party POSTPONED~

We planned to have our "come and see these cool ways to cook in an emergency situation" party... complete with samples, food and friends.

BUT ... we need to POSTPONE our get-together... Our party is not this Thursday, June 17th. :(


We don't have a good date yet- we're considering 3rd week in July or 2nd week in September.


Sorry to all. We had too many conflicting obligations: Boy Scout Camp (which my husband and my son are at); Girls Camp (Which many of my fellow cookers and demonstrators are attending); and other June 17th conflicts.

Don't lose hope... it's just longer to anticipate our fun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other news:

Potatoes in a barrel
If you're growing your potatoes in a barrel or bag, you should see them ready to be covered again. As the plants grow, cover the green with more soil. Try not to let the plants get more than 6 inches tall before you cover them up again.

Uses for Vinegar

Last time we talked about baking soda's many uses. (By the Way, Baking soda in large quantities are available at Winco, Costco. Costco's 13.5 lb bag was $3.75. I haven't been by to check Winco's price, but 2 friends have found Baking Soda in bulk at Winco.)

Vinegar is another cool daily product that I under-utilize.

Here's a few of the tips for Vinegar that I'm trying:

• Clean Mildew Stains: Apply vinegar full strength and gently scrub.
• Remove Sticker residue! Spray vinegar to sticky residue and gently scrub.
• Clean up kitchen grease. Mix equal parts water and vinegar in cleaning bottle. Spray and use as normal.
• Polish chrome- use vinegar full strength.
• Relieve sunburn. Apply vinegar on a cotton ball and rub gently on your sunburn.
• Take the ouch out of Mosquito bites. Again, gently rub a vinegar cotton ball on the mosquito bite.
• Clean out your washing machine. Pour 1 cup of vinegar into your empty washing machine and run a normal cycle. The vinegar will freshen your machine and cut old soap scum.

In all this my goal is: to better use what I have, cut down on harsh chemicals if they are unnecessary.

So this is all for today... keep gardening, keep smiling, keep knowing that each day, you are loved!

Our inspiring quotes today are from Zig Ziglar. I was able to listen to him speak last week, adn even in his 80's he still tries to bring hope and courage to others.

Success is not a destination. It's a journey.

Other people can stop you temporarily. Only you can stop you permanently.

Be helpful. When you see another person without a smile, Give them yours.

Pictures, Potatoes & a Party!

I got carried away with the "P" words... but it's fun sometimes to alliterate!

Potatoes
Here's a new one for me: I was told about a method of gardening potatoes in a bucket or garbage can or barrel or bag.

My wonderful husband, after I told him about this craziness, built me a barrel for our potato crop.
Here's what we did: He cut the top off a barrel and drilled holes about 6 inches apart around the base of the barrel. The holes he drilled were about ¼ inch holes.

Then he added about 6 inches of soil and planted the potato starts.

We watered and wait for them to grow.
And already they've grown! Now that they're a few inches tall, we add a few more inches of soil. The process is that we keep adding soil as the plant grow. This allows many "layers" of potatoes to grow inside the same barrel. By the end of the summer, we should have a barrel of potatoes.

*************************

Photos of the Stove Tec

Here's a few photos of the latest stove cooker that some friends purchased. It's called the Stove Tec. It's lined with a ceramic liner to convey heat better.
You can use charcoal or wood. It's very efficient.
If we are interested, we'll out together a group order.
Stoves are $45 each- regularly.

How will you know if you like them??



I'm glad you asked... here's where the PARTY comes in...


I'd like to invite ALL of you, yes that said ALL, to our home for a Preparedness Eating Party. Here's my plan:

Thursday, June 17th, 2010 at 6:30 pm...
Come to my house and we'll see how different cookers and stoves work.
A variety of stoves are coming: Alcohol cooker, Kerosene Stove, Stove Tec (pictured above), Rocket Stove, Sun Oven, smoker and ??

We'll be tasting samples of food prepared on all the different stoves and cookers... You can see them in action... Maybe tempt you to try your emergency stove out.

If you have a form of emergency situation food cooker that I haven't mentioned and you'd like to come demonstrate it as well, that'll be great!
Kids are welcome... my kids love friends.

I'll tell you more as we get closer.
*********************************
The website for the Stove Tec is: www.stovetec.net Please check it out by clicking the link. They do a much better job of explaining how neat this appliance is.

********************************
Food Storage/ Home Preparedness Item of the Week: BAKING SODA

Yep, this humble baking ingredient can do so much! Here's a few of my favorites...

* Add 1/2 Teaspoon to omelette's to make them fluffier. (Add 1/2 tsp. per 3 eggs.)
* Sweeten your tomatoes by sprinkling Baking Soda on the ground around the tomato plants.
* Scatter baking soda around your flower beds to prevent rabbits from eating your flowers.
* Relieve skin itch from bug bites and sunburn by rubbing with baking soda.

For a more complete list: www.lifehackery.com

Make sure you have Baking Soda as part of your Food Storage. They do sell Baking Soda in large quantities...
********************


That's enough for today... Have a great week. Know that I am glad you're my friend!

Ignorance of certain subjects is a great part of wisdom. Hugo De Groot

Experience teaches slowly and at the cost of mistakes. James Froude

I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done. :)

growing gardens, prepared for problems and the latest recipe

Hi everyone! Hope you're having a GREAT day!

Gardening

We've passed the "Danger" Date for planting. I need to get out into my garden and plant the remaining vegetables I want to grow. For us that's: beans, corn, melons, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peppers, and pumpkins. My terrific husband built the grow boxes, now I need to seed the waiting ones.

I found this on MSN and liked the tips:

Vegetables
As you're planting your vegetable garden, consider planting times as well as plant compatibility.

In most climates it's safe now to seed or plant hardier vegetables such as beans, peas, potatoes, lettuce, carrots, corn and chard. YEAH!!!
When you're sure the soil is thoroughly thawed and warm (at least 60 degrees), go ahead and sow cucumbers, squash, melons, peppers, tomatoes and other tender annuals.
Plant celery and cucumbers near your bean starts — they make good neighbors!
Beans also get along well with peas, corn and potatoes, but keep them away from "aromatic" vegetables such as leeks, garlic, onions and shallots.
Carrots, tomatoes and lettuces also like each other's company — just be sure not to mix them with dill.
Seeds of corn, pumpkins, squash, beans and melons can be sown directly into the ground now.

My goal this week is to get out and plant my remaining seeds... Here's hoping the next time we talk I can report my success!

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Earthquake Preparedness

The news reports of earthquakes all around the globe remind me that I am NOT ready for an earthquake. Chalk it up to my quirkiness, but I'd rather the peace of mind of being ready, even if it means I never use my preparations. I've learned peace of mind is worth the extra work for me.
Here's a link: http://beready.utah.gov --that has suggestions for kits, safety, etc.

Here's our family's earthquake action items for this week:

1. Strap down the Water Heater. (Our water heater is original to the house and is free standing. It could topple over with just a little shaker.)
2. Get our "Household Disaster Kit" (a.k.a. 72 hour kits) up to standard.
3. Store a little more water.

Of the 3 action items, the most challenging for me is building a functional "Household Disaster Kit" (72 hr) kit. I have all the lists of good 72 hour kits. The lists are so comprehensive it's great-- but is it functional to lug around?
I'm seriously considering rolling luggage as my 72 hour kit. That way I can move it somewhat and not completely kill my back in the process. (Can you imagine?! A disaster and a wrenched back? No thank you!)
Next Quandary: where to store the thing? I'm considering our shed in the backyard. Even if an earthquake toppled our home and the shed, the shed is less rubble to dig through to get to the kit.

What have you done? I'm looking for wisdom here. How have others collected and stored their 72 hours kits?

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Apple Protein Muffins

This morning I concocted muffins for my kids for breakfast. I wanted to incorporate dried apples, whey protein and whole wheat in a form that would: a) feed my kids well (low sugar/high protein) and b) actually taste good.

Here's our result/recipe:

Dried Apple Protein Muffins

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Vanilla powder whey protein
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups dried apples - rehydrated

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put cupcake papers into 12-cup muffin tin.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the butter and add the brown sugar. Add the egg and mix well. Mix in the buttermilk gently. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 20 ish minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Makes about 12 muffins.

That's all for this week... Let's get growing and preparing and cooking!

Practice is the best instruction of them all. -Publilius Syrus
Knowledge is the food of the soul. -Plato
A Smile is a curve that sets everything straight.

• 
  

shelf stable

Hi everyone...


Glad to talk to you again. Hope your day is going well.


I've discovered a few new things to share.


First, another preparedness fan has a blog about "Shelf Stable" recipes- recipes that use ingredients that require no refrigeration. So if you've lost power, you can still create yummy meals.


This recipe- Mexican Corn Chowder- can be made with fresh ingredients.
1 pound cooked shredded chicken
5 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon Shirley J Chicken Bouillon or 1 Tablespoon regular Chicken Bouillon
2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
1 Tablespoon Garlic minced
1 cup freeze dried corn
1 1/2 cups freeze dried potato- diced
1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 cup Shirley J Universal Sauce + 1 cup water
1 small can diced green chilis

In a large pan, cook shredded chicken, water, onions, bouillon, and garlic for 10 minutes.
Add corn, potatoes, cumin and chilis.
Mix 1 cup Universal Sauce and 1 cup water. Pour into soup mixture. Boil for 10 more minutes.
EAT!!
*************
A few more new things:
I've had a few questions about Orem allowing chickens.

• The city ordinances now allow for a maximum of 6 chickens on a lot less than 1 acre.
• No Roosters allowed.
• Chickens must be contained in a portable coop.
• Chickens cannot be slaughtered.

Here's the actual website:
www.ore.org/DSPlan/PC2010/01-20/ID10442.htm
****************

Gardening things I didn't know(only a few mentioned here):

Helpful bugs- I knew that ladybugs were good bugs because they eat bad bugs. But Green Lacewings are good bugs too! They can be added to even small gardens to help control unwanted pests.

And although the weather whispers to me: "Go ahead, plant those other seeds." My local nursery guy warns me not to. There is a reason I need to wait. (Frost) So I will show patience... and not plant my squash, YET.
*******************

Short Cupboard this week.
Action Items:
Keep stocking your preparedness- food, fuel, light, clothing... etc.
Keep smiling.

Procrastinate now! Don't put it off!

42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Borrow money from pessimists- they don't expect it back.

Spicy, moving & gardening

Welcome back to another installment of Saria's Cupboard.

We've survived Spring Break- although with the snow storms it felt more like Winter Break...



But the sun is shining today and we're moving on...



Speaking of MOVING...

A terrific friend of mine is moving. That's not unusual, except she is not going to move some of her food storage. WHY? Well, this brave mom is gluten intolerant and members of her family are as well. Their family challenges of what they can and can't eat (mostly can't) are amazing to me. And yet, through it all, she is upbeat and adventurous and trying new foods.



Anyway, she can't afford to give away her food, but she's willing to sell it at her cost. This food is all less than 4 years old, still sealed in its packaging, in great condition.

Here's what she needs to sell:

• 23 buckets of Walton Feed Hard White Wheat in 6 Gallon "Superpails". Contains 45 lbs white hard wheat. Packed in a mylar bag, sealed with O2 absorbers, in a bucket that is sealed. $20 per bucket.


• 2 buckets of Lehi Roller Mills Hard White Wheat in bucket. Contains 45 pounds of wheat in a sealed bucket. Purchased at Costco. $14 per bucket.


• 10 buckets of Bosch Kitchen Wheat- 5 gallon buckets. Contains 36 pounds wheat. $11 per bucket.


• 20 buckets of Rotini Pasta in large bucket. This pasta is packed in a mylar bag and then in the bucket to retain freshness. $17 per bucket. (These are the buckets of Pasta Bishop Davis arranged for us.)

So if you're interested, please let me know. I will get all the buckets from her house & store them at mine. (1 less thing for her to move!) And for the record, I going to miss you, Jenn.

Spices

So about the Spices Group Order... We didn't have a ton of interest in the spices so I propose we shelved the spice idea for now.

If you're crushed, you can still order from SFHerb.com directly.

Gardening

Hooray! I was running behind on my garden this year, but during spring break I got some seeds in the ground. And now to wait until after May 9th to get the other seeds going.

This year our family is trying a new method of gardening. We got a book called Square Foot Gardening. Don't rush out and buy it yet... We can't vouch for it yet. We;re trying it out and of course, I'll keep you updated on our growing results.

If you haven't had a chance to get gardening, today is a good day!

That's it for today...

Next week, more recipes, more gardening, and more adventures.

Don't tell God how big the Storm is; Tell the Storm how big your God is.

God gives nothing to those who keep their arms crossed. -African Proverb

Part 2: Portable Chicken Coop, Group order of Spices?

Here's the next installment of Saria's Cupboard... today, in 2 parts.
Part 2:
This e-mail/blog bested me today. And that's just the way it is sometimes. :)

Here's a picture to get your attention:

It's a movable/ portable self enclosed chicken coop.
It's easy to build; light to move; and if you're thinking chickens- a great option!

Want more? Here's the YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IopXbR97XBo

This self enclosed chicken coop on wheels you move as you want. Your chickens can eat one area of grass and you move them to the next area.

The website for these is: www.Gardeneggs.com
Feel free to click the link and check it out further.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Spices, in bulk at a discount...

San Fransisco Herbs sells spices at a discount if you buy in bulk.
Their site is: www.sfherb.com
Here's my wild hair idea: I'll set up a group order & we'll all save. If we order 5-24 lbs, we save 10%. If we order 25lbs, we save 15%!

I've chosen 5+ spices or blends to start with. Let me know if you're interested.
***This is merely a proposal. If your favorite spice is not listed, let me know. (It was hard for me to narrow the choices down!)

Spice Cost per Pound
Cinnamon $2.90
Chinese 5 spice $6.30 (Cinnamon, Star Anise, Anise Seed, Fennel Seed, Cloves, Black Pepper)
Italian Blend $7.15 (Oregano, Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Marjoram)
Taco Seasoning $4.90 (Spices, Chili Peppers, Salt, Garlic, Dextrose, Onion)
Zesty Salt Free $6.45 (Onion, Garlic, Pepper, Carrot, Tomato, Orange, Basil, Citric Acid, Celery Seed, Mustard, Parsley, Lemon, Coriander, Cumin, Lemon Oil, Vegetable Oil, Red Pepper, Oregano, Marjoram and Bay Leaf.)
Paprika $4.70

So e-mail me back if you'd like to go in on a group order.

And here's "spice" for thought on how long spices last...:

True spices are hardy seeds, barks, and roots. Whole spices last longer than
powdered ones. Leafy herbs do not last as long as hard spices. Though a common
rule is to purchase spices for no more than one year's use, with proper storage
spices should last five years or more. Powdered herbs and spice blends with oil
content (lemon pepper, etc.) should be used within one year.
Glass is the ideal non-porous barrier for storing spices. Spice jars of clear
glass with tight-fitting lids work well. Plastic spice jars can suffer
deterioration from caustic oils or leach flavor from certain spices. Metal
ointment tins are popular, but opaque, hiding the condition of the contents.
Proper storage greatly increases the shelf-life of spices and herbs. Spices
should be stored in a cool, dark place away from heat. Keep spices away from the
stove area, unless they are for immediate use. The spice rack belongs on a wall
in the kitchen away from heat, direct light, and excessive moisture.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I've run out of time (again!) so we'll talk gardening next week.
Have a great Easter!

If you fear God, you won't fear humans.
- Albanian Proverb

The only difference between saints and sinners is that every saint has a past while every sinner has a future.
- Oscar Wilde, author

What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
- Eleanor Powell

As always, is you want to check the blog, click here: www.sariascupboard.blogspot.com

Part 1: Recipes

Are we back for more? YES!!
This week, we're going to divide the e-mail & blog into 2 parts.
Let's talk some recipes, Part 2: some gardening, and some new stuff: portable chicken coop and a group herb order.

Part 1: Recipes
Recipes: (a note on the pictures- I didn't create them. They came with the recipes. My actual meals weren't always as attractive, but just as edible.)

Rich and Creamy Broccoli & Cauliflower Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter (using reconstituted Butter Powder)
• 1 tbsp Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 c milk (using reconstituted Powdered Milk)
• 2 tbsp cream
• 1 c mozzarella cheese
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• ½ tsp nutmeg
  
• ½ tsp Iodized Salt
  
• 1 ½ c Freeze Dried Broccoli
  
• 1 ½ c Freeze Dried Cauliflower
  

Preparation:

Rehydrate Broccoli and Cauliflower together in a bowl by covering with water; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook for one minute. Whisk in the milk next, stirring briskly to avoid lumps. Continue stirring over heat while sauce thickens for about 2-3 minutes.

Add in salt, nutmeg, cream, and add 2/3 c of mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine, then remove from heat.

Add in well-drained broccoli and cauliflower. Gently stir together, adding any additional salt or pepper if desired.

Place in a greased baking dish or small pie plate, top with remaining mozzarella and the parmesan cheese, and bake for about 20 minutes or until hot, bubbly, and golden.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Whole Wheat Meatloaf

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds ground beef

• 1 cup Wheat, cooked
• 2 eggs (using powdered Whole Eggs )
• 1 cup milk (using reconstituted Instant Milk )
• ¼ cup dried onions
• 2 ½ tsp. pepper
• tsp. sage
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. prepared mustard

Sauce:

• 5 Tbs. Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. dry mustard

PREPARATION:Combine first 10 ingredients thoroughly and place into a loaf pan. Combine sauce ingredients and spread over meatloaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Spaghetti Pie- great way to use pasta food storage!!

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti -cooked
• 4 eggs
• 1 (26 ounce) jar pasta sauce
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Additional options: sausage to add into spaghetti sauce, veggies (peppers, onions, etc) to add into sauce, Parmesan to sprinkle on top.
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).


2. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef. Drain and crumble. Put crumbled beef in skillet. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder, bell pepper and pasta sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.


3. In a small bowl combine sour cream, green onions and cream cheese and set aside. Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and add the cooked spaghetti. Spread the cream cheese mixture over it, add the meat mixture and sprinkle with Cheddar Cheese.


4. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

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Full Cupboard... or is full garage?

My Garage...

Here's a few pictures of my full garage- it's all the food storage buckets we ordered.
This picture was actually taken before we were done unloading all the buckets...

The picture on the right is my son showing how tall he is in "buckets".

And one more picture ...

Another trailer full... It thrills me because it means we are all getting more prepared!

**************************

Gardening
First: Our last frost date for Orem is: MAY 8
This date is important because it helps us know when to start planting our veggies.
Very early spring (as soon as the ground can be worked)

• Onions
• peas
• spinach

Early spring (now)

• lettuce
• beets
• carrots
• radishes
• dill
• cilantro
• cabbage
• broccoli
• celery
• kale
• potatoes

After last frost date (after May 8th)

• beans
• corn
• melons
• cucumbers
• squash
• tomatoes
• peppers
• pumpkins
• eggplant
• basil

Summary: It's time to plant some things. Let's get growing. :)
************************

Recipes
This week we're continuing the White Sauce recipes... Next week, we're experimenting with more food storage recipes. We're going to try Whole Wheat Meatloaf, Broccoli & Cauliflower Bake, and Spaghetti Pie. But that's next week...

This week our recipes are:
Enchiladas a la gringa
Ham & Cheese Roll ups
Creamed Eggs
New Potatoes & Peas

Enchiladas:
2 cups Cream of Chicken soup (made from the white sauce recipe)
10 to 12 Tortillas
2 cans Green Chilis, drained
16 oz shredded cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 cups cooked & diced chicken

Assembly:
In a bowl, mix soup, cheese, chicken, chilis & sour cream. Now, fill each tortilla with a generous scoop. Roll tortillas, place in 9 X 13 pan. Continue filling tortillas until mix is used up. Sprinkle tortillas in pan with shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Serve with salsa.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ham & Cheese Roll Ups (This is a great post-Easter-use-up-the-Ham recipe)

1-2 cups White Sauce prepared
2+ cups of ham sliced
2 cups shredded cheese
12 + tortillas

Assembly:
In each tortilla, scoop a generous heap of white sauce. next layer slices on ham and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Roll the tortilla up and place in baking dish. When your dish is full of "Roll Ups", bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Roll Ups should be sightly crispy. My kids hold & eat the Roll Ups like tacquitos.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
CREAMED EGGS (Another post Easter Recipe that helps you use up the Boiled Eggs)
4 cups White Sauce prepared
8 boiled eggs
2 bouillon cubes
Hot Biscuits

Once you have your white sauce prepared, grate in the eggs and mix in the bouillon. Stir until well blended.
Poured creamed egg mixture over fresh hot biscuits.
(I like to serve this breakfast dish with sausage. I know it's over-the-top-artery-clogging, but we only eat this once a year.)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
New Potatoes & Peas (Yummy with fresh peas from your garden)

2 cups White Sauce prepared
2 lbs new potatoes- cooked
1 lb peas

Prepare white sauce. Add potatoes & peas. Cook on medium for 10 minutes.
Serve.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Enough recipes already. Sheesh, You'd think we cook 3 meals a day!

Action Items for this week:
1. Get planting.
2. Try out a recipe, please.
3. Get ready for more preparedness next week: FUEL!

Even if I don't reach all my goals, I've gone higher than I would have if I hadn't set any.
-- Danielle Fotopoulis
You were born an original. Don't die a copy.
-- John Mason
You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.
-- Barbara De Angelis

Bucket clarifications

Quick e-mail that will hopefully clarify- regarding the food storage/preparedness buckets:

Each bucket contains 80 meals packaged in Mylar bags. Each Mylar bag holds 5 servings of that particular flavor (3 cheese lasagna, chicken alfredo, etc.). All bags have been vacuum sealed.

These meals are QUICK to prepare because the foods have been par-boiled. When you want to eat the food, you merely add boiling water to the package, reseal and wait for the food to "seep".

These packages are much faster than normal preparedness foods that often require being boiled for 15 minutes to rehydrate.

Shelf life for these meals (left unopened, of course) is 20 + years.

These meals contain no animal proteins.

The flavors in each bucket include:

• Blueberry Pancake
• Potato Soup
• Whey milk
• Chocolate whey milk
• Oatmeal
• Beef Stroganoff
• Mac n' Cheese
• Alfredo chicken
• Teriyaki chicken
• Basil Tomato soup
• Lasagna
• Chili
• Vanilla Pudding
• Chocolate Pudding
• Granola

Each bucket costs $53.50 (this includes tax).

Hope this helps.
-saria

White sauce, Bucket delivery, & recipe revisions

Hello to all my friends...

Hope you are having a great day!


Let's talk about the buckets of food for preparedness: I'm taking all your last minute orders until Wednesday. Jim will be taking several trips to pick up all the buckets on Friday and Saturday (yes, there are that many!). He'll deliver them to my house. So, on Saturday, I will begin deliveries. If you are in a RUSH, and you need them first, you are welcome to come to my house to get them. If you've got some time leeway, I'll bring them to you.


Checks are made out to Food for Health, International.


Your response has been great and I'm excited to have so many of us ready. Yay, us!


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Recipes- Eat what you store, Store what you eat. These recipes are my attempt to "Eat what I store"... Hope this adventure helps you too.

How did the recipes go last week? Did anyone try to make the Blueberry muffins, the Lentil (Palestine) Soup or the Broccoli Cheese soup? I'll tell you my experience, but I'd like yours as well.

Blueberry Muffins: Yep, a hit. Kids loved them. I purchased the freeze dried Blueberries (the 10# can was around $32!! Yikes!) but these muffins were good. I completely omitted the Streusel topping. I also cut the sugar to 3/4 cup total and they were still plenty sweet. I also did 1 cup white flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour.

So here's my changes:

Saria's Revised Food storage Blueberry Muffins

• 3 cups blueberries reconstituted & drained
• 2 cups flour (wheat works!)
• 1/2 cup butter reconstituted
• 1/2 cup milk reconstituted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbs egg powder + 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cream Butter & Sugar. Add egg powder & water; mix. Add dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) add milk. Lastly, add blueberries. Mix. Put in muffin papers. Makes about 18 muffins.

Bake at 375 for 18 minutes.

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Broccoli Cheese Soup: I cheated. I personally do not like processed cheese so I substituted processed cheese for regular yummy cheddar cheese. I also added: peppers, carrots, & celery. When all the ingredients were softened, I ran the soup through the blender to puree the soup. (This hides the variety of veggies I'm making my kids eat. And what they don't know, limits their complaints. :) All in all, not bad soup. We could definitely eat this and stay alive.


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Lentil soup: I'm going to have to get back to you one this one. I didn't get to it this week, so you'll get feedback next week. Sorry!

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How about you? Which recipes did you bake?? did they work for you? Please share your feedback.

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NEW RECIPES:

Ok, I told you briefly about the White Sauce Mix. This is a mix you prepare, store in your fridge and use as needed. It's versatile and great. I'll give you the White Sauce recipe then we'll go into all the things to do with it...

White Sauce Base

• 2 cups instant nonfat dry powdered milk
• 1 cup flour (If you use whole wheat like I do, your white
  sauce will have a creamy sand color)
• 2 tsp salt
  1 cup butter

In a large bowl, combine milk powder, flour, salt. Mix
well. With a pastry blender, cut in your butter until mixture resembles fine
crumbs. Store mixture in airtight container in fridge. Lasts 2+ months.
(This whole recipe makes 8 cups white sauce.)

Now, on to what to use this with:

1. Cream of Chicken Soup
2. Eastern Corn Chowder
3. Hearty New England Clam Chowder
4. Ham & Cheese Roll Ups
5. Potatoes Au Gratin
6. Chicken enchiladas a la gringo
7. Creamed Eggs
8. New Potatoes & Peas
9. ??? What else??

Cream of Chicken Soup

• 3 Cups Chicken Bouillon Cubes
• 3 cups Hot Water
• 1 1/2 Cups White Sauce Mix
• 1 cup minced cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup celery chopped
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 4 cups milk (reconstituted)
• 1 egg yolk beaten

Dissolve chicken bouillon in hot water in large pot. Add white sauce mix, cooking over low-med heat for about 5 minutes stirring constantly. Add veggies & chicken & salts. Cook 15 minutes more to soften veggies. Blend in milk & egg yolk. Simmer 5 minutes more. Serve.

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Eastern Corn Chowder

• 5 slices bacon
• 1 medium onion
• 2 potatoes, diced
• water
• 2 cups milk reconstituted
• 1 cup white sauce mix
• 1 can cream style corn (17 oz)
• 1 tsp salt
• pepper to taste

In your pot, cook your bacon until crisp. Set bacon aside. Drain off most grease, leave enough to brown onion in. After onion is browned, add potatoes & enough water to cover the potatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes- until potatoes are cooked.

While your potatoes are cooking, in a separate sauce pan, combine the milk & white sauce milk over med heat until thick & smooth. Pour into potato mix. Add corn, salt, pepper. Cook 10 more minutes. Serve.

I like to garnish with crumbled bacon or grated cheese.

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Ok, last recipe for tonight... I'll give you more recipes next week...

Hearty New England Clam Chowder

• 2 cans minced clams (approx 14 oz total)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 cups diced potatoes
• water
• 1 1/2 cups white sauce mix
• 4 cups milk reconstituted
• salt & pepper to taste

Drain clams BUT save the juice. In your soup pot, combine clam juice, onions, celery & potatoes. Add just enough water to cover the veggies. Cook at medium heat for 15 minutes. While veggies are cooking, combine your milk & white sauce mix in a separate pan over low heat until thick & smoooooth.

Then add white sauce/milk smooth to the veggies in your soup pot. Add clams & seasonings. Cook for another 15 minutes & serve.

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We have lots more recipes, BUT we need to pace ourselves. More to come next week. And honestly, the enchiladas a ala gringos is THE hit at our house. Now you have a recipe to look forward to!

Action items for this week:

1. Get your last minutes orders for buckets.
2. Try some new recipes. Let us know how the recipes went.
3. Get your garden area soil ready. (I'm going to try to!)
4. And, Be Happy because I like you!

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In order to succeed, you must fail, so you know what not to do the next time. -Anthony d'Angelo

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. -Milton Berle

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Neither does bathing. That's why we recommend it daily. -Zig Ziglar

taxes? I forgot the taxes?!? Sheesh!

Me, the lady who likes to help people do their taxes, FORGOT to include the taxes with each bucket of food. Youch!



So, here I am, embarrassed and sheepish, telling you that the price on the buckets, including tax, is: $53.50 per bucket. And that is the final price. Sorry about the goof.



And since we're on the topic of buckets:

Our deadline for ordering buckets is Next Wednesday, March 17th, 2010. Seems like a lucky day, right? It is. You get to be more prepared, and so do I!

Please get your orders for your buckets in. This way our bucket adventure doesn't last forever. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Let's talk recipes now. I copied these recipes from Meridian magazine. Meridan magazine is publishing recipes that use food storage. I'd like to try out a couple this week.
If you want to check it out for yourself, their website is: www.meridianmagazine.com

If you're willing to help, make one of these recipes too.. and give me feedback. If we love it, it'll go in the cookbook we're building. If we hate it, it gets thrown out!
So I'll cook these and let you know what kind of feedback we have... :)

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Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
Ingredients:

Muffins
3 c THRIVE Freeze Dried Blueberries, rehydrated with hot water or juice
1/2 c THRIVE Butter Powder, reconstituted with 1/4 c cold water
1 1/4 c THRIVE White Sugar
2 tbsp THRIVE Whole Eggs powder, reconstituted with 1/4 c cold water (EGG POWDER! LOVE IT!)
2 c THRIVE White Flour
2 tsp THRIVE Baking Powder
1/2 tsp THRIVE Iodized Salt
1/2 c prepared THRIVE Powdered Milk

Streusel
1/2 c THRIVE White Sugar
1/3 c THRIVE White Flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 c THRIVE Butter Powder, reconstituted with 1 tbsp cold water

Preparation:

Place blueberries in a bowl, adding hot water or juice until berries are just covered. Let berries sit until reconstituted (approximately 10 minutes), then drain. Set aside.

To prepare streusel topping, combine 1/4 c butter powder with 1 tbsp cold water. Mix together until smooth, then refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.

In a separate mixing bowl, continue working on the muffins. Combine butter powder, 1/4 c water, and sugar. Cream together until smooth.

Prepare eggs and beat well. Combine with flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into creamed mixture, slowly adding milk as well. Fold in blueberries.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. To finish the streusel topping, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl; cut in the prepared butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffin batter.

Bake muffins at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring muffins from the pan to a wire cooling rack. Serve warm.

Yield: about 18 muffins
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Broccoli Cheese Soup
INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c butter

1 c THRIVE Freeze Dried Chopped Onions

4 c THRIVE Freeze Dried Broccoli (rehydrated)

4 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth

1 (2 lb) loaf processed cheese (cubed)

2 c milk (using THRIVE Instant Milk)

1 tbsp garlic powder

2/3 c cornstarch

1 c water

PREPARATION:

*In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened, then stir in broccoli. Cover with chicken broth.

*Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about ten minutes or until broccoli is tender.

*Stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk and garlic powder.

*In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup cornstarch mixture into soup.
*Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thick. Dish into soup bowls and enjoy! Serves 4.

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Palestine Stew

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. Thrive Lentils
1 c. whole wheat berries using Thrive Hard White Winter Wheat)* see instructions below*
3-4 c. water
1 lb. ground beef
¼ c. Thrive Freeze Dried Chopped Onions
1 large can tomatoes, chopped (or 1 34 cups Thrive Tomato Powder and 3 ½ cups water)
1/4 c. Thrive Carrot Dices
2 tbsp. Thrive Brown Sugar
2 tbsp chili powder or to taste

PREPARATION:

Cook lentils and wheat berries until tender in water for about an hour. In a separate pan, brown ground beef and chopped onion. Drain this mixture, then add remaining ingredients - including lentils and wheat berries - and season to taste. Let simmer an additional ½ hour. Serve and enjoy! Serves 4.

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That's our adventure for this week.
Action items: 1. Order buckets if you want them. 2. Try out a new recipe with me. Report back & let me know which recipe you tried and how it went.
Next week: we're trying out White sauce (a la food storage) and all its variety- cream soups, au gratin, chicken roll ups, etc. It's going to be great fun!
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You've got to be honest. If you can fake that, then you've got it made.

-George Burns

A verbal contract is not worth the paper it's printed on.

-Samuel Goldwyn

A good friend is one who thinks you are a good egg, even if you are half cracked.

God does not always call the qualified. But He qualifies the called.

food, food, food!

Welcome to another week of our adventure in preparedness together!

The earthquake and devastation in Haiti and now Chile have really inspired me to be ready. I may not be 100% prepared- nor can I be in 1 day- but I can do something today to be more prepared,

As I mentioned last week, Let's talk about food!


Frank Davis, as you may or may not know, prepares ready made meals in mylar packaging for emergency situations. He has developed some new meals and has an "overstock" that is available for purchase. (It's actually a cancelled order that he will sell at cost.)


Here's the details: Each mylar pouch holds 5 servings of the particular food. Each large 5 gallon bucket contains 80 meals.

Each bucket has the following meal pouches:

• Blueberry Pancake
• Potato Soup
• Whey milk
• Chocolate whey milk
• Oatmeal
• Beef Stroganoff
• Mac n' Cheese
• Alfredo chicken
• Teriyaki chicken
• Basil Tomato soup
• Lasagna
• Chili
• Vanilla Pudding
• Chocolate Pudding
• Granola

Each pouch has 5 servings. This food has NO Animal Protein and is all soy based. (The lack of animal protein help it store/last longer.) Buckets are sealed and easy to stack and move.

The buckets are each $50- which makes each meal serving 62 cents.
Here's the catch: There are only 800 buckets. That's it.

If you're interested, please let me know. I will take all the orders, collect all the money and deliver your buckets. (It's easier with only 1 point of contact.)

Let me know!
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Another crazy idea:

What if you helped me write a cookbook based on food storage ingredients? If we tested 2 recipes per week, we could in a year's time have over 100 recipes.

But here's where I need your help: Would you be willing to test some of these recipes? Good cookbooks will have more than 1 tester cook the recipe in order to ensure a high quality product. So your part would be: that you would cook some of these recipes and give me feedback. If the recipe flopped, if the recipe needed to be tweaked, whatever.

This way, we could together create a great collection of recipes that had been tried and tested.


Would you be willing to be my partners in this?


I'm visualizing that by next year, I will have a collection of recipes both you and I have tested. I will compile them and provide them to anyone who would like. I'm also visualizing that each recipe will include your feedback on the recipes so we can all learn together.


So is everybody in? GREAT!!


Let's get cooking! Don't feel compelled to cook ALL the recipes if you don't want.

And please send me your recipes that you'd like us to try out...I love input!


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Hormel Foods Clarification

Hormel canned chili, canned meats, canned stews, etc. will last for a long time. (20 + years) This is due to their can metal thickness and their processing method (extra high temperatures combined with vacuum sealing). These canned foods are a great option for "instant" preparedness meals.

Here's their website: www. hormelfoods.com

Maceys grocery store has told me that they would be willing to order in any Hormel Canned product for us. Peek at Hormel's website and let me know if we have any interest in placing an order from Maceys.

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ABC Soup Mix

If you don't have any more 10# cans of the ABC soup mix, you can make it!

For 1 cup mix:

1/4 cup dry lentils

1/4 cup dry split peas

1/4 cup alphabet noodles

2 tablespoons long dry rice

2 tablespoons dried onion

Your ABC soup mix can be used for soups, meat pie, etc.

Basic Soup ABC recipe:

9 cups boiling water

8 tsp beef bouillon

1 cup ABC soup mix

Add everything together in pot. Cover & cook for 45 minutes. Serves
6.

Jazzed up ABC Soup
9 cups boiling water
5 tsp bouillon
1 cup ABC soup mix
Mix above ingredients. Cook for 30 minutes, covered. Then add:

1 15 oz can tomatoes
1 can beef chunks

Cook for 15 more minutes. Serve. (With fresh bread is best!!)
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That's enough for today.
Your action items: Talk to me if you want the food buckets. Give me feedback on the whole cookbook craziness. Have a great week until I talk to you again. ;)
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I can give you a six word formula for success: Think things through, then follow through.

Capt Rickenbacker

And in honor of Dr. Suess birthday (today!):

"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting... so get on your way!"

"The more things that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go!"

another adventure

And we're off! (on another adventure that is..)

If you're preparing along with us, you should have water barrels.

Now let's talk food. (I love to talk about food. It's one of my "things". Taxes are another one of my "hot" items... but enough about things I like to talk about.)

Do you have enough food?

I have a very interesting option available that I will tell you about in next week's e-mail. It's food storage that you just add water. Even better, it's got a great variety.

Check in next week and I'll give you all the details.
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Michelle Golightly has a great wood burning stove that is available.

Here's the specs she provided:

"Great wood burning stove for emergency preparedness or home heating. As you know, we have been heating our home with our wood burning stove for years. We recently purchased a larger one and have our smaller one available. Details below:

Installation options: Freestanding, Freedstanding in Mobile Home, Freestanding in Alcove, Freestanding Hearth Stove.

Features:

• 1.6 cubic foot firebox volume
• EPA Phase II approved (4.4 Grams per Hour)
• Single operating control
• holds logs up to 18 inches long
• steel plate construction
• heavy duty refractory firebrick

Heating Specs: Max Burn time: 8 hours
Heating capacity 600 to 1200 sq ft

Dimensions: 26 1/2 " high x 14 5/8" deep x 23 5/8" Wide-- weighing 270 lbs

CALL Michelle Golightly for more info. 801-787-3711.Or e-mail her at mgolight@hotmail.com

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More powdered egg recipes!
I dared even more. I've tried eggs in muffins and cakes and fruit breads. Here's my next adventure: Puff Pancake. The kids ate the entire batch and asked for more!
Puff Pancake
4 Tbs Dried Whole Egg Powder
8 Tbs Water
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place glass pie plate with 3 tsp butter in cold oven. Blend other ingredients in a blender. When the oven is ready, Pull out hot glass dish (which now has melted butter). Pour blended batter into glass dish, return to oven.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Serve immediately.

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Gardening... Already??
My sister encouraged me to look into planting peas soon because they will help my garden soil in time for me to plant other plants.

here's what I found on the topic...

STARTING THE PEA PATCH

The best way to grow peas is to sow seed directly into prepared garden soil according to the National Garden Bureau. Because they are frost tolerant and germinate best in cool weather and soil, sow them in early spring as soon as you can work the soil. An easy way to calculate your sowing date is to count back four to six weeks from the last expected frost. In most areas that means in March, traditionally on or close to St. Patrick’s Day. If the soil is too cold ( –(below 40 degrees) , the seeds take much longer to germinate and may rot.

PEAS GIVE BACK TO THE SOIL

Peas, like beans, are legumes. Legumes have the ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, which makes that important nutrient readily available to other plants. With the help of a bacterium that lives in a symbiotic relationship in nodules formed on the roots of the plants, the plants “fix” the nitrogen. The nodules store any excess nitrogen and, as the roots decay, release it into the soil, benefiting plants growing nearby. Pea plants also produce long root systems, which help to loosen the soil as they reach out for moisture. Spent plants decompose into organic matter to further enrich the soil. At the end of the season, simply dig the plants into the soil -- no need to add them to a separate compost pile.

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That's all for this week. I'm looking forward to next week!

Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.
-Joshua J. Marine

Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia. ~Charles Schulz

May those who love us love us,
and those who do not love us,
may God turn their hearts,
and if He cannot turn their hearts
may He turn their ankles
that we may know them by their limping.
~Irish Prayer

quick action item... if it applies to you!

Action!
Last night at Lowe's, I saw their kerosene room heaters on clearance.
The 10 K BTU radiant Kerosene space heater made by Day-Glo is on Clearance for $89.25 (down from $119).
The 23 K BTU convection kerosene heater is $96.75 (down from $139).

There was maybe 3 of each at the Orem Lowe's.

This is a great bargain.
I own one of these heaters... The $139 one... and it is GREAT!! John uses it to heat the garage when he's working; we've used it to heat rooms or dry carpet... we really like it.

It's easy to turn on and off (well, the first time took me a bit longer, but then I understood how to do it!).

If you're in the market for a heater, this is the BEST PRICE I HAVE EVER SEEN.

Have a great day!
-saria

p.s. I'll get out a real "Cupboard" soon. :)

soap bubbles, old fruit & hot water

Hello for another week of Saria's cupboard.

Last week I promised you an update on the laundry detergent. Since the last time we talked about making your own laundry detergent, we've made changes. What's interesting here is that my home has been using homemade detergent only. But so have other people. And as I've used it, I've tweaked the recipe... and so have others!
So here's what we've found: (The new recipe)

Laundry Detergent (wet- Saria's tweaked version)
Ingredients:
1 bar Fels Naptha Soap
1 cup Borax (in the green box)
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (Yellow box)

Instructions:
Grate Fels Naptha Soap into pot of hot water on stove top. (5 ish cups of water) Stir until Fels Naptha soap is dissolved.
Pour hot water into 5 gallon bucket. Add hot water to fill bucket at least half way.
Add Washing Soda and stir until dissolved.
Now add Borax and stir again until dissolved. Top off bucket with water.
Put a lid on the bucket and let it sit overnight. It will be thin and runny. Don't panic.
Next morning: Open bucket. Stir the coagulated mixture. Break up the big white clumps of detergent.
Use about 1/2 cup per load.
Fine for high efficiency washing machines because it's low sudsing.

Laundry Detergent recipe: (Dry version- Thanks Jackie!)
Grate 1 bar Fels Naptha Soap into 2 cups Borax and 2 cups Arm & Hammer.
Store mixture DRY.
Use 2 TBS per load.

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Water Barrel Update:

They're being cleaned. Some of you have received your barrels. The rest of you WILL receive your ordered barrels. Do not lose hope. Eagle Scouts are busy people but we will get to you.

Thanks for your patience.

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Hot water

Sunday morning, my husband & I tried an experiment. We wanted to bathe the kids for church. But we wanted to heat the water on the stove top. We estimated that it would take 4 - 8 potfuls of boiling water, mixed with the cold bath water to make a nice bath temperature for the kids.

It took more than 16 potfuls of boiling water to bring the water temperature to acceptable. That's a lot of water and a lot of boiling. Good thing we had plenty of time before church!

The eye-opening aspect of the adventure was how much water it took! If we were in an emergency situation, We would not only need lots of water, but lots of fuel to heat it all. (Perhaps we'd only bathe the kids once a week?!) It was a great learning moment for me- how much it would take to continue living in an emergency.

Does this mean that after water barrels that I'll be looking for a good deal on fuel?? Stay tuned....

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Old Fruit Cake

I confess, it sounds awful. BUT... hear me out here... I was given this recipe and it's actually pretty good. Especially if you have some older canned fruit (that is perfectly good but might be slightly discolored or soft)... and you know there is NO WAY you'll ever get your children to eat it...

Recipe:
1 quart old bottled fruit- pureed
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
4 cups flour (whole wheat works great)
4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg

Beat oil & fruit puree. Mix dry ingredients then add to oil/puree. Bake in a greased 9 x 13 pan for 45 -55 minutes. Cool and frost if desired.
Can add nuts, raisins, or coconut to cake if desired.

Saria's notes: I decreased the sugar to 1 1/2 cups. I added 1 1/2 cup oats, decreased flour to 3 cups, omitted the frosting and served this as "Breakfast Fruit Bars".

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Action Items:
1. Keep thinking preparedness.
2. Try out a new recipe- be it detergent or food or whatever- but try something new!

Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of the mind than on outward circumstances.

Benjamin Franklin

Life is like a taxi. The meter keeps a-ticking whether you're getting somewhere or standing still.

Lou Erickson

Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge you because you are a vegetarian.

Shari Barr

Barreled Over

Hello and happy day!

Thanks to everyone who wants a water barrel. Our orders topped over 178 water barrels. You are all helping scouts get their Eagle awards! Thank you.

Either myself or Connor Henderson (Eagle scout-to-be) will be contacting you regarding delivery and payment. The water barrels are expected to be delivered this week- (Feb 1 - Feb 4).

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Dried Eggs

Here's my food storage theory: I don't want to store it if I don't like it. This has naturally forced me to try new things as we expand our variety in food options.

I've always been nervous about dried eggs. They just seem so "M*A*S*H"- you know: tasteless Vietnam war "food" that the soldiers had to eat.

But I need an egg option for when I can't get fresh eggs.

So I bought a #10 can of Dried Eggs from Maceys. And it has been glaring at me from the shelf for a few months now. So, in all truth, I put a can of dried peppers in front of it. Out of sight, out of mind? Not really.

This week, in talking to another food storage believer, she mentioned that she actually cooks with dried eggs. This gave me courage. her children are alive. her husband still loves her. Perhaps, I could too.

This morning I made breakfast muffins for my kids with Powdered Eggs. ( I know- I'm starting small.. but at least I'm starting.)

The verdict is: They couldn't tell. They ate the muffins. We renamed them the "Honey Bear" Muffins because they are brown like bears and have honey in them.



Here's the recipe I used:

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
1 ¼ c whole wheat flour
¾ c quick oats
1/3 c brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp soda
½ tsp salt

2 eggs (2 T. dry egg powder + 1/4 c. water)
1 c pumpkin
1/3 c veg. oil
1/3 c honey (I used reconstituted powdered honey)

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix until moist. Spoon into muffin cups. May be refrigerated overnight and cooked in the morning.

Bake 400º for 15-20 min.

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More Eggs?
Yes, so with 1 victory under my belt, I will try another powdered egg replaced in a recipe on my unsuspecting family. And I will report back to you with my results.

The reasons to love powdered eggs (according to Crystal-EverydayFoodStorage.net) are:
Key Points:

• Never run out of eggs again. The cans come with an average equivalent of 226 eggs (18 dozen) in each can.
• They are cheaper. The average price for powdered eggs in $17.00 per can (cheaper here in Utah)- which makes each dozen eggs 94 cents.
• Very easy to use. The conversion is 1T. egg powder + 2 T. Water for a medium egg. For a large egg: 2 T. egg powder + 1/4 cup water. Just add the powder and water to your recipe- can be separate!
• Recipes can be halved!! You can make 1/2 an egg!

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Medium Term Food Storage- Hormel Chili?

We talked about Long term Food stuffs: Wheat, Rice, etc. We covered short term foods: fruits in cans, peanut butter...
Could there be such a thing as medium term? Here's a contender: Hormel Chili.
Hormel labels their chili (Also branded as Stagg Chili) with an expiration date of 3 years. BUT according to their customer service, their canned chili will last indefinitely. Now, this is with the exclusionary statement: "For best flavor and food texture, Hormel recommend using the Chili products within the 3 years." But this Chili can and does last longer! Good to know!
How do they do it? They vacuum pack all the cans of chili and because the chili is processed as such high temperatures, the chili lasts longer and longer and longer.
--please note: this indefinite lasting DOES NOT include their products in glass jars, their meats in cans or glass jars or canned hams.
As where can I get Hormel chili at a good price, you ask? Well, Until Tuesday February 2 at Midnight, you can buy Hormel Chili at Smiths for 79 cents a can. (But you have to buy 10. Or at least 10 qualifying items to get the "instant rebate".) The Hormel chili deal is part of Smith Buy 10 and save and SOMETIMES they extend the sale for more than 1 week. If they do, I'll let you know.

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Action items
This week: Get ready to receive your water barrel. Also, try to cook with powdered eggs.

In Next week's Cupboard: Laundry detergent update! (New & Improved!) More powdered egg recipes.

One original thought is worth a thousand mindless quotings. -Diogenes of Sinope

I am not young enough to know everything. -Oscar Wilde.

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much - Oscar Wilde.

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.—African proverb

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.- St. Thomas Aquinas