Fresh Ideas Treats
Use your Seal-a-Meal® Vacuum Food Storage System and accessories to seal baking mixes, granola, gourmet soups, and other treats. They're great to have on hand when you're in the mood for something special, and make wonderful gifts, too.
Farmers' Market Muffin Mix
Have this muffin mix on hand, stored in batch sizes in bags or canisters. Take advantage of great prices on seasonal fresh or dried fruit purchases at farmers' markets or fruit stands. Grab a bag of muffin mix from pantry, add fruit or favorite spices and liquid ingredients, and have fresh home baked muffins in minutes.
Nuts or seeds: pecans, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seed, and poppy seeds
Bulk Purchases for 10 batches 8 lbs. 12-oz. all-purpose flour 3 lbs. 12-oz. white sugar
Muffin Mix: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt Food Storage canister or bag
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a food storage canister or bag. Vacuum seal using your Seal-a-Meal Food Sealer and store until ready to use.
Farmers' Market Muffins with Dried Cranberries & Pecans
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup milk 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl, cream the butter and blend in the milk, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until well-mixed. Add the dry muffin mix and stir until thoroughly blended, but do not over mix. Stir in the fruits and/or nuts.
Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full with batter. Bake about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.
3-2-1 Pie Crusts
Classic basic pie dough is made of 3 parts flour, 2 parts shortening, and 1 part water. This recipe follows that formula and creates a crust that is flakey and crisp. This will make 5 single 9-inch pie crusts.
4 3/4 cups pastry flour 2 tsp. salt 2 cups shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces 1 cup ice water
Preheat the oven to 400º F. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt with a fork. Add the chilled shortening pieces and cut into the flour until coarse crumbs begin to form. You may use 2 table knives, a pastry cutter or your finger tips to make the crumbs. Add the iced water and mix lightly until the dough just holds together. If more water is needed to hold the dough together, add a few drops at a time. Gather the dough, divide it evenly into 5 balls and flatten each into a disk.
For immediate use, wrap each disk individually in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. You may also wrap each disk and vacuum seal to refrigerate for 2 to 3 weeks. Remove the chilled dough, allow it to soften slightly and roll crusts according to the pie recipe instructions.
To freeze the dough for later use, lightly cover the dough disk with shortening. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and vacuum seal in Seal-a-Meal bag for later use. Multiple disks, wrapped in plastic wrap and to be thawed at the same time, may be frozen in the same bag. When ready to use, remove from the freezer and thaw the dough until softened. Proceed as directed in your pie recipe instructions.
To freeze completed pie crusts for later use, roll the crusts to fit a 9-inch pie tin. Place the crust in the tin, crimp the edges, cover with plastic wrap and pre-freeze. Do not use a glass pie plate for this step. Vacuum seal with Seal-a-Meal Vacuum Sealer in an 11-inch customizable bag and freeze for up to 3 years. NOTE: Use pie tin for better fit in vacuum bags.
Party Spiced Mixed Nuts
2 large egg whites 1/2 cup sugar 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. chili powder 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. ground coriander 1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 5 cups mixed nuts: you may use walnut halves, pecan halves, almonds, cashews, and peanuts
Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a large bowl beat the egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and spices and whisk into the egg whites. Fold the nuts into the egg whites and stir until well coated. Distribute the nuts evenly onto ungreased baking sheets in a thin, single layer.
Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 250°F. and toss and separate the nuts. Continue baking, tossing, and separating the nuts every 10 minutes. Bake for a total of 30 minutes or until they are a medium brown. Remove from the oven and cool. The spiced nuts will continue to crisp as they cool. When the nuts are completely cooled, vacuum seal in a Seal-a-Meal canister or bag and store in the pantry for 1 to 2 years. You may store all of the spiced nuts in one canister, or you may vacuum seal in 1/2 cup portions to use as everyday snacks. Makes 5 cups.
Cowgirl Cookies-in-a-Canister
These cookies have a little bit of everything! Add dried fruit or use butterscotch chips to create your own family favorites.
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup walnuts 1/2 cup white sugar
Using a 1 1/2-Quart Seal-a-Meal Vacuum Storage Canister, layer the ingredients in the order listed, packing down very firmly after each layer. Seal and, if giving as a gift, tie a ribbon around the lid, add a personalized label (if desired) and attach a tag with the following recipe.
Tag Recipe: Preheat oven to 350º F. In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter until softened. Blend in 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla, beating until mixed. Add the entire cookie-in-a-canister contents and stir until well blended. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Makes 30 cookies.
Favorite Hot Cocoa-in-a-Canister
Buy staples such as mini chocolate chips in large economy-sized bags and seal into custom-sized small bags using the Seal-a-Meal Bag Roller and Cutter.
2 cups powdered milk 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup powdered non-dairy creamer dash salt 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
In a large bowl, combine the powdered milk, sugar, cocoa powder, creamer, salt and chocolate chips. Stir thoroughly until evenly blended.
Place the cocoa mix in a 1 1/2-Quart Seal-a-Meal Vacuum Storage Canister and seal until ready to use. If giving as a gift, tie a decorative ribbon around the lid, add a personalized label (if desired) and attach a tag with the following recipe.
Tag Recipe: Spoon 3 or 4 generous tablespoons of hot cocoa mixture into a mug, add boiling water, and stir until blended.
Preheat the oven to 275º F. Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high until melted. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, maple extract, and salt, stirring to combine.
In a large bowl combine the oats, almonds, coconut, and walnuts, stirring thoroughly to mix. Add the butter/maple syrup mixture and stir to coat evenly. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread one-fourth of the granola in an even layer on each sheet.
Bake for 45 minutes or until golden and crunchy, stirring occasionally to keep from burning. Do not over-bake as the granola will crisp as it cools. Remove from the oven and while still workable, add one-fourth of the raisins and the other dried fruit to each sheet of granola. Cool completely and vacuum seal in a Seal-a-Meal Vacuum Storage Canister. Repeat with the remaining baking sheets of granola mix and dried fruit. Makes 18 cups.
TIP: Using the Seal-a-Meal Vacuum Food Storage System and accessories, bulk batches of baked goods and soups can be made up to the point of adding perishable ingredients. They can then be stored for 1 to 2 years.
Country Soup-in-a-Canister
This makes a beautiful gift of homemade soup. If you are preparing this mix for your own use, omit the rottini pasta package. Instead, simply add 1 cup of pasta to your mix as the recipe directs.
1 cup uncooked rottini 2 1/2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground 3 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. dried onion flakes 2 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes 2 Tbsp. beef bouillon granules 1 bay leaf 1/2 cup dry red lentils 1/2 cup dry split peas 1/2 cup pearl barley 1/2 cup dry yellow lentils 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
Cut a 6-inch x 6-inch piece of cheesecloth and place the 1 cup uncooked pasta in the middle. Bring the edges of the cloth to the center and secure with kitchen twine. Layer the remaining ingredients in the order listed in a 1 1/2-Quart Seal-a-Meal Vacuum Storage Canister, place the pasta packet on top and seal. If giving as a gift, tie a decorative ribbon around the lid, add a personalized label (if desired) and attach a tag with the following recipe.
Tag Recipe: In a large stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 pound beef stew meat, 1 small diced onion, 1 carrot, peeled and diced, 2 ribs celery, with leaves, washed and diced, and 2 cloves garlic. When the onion is slightly caramelized, add 1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes with basil, 1 6-oz. can tomato paste and 3 quarts water.
Remove the pasta from the canister and set aside. Add the remaining contents to the stockpot, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Taste and correct any seasonings, add the pasta and stir. Cover and simmer an additional 20 minutes. Makes 18 servings.
