I like to keep a container of quick bread mix on hand for unexpected guests that drop in for coffee. I can have a coffee cake ready in 20-minutes or muffins in a flash. One of my favorites is to make chicken and dumplings from this mix. Pancakes, waffles, banana bread, nut bread or a variety of doughnuts and biscuits can be made from this mix.
To make my favorite mix I measure 10-cups of all-purpose flour into a large bowl. To that I add 1/3-cup of baking powder, 1/4-cup of sugar, and 1-tablespoon of salt. I mix all of those ingredients very well. Next I measure 2-cups of shortening and cut that in until the mixture looks like cornmeal. DO NOT use lard for this because lard requires refrigeration. Use a vegetable shortening. I keep this in a tightly covered container up to 6-weeks at room temperature.
To make a quick banana bread, cream together 8-ounces of cream cheese, 1-cup of sugar. Then add 1-cup of ripe mashed banana and 2-eggs. Next stir in 2-cups of the baking mix until just moistened and add 1/2-cup of nuts. Do not stir too much. Pour the batter into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and bake 350-degrees for 60-minutes. Cool in pan for 10-minutes before removing from pan.
To make chicken and dumplings, I fry my chicken and while the chicken is frying I mix 2-cups of the baking mix and 2/3-cup of milk together. I bring 2-3-quarts of chicken stock to a boil. Then I drop rounded tablespoons of mixture into the boiling stock. I cook that 10-minutes uncovered and the I turn the heat down and put the cover on the pot and cook for another 10-minutes.
Now I have golden fried chicken, fluffy dumplings and flavorful gravy for dinner. There is no need for potatoes. I add a vegetable dish and condiments and enjoy!
