Cake Mix Doctor Blog

Just What the Dinner Doctor Ordered! Cheap Eats!

2008-05-12T22:17:53Z

Thanks to all the readers who have sent their creative and heartfelt ideas on how they save money on the high cost of food. I will be sharing these ideas with you in the next few weeks. . . . And this week's winning idea (drumroll, please) comes from Carol Williams of Bedford, NH, for her "3-Fer from one inexpensive chicken." Although this would only feed a small family and not with those of you who have hungry teens in the house, this is great advice and something we all can do. You could double this for larger families. Carol begins with a whole chicken, bought on sale.

]]> Thanks to all the readers who have sent their creative and heartfelt ideas on how they save money on the high cost of food. I will be sharing these ideas with you in the next few weeks…And this week's winning idea (drumroll, please) comes from Carol Williams of Bedford, NH, for her "3-Fer from one inexpensive chicken." Although this would only feed a small family and not with those of you who have hungry teens in the house, this is great advice and something we all can do. You could double this for larger families. Carol begins with a whole chicken, bought on sale.

1. Meal One. Carol trims the breast meat from the chicken, and uses it as follows – Cheddar Crusted Chicken. "I brush the boneless skinless chicken breasts with garlic-infused melted butter, dip them in a mixture of bread crumbs, shredded extra sharp cheddar and parmesan cheese. Tuck the ends under to create a roll and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour."

2. Meal Two. Carol takes the remaining chicken, places kosher salt, fresh herbs, sliced onion and celery in the cavity, props it up on crumpled foil in the slow cooker. She sprinkles salt and more herbs on top, then cooks it without added water until done, or 6 to 8 hours on low, depending on your slow cooker. "This provides us with cooked chicken for a casserole or salad."

3. Meal Three. The liquid that remains in the slow cooker is the beginning of a quick soup. Or, it can be frozen for future meals.

Carol receives a copy of Cheap. Fast. Good! from my friends at Workman Publishing. You can, too, by sending me your wisdom on how to save money on food and yet still feed your family well – anne@cakemixdoctor.com.

My Cheap Tips of the Week: Ice cream and pizza are definitely favorites in my household, as I have three kids, ages 10, 14, and 18. But these foods are indulgences. So instead of purchasing the gourmet brands, I am opting for whatever ice cream and pizza are on sale. I bought the house brand of ice cream (with really nice flavor, I may say) for $3 a gallon and three large frozen pizzas to stick in the freezer for less than $10. That is a heck of a lot cheaper than delivered pizza, and the only thing better and cheaper is to make your own. But that’s for another week!

A Note on Tuesday's Tragedy

2008-02-06T21:02:07Z

My heart goes out to the victims after tornadoes belted through Tennessee Tuesday night. More than 30 people died and hundreds were injured. Tornadoes are something we've gotten used to, living in this part of the country, but unlike the flat Midwest our middle Tennessee terrain is of rolling hills. When tornadoes come through they hop, skip, and jump around, and the path is tough to determine no matter how sophisticated the weather-tracking equipment.

]]> Our family and our neighborhood were fortunate in that we were spared. Our only stressful event of the evening was convincing our teenage daughter to come home early from the basketball game. And for once, I think she was glad she listened to us as she drove home to the sound of tornado sirens. Oddly, this was Super Tuesday but there was nothing "super" about it to those who lost so much in Memphis, Jackson, and in parts of Sumner County.

Reading the newspaper this morning, I was touched by the story of the firefighter who was searching for survivors in a field strewn with dolls and spotted with his flashlight a doll that seemed move. An infant boy was face-down and crying. Miraculously he was unharmed after being tossed the length of a football field. His young mother had just died in the storm, and his grandparents plan to raise him.

Photos from the Road

2008-01-25T20:42:23Z

Anne has been busily criss-crossing the nation, sharing wonderful recipes from her new book, the What Can I Bring? Cookbook. Click Read More to see photos from the events.

]]> Anne was recently in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, and here are some photos from those events! Click on an image to see a larger version.

Louisville

Lexington

Doctor on Tour

2008-01-01T14:18:26Z

Anne's new book, What Can I Bring? Cookbook is in stores, and you all know what that means. Anne is traveling the nation, visiting bookstores, meeting readers, and showing off delicious creations from the new book. See if she'll be coming to a location near you.

]]> Book Tour

Date: February 15, 2008
Time: 6:30 PM
Venue: Salud! Cooking School at Whole Foods Market
Location: 4021 Hillsboro Pike
City/State/Zip: Nashville, TN 37215
Phone: 615.440.5100
URL: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/calendars/GHLsalud.html
Description: Cooking class

Date: February 16, 2008
Time: 12:00 PM
Venue: Costco Wholesale
Location: 6670 Charlotte Pike
City/State/Zip: Nashville, TN 37209
Phone: (615) 354-5100
URL: http://www.costco.com
Description: Autographing

Date: February 24, 2008
Time: 12:00 AM
Venue: Milestone Culinary Arts Center
Location: 4531 McKinney Avenue MAP
City/State/Zip: Dallas, TX 75205
Phone: 214-526-3942
URL: http://www.milestoneculinary.com/
Description: Let Them Eat Cake Event

Date: March 11, 2008
Time: 6:00 PM
Venue: Davis-Kidd Booksellers
Location: 87 Perkins Ext MAP
City/State/Zip: Memphis, TN 38117
Phone: (901) 683-9801
URL: www.daviskidd.com/
Description: Talk and signing

QVC Alert!

2007-11-13T17:37:34Z

Anne's 3rd appearance on QVC with What Can I Bring? will be this Friday, November 16th from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. Don't miss this chance for more recipes from the new book and Anne's answers to your questions!

Plus, she'll be on tour this fall, and she might be coming to a city near you. Check her schedule here to find out.

Halloween Goodies

2007-10-26T22:29:56Z

A friend stopped me today and asked if I had a great recipe in one of my books for a Halloween potluck lunch. Hmm, I hadn't thought about Halloween lunches but we always do a potluck dinner with neighbors on Halloween night, after the trick-or-treating has ended.

]]> And I usually bring dessert, sometimes the Pumpkin Pie Crumble Cake from my first book, especially if there is a crowd. The Little Pumpkin Cinnamon Cakes and the Halloween Spider Cupcakes (from Cupcakes!) are so cute to tote on a pretty tray and great for parties with children present. For smaller groups of adults I like the Pumpkin Gingerbread served warm with vanilla ice cream or as a starter the Pumpkin Orange Soup with Parmesan Toasts (both from The Dinner Doctor). My Big Batch Pumpkin Bread is a wonderful take-along recipe, and you'll find it in the new book, What Can I Bring?, in stores soon.

Christmas Cookbook Update

2007-10-24T19:23:48Z

Sorry for the confusion about ordering a copy of the Christmas cookbook/magazine I wrote last year for Oxmoor House. The toll-free number in the recent newsletter is correct, but honestly, the operators don't always know about my book. The reason, as it was explained to me, is that the publication is more of a special release magazine, not a hard cover book. So the Oxmoor people are advising you order copies online—there'll be no confusion. Go to www.oxmoorhouse.com. Just to make sure this worked, I went to the site, typed "Christmas Cake Mix Doctor" in the search box and there the book was! Hopefully (fingers crossed) this will work for you, too.

Long Time, No See!

2007-10-03T17:57:25Z

It was a crazy summer at my house, but on top of my usual three children out of school, my reminding them of their summer reading, fun out-of-town guests, a trip to the beach, and a new yellow Labrador puppy named Cooper, I've been working hard on a new book and a newsletter coming to you soon. If you're not already on my newsletter list, I hope you'll take a minute to sign up, because I've got so many exciting things to share with you all this fall.

My Best Brownie Idea

2007-05-09T20:30:27Z

I love the convenience of a brownie mix, but I adore the flavor and texture of the cakey brownies my mother used to make. So in trying to recreate them in a fast version, I poured a package (Ghirardelli) of brownie mix into a mixing bowl, added a stick of very soft, almost melted, butter, and 2 eggs.

]]> That's it. No liquid. After a minute of mixing on low, I spread this into a 9-inch square pan and baked at 350 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes, or still soft in the center. These were the most unbelievably good brownies I have created. And we have made them at least once a week since then... with chopped pecans on top, doubling the recipe (2 packages mix, 2 sticks butter, and 4 eggs) for the 13-by 9-inch pan, and with added chocolate chips. Bake these for springtime parties and picnics, or let your kids make these this summer.

This brownie idea is an excerpt from my newsletter, A Piece of Cake. Sign up today for more tips and recipes!

Simple Gingerbread

2007-01-18T16:27:28Z

Don't let winter fly by without baking a gingerbread cake. This gorgeous cake was baked by Danielle from New Jersey (danibakes) just before Christmas.

]]> She had been baking cookies all day, packaged them to send to relatives, and realized there was nothing sweet in the house for her family to enjoy. So Danielle pulled out a Hansel and Gretel pan as well as a Williams-Sonoma gingerbread cake mix. She doctored it up with cinnamon, half a box of instant vanilla pudding to make the cake more moist, and used milk as the liquid. After it was baked and turned out, she dusted the cake with a mix of brown sugar and powdered sugar to give it a look of fallen snow.

Clever Danielle says she has been baking since she was a child when she used to bake alongside her father - yes, her father! Danielle finds baking calming and the end results rewarding, and she is passing those skills on to her two daughters. It makes her husband happy, too. I don't have the Hansel and Gretel pan, but we do have the sand castle pan, and I think it would work with Danielle's idea. Plus, here's a yummy little secret - one of my favorite mixes to not doctor at all is gingerbread cake mix. Baked and served warm with a dollop of real whipped cream, people will think you've gone to great trouble with no trouble at all.

Exciting Cake Mix News

2006-12-29T19:20:27Z

Give me your input on my new cake mix line!

]]> I'm in the process of developing my own line of cake mixes, and I would love to get some feedback from you, the wonderful readers of my books and newsletter. I know what I'd love to include in the mix, but what are your suggestions for what would be the perfect cake mix?

What are your favorite flavors and how would you like the mix to be packaged? Would you prefer having a frosting or glaze packaged along with the cake mix or would you rather make your own? Many readers have asked for an all-natural cake mix. Does this matter to you? Would you be willing to pay more for a healthier cake mix or one that's organic? Feel free to comment here or email me with "cake mix suggestions" in the subject line.

Best Thing There

2006-11-30T15:44:44Z

I adore holiday dinners because I enjoy getting together with family and friends. And I love to sample everyone else's cooking for a nice change.

]]> We traveled to Chattanooga last week to spend Thanksgiving with my husband's family. While I loved the scalloped oysters, the turkey and dressing, the fresh cranberry sauce, the salad of avocado, grapefruit and mango, and the glorious assortment of pies, my favorite dish was cousin Mike Patten's sweet potatoes. He had concocted the recipe by blending two recipes from the much-loved Chattanooga cookbook by Helen Exum.

The secret to this dish is using fresh sweet potatoes, and I scrub them, then boil them in their skins, peel, then mash. I cannot resist the big pillowy marshmallow topping, but if this is just too 60s-retro for you, try bread crumbs drizzled with butter instead. Bake, serve, and enjoy during this holiday season...What was the Best Thing There at your Thanksgiving table? Click here to let me know.

Try Mike's Sweet Potatoes for yourself.

My Christmas Cookbook

2006-11-20T21:53:14Z

I've been getting a lot of questions about my Christmas Cookbook, so I decided to answer them all here on the blog so that everyone can see them.

]]> The new Christmas Cookbook is a collection of my favorite decorating ideas, holiday recipes, and tips to keep you enjoying the Christmas cheer instead of becoming a tangle of nerves. You'll find some of the best holiday recipes from my books in an easy-to-find format as well as new additions (including the cake I'm holding on the cover), that I hope will guide you through many Christmas seasons to come.

It's being published by Oxmoor House (the publishers of Southern Living), and you can buy it directly from their website here. If you'd rather not order online, it will also be on newsstands wherever magazines are sold by November 28th.

If you have any other questions, please email me at anne@cakemixdoctor.com

Carpool Cuisine

2006-11-13T19:58:02Z

In the carpool line again. I figure I spend 40 minutes each afternoon just sitting in the car, waiting. And since we're not allowed to talk on cell phones in the carpool line I read the newspaper, open mail, jot notes, but mostly think about what's for dinner.

]]> A really smug feeling comes over me if I put a pot roast in the oven or chicken in the slow cooker in the morning. But most of the time, I have not. Which means dinner will be Mexican because my kids love Mexican food of all flavors, and we keep the makings for it close at hand. We roll leftovers (pot roast, grilled chicken, black beans and cheese) into burritos, layer flour tortillas with taco ingredients in a pie pan and bake it, or make an easy taco ring. Here's a recipe from my friend Barb, busy mom and great cook, who places seasoned taco meat into a ring of refrigerated crescent rolls, folds them over the filling, then bakes it until puffed and browned and beautiful.

If you try out this fantastic (and fast) dinner recipe, share the results and your own doctoring tips with everyone on the Dinner Doctor side of the Community Board.

To see the entire recipe for Barb's Taco Ring, click here

Applesauce Spice Cake for Johnny Appleseed Day

2005-09-30T19:42:36Z

My 5-year-old daughter and I had a wonderful time making your Applesauce Spice Cake for her class' Johnny Appleseed Day celebration today. The Caramel Brown Sugar Glaze was a perfect and most-scrumptious topping. Mrs. Hilton, the kindergarten teacher, made a sweeping bow before me when I picked my daughter up from school AND begged for the recipe. I'd better watch out, or she may start thinking that I can really bake!

--Jan