Although I love to bake (which is really strange since I don’t eat sugar or flour. But then I’m allowed to be quirky, I’m a homeschooling mom), I don’t have a lot of patience for complicated, dinner recipes. My family, of course, likes dinner so refusing to cook at all isn’t an option.

They’re picky that way.

No leftovers from this dish.

At Target last week my eye fell on a slim cookbook at the end of the checkout aisle. Bisquick – Quick, Money-Saving Meals. “Aha,” I said to myself, “30 simple back-to-school dinners all featuring Bisquick as an essential ingredient.” This thought quickly led to the two Costco size boxes of Bisquick in my pantry. My family likes Bisquick. I think we have a winner.

I grabbed the cookbook, flipped through the colorful, sleek pages and slapped it down on the checkout counter. Yesterday I decided to try out one of the recipes for dinner. I asked Joshua (my hungriest, and often the most meal appreciative child) which he would like to have for dinner – taco pie or lasagna squares. His attention was immediately focused. Ever aware of the complexities of cooking, he asked which one would be easier to make.

In other words, which meal would be on the table quicker. You can’t fool me, kid, underneath that sensitive soul lurks a starving teenager.

“They’re both relatively the same, they’re from my new Bisquick cookbook,” I said as I flashed the cover in his direction.

“All Right!” he responded, “In that case, I pick lasagna squares.”
“Done,” I nodded and set off to make dinner.

The recipe was super easy. I doubled it and made an extra dish (leftovers are highly welcomed around here). Since I was on a roll and entranced by the glossy pages of the book, I decided to try a dessert recipe. That afternoon Tim had brought me home a big package of apples from Costco.

“Hmmm, Caramel Apple Dessert sounds yummy,” I mused. “I think I have time to make a quick treat for after dinner.” When the kids are busy and I’m making dinner, I obviously spend a good portion of the time talking to myself. Or maybe I’m just trying to spice up the blog. You decide.

Rachel is at camp this week (we miss you, Rach!) which means her dinner dish responsibilities fall to the rest of the family. I need a steady supply of desserts around in order to bribe the kids to help clean up the kitchen each night. Tim served ice cream on Monday while I was at Bible study. It worked beautifully, the kitchen was spotless when I arrived home. I figured something called Caramel Apple Dessert was bound to motivate my cleaning crew.

I need to research the homemade versions of Bisquick which are out there on the web. Can a homemade recipe compete with the big box from Costco? Anyone make a Bisquick type mix from scratch? Does it work well in these type of casserole dishes? I like the idea of using more whole grain flours in the recipe. Let me know what you’ve discovered.

Here are the two recipes we enjoyed last night.

Easy Lasagna Squares

1 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 cups shredded moz cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2/3 cup Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

1. Heat oven to 400. Brown beef. Stir in spices, tomato paste and 1/2 cup of mozz cheese. (Note: I didn’t have tomato paste and substituted with spaghetti sauce. Also I used Colby Jack cheese instead of mozzarella).

2. Grease 8 inch dish. Layer cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese in dish. Spoon beef mixture evenly over top of cheese. (I doubled recipe and made one in oval Corning Ware dish and one in pie pan).

3. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk and eggs. Pour into dish.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese over top (I didn’t use anywhere near as much cheese as this – maybe 1/2 cup). Bake 2 or 3 minutes longer until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with quartered cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves if desired.

Caramel Apple Dessert

1 1/2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup granulated sugar (I used only 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup milk

2 medium cooking apples, peeled and sliced
1 tbs lemon juice
3/4 cup brown sugar (I used only 1/3 cup)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350. Stir together Bisquick mix and sugar. Stir in milk until blended.

2. Pour into ungreased 9 inch square pan (I used pie pan). Top with apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Stir together brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples.

3. Pour boiling water over apples.

4. Bake 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

There you have it, two easy recipes. The apple dessert baked with a yummy caramel sauce on the bottom. It wasn’t quite a pie, more like an apple coffee cake with caramel sauce. Tim didn’t think the lasagna squares tasted very different from the basic cheeseburger pie which Bisquick features on the back of the box. Mind you, my family loves that recipe so his comment wasn’t negative. But it does mean I didn’t do a good job of flavoring very well. Interesting. I’m eager to try out some of the other quick and easy looking recipes.

What do you fix when time is short and you’d rather be outside playing than in the kitchen cooking?

Kathy

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