Food Storage Friday: Chicken Gumbo

Our resident FHE specialist, Tiffany, is here doing a special food storage Friday guest post.

Ingredients: Spices, chicken broth, summer sausage, spaghetti sauce, canned corn, & canned chicken.

So there is chili powder pictured in this picture but we will NOT be using chili powder... I just love chili powder so much that my subconscious put it in the picture....sorry.

Spices: paprika, dry mustard (not pictured), dried basil, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme leaves, dried oregano, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper.


Dump the spaghetti sauce in a pot or crock pot (which ever you prefer... if cooking in crock pot cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours. I have used both the crock pot and a regular pot and they both turn out the same.)

Next dump all the spices into the spaghetti sauce, stir.



and the corn.

Summer sausage is a great food storage item because you don't have to refrigerate it. I got really excited when I found turkey summer sausage. I don't eat any beef or pork so finding turkey summer sausage was like the find of the century for me.... but you can use beef or turkey whichever you and your family prefer.

Cut the summer sausage into cubes and remember to discard the outer paper.

You can add the summer sausage two ways: #1 just cut the summer sausage up and throw it in the pot or crock pot. #2 (which I like best) is to cook it some more in a pan. I add just a tiny big of oil and let the edges get brown. I like the little crunch that it gives to the sausage.

Then dump it into the pot as well.

then the canned chicken....

Bring the gumbo to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 20-40 minutes. The longer it is simmered the thicker the gumbo gets. If you let it get to thick just add water to thin it out again.

Serve gumbo over rice. You can also add a 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice to the pot as it is cooking if you would prefer.


Tiffany's note **I know there are a lot of spices that go into this recipe. If you prefer not to store all these spices in your 3 month supply you can do what I like to do. I save my empty spice containers, I then combine all the spices for one recipe into the empty spice container and label. Now you have all the spices for this recipe or any others that you would like, all together and you just have to dump it in.

Chicken Gumbo

1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
12-14 oz summer sausage, slice and cooked if desired
1 can (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 can (15 oz) chicken
1 can (11 oz) canned corn, drained
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked rice or enough for your family

Dump all ingredients expect rice into a pot or crock pot. Bring gumbo to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer gumbo for 20-40 minutes until flavors are infused. If gumbo gets too thick add a little water to thin it out.

Pour over rice (or you can put the rice into the gumbo if you would like), and enjoy!

Keeping your kits updated

Ever since we started this blog last June, we've learned lots of things from our readers. One thing that many people have mentioned to us is that they rotate their 72-hour kits every General Conference weekend. Since General Conference happens every 6 months without fail, this is a great way to remember to do it!

For those of you not familiar with the LDS faith, every 6 months we have a "General Conference" which is broadcast via satellite (from Salt Lake City) to members of the Church all over the world. It occurs during the first weekend in April, and the first weekend in October.

So, here at Safely Gathered In, we're going to start doing that as well. Every General Conference time, we'll remind you all to rotate your 72-hour kits and your car kits. Of course, if you just finished your 72-hour kit with us a few weeks ago you won't need to do it this time around, but if you've had your kits done for a few years, it's time to open them up and see what you find!

Things that should be rotated are: clothing (sizes), diapers (sizes), water, and food. The water and food doesn't need to go to waste - you can just put it in your pantry and eat through it in the next couple of weeks (provided it's still good). If you notice that some of your food still doesn't expire for another year or so, you don't need to replace it if you don't want to, since you'll be doing this again in 6 months.

During this rotation weekend, you should also check the status of your flashlights and batteries, and any other items you think may need updating or checking.

Of course, this doesn't have to be done this weekend, but you should do it in the next few weeks. Then, at the end of September, we'll be reminding you all to do it again. Remember, a 72-hour kit (or car kit) full of expired food and dead batteries probably won't do you much good, so it's important to update!

It's Tuesday...

Every Tuesday, we post specific items you should gather in order to supplement your emergency car 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 car kit is complete, we'll be putting together 72-hour kits again (week by week). Once those are done, we'll gather the car kits again. So don't worry, just jump on in and join us where we are today!

This week for your emergency car kits, add a roll of toilet paper and a package of wet wipes. You may want to take the cardboard cylinder out of the center of the toilet paper - that way, it stores more easily and you can better fit it into a plastic baggie so it doesn't get wet. As for the wet wipes, they are already packaged so you can just throw them right in. I always love having wet wipes around and I'm always finding ways to use them.

How is your 3 month supply coming along? We hope to soon have a complete 3 month supply shopping list available to you, as well as our printable recipes - stay tuned! Remember to check out our recipe page as you make your 3 month plan, and don't forget to also check out our Safely Gathered In "Test Kitchen", where EVERYONE is welcome to share their recipes. Want to contribute your own recipe to the test kitchen? Email us at safelygatheredin (at) gmail.com. Your recipe may even be featured in a Food Storage Friday here on the main blog.

This is the last day of March, so if you still want to gather beans for your longer term storage this month, today's the day! We'll be gathering rice in April.

Motivational Monday

“Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these innate
desires to serve. How can we give if there is nothing there?
Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves.
Money to assist the needy cannot come from
an empty purse. Support and understanding
cannot come from the emotionally starved.
Teaching cannot come from the unlearned.
And most important of all, spiritual guidance
cannot come from the spiritually weak.” 

~President Marion G. Romney (1897–1988)

Q & A #9

Every once in a blue moon we will post some questions that readers have asked with some (hopefully) good answers. Please be patient as we try to answer all your questions. More questions? Email us!

Previous Question and Answer Posts


Other Informative Posts:
All About Oats
All About Beans
Let's Talk About Wheat
All About Rice
All About Rice Storage


I didn't notice serving sizes on your recipes and was hoping you could let me know how many people in your family they feed.

Most of our recipes feed 4-6. The soups generally feed an army, but to be safe, I say most meals feed 4 and then you can double it when you need to. Better to be safe than sorry.


There's a "soup season"?

You know, everyone has a personal opinion and we're all entitled to it. My personal opinion is this: I live in the South. The deep South. From the beginning of June to the end of September we eat popsicles and rootbeer floats. And that's all. The end. (Which makes me begin to think I've got serious issues with our food storage)

How to you plan for the sour cream if you are truly having to cook from your storage plan? I love sour cream and this question is my biggest storage concern.

I don't have a plan. I will just cry and cry. And sob. And cry some more. We are living on a tight budget and it's tough to store the basics right now, so I can't even think about the extras. Which is what sour cream is, an extra. So my plan is basics first, luxury second.

If you have the basics then here's a solution, I did a google search and you can buy 'sour cream powder' which I'm assuming you just add water. So if you really can't live without it, go for it. Keep in mind when you store dehydrated or powdered foods, that you need to store the water that will rehydrate the food.

On a side note, Mountain Man has used powdered sour cream on backpacking trips, and he says it's delicious.

Do you guys have a cook book or can you have one made?

We don't have a cookbook and no chance of one any time soon. However, we are working on getting printable links on each one of our recipe posts, so you can print the ones off that you like and add them to your recipe collection.

We have been thinking about putting all our recipes together and making one big pdf download. If you would be interested in this, leave a comment or email and if there's a big enough response, we may get off our backsides and do it. Although doing it would require being on our backsides, so I guess that phrase doesn't work here.

Food Storage Friday: Three Bean Chili

Somebody asked for our favorite chili recipe. This isn't it. My favorite chili recipe is awesome. And is in a cookbook that was dropped in water and now all the pages are stuck together. My sister-in-law has the same cookbook and this week it was flooded in her basement. And now all the pages are stuck together. My mom has the same cookbook. But I forgot to call her. So you get my EASY crockpot chili recipe. Hang onto your hats, it's a breeze. Based on the recipe from here.



Tortilla crisps would be delicious with this recipe. Of course, any thing fried in fat is generally delicious, all the time.



Ingredients: black beans, red beans, pinto beans, diced tomatoes (I know it says crushed, but you really ought to use diced), tomato sauce, chili seasoning




Doesn't this picture look like the beans are about to roll you over. Ahh! Avalanche of beans!



Night before: rinse your beans and cover them with water in a large pot.



All the way to the top, the beans will absorb a lot of water during the night.



See how they've swelled?


Drain the water and fill your pot with fresh water, just covering the beans. I had to let out some water, this was too much.



Empty your cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce into the crock pot. I only had crushed tomatoes, but diced would have been much better for the texture of the soup.



Now, you can use a seasoning packet, or just throw in some chili powder, onion powder, and some red pepper flakes.



Also, toss in about 1 tsp of salt to start with, you may want to add more salt later on.



Turn the crock pot on low and walk away for the rest of the day. Okay, not the rest of the day. Make sure you check on it every once in a while to see if it needs more water (mine didn't) and be sure to check the beans about an hour before you're ready to eat.



Test each type of bean to see if they are soft. If any of them are still a little hard, crank up the heat to high for the next 30-45 minutes to cook them all the way through.



When you are rotating through this meal, go ahead and add any of the usual chili toppings: sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped onions, whatever your heart desires.



Crockpot Three Bean Chili
adapted, or rather copied, from about.com

1 cup dried black beans
1 cup dried red beans
1 cup dried pinto beans
2 cans (14oz ea) diced tomatoes
2 cans (8oz ea) tomato sauce
1 pkt of chili seasoning
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)

The night before, rinse and soak the beans all together overnight. The next morning, drain the water from the beans and cover with fresh water. Add cans of tomatoes and sauce and the seasonings. Turn crockpot on low and cook for 6-8 hours. Check for doneness near the end of the cooking period and adjust heat to high for 30 minutes or so if need be. Keep your eye on the crockpot when it's on high.

Bean Series: Complete and incomplete proteins (Guest Post)

This is the final article of a 4-week bean series. Check out the other articles: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3.

What is protein and why do we need it?

Protein is made up of different types of amino acids. Our body can manufacture some amino acids; the rest we need to get from food. We need them all: our body uses these amino acids as the building blocks for its structures, from muscles to hair to blood cells.

What are complete and incomplete proteins?

A complete protein is a food that contains all 9 of the essential amino acids that our body cannot produce. An incomplete protein is a food that contains some, but not all, of these essential amino acids.

Animal products contain complete proteins: meat, fish, milk, and eggs. Soy and quinoa also contain complete proteins.

Other vegetable sources of food such as beans and grains contain incomplete proteins. But making complete proteins from vegetable sources is easy: the rule of thumb is bean plus grain. You don't even have to eat them both at one meal, as long as you eat them within a day or so of each other. Here is a great explanation of the different combinations you can make.

How much protein do I need?

I couldn't find a straight answer at the FDA website. However, they did say that getting enough protein is not a public health concern for Americans over the age of 4. I couldn't really find a one-size-fits-all answer anywhere else, either. Everyone's protein needs are different, depending on their age, size, and other factors.

Sources: How Much Protein Do You Need; What's a Complete Protein?; Complete and Incomplete Proteins in Grains and Vegetables.

---
Mrs. Mordecai is a twenty-something homemaker and mother. She chronicles her homekeeping adventures at Be It Ever So Humble.

How To...Make Tortilla Crisps

We used these tortilla crisps in our recipe on Friday. You can use them to top any soup or salad.


You could also just buy chips, but really, where's the fun in that?




Ingredients: corn tortillas, oil and salt



Did you know that you can store unopened corn tortillas at room temperature for 3 months? It's true, I looked it up. Flour tortillas (not the refrigerator kind) can be stored unopened for 9 months! Be sure to check the date on the bag before you purchase it though.


Heat a pot with oil in over the stove top, just enough oil to cover the tortilla strips.

Frying foods is dangerous, just ask Hannah, she lit her kitchen on fire while deep fat frying egg rolls. Then ask me, she spent the rest of the week at my house while the insurance company repainted and cleaned.

So be careful, don't leave hot oil unattended. Put children outside and lock the door. Only use the minimum amount of oil that you have too. Don't pull the tortillas out with your fingers, use a fork or something. Don't turn the stove top higher than medium high heat. Use a thermometer if you have one of those fancy things.

I don't. I just wait for the oil to ripple, like Rachael Ray does. She's my hero. Right up there next to Pioneer Woman and John Wayne.



Cut the strips thinly, really thinly. Put just a few in the oil at the same time. Stir around a little while they're cooking so they all get cooked fairly evenly.

Remove from the hot oil when they are a light brown. Let them drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.




You can also make them in the oven. Brush the top of the tortilla with oil.



Stack another tortilla on top and brush it with oil. Repeat until you have a nice stack.

Cut thinly with a sharp knife, just like if you were frying them. (You can make chips this way too, just cut them into triangles instead of strips).



Lay the strips in a single layer on a parchment covered cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake in a 375 degree oven, stirring occasionally, until browned.


Mountain Man thinks they both taste the same. I think he's smoking something. The fried ones are definitely better.

It's Tuesday!

Every Tuesday, we post specific items you should gather in order to supplement your emergency car 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 car kit is complete, we'll be putting together 72-hour kits again (week by week). Once those are done, we'll gather the car kits again. So don't worry, just jump on in and join us where we are today!

This week for your emergency car kits, add a flashlight and some batteries. If you really want to invest in something long-lasting, consider getting one of those wind-up flashlights - I love not having to worry about replacing batteries. We've added a few flashlight links on the right side of the blog page to give you some ideas - feel free to do your own research, of course, but these two flashlights have great Amazon reviews and you may want to consider them. The silver one is an LED crank light, and the red one below it is a Red Cross solar/crank light that also includes radio, a cell phone charger, and earphone jack. Of course, we're not telling everyone to get something this pricey or fancy (it's currently $30 on Amazon), but I will say that I myself am considering it. My family is about to embark on an 800-mile road trip next week, and this will really give me peace of mind. Also, if you live in an area that gets blizzards, or you frequently travel long distances on back roads, this is something you should probably consider.

How is your three-month supply coming along? I love having my master shopping list handy because I can really take advantage of the sales at my grocery store. Do you have a 3-month plan? Sit down and write out some recipes you like, then figure out how much of the food you will need for 3 months. For more details on how to make your plan, read our blog post about it here.

We are still gathering beans for our longer-term storage this month. If you want to buy pinto beans already canned in #10 cans, click here to purchase them from LDS Catalog. They are pricier than buying them at the store, but they are already canned up, and the price includes shipping.

Inspirational Thought

“To become self-reliant, a person must work. Work is
physical, mental, or spiritual effort. It is a basic source
of happiness, self-worth, and prosperity. Through work,
people accomplish many good things in their lives. . . .

“As people become self-reliant, they are better prepared
to endure adversities” and are “better able to care for others
in need.”

Church Handbook of Instructions

Weekend Roundup: Egg shells and Self-Reliance.

Need an inexpensive and child friendly way to start your seedlings inside? Check out Imagine Childhood for her tutorial of starting seeds inside egg shells.

One of the main reasons we store food is to become self-reliant from stores, and the economy in general. For that reason, I'm interested whenever anyone has thoughts about self-reliance. Check out The Simple Dollar's post on Self-Reliance.

Getting ready for your garden? Supply your own fertilizer and Make Your Own Compost Bin from The Happy Housewife.

Need help with your messy pantry? Shelf Reliance is having another contest! Send them pictures of your messy pantry and you could win a complete pantry makeover. For more details, click here. Entering the contest also automatically signs you up for their email newsletters.

Food Storage Friday-Chicken Tortilla Soup

We're nearing the end of 'soup season' which is a real bummer because of how easy soup is to whip up for dinner.


Today's meal, Chicken Tortilla Soup, is merely a drop in the pot and cook. Love those.



Ingredients: Tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, corn, green chilies, canned chicken, garlic salt, oregano, sugar and chili powder (and water, not pictured)


Open and dump all your canned items into the pot.



Add the water


and sugar and spices





Open the canned chicken, drain and then shred with two forks. Add to pot.

Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so.


Top with crispy tortilla strips (coming Wednesday) and serve. Delicious!


Chicken Tortilla Soup
adapted from Favorites

1-28oz can crushed tomatoes
2-8oz cans tomato sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
4 cups water
2 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1-4oz can diced green chilies
1-13oz can chicken

Combine in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stuff your face.


Okay okay, here's a peek at the dang tortilla crisps


Great, now what am I going to post on Wednesday?