{I first published this as a Google document, mainly because I wasn't going to have any pictures to go with it, and you know I like posts to have pictures. My thought was that this should be something easy for you to print out and put in your menu binder. But now Google has messed with things, so I'm just posting it.}
Go here for Worksheet I: Master Menu List.
Go here for Worksheet II: More on Menu Planning.
Go here for Worksheet III: Actually Making Menus.
Go here for Worksheet IV: Make a Grocery List and Go Shopping.
Go here for Worksheet V: Save-A-Step Cooking.
Go here for Worksheet VI: Bland Diet for When Someone's Sick.
Biscuits and dumplings: No need to measure precisely. About 2 cups mix gives you enough biscuits for 4-6 people. Add buttermilk (and some milk if you like), little by little, until you get the proper consistency, which is somewhat dry and flaky, like pie crust almost — a lot drier than you think (although wetter for dumplings). Knead about 8 times, folding the dough gently, for flakiness.
Pancakes:
Scones: This mix makes a more fluffy kind of scone. For 3 ½ cups mix, add 2/3 cup sugar, mix in 1 cup or so nuts or dried fruit. Mix together 2 eggs, ½ cup light cream, and ½ cup buttermilk. Divide into rounds, knead several turns for proper flakiness. Cut into wedges. Brush with more cream and sprinkle with sugar (raw sugar gives a good crunch). Bake at 425* until golden brown, 15 minutes (less for convection or if they are a small size).
Waffles:
Night-Before Breakfast Casserole
Granola
Don’t be afraid to regard these amounts as approximate.
In a saucepan, bring to boil, simmer for 5 minutes:
The object is to dissolve the sugar and slightly thicken the syrup.
Add in any combination to total 2 cups:
It’s easy to stock up on the different grains and keep them in jars or zip bags in the freezer.
If you are using steel-cut oats, soak the night before.
I have found out that many families have something they call Papa's Special, or Daddy's Special — and it's just this:
English muffin
Butter
Honey (use real local organic raw honey — grocery store honey can contain corn syrup! Of course, if you have a child under one, don't use honey)
Peanut Butter (use real peanut butter made from ground up peanuts — big brands have a lot of junk in them!)
Karen says
What is “Wheateena”? I realize it must be a brand name that is not available where I live. What would make a reasonable substitute? We like steel cut oats and we like Cream of Wheat so I'm pretty sure we would like the combination. I have found the same thing with sweetening before serving to avoid oversweetening.
_Leila says
Karen, you made me look it up! And I see I spelled it wrong 🙂
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatena
It's toasted cracked wheat — it's quite finely cracked, like the bulgar you buy in the Hispanic section for tabouli. I have no idea if toasting your own cracked wheat would be WHEATENA, which is like a childhood sacred food 🙂
I do like mixing my oatmeal with other grains when I make porridge. The Wheatena adds a certain heartiness, but on its own it's quite heavy. Mixed with Cream of Wheat it is tasty.
Karen says
Thanks! I can find cracked wheat – I use it in bread, but I haven't seen any that specifies that it is toasted. I'll have a look, now that I know what to look for. We do have a premixed hot cereal here that has cracked wheat and rye, possibly barley, and flax seed, and it is a bit, um, weighty, on its own. It doesn't say it is toasted either.
Cathy L. says
Ok, so I tried the granola recipe a couple of weeks ago, and it came out too soggy. I ended up just letting it cool, then put it in the freezer. Is it salvageable? Or, can I repurpose it in another recipe? The flavor is great, and I hate to lose all those ingredients. Maybe it would do well in some yogurt, fruit parfaits……or, something.
Kristina B says
I think you could use it as for the 4.5 cups of mix-ins for these breakfast cookies!
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/breakfast-cookies-recipe
When I made the cookies most recently I cut the sugar back to 3/4 cup because I don’t like super sweet breakfasts, and I substituted oat bran for the fiber and dry milk because it was all I had. It’s really a very flexible recipe, and very filling. My mix-ins were very boring and they were still good – I think it’d be even better with the granola, and the lack of crispiness won’t matter since it’ll be baked into the cookies.
Kristina B says
Sorry about the typo in there haha.
Cathy L. says
Those look good, thanks! I’m going to try them this week. I don’t have any hi-maize fiber, either. Maybe wheat germ??
Cathy L. says
So, I did actually try these cookies forever ago, using my failed granola from the freezer. They were very good! I’m making some more this week, or that’s the plan, anyway. My hsband has actually been taking the frozen granola to put in yogurt every morning at work. He loves it! So, I guess it turned out to be a success after all 🙂
CJ says
Well it’s 1:00 am and the breakfast casserole
Just got itself Put In the fridge! That was easy peasy, and
Now
I get to ” sleep in” until 7! Even defrosting some sausage To go With it… Right
Next to the frozen
Chicken and tortillas I’m defrosting for chicken taco dinner. Not
To mention the 2 loads of laundry I just threw in for
Good
Measure. Whew!
I’m getting to bed late but reading your blog before bed sometimes makes it difficult
To
Actually
Get to
Bed on time! In sort of a good way 😜
I get motivated and the house is finally quiet and I fell
Into the ” not sleeping when they sleep ” trap!
At least I have a major jump start on the morning . A sincere thanks for your efforts to
Encourage us to ” not grow
Weary in well doing.”
You remind me what an honor and privilege it is to serve my
Family with grace, kindness, and beauty, and like it really is my occupation in life.
Basically handle this mom thing ” like a boss!”
Keep up the fantastic work!!!! Thank you!!!!
CJ says
Forgot
To mention,
I’m even
Finally
Biting the bullet after 15 years of marriage, on that stand mixer
I’ve been wanting for years , thanks to your blog…. That bread!!!
There’s a special at Williams Sonoma right now , fyi😉
Lissa says
I’m kind of late to the party, but I have a question about the buttermilk mix. Can it be used for muffins? What would the recipe be? I know scones are kind of similar to muffins, but I’m more of a muffin girl and would be more likely to make muffins than scones. Thanks in advance!
Leila says
Yes, Lissa, it can. You will have to experiment a bit, and of course, muffin recipes differ. You will want to add more sugar and more moisture, folding whatever liquid you use in gently.
If your usual muffins are like most of today’s recipes, you will probably need more fat as well. I find that the nicest modern muffins are really a sort of cupcake! And honestly, when you add enough butter and sugar into something, of course it will be good 🙂
Tamara says
Has anyone ever tried the baking mix with an all purpose gluten free flour blend? I’ve used/loved the mix for years but, sadly, now I’m adjusting to GF life.
Leila says
I have never heard if anyone has — maybe someone will respond here! But I have seen many people extol the King Arthur “1 for 1” or whatever it is called GF flour… maybe try it on a small proportion of the mix?
Tamara says
Thanks for the suggestion! I will try that and let you know how it goes!
Jessica says
If I substitute maple syrup for the brown sugar in the granola recipe, do I need the water still? I’m guessing not, since that might make it soggy…
Leila says
Sure, just reduce or eliminate the water. I often use different sugars, including honey.
Aly says
I am curious about using the baking mix for
scones. I saw on one of your posts that you gave a recipe but I forgot to save and now I can’t seem to find. I found you through Twitter and have loved this site. Thanks!
Leila says
Welcome!
It is right here on this very post! Scroll down after pancakes…
I did just post a different sort of scone recipe in my latest post: https://likemotherlikedaughter.org/2024/03/two-sinks-and-links/
Scroll down to the links and you’ll see it in the links. I think it would work with the baking mix too. Just add a little less butter, since there’s some in the mix already.