December is Baking Month

December is the month for baking. The stores have great sales and

with the holiday's there is no excuse to not be in the kitchen. This month we are gathering flour and sugar for our long term self-reliant goal, but these are two items that are most likely used in your cooking on a daily basis. I thought it would be fun to go a little more in depth and see just how much we need to store for baking ingredients and other miscellaneous items that we need to put our meals together.
 
 After you have gotten great deals on your food you will next need to use these ingredients in your everyday cooking. Which means that yes, you will need to learn how to cook, and cook from scratch. Don't run away....keep reading :) It is not as hard as most people think. Just learn to make one or two things a month that you don't already know how to do. Try the maple syrup recipe (scroll down the page) or try using unflavored gelatin instead of eggs in a recipe. As long as you are learning to use your food storage you are on the right path. Alright, let's jump in. Purchase only those items that YOUR family will eat and what you use in cooking.  Store what you eat.....eat what you store!!  (thanks to foodstoragemadeeasy.net for the info)

FATS AND OILS:

• Cooking oils:  Canola or vegetable oil are used in baking. Unopened bottles only last about 1 year. You can substitute applesauce for oil in baking recipes or pureed beans will work also. Click HERE to see how to use beans as an oil substitute in brownies.
• Peanut Butter:  Peanut butter supplies the good fat that we need and will stay good for 6-9 months.
• Mayonnaise: Is used in salads, sandwiches, pasta salads and although we don't "need" mayo it does make food taste better. Shelf life of 2-3 months.
• Salad Dressing: You can use store bought or make your own. Watch for expiration dates as dressing does not last long.
• Shortening:  Has a longer shelf life than most oils. Shelf life of 8-10 years if unopened and kept in a cool, dry place. Melt shortening to use as oil in recipes.

SUGARS:

• Granulated Sugar:  It is used in a lot of food storage recipes and is very important to store. Shelf life of 20+ years if kept dry.
• Honey: more expensive, but can substitute for sugar in recipes and it doesn't have quite the reaction that sugar does to your blood sugar levels. Crystallized sugar can be warmed and used as normal.
• Brown Sugar: Used in baking and some bread recipes. Shelf life is 6 months stored in airtight container. Some people store white sugar and molasses to make their own, and not have to deal with brown sugar going bad.
• Molasses and Corn Syrup: These are used as sweeteners in recipes. Store as much or as little as your family needs.
• Flavored gelatin: Store 6 boxes PP. Is used in molded desserts and to thicken cold soups.
• Powdered Fruit Drink: Is used to make water more drinkable. Shelf life is 3 years unopened.
• Maple syrup: Real maple syrup can be used as a sugar substitute, but the imitation maple syrup is only good on pancakes and waffles. (recipe to follow)

MILK:

• Nonfat Dry Milk: It is much cheaper than regular milk. To make it taste better try adding 1 t sugar and 1 t vanilla to a gallon.
• Evaporated Milk: Can store cans or make your own from powdered milk. Mix 1 -1/2 C. water and 1/2 C.+1 T dry powdered milk and blend very well. Check out the post on evaporated milk HERE.

DAIRY:

• Powdered Eggs: These are cheaper than regular eggs and they have been pasteurized so now you can lick the beaters without worry about getting ill. Purchase at Macey's grocery store, Winco, and sometimes at Walmart when they have food storage items. 
• Butter:  It can be purchased in can form. I have found it at Macey's, Emergency Essentials, and Blue Chip Group store (33rd S. 5th W). Don't can your own butter due to botulism poisoning. You can also purchase butter powder at emergency preparedness stores. Real canned butter is pricey so I would only purchase a few and when your budget allows.
• Sour Cream: is available in powder form at emergency preparedness stores. This isn't necessary to store, but would make certain dinners seem normal in an emergency situation.

MISCELLANEOUS:

• Baking soda, baking powder, and Salt:  They all have an indefinite shelf life if unopened. Definitely store these to be able to bake.
• Active Dry Yeast and Instant Yeast:  Needed to make bread. Store in freezer for indefinite shelf life.
• Knox unflavored Gelatin: This is such a cool thing to know. Use gelatin instead of eggs in baking. 1tsp gelatin + 3 T cold water and stir until dissolved then add 2 T hot water and stir. When you use this in your recipes decrease the water in your recipe by about 1/4 C to account for the "egg". You can order Knox unflavored gelatin in bulk from bulkfoods.com. (search for "unflavored gelatin")

Now that you know a few things about storing baking items, you'll next need to know how to use them in recipes. These are recipes that I use and my family loves. 


Maple Syrup (from the Essential Food Storage Cookbook)
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1 C water
Boil and stir constantly and cook 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add:
1 t maple flavoring, 1/2 t vanilla, and 2 T butter.
Stir until butter dissolves and store in bottle. (We save old syrup bottles and use those)
**Note ** Watch for maple flavoring to go on sale. Or buy 32 oz from Farmer Brothers Coffee Wholesale 2230 S. 2000 W. West Valley. 801-974-5427. It was around $6.00 for 32oz. Make sure you call first as they are only open to the public on certain days until noon. That bottle will last a long time. 

Whole grain Hamburger Bun or Rolls (makes 8)
1 C. water room temperature
2 T oil
1/4 C honey
1 T molasses
3 C whole wheat flour
1 t salt
1 T yeast (I use instant yeast, straight from the freezer to the bowl. You won't need the second rise. Just form into the shape you want, raise 30 min and bake.)
Add all ingredients to mixer and knead 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Let rise until double. (omit if using instant yeast) Shape dough into 8 buns or rolls and let rise on pans for 30 min. Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.
I will also use this recipe to make bread bowls for soup. Just make bigger rolls than just a dinner roll size. 

Chocolate Mint Parfait Bars (from Jennifer Schreiter)
Base
1 chocolate or devils food cake mix
1/3 C butter or margarine
Mix together with beaters until crumbly and press in 15x10 pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Filling
1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin dissolved in 1/4 C boiling water
Add 1/2 C powered sugar to gelatin with
1/2 C butter
1/2 C shortening
1/4 t mint extract
Beat until smooth-about 1-2 minutes. Blend in about 3 1/2 C more powdered sugar and spread onto COOLED base.
Frosting
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3 T butter (has to be butter)
Melt together and let cool just slightly and spread over filling. Keep refrigerated. These are to die for and are so yummy!


So there you have it, baking ingredient storage 101. Keep track of what baking ingredients you are using and stock up when they go on sale this month. Try to make something from scratch and remember it doesn't always have to turn out the first time. (Guess how I know :)


Self-Reliant Goals for December:
Long Term Goals:
Flour 75lbs PP
Sugar 35lbs PP-Nothing great on sale, be patient :)
3-Month Supply Goals: Substitute a canned version of a fresh ingredients in one of your recipes sometime this month. Even if you love to use fresh ingredients, you will need a canned version if there was no electricity or major disaster.
72-Hour Kit goal: Search out little Hotties body warmers. The packs of body warmers will definitely be needed if we encounter a disaster in the dead of winter. They even have an adhesive product to stay where you want it. Make sure that everyone in your family has gloves or mittens. Trying to find a matching pair in the dark and in a hurry could potentially be impossible :) The body warmers should also be kept in your car kits as well.

Evaporated Milk Info & Recipes

Evaporated milk is one of those food storage items that I know I should have, but I don't have a lot of recipes to use it up and rotate. As a challenge I went on a search for ways to use evaporated milk. It is recommended that you store 3 cans per person per year of evaporated milk, IF you use it. Don't worry if you don't have any, or if you run out, because you can make your own. Follow this recipe.


Homemade Evaporated Milk (from everydayfoodstorage.net)
1-1/2 C water
1/2 C + 1 T dry powdered milk
Blend VERY WELL in blender. Makes one 12oz can.

Now onto some yummy food recipes:


Italian Meatballs (from The Essential Food Storage Cookbook)
1-1/2 lbs ground turkey or ground beef
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 c. evaporated milk
3/4 C. dry bread crumbs
1/3 C. Parmesan cheese
2 T dried parsley
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder
1/2 t basil
1/4 t thyme
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients thoroughly. Toll into 1-1/2 " meatballs (about 24) Place on a greased jelly roll pan with sides. Bake for 20 minutes until browned.


Vanilla Ambrosia Ice Cream (from the Essential Food Storage Cookbook)
4 eggs, beaten well
1-1/2 C sugar
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 cans (12oz size) evaporated milk
2 T vanilla
1 t salt
1 C powdered milk (reconstituted)
In a 2qt pitcher mix eggs, sugar, milks, vanilla, salt, and powdered milk until well combined. Add enough water to make 2 quarts total and mix well. Pour into ice cream maker and process according to directions. May need to freeze for several hours before serving. Serves 8-10 (can stir in chocolate chips or crushed candy bars before freezing)


Egg-Chili Casserole (from the Essential Food Storage Cookbook)
8 eggs
1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
1-1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 C shredded Jack cheese
4 T biscuit/baking mix
1 4oz. can diced green chilies
1 C. chunky salsa
Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl mix eggs, milk, cheeses, biscuit mix, and chilies. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until just set. Then top with spoonfuls of the chunky salsa spread over the top. Return to oven for about 10 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn't overcook. Serves 6


I hope these recipes give you some new life for evaporated milk. They are simple and quick recipes too. Watch for this and other baking items to be on sale in December. It is the number one baking month of the whole year. And I buy all my baking supplies for the year during this month.


December Self-Reliant Goals:

Long Term Goal: Sugar and Flour

3 Month Supply Goal: Keep watching the sales for the items that your family uses.

Water Goal: keep storing until you have at least 14 gallons per person.

72 Hour Kits Goal: Warmth! Make sure you have sleeping bags for everyone. Recreation Outlet on 3160 S. State has children's 0 degrees sleeping bags for only $34.95. Stock up on those little hand warmers that you just have to open to heat up. The silver emergency blankets are also a must for your kits. Both these items should be in your car kits as well. Chap stick and lotion would be great items to add as well. Chapped lips can be beyond irritating.


Keep up the great work! Please leave me a comment if there is a topic or item that you would like me to post on.

Prepare Today Homemade: Pumpkin Pudding

DECEMBER SELF-RELIANT GOALS:
Short Term and Long Term Goals: December is a great month for baking supplies to be at their lowest prices. This is a great time to stock up on flour, brown or powdered sugar and notice that spices are 40% off at Smiths. Our self-reliant goal this month is all about baking supplies. Take stock of what you have and of all the spices that you use. Do you have enough for at least 3 months? or how about a years worth?
 
Water goals:  Keep some in your car kits and make sure everyone has some in their 72-hour kits.

72-Hour Kit Goals: Hotties heat packs (the small pouches that heat up when you crush them) Also check everyone's sleeping bags for wear and tear or wash and store for the winter.



I made a great recipe this week and it uses food storage items, try it out. And for all those that have evaporated milk and don't know what to do with them, this one's for you :)

Pumpkin Pudding (really like pumpkin pie without the crust)
1/2 C sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/4 t each ground ginger & ground cloves
2 large eggs (I bake with powdered eggs)
one 15 oz. can pumpkin
one 12-oz can evaporated nonfat milk

Mix sugar, spices, salt in small bowl. Beat the eggs in a large bowl (if you use powdered eggs just mix in with other ingredients, it saves a step) Stir in the pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually add the evaporated milk. Pour in 13X9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. It should still be wiggly in the middle. Cool and enjoy warm or cold.
Refrigerate leftovers if you have any :) I make graham crackers to eat with it. My kids love this stuff!

Christmas the Self-Reliant Way

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I really can't believe that December is almost here. Time to think Christmas and what to get your family and friends for gifts this year. Food storage items make great gifts, especially for those hard to buy for people. I recommend Emergency Essentials for some great gadgets. My favorite right now is the hand crank radio that also charges cell phones and plays MP3 players. (as the mom of a teenager, this is a must for entertainment) It is called a Kaito Voyager (model KA500). I also want the solar battery charger. You supply the rechargeable batteries and the sun does the rest. Then worries over having the right amount of batteries is taken care of. They have almost every emergency item available and right now their water barrels are on sale- 55 gallon is $39.99- 30 gallon is $34.99-and the 15 gallon is $24.95. Check out their website for all the fun things- emergencyessentials.com  (I don't get anything for talking about them, I really love their stuff :)

Another gadget that I recently purchased is a hand crank for my Bosch mixer. Kneading dough by hand is not my idea of fun and I am so excited to try out the hand crank. I found it at bestkitchenmachines.com and it ran $14.99 with free shipping. I know several ward members own a Bosch and thought this would be a great gift idea.

The top item on my wish list is a Sun Oven. This handy suitcase sized box cooks your food with the sun. Cold temperatures don't affect the cooking, you only need the sun. Check out the website HERE and see what they can do. The Bosch Kitchen Center on about 6200 S and Highland Dr. carry these. They are pricey, around $300.00 but you can use them all year round. Think how great it would be to have dinner cooking outside in the middle of July.
And lastly, click HERE to read a great post from the Preparedness Pro of her gadget must haves. I really like her website and get a lot of information from her.

I know that many of us don't "need" anything, but home storage items would make wonderful gifts. I would talk to your family ahead of time to make sure the items that you want to buy are items they really want and could use. I really want "real" sleeping bags for my family this year. I think my children would be ok with that as a gift.

Gear Up For Winter Driving

"Gear up for winter driving" on page D6 of the Sunday Tribune. Just thought I would let you all know. It has a list of items to keep in your car. Get ready, the snow is coming.

Surviving The Flu

Swine Flu, we hear these two words on a daily basis now. I hope and pray that you have not been affected by this flu. If you have been you have probably learned what would help and what didn't while you were sick. My children haven't been sick, but they get quite a few headaches and we were down to the last bottle of Motrin. It made me think about how much medicine that I would need to last a year and I realized that I definitely don't have enough. I know all moms can understand the helplessness when children are sick in the middle of the night and nothing seems to work. Well, I don't want to have to worry about getting pain reliever for my children and stocking up on medicine and sickness related items are my focus for awhile.

Click HERE and read a handout from a mom who was ill along with her children and came up with some great ideas of what to have on hand when you and your family become sick. It is labeled a Moms Survival guide, but I think it applies to all of us.

Some items that I always have on hand are hand sanitizer, sports drinks, 7-up, crackers, pain reliever, Clorox wipes, and other disinfecting cleaners. I am a germ obsessed mom and I have to be able to disinfect everything when someone becomes sick in my family. I don't want the virus to spread to everyone.

Medicine In Your Food Storage:

I have found Walmart to have the lowest prices on their store brand medicine. It contains the same ingredients as the name brands and is usually half price. Look around as you shop to catch the deals on over-the-counter medicines. October and November are the 2 biggest sale months for Rite Aid and Walgreens for medicine. So watch the ads and save big! Stock up on the medicines your family uses.

You might want to also check with your pharmacist to see if you are able to get more than just one months worth of your medications. Especially if they are medications you can't go without.

Make a list of medicines that you and your family use and decide how you will can get enough for at least a 3 month supply. Look for sales, or maybe just by one extra every other week when you grocery shop.

Pumpkin Shortage

One of my favorite vegetabl-es (or is it a fruit?) is rumored to have a shortage this fall. 

This article was in the LA Times:

By Jerry Hirsch October 10, 2009

"Pumpkin pie lovers be warned: You may not find your favorite can of pie filling at the supermarket. There's a national shortage of canned pumpkin and pie filling, a result of poor weather that reduced last year's crop. Shoppers report finding bare shelves, and the supermarkets say they have been put on an "allocation," or quota, system by Libby's, a division of food giant Nestle that controls more than 80% of the canned pumpkin market. Libby's typically uses surpluses from the previous year to stock store shelves during September and October, when the annual pumpkin harvest gets underway. Wet conditions during last year's growing season left canners without a surplus this year, said Roz O'Hearn, a Libby's spokeswoman. But this year's crop is on its way. "We began shipping Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin [filling] in late September, so it should be on grocer's shelves soon," she said.

Shoppers could find the filling a bit more expensive this year. Libby's has a suggested retail price of $1.59 for its 15-ounce can and a suggested price of $2.59 for its 29-ounce cans of pure pumpkin and pumpkin pie mix. O'Hearn said the prices represented a "small increase" over last year because of higher expenses for the steel that goes into the cans and higher grower costs. She did not provide a percentage increase."

• So it looks like we may pay a little more for our canned pumpkin this year and one way to save some money is to puree your own pumpkin. If you still have some cooking pumpkins left over from Halloween now is the time to actually cook them. It is really quite simple. Pumpkin can be boiled, or baked and both ways you'll need to start by scooping out all the stringy stuff and then cutting the pumpkin into pieces.

• Simmer Method: cut pumpkin into 3-4 inch pieces and remove skin with knife and boil 35-40 minutes.

• Baking Method: cut pumpkin in half and then into quarters if too big. Place flesh side down in about 1" of water and cover with foil. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until tender.

• After your pumpkin is cooked it needs to be mashed. A potato masher, blender or food processor will work, you pick your favorite. Now your pumpkin is ready to freeze. About 7 C of pumpkin puree will make about 2 pies so freeze according to your recipe. Remember that your homemade version will have a lot more water in it and you'll probably be able to omit the water or liquid in your pumpkin recipes. You could also strain your pumpkins before you freeze it. Cheesecloth would work in a strainer over a bowl in the fridge over night.

• I love pumpkin bread, muffins and pancakes. I love to sneak healthy food in yummy treats. Pumpkin muffins are part of my 3 month supply menu and I need about 4of the bigger cans of pumpkin puree to last my family 3 months. Don't worry if you use pumpkin and don't have any to cook because I am going to find the lowest price on canned pumpkin and we will all get our pumpkin stored.

Pumpkin Muffins (makes 24 muffins)

from: The Essential Food Storage Cookbook

By: Tami Girsberger and Carol Peterson (great Christmas present)

3 C flour (2 c wheat & 1 C white)

2 t baking soda

2 t cinnamon

1 t salt

1/2 t nutmeg

1/2 t ground ginger

1/2 t cloves

1 C butter (2 sticks)

2 C sugar

4 eggs (I use powdered eggs)

1 150z can pumpkin

12 oz chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger together. Cream the butter and sugar and then add the eggs and pumpkin; add to dry ingredients. (fold in chocolate chips if you like) Pour into 2 muffin tins. (this recipe makes 24 muffins) Bake for 22-25 minutes. I freeze 12 of them for a dinner later in the month and they freeze wonderfully.

This example of a pumpkin shortage just reinforces my belief in food storage. We are not just storing for a disaster. We are storing food for many reasons and food shortages are one of them. I encourage all of you to look at what food storage you do have and to find the parts that you may be lacking. Keep a list of items that you need and watch the grocery lists that I post on Wednesday's to be able to stock up on your items affordably. I know we can all do this and feel the peace of having food storage.