PRODUCTIVELY DISTRACTED

OCTOBER 26, 2009

When I got up this morning my main goal for the day was to clean out the main house pantry. We’ve been gone so much I honestly do not know what we do and don’t have on hand. This is something most unusual around here.

It is, quite frankly, difficult to plan meals without going to the grocery if you have no idea what you have to cook with. So today I decided I’d clean the pantry, organize it, and then inventory it. Then as time went on I’d do both grain pantries, the basement storage shelves (I know they are nearly entry), clean the root cellar so I can take advantage of good buys on winter squash , potatoes,yams and such now and store them down there. Then I would move on to the freezer, and all three fridges. That was the plan. I knew I would probably only get the first pantry done today. So I got busy right away.

As I sorted and wiped down shelves I came across items that made me go “hmmm” and in my normal manner I got slightly off track. Three cans of garbanzo beans reminded me we were out of snacks for our shopping days.

A little background here, on the days we mystery shop we always pack a lunch, drinks and a snack or two. Tomorrow is a shopping day. So I took a quick time out and made Roasted Garbanzo Beans for a savory snack. I’ll list recipes at the end.

While those were cooking I went back to the pantry. This is suppose to be a canned and jarred pantry only so when I found the Halloween Cake mix I had picked up on sale with a coupon, which made it cheaper than I could make it from scratch, I decided this was the week to make it. After all the oven was already on.

That of course meant I needed to make frostings. Yes I said frostings. I am lactose intolerate so the normal butter cream or cream cheese frostings don’t work for me. I make vegan frostings for me and regular for the boys. Then we frost our cake pieces as we cut them. Dh likes very little frosting so he goes thin with it, or without it entirely. Ds likes more. So this plan works well.

Only my master Butter Cream frosting mix was all used up. So that needed made, I waited until evening to do that.

As I continued to clean I came across dried cranberries. “Orange Cranberry Nut Muffins sure sound good,” I said to myself, “and the oven is already on.” I continued. So I scooted out to the grain pantry where my master Muffin Mix is stored. Guess what was all used up. But now I WANTED those muffins for breakfast in the morning.

So I took time out to make up a batch of Muffin Mix. Gary doesn’t like orange muffins. Oh well, the oven was hot and I already had the muffin mix out. So I whipped him up a dozen Almond Poppyseed while I was at it.

Looking at the remaining Master Muffin Mix I realized I had already used much of it, so I made a second batch of it.

As I was packaging up everything to store it, muffin mix in the grain pantry, half the muffins in the freezer Sean called.

“Whatcha doing?” he asked

“Cleaning the can goods pantry and making Master Mixes why? I replied.

“Great! Are you making biscuit mix? We’re out and I’d love biscuits and gravy for dinner tonight.”

“Haven’t yet, but I can and your wish is my command.”

So since I already had my big flour mixing bowl already out…I made up a batch of the biscuit mix that uses oil when you mix them up.

Between all this mixing and cooking I did get the pantry nearly cleaned—I still need to do the floor and the inventory, but it sure is looking good.

Jan who will now include the recipes for all of the above mentioned recipes for your useage in OK

ROASTED GARBANZO BEANS—tastes a lot like boiled peanuts.

2 cans (15 oz) garbanzo beans (or 3 C home cooked), rinsed and drained

3 TBL Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp Cheyenne pepper (or to preferred hotness)

Coarse Sea Salt or Kosher Salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray a lipped baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Spread the beans in a single layer on the pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until dry.

While cooking mix the onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and Cheyenne pepper together.

Drizzle the oil over the beans, sprinkle with the dry ingredient mixture and stir well. Spread in the pan to a single layer again and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy (warning they may pop in the oven) Remove from oven and sprinkle to taste with the salt. Cool completely then store in an air tight container for up to one month.

Variations:

Change the dry mixture to any of your favorite popcorn or chip flavorings like dry ranch dressing, taco seasoning, spaghetti seasoning etc.

I’ve been thinking about trying this with other beans as well. If one of you do please let me know how it turns out.



VANILLA BUTTER CREAM FROSTING BOTH REGULAR AND DAIRY FREE WITH VARIATIONS

10 C powdered Sugar

¾ C vegetable shortening

Now you have decide, pantry or freezer storage. If it’s going to be freezer then you will also need—

9 tablespoons of butter (or dairy free butter)

½ C powdered milk (or the equivalent of milk replacement powder-soy, rice or potato)

Another decision do you want to store it as vanilla or chocolate (I generally keep both made up and in the freezer)

If you are going chocolate, then you will also need ,

1 ½ C cocoa powder.

Mix all ingredients together using your fingers and a pastry cutter, or your food processor until it resembles corn meal. Put in an airtight container, label and freeze. When you are ready to use it measure out 3-3 ½ cups of the mix and add 1 teaspoon vanilla and about 3 tablespoons water. Mix until smooth and spreadable.

If you are going to pantry store it only add the first 2 ingredients (and the cocoa powder if desired) then store it in the pantry.

When you are ready to use it from the pantry. Use

3 C of the mix

3 Tablespoons butter or margarine

About 3 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix it all together until smooth and spreadable.

If you want to make it chocolate at this point add ½ c unsweetened cocoa to the mix before adding the butter or margarine.

VARIATIONS:

Make any flavored frosting you want by substituting any flavored abstract for the vanilla in the recipe, a few drops of food coloring to match the flavor works well too. In a pinch I’ve used a small amount of unsweetened Kool-Aid to the vanilla mix for flavor and color.

You can also add chopped candies or nuts or coconut for variation.



MASTER MIX FOR MUFFINS WITH VARIATIONS

8 C flour

3 C sugar

3 T baking powder

2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix it all together well. I use a whisk to do this and it goes very fast. Put in an airtight container, label and store in a cool dark place.

Uses:

Melt-a-way Muffins

2 ¾ C Muffin Mix

1 egg, beaten

1 c milk

½ c melted butter or margarine or shortening or ½ c oil

Spray muffin tins, mix wet ingredients together and then mix into muffin mix until mixture is slightly lumpy. Pour into muffin tins. Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes.

Variations:

Cornmeal—Decrease the muffin mix to 2 ¼ and add ½ c cornmeal.

Butterscotch-Pecan--Mix 6 tbl melted butter with 6 tbl brown sugar. Put some with some chopped pecans in the bottom of each muffin tin.

Dried fruit—add 1 C chopped dried fruit to the liquid ingredients.

Fresh fruit—fold 1 c chopped fresh fruit into batter

Banana nut—add 1mashed banana and some chopped nuts with liquid ingredients

Cranberry nut—gently fold in 1 c chopped fresh or frozen cranberries and ½ c chopped nuts.



LEMON POPPY SEED MUFFINS

2 ¼ C muffin mix

1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant lemon pudding mix

1 T poppy seeds

¼ tsp grated lemon peel

1 c milk

2 eggs, beaten

¼ oil

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the liquid ingredients in a medium bowl, then combine the two.

Fill the muffin tins and bake at 400 for 18-20 min.

Variations:

Almond Poppy Seed

Leave out pudding and grated peel. Add ½ tsp almond extract.



ORANGE CRANBERRY NUT MUFFINS

Leave out lemon pudding mix, use grated orange peel instead of lemon add ½ c chopped dried cranberries and nuts. Once the muffin cups are filled sprinkle a little granulated sugar on top.



MOLASSES BRAN MUFFINS

2 c all bran cereal or 1 c bran flakes or 1 c raisin bran

¼ melted butter or oil

¼ c molasses

1 c milk

1 egg

½ c raisins (if you don’t use raisin bran)

1 ½ c muffin mix

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, and wet in another then combine. Fill muffin tins and bake at 400.

Variation:

Omit raisins and substitute ½ mini chocolate chips and chopped nuts.



ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

2 C Muffin Mix

½ C sugar

½ c chopped nuts

1 T ground cinnamon

1 C grated zucchini

1 egg, beaten

½ c butter melted

2 tsp vanilla

Combine wet ingredients in one bowl, dry in another and then combine. Fill cups and bake at 400 for 20-25 min.