If You’re Gonna Make a Mess…

… make it a big one! Big and productive, that is.  This is what my kitchen looked like off and on all day.  I’ve found that if I’ve got the oven on anyway and I have a few things to cook and/or bake in the next couple of days, it works for me to use my time and my kitchen efficiently and get as much done together as possible.

This morning’s baking marathon began at about 6:15 with a pan of Amish Baked Oatmeal that I had assembled the night before.  I added chopped cranberries for extra flavor.  This oatmeal is super hearty, not mushy like the instant stuff, and it’s so nice to prepare ahead of time and simply pop it in the oven in the morning.

Next up was my favorite Chocolate Sheet Cake with melt-in-your-mouth homemade icing.  Unfortunately, I have nothing to show for it now because it was needed at the basketball concession stand tonight.  I’m sure someone appreciated it, though, at about $1.50 per slice!

With cake on the brain, I decided to get a head start on tomorrow’s supper. We’re hosting Lance’s basketball team for a Mexican Fiesta.  This Skor Cake (yes, those are candy bars embedded in the icing) is a huge hit everywhere I take it, and is probably one of my most requested desserts.  Recipe coming soon…

Somewhere in between setting the oven timer and chopping candy bars, I realized I hadn’t started on tonight’s supper.  Lucky for me, this was Cheesy Potato Soup night.  I threw it together to simmer in the crock pot.

With the rest of my cranberries, I created a double batch of these yummy White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins.  Not too sweet, not too tart, they were the perfect soup accompaniment tonight and will be tasty with fried eggs in the morning.  A big thank you to Jennifer for the idea!  Aren’t they pretty?

White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins

• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 1/4 c. flour
• 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 c. oil
• 1 egg
• 1 c. orange juice
• 1 cup cranberries, chopped
• 1 c. white chocolate chips, chopped

Stir together the dry ingredients in a small bowl.  In a large bowl mix the oil, egg, and orange juice.  Combine dry and wet ingredients just until moistened.  Fold in cranberries and white chocolate chips.  Scoop into greased muffin tins.  Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes.  Makes about 22 muffins.

As I was rolling along, I thought I should probably assemble my Chicken Tortilla Bake for tomorrow night, but decided against it after doing dishes for the third time.  I think I’ll give my kitchen a rest (my feet, too!) before tackling tomorrow’s supper.

Making a big mess works for me, as long as it’s a productive one! Check out more WFMW, and see who’s been baking up a storm here.