I have lost a post. I know I did it but it is gone into cyberspace and I can’t retrieve it. I guess I will just have to start over. The post was about mixes. I have posted some before and this is a new batch. I do have a problem with one of the mixes and I hope someone out there will have a brilliant idea. I like anything that saves time, energy or money and mixes do all three. I can put up bulk batches of mixes into mason jars and pull them out for a “just add water” meal or side dish.
My girls really like hot chocolate and I have come up with a mix that they think is as good as the expensive packets. Mix together 7 1/2 cups powdered milk, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 cup cocoa and a teaspoon of salt. I put mine up in quart jars, keeping one in the pantry and the rest in my food storage. In the winter I sometimes double this as I have a lot of kids over for sledding parties and can go through a lot in no time. It takes a 1/2 cup mix to a cup of boiling water. I add a bit of vanilla and some cream for a richer taste. I serve it in tea cups as they are smaller and I don’t like the girls to overdo the calories.
I have made a basic biscuit mix for years. I mix up 9 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon salt and 3 tablespoons of baking powder with 2 cups of shortening. The problem is shortening. There are some things I don’t consider to be food. Cool Whip is one and shortening is another. Butter won’t keep so what’s a girl to do? I am trying a product called Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil. It’s supposed to be better than butter and shelf stable. I just hope it doesn’t taste like coconuts.
The next mix is for cheese sauce. Mac and cheese is a staple food for kids. This mix makes the cheese sauce. I pace four cups of noodles in a 1/2 gallon mason jar with a baggie of this mix. It is not any less expensive than the store brand boxes but it is less packaging and I do know what’s in it. It also uses my bulk foods. I think some people buy things in bulk and then don’t know what to do with it. 1 1/2 cups of dehydrated cheese, 2/3 cups powdered milk, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1 tablespoon dried onion, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper go into the bag. Mix this with 3 cups of water and simmer for a few minutes then pour over cooked noodles. The cheese sauce will dress up a lot of vegetables.
I got a lot of recipes from Peggy Layton’s Cookin’ With Home Storage. It’s one of those little books that is really useful if you plan to cook with bulk, dried foods. I get worried when people spend a lot of money on food they don’t generally use and don’t know how to prepare. That food too often ends up in the compost and the cook is too often discouraged to try again. Store what you use and use what you store.
September 8, 2009 at 11:53 am
Kathy, may I ask how long you’ve been doing all this prepping? Your knowledge is amazing. I wouldn’t even think to make homemade mixes like this for storage. (Well, until now that is.) It can all be a little overwhelming but I’m so glad to learn about it. Like Kimberly said in a recent comment, baby steps, eh.
September 8, 2009 at 12:35 pm
I have been at this about 9 years in a big way but I have always had the bent. I was storing food 30 years ago. I am sure dating myself.
September 8, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I haven’t “advanced” to making my own mixes yet but with that cheese sauce I’m probably going to give it a try.
the biscuit mix sounds like a good idea, too.
thanks for your blog and information,
Peace to All,
Shamba
September 8, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Mixes bring back memories for me. My mother made a huge mix, cutting the shortening in with a pastry thingy (a handle with horse-shoe shaped wires-what’s that called?) I saw a recipe that called for oil, but the beauty of shortening (!) is that it lasts forever where oil and butter do not. Another option is to leave out the fat and add it with the wet ingredients.
Indulge one more memory–I used the “mix” for oatmeal cookies for a library event on hobbies. I told them I made it from a mix and my mother pointed out they would think the mix was store-bought.
I tried making cocoa mix for my kids but they wanted it sweeter.
September 8, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Thank you for sharing the hot chocolate recipe. I like the ingredients it uses – my old one used coffee mate creamer and I won’t use that anymore. My girls will be thrilled to have this during the fall and winter!
I think you will like the coconut oil. I’ve used it in the past and found the results pleasing. It does give a hint of coconut flavor in smoothies, but when baked you should not detect the flavor. However, it does have a distinct smell to it before cooked. Not bad, just distinct.
I’m new to some of these mixes that require shortening or coconut oil in them. Could you tell a little bit more on how you do this? I’m imagining in my head that it (the biscuit recipe) makes a dough, but I’m thinking I’ve got it all wrong.
September 8, 2009 at 4:41 pm
The shortening is cut in, just like you would do with a pie crust. You can use it for biscuits, dumpling or panckaes.
September 8, 2009 at 4:43 pm
I just found your blog and I’m enjoying back reading your posts.
I don’t use shortening either, as I avoid “food-like substances” whenever possible. Instead I use Palm Oil. It’s a tropical oil that is solid at room temperature (more temperature tolerance than coconut oil) and doesn’t have a “tropical” flavor. You can get it in health food stores under the Spectrum brand (they do call it shortening). Or if you want to get larger quantities for food storage you can get it through Mountain Rose Herbs (they are also *much* less expensive and still organic). http://www.mountainroseherbs.com I’m not affiliated,I just really like them!
September 8, 2009 at 4:46 pm
I use the “Make-a-Mix” cookbooks. They are a great way to make things in bulk that are handy to have.
September 8, 2009 at 6:20 pm
I picked up a book last year called Homemade from Readers Digest of all places…they have hundreds upon hundreds of mixes and commercial knock-offs. Really good, practical stuff like dressings, herbal mixes, cake mixes, shampoos, cleaners, etc.
September 8, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Note that palm oil is not always a very sustainable choice of ingredient – often tropical rainforest (including endangered orangutan habitat) is cleared to make way for the palm plantations. A major chocolate manufacturer here changed their recipe to use palm oil, and wound up switching back after a consumer backlash.
I must try making my own hot chocolate mix – we’ve been buying too much of the prepackaged stuff. I just can’t seem to get a decent bit of froth on top when I make my own though – I wonder which one of the wondrous chemical ingredients is responsible for that π
September 8, 2009 at 8:43 pm
I have that book too! It’s actually pretty good. I used several mixes from it. I don’t get froth unless I whip it with one of those immersion blenders. Too much trouble for me. I just add whipped cream. Old boiled shoes taste good with whipped cream. Welcome to Lily. Thanks for all the comments. I love to check in and see so many.
September 8, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Sealander – that is true, but then the same arguments can be made about chocolate, coffee, tea, bananas, etc. That is why knowing your sources is so important. Mountain Rose Herbs received the 2008 Green Business of the Year award from Co-Op America and have an uncompromising and pervasive commitment to sustainable sourcing and business practices. They also address this issue specifically on their palm oil page: “Mountain Rose Herbs will only support Palm Fruit oil programs which adhere to strict environmental sustainability programs. As is our standard, the harvester and manufacturer of the Palm Fruit oil we offer adheres to highly detailed sustainable harvesting protocols with oversight from state run agricultural programs and with the assistance of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil.”
Truthfully, many facets of our food system are highly unsustainable and pose significant environmental, health, and labor concerns. That is why growing your own, buying locally, and knowing your sources for non-local items is so critical.
September 9, 2009 at 6:49 pm
I like mixes too, and avoid the butter/shortening issue by just adding bland tasting oil with the liquid ingredients when I’m using the mix. I use macadamia as it’s grown in the northern part of my state (in Aus), but any mild oil (canola, sunflower, corn) substitutes for butter really well.
I don’t eat eggs or cow’s milk products, so use a tablespoon of soyflour for each cup of flour to replace eggs (and add protein) in pancake mix – it means the final step before cooking is just add water & a little oil. There is a starch-based egg replacer powder available too for those who don’t/can’t eat soy – you can just add it straight to your mixes.
When I’ve used coconut oil I’ve found the dish *does* taste like coconut- good for some recipes, not others!
September 9, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Sorry Lily, I should have checked out Mountain Rose Herbs first – they do look like they’re doing their best to obtain their oils from sustainable sources.
Chocolate, cocoa and bananas do pose some shopping dilemmas for me here. For example do I buy the US or European made organic fairtrade chocolate where the ingredients got shipped to the US and then the finished product halfway around the world again to NZ, or buy locally made chocolate where the ingredients only made one trip? (I’ll give you a hint – the local chocolatiers force free samples on me every time I go to the Farmer’s Market π
January 11, 2012 at 10:01 am
[…] This post was inspired by a post on mixes at The Just in Case Book Blog. […]