was a bit surprised. But, I had all of the ingredients on hand, so that's what we had. Usually I like to serve some kind of bread when we have a main dish salad. I remembered that I had one lonely cup of my Homemade Baking Mix in the freezer, so I made biscuits. Not exactly kids party food, but everyone was pleased.

Homemade Baking Mix Biscuits

1 cup baking mix
1 ½ tsp. sugar
1/3 cup milk

Measure all ingredients into a bowl and stir lightly until combined. Scoop onto a baking pan, flatten slightly. Bake at 400º for 12-15 minutes. Yield 7 small biscuits.

This post has been linked to Mop It Up Monday.

Homemade Baking Mix Pancakes

The other night the kids begged me to make pancakes for dinner. But, after the ridicule that I received from my friend about serving bagels for dinner, I thought better of it and promised to make them for breakfast the next morning instead. I remembered that I had some Homemade Baking Mix in the freezer and decided to use that instead of my usual pancake recipe. I laid out the recipe, the skillet, and a mixing bowl to be ready for the morning and I served them for breakfast as promised.

This recipe can also be used to make waffles, but honestly it’s not my favorite. However, still an improvement over store bought frozen waffles. I served the pancakes with our favorite homemade Cinnamon Syrup. The kids were pleased and they ate the leftovers as an after school snack.

Baking Mix Pancakes

2 cups homemade baking mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs

Add milk and egg to mix. Stir until well blended.  Drop batter onto hot buttered griddle and cook until bubbles on top pop (about 3-4 minutes). Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. Serve hot with butter and syrup. Yield 10-12 medium sized pancakes.

For fruit pancakes add ½ cup fruit of choice.

Leftover Ham and Cheese Pie

Photo Credit: TLC

As planned, I served ham for Christmas dinner.  And, I had hoped to eat the leftover ham in sandwiches and such later that week. However, my refrigerator/freezer went out on Christmas day. Sigh. I had to scramble to borrow coolers and ice to keep the food from spoiling. So, the day after Christmas I was forced to cook a turkey and a roast, plus five pounds of other meat because I knew that it could not be refrozen until it was cooked.  Therefore, instead of eating up the leftover ham, we ate the turkey and the roast and put the ham into the freezer once it was fixed.

Although it was a lot of work to cook all of that meat at one time, I now have lots and lots of cooked meat in my freezer that makes dinner quick and simple. We love this Ham and Cheese Pie and it is a perfect recipe to use up leftover ham. And, of course I used my Homemade Baking Mix that I told you about yesterday.

Ham and Cheese Pie

2 cups cubed ham

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1 cup baking mix

Layer ham and cheese in the bottom of a large pie pan or 9X9 pan. In a bowl, stir together eggs, milk, and baking mix. Pour evenly over the ham and cheese. Bake at 400˚ for 35-40 minutes, or until golden.

Recipe Note: I halved this recipe in order to minimize leftovers. We ate every bite and it was the perfect amount for one adult and three kids. Frugal Kitchen Goal success!

Homemade Baking Mix

Photo Credit: Betty Crocker

Last week, I told you that I was recommitting to maintaining a frugal kitchen. For my first week of January, I was successful at creating a meal plan and sticking to it. And, somehow, I was able to make sure that all leftovers were eaten instead of tossed. Plus, I even used four aging bananas to make Chocolate Banana Bread for our breakfast this morning. I am feeling truly victorious!

Homemade convenience mixes are another way that can help to save money in the kitchen, so this past week I made up a batch of Baking Mix. This mix can be used just like boxed Bisquick and is perfect for quickly throwing together pancakes, biscuits, or muffins. However, I made up this Baking Mix specifically for my Ham and Cheese Pie recipe, which I will tell you more about tomorrow.

Homemade Baking Mix

5 cups flour (white, wheat, or white whole wheat)

¼ cup baking powder

2 Tbsp. sugar (white or raw)

1 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, softened (or shortening)

Add first 4 ingredients to large bowl. Slice butter and add to bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into dry ingredients until it looks like coarse crumbs.

Store baking mix in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. Or, store in the freezer for up to one month. Baking mix can be used directly from the freezer without thawing it first.

This baking mix can be used in place of commercial baking mixes.