Tuesday!

Every Tuesday, we post specific items you should gather in order to supplement your 72-hour kit, your 3-month supply, and your longer-term storage. If you are new to our blog, don't worry! You won't be left behind. Just start up where we are and follow along. You will eventually have everything completed! Once the 72-hour kit is complete, we'll be putting together emergency car kits again (week by week). Once those are done, we'll gather the 72-hour kits again. So don't worry, just jump on in and join us where we are today!

This week for your 72-hour kits, add at least $100 per family. This should be a good mix of small bills and change (one, five, and ten-dollar bills, rolls of quarters, etc). Abbie wrote a few months ago that she has split the money between her pack and her husband's pack, which is a great idea.

How is your three-month supply coming along? It really, really helps to have a plan! Don't have time to sit down and write out your recipes and shopping list? We have a complete plan available in our e-book. It includes all our recipes in printable form, as well as a complete 3-month shopping list using those recipes.

We're still gathering oats this month for our longer-term storage. Want to buy some oats already canned up in #10 cans? Check out LDS Catalog - prices include shipping. Not sure what to do with oats? Check out our oat recipes! Got some recipes of your own to share? Post them in our test kitchen!

Motivational Monday

"I do not predict any impending disaster. I hope that there will not be one. But prudence should govern our lives. Everyone who owns a home recognizes the need for fire insurance. We hope and pray that there will never be a fire. Nevertheless, we pay for insurance to cover such a catastrophe, should it occur. We ought to do the same with reference to family welfare. We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with a one week's food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. As all of you recognize, this counsel is not new. But I fear that so many feel that a long-term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all....The best welfare program is our own welfare program. Five or six cans of wheat in the home are better than a bushel in the welfare granary."

- Gordon B. Hinckley, Nov 2002 Ensign, "To Men of the Priesthood".

Let him eat cake

Ever wonder how long canned goods really last?

I'm not suggesting that you start eating 36-year-old food, but check out this article from CNN. Made me think about my food storage! Maybe I could get by without rotating regularly?? Umm... yeah, maybe so, but that's not a chance I want to take!

I'm curious.... What is the oldest thing in your food storage? Mine is probably some white flour canned in #10 cans. I believe it's from 1995 or 1996. Not too bad!

Food Storage Friday-Green Chili Chicken Taquitos

So this recipe is darn delish and pretty versatile too which always makes for a great menu item in my book! Shall we call these Green Chili Chicken taquitos? Yes, I think we shall!


The list of Ingredients:
Canned Chicken
Green Chili Enchilada sauce
One small can of green chilies
Cream of "whatever you have on hand" soup
Refried beans
Corn tortillas
Whatever Mexican spices you like or have on hand- I have cumin, chili powder, Cayenne pepper, garlic salt, and onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the green chilies with the green chili sauce over Medium heat
Add your "cream of whatever" soup. I happened to have cream of mushroom.

Add your spices next. I did about 1 tsp. of each except Cumin. That was 1 TBS.
Add in your chicken. I like to rinse the chicken just a little bit so it doesn't taste so canned, but that is me. Stir until combined and warmed through. Taste and add whatever spices you think it needs. Now at this point you can get crazy. You could make green chili chicken enchiladas by rolling them, adding a little bit more sauce on top and then popping them in the ol' oven for 20 minuets OR you could do stacked enchiladas. Really its all up to you.

Since I did taquitos, take one of the corn tortillas and spread some beans on. It doesn't have to be pretty. It will still taste good. (As a side note, it is much easier to wrap the tortillas if they are warmed. I put about 10 in a paper towel and warmed in the micro for about 20 seconds.

Now add some of that delicious green chili sauce and wrap up. You will need some toothpicks here. I used 2 to secure it, but I am sure 1 would do the trick.

Throw this bad boy in the hot oil for about 1 minute per side.

Fry until golden brown. I took some of the leftover beans and green chili sauce and made a dip for the taquitos. The husband loved these and the kiddos chowed them down! Enjoy!!!

Basic Cooking Skills: Roasted Carrots

Every other Thursday we will post about different basic cooking skills. Knowing how to prepare meals from scratch is a very important step in becoming self-reliant, which in turn is a crucial component of being prepared. Being able to cook meals for your family will give you confidence, more family togetherness time, and lower your food budget=more money for food storage! If you have a basic cooking skill you'd like to learn, email us! These meals contain perishable food items as this is a different series than our food storage recipes.

One of the things that I am absolutely LOUSY at, is feeding my kids veggies. Try as I may, I just don't like canned veggies. And frozen veggies get old real fast. Except for those awesome "steam in a bag" veggies, but hello, pricey. Fresh veggies can be pricey too, but I've learned that whole carrots are a great deal for your buck. Here's a way to make them tasty too.

Any vegetable roasted is delicious: potatoes, squash, (why is that all I can think of?) Just the way it's cooked releases great flavors without removing texture. That's my non-culinary trained opinion.

Grab a few carrots. I know people shy away from buy whole carrots because it's SO much work to wash and peel them, as opposed to buying a bag of baby carrots and well, opening it.

But whole carrots are so much less expensive and taste fresher. Try peeling and slicing a whole bunch one day and sticking them in little baggies to last through a week.

Okay, back to the post at hand. Peel and rinse all the carrots. And yes, that's my toothbrush. I often brush my teeth at the kitchen sink. At least I take my oral hygiene seriously.

Using a sharp knife (really, you'll like the kitchen a whole lot more if your knife is sharp) slice off the tops and bottoms of the carrots and throw them away.

Now slice the carrots into inch or so size chunks, cutting them on an angle makes them look nicer, but doesn't affect the taste. I promise.

Toss all the carrots into an oven safe dish and dot with butter. You don't need to use a lot to get the flavor going. You can also drizzle the olive oil if you are going for a more healthy approach.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

and maybe add a few more of your favorite spices: cinnamon and nutmeg, or cumin or parsley or dill!

Roast in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until tender when pierced by a fork. Go ahead and try it, they are delicious and inexpensive, and believe it or not, your kids will love 'em. At least mine did and they are VERY picky.

It's Tuesday!

Every Tuesday, we post specific items you should gather in order to supplement your 72-hour kit, your 3-month supply, and your longer-term storage. If you are new to our blog, don't worry! You won't be left behind. Just start up where we are and follow along. You will eventually have everything completed! Once the 72-hour kit is complete, we'll be putting together emergency car kits again (week by week). Once those are done, we'll gather the 72-hour kits again. So don't worry, just jump on in and join us where we are today!

This week for your 72-hour kits, add 2 gallons of water per person. This can be a challenge to add to your packs, but water is so important and you cannot leave it out. We wrote a blog post a few months ago about 72-hour kit distribution. Abs' husband carries most of the family's water in his pack - that may be a good option for your family, too. You can store the water in old juice bottles, or similar. Check out Abbie's post about how to prepare them for water storage.

How is your three-month supply coming along? Don't forget to store water for that, too. It is recommended that you store at least 2 weeks of water for each person. If you store a lot of dehydrated food in your storage, you will need much more.

We are still gathering oats this month for the longer-term storage. Check out our oat recipes for some meal ideas!

Inspirational Thought

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Saturday Roundup: Veggie Burgers

For my rotation this week, I made up a batch of whole wheat english muffins to serve with our veggie burgers, which were so delicious I will have to share in a basic cooking skills post.

Who knew lentils could be so tasty?

What did you make this week from your food storage? Post about it on your blog and leave your link below!

Note: Please remember that this rotation link is to share what meal you or your family cooked out of your food storage this week. Links promoting merchandise or websites will be deleted. Please link directly to your 3-Month Supply Rotation post.

Food Storage Friday: Chocolate Pudding Mix

Brittany here. We're big fans of chocolate pudding around here--especially my husband (I prefer brownies and ice cream, although I don't turn the pudding down). After doing a little investigating, I discovered a few recipes online to make your own pudding mix. After all, those little boxes--while food storage-friendly--can be expensive . . . not to mention it often seems like when we're in the mood for pudding, we don't have any! Now we can have some any old time, although this version takes more preparation in advance than the good old instant stuff in the box.

Ingredients for mix: powdered milk, cornstarch, sugar, cocoa, salt.

Combine dry ingredients (I sifted).

Store in an airtight container until ready for use.

To prepare the pudding:

Mix 2 cups of milk (powdered) and 2/3 c. of the mix in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and then reduce to a simmer and stir until thickened. Make sure you stir constantly at that point so you don't burn the bottom. I just kept stirring until I thought it was thick enough, probably a couple of minutes.

Pour the hot pudding into a bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool.

I was too impatient, so I took it out when it was still warm to try it. You can see it had this funky film on the top, but I just lifted that over to reveal the chocolatey-goodness underneath.

It was yummy, even warm. I don't think I've ever made the "Cook and Serve" Jell-O version, so I don't know how it compares, but I was pretty pleased with this. Try it today.

Chocolate Pudding Mix

3/4 c. powdered milk
7/8 c. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. cocoa
1/4 t. salt, rounded

Combine dry ingredients and store in airtight container.

To make the pudding:
Add 2/3 c. mix to a saucepan. Add 2 cups of milk and stir until blended. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer while stirring constantly until thickened. Cool and serve.

From http://www.creativehomemaking.com/cooking/pudding-mix.shtml

One year ago on SGI: Baked Chicken and Spaghetti

Wheat Storage Made Possible by...

We get lots of questions about how to store food for the 3 month supply. I personally really like storing my grains and things in 5-gallon buckets. But before I knew anything about anything, I thought you could just go to Home Depot and buy buckets and use them. Not so, my friends, they have to be food grade. Plus, the bucket lids are IMPOSSIBLE to get off, (I still use the Home Depot ones for the dog food, I know) So I looked around a little and asked Emergency Essentials about their buckets and gamma lids.

They were kind enough to send me a bucket and lid to try out along with a few other things.

First off, they sent some snapware--airtight containers for food storage. I'm a big fan for two reasons: one, to prevent pests (which the South has in abundance) you ought to keep your food in plastic or glass containers, especially see thru ones so you can check on the food.

And secondly, it looks so much nicer on the table.

What I was really excited about was the bucket though. I got this wheat from the LDS cannery.

25 lbs of white wheat

Emergency Essentials sent me a mylar bag to use with the bucket. The mylar bags are supposed to keep your foods safe from odors and moisture, but all I thought was: "Hey, now I don't have to wash out my bucket each time!"

Also I was thinking because a 25 lb sack of wheat didn't come close to filling up a 6-gallon bucket, I could store two separate types of wheat in one bucket, each in their own mylar sack! Or, call me crazy, but I could mix red wheat and white wheat together and have it all ready for bread making! I know, hold on to your seats, right?

After I filled the bag with wheat, I just rolled down the top of the bag---keeps it even fresher, just in case you weren't going to use your wheat within 30 years, you may be able to stretch it to 31.

So here's the gamma lid. The difference between the gamma lid and the regular lid is this: a bucket lid seals down by pressure. You've all had to hammer a bucket lid down, and then use one of those knifty looking wrenches to pull the lid up without breaking it.

With the gamma lid, you hammer down the ring part of the lid,

and then just screw on the top part of the lid. Getting the same seal, but oh so much easier.

Ta-da! My 3 month supply of wheat, all set.

Whenever I need a little wheat, I pull the bucket out of the pantry, untwist the lid, unroll the bag and scoop out some wheat! Easy peasy.

Emergency Essentials is nice enough to offer Safely Gathered In readers FREE SHIPPING on orders over $30 until the end of July! To use the free shipping, just type "gathered" into the promo code box when checking out---OR just click on this button.

Just in case you wondered, this post was made possible by Emergency Essentials sending me these products. I would have had nothing to write about otherwise. Thanks Emergency Essentials for giving me yet another reason to be excited about wheat.

Inspirational Thought

"Slow and steady wins the race."

Aesop

Saturday Roundup: Beans and Raspberry Edition

Aleasha once told me that her family always ate beans for dinner the day after a big holiday, you know, after you've eaten all the rich food the day before you want something simple to eat. Our family has adapted that, and we had beans and cornbread for dinner this week. Since we were rotating, we cooked the beans with bacon, and topped with sour cream, shredded cheese and cilantro.


I also brought back from my vacation a suitcase of raspberries from Mountain Man's grandpa's garden.


With which, I made jam. Raspberry jam is pretty similar to strawberry jam and oh, so delicious. Just follow the directions on the pectin box.

Raspberry jam does call for processing in a water bath canner, unlike strawberry. But it's no biggie.

And so worth it.


What did you make this week from your food storage? Post about it on your blog and leave your link below!

Note: Please remember that this rotation link is to share what meal you or your family cooked out of your food storage this week. Links promoting merchandise or websites will be deleted. Please link directly to your 3-Month Supply Rotation post.

Food Storage Friday: Oatmeal Wheat Bread from the Test Kitchen

Every month we pick one recipe from the test kitchen to feature in our food storage friday series. This month's recipe comes from Candace.


I make all our bread. I like to experiment with different combinations. This is our favorite.

Ingredients: First - I must apologize for the picture turning out darker than it was supposed to.
Salt, powdered milk, regular rolled oats, gluten, flour, sugar, vegetable oil, yeast, whole wheat flour and not pictured - hot water.

Oatmeal Wheat Bread

I make 4 loaves at a time - so decrease by 1/2 or 1/4's to suit your family's needs.
4 TBSP yeast
4 tsp salt
3 TBSP vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 - 3/4 cup powdered milk
3 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour (yes - I do grind my own wheat)
1 1/2 cups regular oats
4 cups hot water

Add all of the ingredients in the mixer. Cover with the lid and let it sit for about 45 minutes. This is called "sponging." It is highly recommended when working with wheat/yeast products together.
After 45 minutes -
Add: 4 TBSP vegetable oil and start adding white flour (you will end up using 9-10 cups or so).

Add enough flour and knead either by hand or with the mixer until the dough is soft to the touch without being sticky. Transfer to a large bowl sprayed with vegetable oil. Turn dough once. I like to set my bowl on the stove top. The overhead light provides the perfect temperature. Cover the bowl with your favorite towel.

Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes. Punch dough down and divide into four sections. Knead each section a little bit and shape into bread loaves. Place in greased bread pans.

Set bread loaves back on stove top to rise again. This time for 20 minutes. Once again - cover with your most favorite towel. This is an important step. That way - when you look over at the dough rising - it brings happy memories. :) While your bread loaves are rising - turn your oven on to 400 degrees. This way it will be ready to use when your dough is done rising. After 20 minutes - Place bread loaves in oven and bake for 30 minutes exactly.

Remove from the pans immediately and cool on a wire rack. And of course if you live in close proximity to your neighbors - make in the morning and open all the windows of your house/apartment so everyone can smell the wonderful aroma of fresh baked bread. And you don't have to share. Unless you really want to.
When my bread is cooled off - I place in bread bags. I keep two on the counter and freeze the other two. If you have kids like mine - you will have to repeat this process again in 4 days when your bread runs out.

This bread also makes yummy rolls. Just shape them and bake them about 15 minutes. I like to brush a little butter on my rolls but not my bread.

If you would like to contribute to the test kitchen, email us at safelygatheredin@gmail dot com.

It's Tuesday!

Every Tuesday, we post specific items you should gather in order to supplement your 72-hour kit, your 3-month supply, and your longer-term storage. If you are new to our blog, don't worry! You won't be left behind. Just start up where we are and follow along. You will eventually have everything completed! Once the 72-hour kit is complete, we'll be putting together emergency car kits again (week by week). Once those are done, we'll gather the 72-hour kits again. So don't worry, just jump on in and join us where we are today!

We're going to add a few things this week to our 72-hour kits. First of all, add a set of scriptures. It could be just a Bible, just a Book of Mormon, or both. They don't need to be really nice, leather bound copies. Just the soft cover books will do.

Also for your 72-hour kits, add a folder of personal documents. In fact, you may want to have two copies of these documents: one in mom's kit, and one in dad's. These folders should contain copies of birth/marriage certificates, wills, passports, vaccination records, credit card information, insurance policy numbers, and any other documents that are important to you. Many people don't feel comfortable storing these documents in their 72-hour kits. That's fine; keep them in a safe place for now (filing cabinet or wherever), but just make a note somewhere on your backpack (or whatever you use) to remind you to grab the documents before you leave in an emergency.

How is your three month supply coming along? Don't forget to store at least 2 weeks of water per person. Also, you should store some multivitamins as part of your food storage. Create a menu plan so that you know exactly what foods you need to store. Want a ready-made menu plan and shopping list for your entire three month supply? Read about our new e-book!

This month for our longer-term storage, we're gathering oats. Not sure how to cook with oats? Check out our recipes page for some ideas. You can also buy oats already in #10 cans from LDS Catalog. Prices include shipping.

Inspirational Thought

"And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Look hither; behold I have planted another branch of the tree also; and thou knowest that this spot of ground was poorer than the first. But, behold the tree. I have nourished it this long time, and it hath brought forth much fruit; therefore, gather it, and lay it up against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self."

Jacob 5:23 emphasis added

Saturday: Big news roundup!

Mountain Man and I camped in Great Basin National Park this past weekend. It was cold up at 10,000 ft. It felt good to get away from the humidity of the South. Sorry Hannah.
We had smores, always fitting for camping. But thanks to reader Christy we've improved them:
I'll never go back.

In other news... if things get quiet here for a few weeks, or if we're slow to answer emails, there's a reason. Hannah has a new addition in her family, and it's keeping her pretty occupied. Born July 1:

Time to update the 72 hour kit to include baby stuff again.

HAPPY 4th of JULY!!

Q&A Week - Friday - Wheat questions!

What do you put in your buckets of wheat and such to keep them fresh and from sprouting?

As long as your wheat is kept sealed up and in a cool, dry place, you shouldn't have a problem with it sprouting. Abbie keeps her wheat in 5 gallon buckets with a gamma lid so she can open it and then seal it back up again as she uses it.

What are other types of grains to store in addition to wheat - I'm new to all this!

What is the best non wheat to store for someone who is allergic to wheat? My daughter gets horrible eczema when she eats it. I have lots of oatmeal, but even when ground that doesn't always bind very well. Do you have a good blend?

The above questions were similar so I'll answer them together. There are lots of other grain options to choose from. I'll admit, I'm not a HUGE fan of wheat. While I do store a lot of it, I supplement it with a few other things that my family enjoys: oats, corn, barley, rice, quinoa, and couscous are all good ones. Hopefully soon we'll have some recipes to share with you that use quinoa and couscous. If you have some, share them in our test kitchen!

Why do long-term food storage lists always call for the kind of wheat that you have to grind before you can use it? Is that stuff better than just buying and storing pre-ground flour?

First of all, wheat is much more functional as a whole grain. Once it's ground, you can only use it as flour, but wheat as a grain can be used in many ways: wheatberries, cracked wheat, etc. Also, once wheat is ground up into flour, you need to use it soon or freeze it, because it doesn't contain any preservatives like the store-bought wheat contains. White flour from the store can be canned up long term, however. I don't know about store-bought whole wheat - has anyone canned that before? Since it has the preservatives, I don't see why you couldn't, but don't trust me on that. If YOU know the answer... comment on this post and let us know!

Do you ever sprout seeds? If so do you have good luck with them

I would like to learn more about sprouting. Do you cover this process in your e book?

These two questions were similar so I'll answer them together. Yes, we've sprouted wheat, and it worked out great! Abbie wrote a step-by-step post about it last January, so check it out. Last Monday someone asked us about Vitamin C storage, and sprouted wheat is actually a great source of that.

We didn't include the sprouted wheat article in the e-book, but it's available in our archives.

Q & A Week: Thursday

What is the easiest method you've tried/heard about for making bread. I'm looking to make that transition from buying bread to making it instead (much cheaper!), but I've never done so before. Any other advice for a beginner?

Any of the four recipes I've posted are awesome beginner bread recipes. Each of them will only take a few hours and are very simple. I know, because I'm not a very good baker--so if I can do it, so can you. Sometimes making bread just takes practice. One thing I've learned is that sometimes you need to disregard the recipe at the end. Meaning, once you get to the part of the bread making where you are adding enough flour to finish off the dough---keep adding flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixer and is tacky to the touch, but not sticky. A sure way to have a good loaf of bread.

Whole Wheat Bread in a Mixer I
Whole Wheat Bread in a Mixer II
Whole Wheat Bread by Hand
Whole Wheat Bread in a Bread Machine

I want to know how to make a fluffy loaf of bread from my fresh ground hard red winter wheat. My Mom gave me several bushels when she left her wheat grinder with me and all the bread I've made is so dense.

Two things: One, buy some hard white wheat and when you make bread, use half red wheat and half white wheat. That way you can get through your red wheat, but still have your bread be lighter. Or you can buy some dough enhancer and mix it in when you make bread. Or both! I've discovered that with my recipes I can use only red wheat and my family will eat it just fine. But we've been eating whole wheat bread for a long time and my family is used to it.

What do you know about white whole wheat? I've heard it had many of the nutrients as whole wheat, but a lighter texture and flavor like white. Is this too good to be true?

From what I researched, there isn't a nutritional difference in red and white wheat. Check out this awesome post for more information on the differences of red and white. Seriously, they've baked red wheat and white wheat bread alongside each other to examine the differences. Very cool.

Do you have an easy (and good tasting) bread recipe for a bread making beginner?

Ummm....see above answer. And stay tuned because I've just discovered a delicious white bread recipes. Seriously, I'm giddy with excitement.

Do you know of a good multi-grain bread recipe? I've been making the awesome whole wheat bread instead of buying bread lately, but my husband wants to try a multi-grain bread.

No, but I'll be on the lookout for one. I do love a good multi-grain bread toasted for breakfast.

Q&A Week - Wednesday

Do you store cleaning (laundry detergent, dish soap etc. ) products and how much do you store?

What is your take on cleaning products? What kind should I store, or what ingredients should I store that I can also clean with?

The two questions above were so similar that I'll answer them together. Ideally, I like to store about 3-4 months of non-food items: toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, trash bags, feminine products, laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, toothpaste, shampoo, medicines, etc. Instead of stocking up on many different cleaning supplies, though, I have a giant bag of baking soda and a lot of vinegar, which will go far when it comes to keeping my house clean. Click here to read an article about cleaning with baking soda and vinegar (article from eHow.com).

Do you guys have a big "everything" list that shows the different categories of things to store? I know that I should be getting things other than food, but I am trying to get a list of it all so I can start from the top, bottom, or middle and start collecting. Having a list already made would help a ton!

There are lots of items I like to store besides food. After all, my ultimate goal is to be able to go three months without ever having to set foot in a store (the ultimate three month supply!). Here is a list of things I like to store besides food (much of this stuff is listed in the answer above):

-Toilet paper

-Paper towels

-Cleaning supplies (mostly vinegar and baking soda, for my storage. Don't forget sponges, gloves, etc)

-Trash bags

-Feminine products

-Laundry detergent and other laundry needs

-Dishwasher and dish soap

-Toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash

-Medicines

-Cash (don't ask me how much... I really don't know what a good amount is. I just keep what I'm comfortable having around, and what I think I might need in an emergency)

-Any others that you can think of?? Make a comment - I'm sure I'm forgetting something!

Do you think its wise to do a four month supply instead of three. I have found that if I restock monthly then there is a small window of time where I only have 2 months of food. I don't want to be caught ill prepared during this time before I restock. Thanks!

I think this is a great idea. If you have the space and money to stock up 4 months of food, by all means do it, especially if it will help you feel more prepared. Planning your four month supply would be very similar as planning as a three month supply - just a bit more of everything! Great suggestion - I know I get a little nervous sometimes as my supply dwindles a bit and I'm waiting for the sales so I can restock.

Have you done any baking on a gas BBQ? Any tips would be appreciated!

Actually, very soon we'll be publishing a weekly series on cooking without electricity, so stay tuned!

Have you ever done any solar oven cooking?

Yes, we have talked about this in the past. We will also be addressing this again in our upcoming series about cooking without electricity.

What is the one "luxury" product you each store? (Meaning, it's totally not an essential, but it will definitely make life far better). I think mine would have to be cocoa powder, in the freezer. Maybe real shredded cheese in the freezer.

Hannah - I have a few luxury items. Cocoa powder and chocolate syrup top the list, probably. Both can go a long way in making that powdered milk taste better, and the cocoa powder could also be used to make desserts. Also, I just got some powdered eggs that I've been wanting to try; if those work out, I just might stock up on those, too. We haven't talked about those much on the blog yet because we've never used them, and they are a bit expensive so we really don't want to tell people they need them. That's been one of the biggest challenges in making our recipes, especially the desserts! So, I consider powdered eggs a luxury, as well, since they are pricey and can be hard to find. They're definitely not required in your food storage.

Ohh, and cheese! YES! I LOVE cheese, but again: since it's not a pantry item, I don't really "count" it as part of my three month supply. I do have a lot in my freezer, though, and its' great! I usually buy sharp or extra sharp cheddar. Yum!