Angela – Page 28 – Grocery Shrink

Whole Wheat Biscuit Mix

By Angela on June 11, 2015

Use this recipe in the place of any storebought boxed biscuit mix, such as bisquick. It makes biscuits, pancakes, waffles, cookies, impossible pie (both sweet and savory), scones, muffins, and more! Read more…

Homemade Cake Mix

By Angela on June 9, 2015

Cake mix is a convenience food I buy, especially when it goes on sale. The delicious and effective chemicals in them give results I haven’t been able to duplicate by scratch. I’m sure it’s because I’m impatient and don’t separate eggs, or combine dry and wet ingredients separately.

It is probably also because I insist on using home ground whole wheat flour in everything I make from scratch. It’s really not good in cake….especially when compared to the box variety. It makes no sense I know. Using white cake flour would be a step up from going full force into a box mix. I’m a woman. I don’t have to make sense.

I’ve watched Cake Boss competitions where he criticized the contestants for cupcakes that tasted like they came from a box mix. “Blech, what did you do? Use a box mix?” I don’t understand the level of cake he’s on. Read more…

Brownie Mix

By Angela on June 8, 2015

Brownies…..savor the thought for a minute. They are the perfect accent for unexpected company, potluck suppers, afterschool snacks….any time really. Had a baby? Here’s a brownie. Experienced loss? I’ll bring a whole pan. I can’t think of a time a brownie isn’t appropriate.

If you are gluten free, you can substitute all purpose gluten free flour blend for the flour as long as the mix contains xanthan gum. In theory, xylitol will work instead of sugar in the mix and almond flour instead of all-purose flour for those on a fitness kick. (I’d be tempted to try 1/3 almond flour, 1/3 flax meal, and 1/3 oat fiber.) I haven’t tested these variations yet, so try it in a smaller batch the first time and report back how it went.

This mix can also be used for creative Pinterest recipes that call for brownie mix. 4 1/2 cups mix = a box mix that makes a 9×13 family size pan of brownies.

Herbed Chicken Rub

By Angela on June 5, 2015

This recipe is the brilliant masterpiece of my mother. It has been famous ever since it’s debut when I was a teenager and now we all keep a jar of it handy. Roast chicken is one of the easiest, affordable and most impressive meals to make. My favorite feature, is that it cooks nicely during church for a fast lunch once we get home.

Single Herbed Chicken Rub:

1 t salt

1/8 t pepper

½ t paprika

¼ t savory

¼ t thyme

¼ t garlic powder

Yield: 2 and 3/8 tsp

Rub the chicken all over with the mix and place breast side down in a roasting pan. (Breast side down makes the meat more moist, breast side up makes the skin crispy. You pick which one you want.) Surround it with peeled potatoes and carrot. Top with sliced onion and ribs of celery. Place a few cups of water in the bottom of the pan (miss the chicken, so you don’t wash off the rub.) Then bake at 325 degrees for 2-3 hours. (3 if the chicken is still frozen, with the bag of giblets in the center. . . 2 if you bothered to thaw it and pull them out.) I roast mine covered which is technically wrong…but it leaves more broth in the pan and keeps it moist.

Make gravy by pouring the broth from the pan through a strainer into a measuring cup. Heat the broth in a pan to boiling. Dissolve 1 Tbs of cornstarch or 1 tsp of glucomannan powder per cup of broth into enough water to make a smooth paste. Pour the smooth paste into the hot broth and cook and stir until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Large Batch Herbed Chicken Rub

1/2 cup salt

1 Tbs pepper

1/4 cup Paprika

2 Tbs savory

2 Tbs thyme

2 Tbs garlic powder

Yield: 1 cup 3 Tbs

Classic Chili Mix

By Angela on June 4, 2015

Classic Chili Spice Mix

1 cup Chili Powder

1/2 cup Cumin

1/4 cup Garlic Powder

1/4 cup Minced Onion

2 Tbs Oregano

1 Tbs Sugar (or equivalent)

1 Tbs Salt

1 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)

Use 2 Tbs of mix to season 1 lb of ground beef, 1 can of diced tomatoes with juice (or 2 cans of tomato sauce), 2 cans of pinto beans and 2 cans of kidney beans. I don’t drain my cans. If you prefer to drain them, add more sauce or water to make up the volume in liquid.

Taco Seasoning Mix

By Angela on June 3, 2015

Of all the mixes I use this one the MOST. I go through a quart jar full every couple of months.

The sweetener gives a bit of twang to balance out the spice. It’s the secret to a mix that tastes like the commercial ones, but can be left out if you’re against it. If you want yours super spicy add some cayenne, about a teaspoon to the whole jar.

If you buy your spices at Aldi, one bottle of spice is about 1 cup.

Quart Jar Taco Mix:

1 cup chili powder

1 cup dried onion flakes

¾ cup ground cumin

¾ cup garlic salt

1/3 cup sugar (or equivalent stevia blend substitute)

3 Tbs Paprika

Use 2 Tbs of mix for each pound of meat. You can also use this mix to make big batch taco meat for the freezer with the slow cooker bulk cooking method.

Fajita Seasoning Mix

By Angela on June 2, 2015

Fajitas are my favorite thing to order from a Mexican restaurant. I love the lean marinated meat mixed with crisp-tender colorful veggies. I’ve tried several mix recipes trying to create that authentic flavor at home and really like this one. It’s beautiful to use the multi colored baby bell peppers available at Aldi or Costco and red onion. To keep the brilliant colors, cook the meat almost completely through then add the veggies for the last few minutes of cooking. Stop cooking when the colors are the brightest right before they start to break down. Read more…

It’s Homemade Mix Month!

By Angela on June 1, 2015

homemade mixes

Guys! I’m so excited! This month I’m going to post the recipes of the most helpful homemade dry powder mixes I know about. Along the way, you might know an even better version of the mix that you’ve been using for years. I hope you’ll post your recipe in the comments so we can all benefit.

Here’s a master list of what’s coming. As the posts go live, I’ll update with the links so we’ll end up with a useful resource.