The DIY Pantry (31 page)

1. Place a 9" × 9" square baking pan at the ready.
   
2. Pour juice into a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin over juice and stir to break up the clumps. Turn the heat on medium-low and bring to a very gentle simmer, 5–7 minutes. Simmer and stir until gelatin is dissolved, another 1–2 minutes. Turn off heat and add honey, if using.
   
3. Pour into baking dish and refrigerate until set and the middle jiggles, about 2 hours.
   
4. Cut into 9 squares and either serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
   

Bread crumbs are a handy item to have on hand to make a crispy coating to foods that will be baked, such as chicken nuggets and fish sticks. The popular brands on the market contain preservatives and anticaking agents, but by making your own, you’ve got much more control over the ingredients. And if you save the ends of your loaves of bread as you use them up, you can save money too, as those ends make lovely bread crumbs!

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
   
2. Place the bread pieces on an ungreased baking sheet and bake until dry, about 15 minutes, tossing the pieces if they seem to be browning too much.
   
3. Place the torn pieces in a food processor and pulse until even crumbs are formed, 3–5 minutes. Alternatively, you can place the pieces in a large zippered plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
   
4. Use the bread crumbs immediately or store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
   

Baking mix is an incredibly useful item to have on hand, as you can mix up pretty much any baked good in a flash. Pancakes, biscuits, dumplings, muffins—you name it! Use this mix measure-for-measure in any of your favorite recipes calling for store-bought baking mixes, like Bisquick.