Testing Recipes and Some Ready-to-go Mixes

It seems that when I'm home on Saturdays, I like to cook. This week was no exception.

In fact, I was like a little test kitchen this past weekend; trying out two different batches of brownies, to see which ones I liked. 

I recently saw a recipe that called for yogurt in place of the oil, so I thought I would try it to see if I could make the brownies a bit more Weight Watcher's friendly. The only problem was that I only had low fat yogurt and not the Greek yogurt it called for. But, I made a batch and they came out horrible! It was like eating a glob of mud.

 So, I threw them out and reverted back to an old recipe I've had for years and finally...a good brownie...fat and all! 

 

While the brownies were baking, I decided to put a few ready-made mixes together, to have on hand for next time. This is one of my favorite things to do! I used to make all kinds of mixes on Saturdays and have them in the freezer or pantry until I needed them. 

This is so much easier to do, once you have the ingredients out, instead of taking time to pull out all the stuff, every single time. Plus, if you package them in a cute bag, with a tag, they make great gifts or the perfect addition to a gift basket.

The brownies came out thick and soft, but firm enough that they don't crumble. They were perfect!

This is the book the recipe came from. I've had this book for years and it is full of mixes and recipes, for the kitchen, as well as cleaning and other household concoctions.

Not the best photo, but I was too busy to write out the recipe and instructions, so I just snapped a shot to share here.

When I make the bags of mix, I make a tag with the instructions on it, that way I don't have to refer to the cookbook again, or if I give the mix away, it's already there to pass on. 

I always enjoy making these mixes, so I think I'll do more in the near future. In the past I've made Chocolate Chip Banana Bread mix, Easy Chicken Pasta mix, Beef Stroganoff mix and many others.

It's a fun way to stock the pantry or have on hand as a quick gift if you're putting together a basket or get invited and want to hand the hostess something. 

Either way, it's a "work smarter, not harder" type of task and the rewards are delicious!

Take care and I'll see you in the next post!

Until Next Time...

Blessings!