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.
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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.

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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.

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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.
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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!

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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. :)
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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.
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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.