I love reading The Pioneer Woman’s cooking blog. The combination of delicious, down-home comfort food and fantastic photography is a thing of beauty. And it makes me hungry.
But sometimes . . . I have to admit . . . it’s a little discouraging. Because on any given day, I just cannot handle recipes with a dozen ingredients. Or fresh herbs.
So I was excited to read yesterday’s post: Monkey Bread. You know why? Because monkey bread, I have just learned, is made from canned biscuit dough.
Ah-ha!
I feel like I just discovered a national secret, a cooking conspiracy. Or somethin’.
All this thought about canned biscuits made me think about how many shortcuts I take in the kitchen. How many pre-made ingredients I use. How many products make my life easier when it comes time to feed myself and my family.
And you know what happens when I start thinking, right? I have to make a list. So, here you go. The top 10 cooking shortcuts that work for me:
- Brownie mix – In some circles I’m actually well-known for one thing and one thing only. And that’s my brownies. That come from a store-brand mix. What can I say? Not everyone is destined for greatness. Like I am.
- Muffin mix – Mark’s mom often made blueberry muffins for them when he was growing up. I’m not sure if she made them from scratch, but I’m going to guess she did. I, on the other hand, love these packets of muffin mix with these three life-giving words: Simply Add Water.
- Pizza crust in a can – I’ve tried the pizza crust mix in a packet. It’s not the same thing. And yes, Mom, I do know how to make it from scratch, which is way cheaper. I just don’t like to do it.
- Salsa – Yeah, yeah, yeah. I said I want to make my own salsa. And I do. But I sure haven’t done it yet. Until then, Sam’s Choice medium salsa is doing the trick.
- Shredded cheese – I’ve noticed that some of the cooking blogs I read like to mention how much better cheese is when you grate it yourself. And I don’t disagree. I do, however, remember how much it hurts to catch your knuckles in that thing. And there’s the fact that it takes so much time. Like, minutes.
- Spaghetti sauce – I had never considered making my own spaghetti sauce. It really seemed like an awful lot of work. But then I made this lasagna, which pretty much forced me to make my own sauce. And you know what? It wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was pretty good. But for spaghetti on a Wednesday or Friday night homemade pizza, you can’t beat Prego traditional sauce. Mmmm…yum.
- Crescent rolls – Another favorite from Mark’s family, the canned crescent rolls are a staple around here. Thankfully, they make a reduced fat version. Because one can? Yeah, pretty much disappears around here!
- Cinnamon rolls – Are you seeing a pattern here? I like my bread products to come from a can! Canned cinnamon rolls (again, the low-fat and store-brand version) is the easiest, most delicious “homemade” breakfast I make. It’s perfect when we have overnight company or have to take “treats” to our Sunday school class.
- Break-apart cookie dough – It’s the ultimate in laziness, I think, but you better believe I do it. Not only do I buy pre-made cookie dough, I don’t even take the time to scoop it or slice it. Nope – just break it apart and bake. At least, I bake the ones I don’t just eat right out of the package!
- Instant oatmeal – Time to redeem myself after all of that not-so-healthy talk. When I’m really on my weight loss game, I eat a bowl of apple and cinnamon oatmeal (two points, if you’re counting them) every morning. It takes just a few seconds, it’s delicious and it’s filling. Can’t beat that.
This post is part of Top Ten Tuesday and Works for Me Wednesday. (Hey, I actually wrote it on Tuesday but it will post on Wednesday!)
The Salsa is really easy if you grab a package of Mrs. Wages salsa mix from the store and use either canned diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes…cook it down, can it in jars and voila…
Or if you don’t have one I recommend getting a spinner from Tupperware (blade inside the sealed container with a handle on top so you can spin your way to salsa), put all the ingredients inside and start spinning, when it is the consistency you want stop and you have fresh salsa.
hey, don’t get down on yourself that your famous brownies are from a box, because it still takes a great cook to make them perfect… believe me, i’ve totally screwed up on boxed brownies before!
have you tried “cinnamon roll” instant oatmeal? YUM YUM YUMMMMM!
Break apart cookies are divine. And honestly, I think they are better than homemade. OK, maybe not but I could eat the whole pack by myself!
I love everything on your list! My son told me that I made the best brownies ever, to which I responded, “You do realize that they come from a box?” He didn’t care – yay!
I am not a baker but Pillsbury/Duncan Hines/Betty Crocker/Nestle are!
I am a huge, HUGE fan of all things shortcut…and my family is no worse for the wear because of it. I figure if they get more than cold cereal and mac and cheese from me I’m on a roll! :)
What brand of brownies do you make? I love the Ghirradeli ones. I have never heard of pizza dough in a can! I use the bagged pizza dough at Publix
We of course use most of those shortcuts except for grated cheese. I grate the cheese so I guess I take one for the team. :o) I have cut myself though…and it DOES hurt. I just don’t like to use grated cheese. It’s not the same.
Did you try PW’s cinnamons rolls? They are to-die-for good!
Another cinnamon roll recommendation is Rhodes (with the frozen bread dough–the fact that I know where that is would make my grandmas so upset). A little more expensive than the tube, but awfully good. I used to buy the ones that you let rise overnight, but now they have ones you just stick in the oven. The cream cheese frosting is phenomenal too!
Oh Amanda – I agree! The breakapart ARE better than homemade. Well, at least some homemade. :)
Becky – I honestly use the store brand for brownie mix. I have had the Ghiradelli, though, and they are AWESOME!!
Lauren – you’re right. It’s not the same. Good for you, taking one for the team. :)
Mrs. Ohtobe – I haven’t tried PW’s recipe. I think that one might be a little bit too much for me!
Amber – Hi! I’ve had the Rhodes kind and have the recipe…but have never made them. There’s no excuse, really, with the new non-rising kind!
Frozen waffles:D I don’t even own a waffle iron!
Great list! I’d agree with you on most every product you mentioned.
Just tonight I cheated and used canned alfredo sauce and it wasn’t half bad. I poured it over cooked bowtie pasta, threw in some broccoli and added some diced, cooked chicken breast. It was delish and my kids LOVED it!
Super easy and healthy too!
I also avoid recipes that have too many steps and ingredients. Most of the time I strive to eat food that is natural, healthy, and not processed, but there are just some things I refuse to make from scratch, so I buy these:
Pasta sauce in a jar.
Salsa.
Marie Callenders Corn Bread mix.
Rosarita refried beans.
My sister gave me a recipe for a chopped veggie salad. It called for so many different veggies that I had to chop, dice, and mince. I felt like it took me about an hour to make and in 5 min. it was devoured. I was so angry during my chopping, mincing, and dicing, that I vowed to never make that again. The recipe went into the trashcan even though it was very good.
FYI…
I’m almost done writing my bacon post. How’s your coming along?
Thank you so much for this post! I was just feeling bad about my pantry which is stocked with pasta sauce, brownie mix and bisquick! You reminded me that taking shortcuts is ok, and that I don’t need to feel guilty!
Jaime, I’m all for helping other women not feel guilty about Bisquick! ;) By the way – are you just starting your blog? I love the owl background – so cute!
I like the owls too. I was feeling really inspired when I set it up, but the feeling passed. I’m still thinking and deciding what exactly to blog about!
Hi. I was just surfing around some blogs, and I came across yours. It’s pretty nifty and I’m really enjoying my stay here. I’ve bookmarked your site for daily visits, and I hope you’ll visit me. I’d love to have you. :) Have a great day and I’ll see you around the blogosphere. :)
I am so with you. Except for the salsa – homemade salsa is easy and sooo tasty. I can make mine in 5 minutes. Chop up some tomatoes, add an avocado or two, some cilantro, and red onion, along with some lime juice – and perfect! So yummy! highly recommend.
I think I use every single shortcut that you use. Ha! I hate to cook and will do anything I can to make things easier on myself. :)
Jaime – I’m still trying to figure out what I’m blogging about, too. :)
Jenny and 3XMom – thank you so much for stopping by. I promise, I’ll make salsa one of these days – it’s a goal for this summer! And you better believe I’ll blog about it when it happens! ;)
Angie – the sad thing is that I really do enjoy cooking. I just never have enough time and/or energy. I keep thinking I’m going to pick one new recipe to try every weekend, when I have more time. And then life happens…