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Friday, July 30, 2010

Food Storage Friday: Fruit Pie

Today we're making pie. You can choose any sort of pie filling to go in it, of the canned fillings, I prefer cherry. You know the stuff you stick on cheesecake? Oh boy I could eat a whole can of it.



When you're rotating, use the crust, but put fresh ingredients in the pie.



Ingredients: Flour, salt, oil, 2 cans of pie fillings and hot water (not pictured)


You won't see many pictures at this point because I don't have three arms and these steps have to be done quickly. Turn on your tap to hot water and let it run til it gets really hot. Add the oil to your mixing bowl. Start mixing the oil with a fork and then gradually add the hot water while you are mixing.


The hot water and mixing motion, combines the oil/water so there is no separation.


Immediately add your flour and continue mixing with your fork. Add a dash of salt.



Keep stirring until your dough combines into a ball. You're done! You're pie crust is done! How easy is that? Seriously, this pie crust will change your life it's so easy and so good.


Separate into two balls of dough.


Layer the one ball between two pieces of wax paper and roll out to a circle. You can dust the top and bottom with flour if you need too. You want the dough to be a little sticky so that it will say together, but use a little extra flour if you're really have trouble.


When the pie crust is large enough, gently remove the top layer of wax paper by slowly pulling back on it. This pie crust is super light and flaky when baked, so it's very fragile during the making process, so take it slowly.


Now that you only have wax paper on the bottom-


Pick it up and flip it over onto your pie dish. Gently peel back the wax paper until the pie crust is sitting in the dish.



You can take the pieces of crust that are overhanging-



And fix the sides that are short.



Dump your pie filling in,


And get to work on the top layer of crust.



Roll it out-


Remove the top sheet of wax paper, lay it over the pie, and GENTLY remove the wax paper.



Ta-da!


Crimp the edges and then pierce the top with a sharp knife several times to create vents for the steam.



Almost done.


I like a really crispy crust, so I mixed up some powdered milk quick,


And brushed it on the top, all over the crimped edges and everywhere. You can sprinkle sugar over the top too if you want.



Bake until golden brown. I think I needed a few more venting holes!


Whenever you bake pies, always put a cookie sheet on the oven rack underneath the pie. Nine times out of ten your pie will leak, and it's easier to clean a cookie sheet than the bottom of your oven.


Now all I need is some cheesecake!


Fruit Pie

1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup hot water
dash salt
1 and 3/4 cups flour

2 cans pie filling
milk (optional)
sugar (optional)


Put oil in mixing bowl, add hot water while mixing with a fork. Still mixing, add salt and flour until the dough forms a combined ball. Dough will be a little sticky. Divide dough into two equal balls. Place one ball of dough in between two pieces of wax paper and roll out large enough for a pie plate. Remove the top layer of wax paper by pulling back gently. Invert pie crust onto pie dish and remove bottom layer of wax paper by pulling back gently. Fill with pie filling and then roll out top crust just as the bottom crust.

Crimp edges and make several slits for the steam to vent. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake at 375 degrees F. until golden brown (45-50 minutes).

Originally posted: May 29, 2009

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Tutorial re-post: How to Make a Cardboard Box Oven

We originally posted this tutorial in 2008, in the first couple of months after starting our blog.  It was really popular so we wanted to re-post it for all our new readers who haven't seen it yet.  It's one of my favorite tutorials and it's lots of fun, too!

Did you know that you can make a cardboard box into an oven that works just as well as your oven at home? You can! And with this type of oven, you never have to worry about what to eat when the electricity goes out.


You need:
1 cardboard box (for this method, it needs to have a slide-on top, like a box that holds reams of paper. See pictures)
charcoal
matches (or a lighter)
aluminum foil
1 round aluminum pie plate (or anything to place your charcoals in)
3 wire hangers
scissors or a knife
pliers
tongs
whatever food you want to bake



Line the inside of your box and lid with aluminum foil. If you'd like, use a sponge and dab some Elmer's glue around the inside and cover to hold the foil in place (this is especially useful if you plan to keep your box oven, and not just make a new one in an emergency).
Once that's done, use some scissors or a knife to poke three holes in a straight line on each end of the box, about halfway down from the top. You'll see what these are for in just a minute.
Meanwhile, straighten out your three hangers.

Put the three straightened hangers through the holes. These will act as a shelf to place your food on (sorry if it's kind of hard to see the wires in the picture above!  It was so bright outside).

Next, bend your wires so that they will remain taut inside the oven. You don't want heavy food bending the wires and sitting directly on the charcoals.
This step might be kind of difficult, so you may want an extra pair of hands and some pliers.

It doesn't have to look pretty, it just has to work! Next, poke some other random holes in your box so that oxygen can get in and gases can get out.  Now, we actually did NOT poke extra holes in this particular oven, because by the time we finished making our wires taut, our three holes we poked in each side had become fairly large, so we figured they were enough. If your holes on the side remain small, use your knife or scissors and poke a few holes on the top of the box, and maybe one or two on each side.

Next, let's turn up the heat!
Place some charcoals in your round aluminum plate. Each charcoal briquette supplies 40 degrees of heat, so 9 briquettes will give us a 360 degree oven.

Light your briquettes with the matches or a lighter (it will probably take a few matches. Be sure that each briquette burns).

Let the briquettes burn for a while...

Until they look like this! Then you're ready to go.

With your tongs, pick up the hot plate of charcoal


And slide it carefully between your wire shelf onto the bottom of your box.


Carefully..
There! Use the tongs to straighten out the charcoals and spread them out a bit.
Meanwhile, put together whatever you want to bake (actually you should probably do this before you light your charcoal so that you don't waste the heat as you mix up your food). We're making an apple spice cake that my mother-in-law had in her pantry - just add water!

Place your food on the wire racks
And cover with your oven top (Note: this is not an advertisement for Office Max! :) ).
Now just set a timer like normal, or watch the clock. Note: If your recipe calls for a longer baking time (more than 45 minutes to an hour), you will probably have to switch out your charcoals around the 45-minute mark.

Do not use your oven on a wooden deck or on grass, or anything flammable. We are cooking in a concrete deck. Never use this oven indoors.
Time's up! Let's see how it looks:

And..... It's done! Carefully life the pan out of your oven (use hot pads!) and enjoy!


If your three-month supply consists solely of pantry items like we suggest, you truly can live comfortably with no electricity. Just prepare the (baking) recipes we've provided on our site, use this oven, and you're set! You can bake anything in this oven. My mother-in-law has even baked an entire turkey in one. Be creative! And don't forget, you can store this oven along with your food storage so you don't have to keep making one every time you need one.  Making a cardboard box oven would be a great family activity, or even something that your youth group could do.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Food Storage 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 $100 cash per family.  This should be spread out among a few packs - maybe you and your spouse, or maybe you want some in each of your children's packs as well.  Be sure to include small bills and change (rolls of quarters are good, but remember that they do add a little bit of extra weight).  Not sure how you should be spreading everything out among the kits?  Check out Abbie's post about 72-hour kit distribution: Who Carries What?


How is your three-month supply coming along?  Besides water and medicine, you should also have at least three months' worth of toilet paper, feminine products, and other hygienic needs (toothpaste, soap, etc).  Don't forget diapers, wipes, and baby food.  It's tough to store diapers since your kids are always growing and you don't know what size you need.  One of my friends said that she stores diapers one size up from what her child wears.  Then, when the child starts wearing the stored size, she lets him just wear the ones from storage and starts buying the next size up for storage, etc.  Does that make sense?


This month for our longer-term storage, we're gathering rice.  I like to store a couple different varieties - long grain, saffron, medium grain, etc.  I wish brown rice stored better, because I'd love to have a LOT of that stored up.  What kind(s) of rice do you store?

Monday, July 26, 2010

Inspirational Thought



“Set your houses in order. If you have paid your debts, if you have a reserve, even though it be small, then should storms howl about your head, you will have shelter for your wives and children and peace in your hearts”

President Gordon B. Hinckley "To the Boys and to the Men," Ensign, Nov. 1998, 54

Friday, July 23, 2010

Food Storage Friday: Creamy Coconut Rice with Fruit



A few months ago, my husband and I went to an amazing Japanese restaurant in Savannah, GA. For dessert, we shared a coconut rice dish with mangoes that was to die for, both for its delicious taste and its simplicity.


Ingredients: Sticky rice (medium-grained rice), Sweetened Coconut Milk (you can use regular, but you'll need to add sugar to it), and any canned fruit that you love (we tried mandarin oranges, but I think it would have been much better with peaches).

Cook up the rice according to the package directions, and depending on how much you want. We made about one cup.

In a saucepan, heat the coconut milk gently, until just warm (now is when you'll add the sugar if you are using regular coconut milk, instead of sweetened. Sweeten to taste). Dish up your rice and pour the milk over the rice, until soaked through.


Add your fruit, and it's done! When rotating through your food storage, use fresh fruit. Mangoes were wonderful!


Originally Posted September 11, 2009

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Food Storage 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, minimum.  Now, I know this can be really challenging to add to your packs - it's heavy, it takes up a lot of space, etc. BUT, as you know, water is more important than food!  Along with this water, you should add some water purifiers like tablets (or another purification method) so that you can utilize water in your area as well.  Emergency Essentials sells purification methods,  and you can find them here on Amazon as well.  


How is your three-month supply coming along?  Remember, it's easy and doable if you make a plan!  Plan out all your meals, then make a master shopping list.  Buy a few things from the list every time you visit the grocery store, and slowly but surely you'll build up your supply.


This month we are still gathering rice for our longer-term storage.  Thanks everyone for your great comments on last week's post and my questions for you about the BUGS!  I'm going to write a post about that and share all the great information I've learned since last week about how to keep the bugs out of your food storage!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Inspirational Thought



"Those who structure their standard of living to allow a little surplus, control their circumstances. Those who spend a little more than they earn are controlled by their circumstances. They are in bondage”

President N. Eldon Tanner "Constancy Amid Change," Ensign, Nov. 1979, 81

Saturday, July 17, 2010

"Canning party" free printable


I came across these sweet cards today on Cottage Industrialist and just had to share!  Wouldn't canning just be so much more fun if you made it into a party?  And with these cards, too, created by Paper Crave.


Click on over to Cottage Industrialist for the free printable cards and other downloads.  A canning party sounds like the perfect summer/harvest activity.  Enjoy!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Food Storage Friday: Hummus

Remember last week when I mentioned this AWESOME hummus recipe that Abbie shared with me? Well, she posted it in our Test Kitchen and I'm sharing it over here today for our Food Storage Friday. It's delicious! Do you have any food storage meals? Share them in our test kitchen!

Hummus

1/4-1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp soy sauce
3/4 tsp cumin

Mix all ingredients in a food processor and process for 3-5 minutes until mixture is smooth and light, scraping down sides of bowl 2-3 times. Is great as a dip or on wraps and sandwiches. Makes about one cup, maybe a little more. Doubles well. Freezes well. If using dried garbanzo beans: cook until soft, then measure out 1 2/3 cup of beans to equal one can.


Originally Posted October 9, 2009

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

How to: Make a Camping/Moving Box

One of the greatest (if not THE greatest) wedding gifts my husband and I got was a camping/moving box.  It was from his grandparents, and they explained that they were planning to give each grandkid one of these for their wedding.  Since we just completed the first real move of our married life, we were able to use it for the first time (moving, anyway - we have used it camping) and it was a lifesaver.


So what's a camping/moving box?  It's a big tupperware box full of anything you would need while camping, and in the middle of the move.  When I'm packing, I like to take it room by room and pack up EVERYTHING.  There's nothing worse than only being able to pack up half of a room because you still need half the things in that room.  This is especially true in the kitchen - you can't pack up everything because you still need some stuff.  But you don't need all the utensils, so you end up packing half of them, and then when you get to your new house everything is split up into different boxes and it's insane.


Am I right?


Anyway, the camping/moving box saved us from all that hassle.  We were able to pack up everything in our kitchen ahead of time, because any immediate needs were filled by the box.  So, what's in the box?


First, and probably most importantly, there was a laminate list of all the contents of the box, which was great because we knew exactly what we had at our disposal.  Here's the full list:


Dish towels (4)
Dish cloths (2)
Dish pan
Dish soap
Scouring pad
Matches
Hot pads (2) and hot mitt
Tablecloth
Ziploc bags
aluminum foil
paper towels
paper plates and cups
garbage bags
rope
clothes pins
bath towels and wash cloths
body wash or soap
shampoo conditioner
toilet paper
salt and pepper
cutting board
large knife
small knife
meat fork
can opener
potato peeler
cheese grater
cereal bowls
glasses or mugs
silverware
2 large serving spoons
rubber spatula
pancake turner
2 qt pitcher
ladle
sm., med., and lg. mixing bowls
measuring cups and spoons
whisk
frying pan
lg. and sm. cooking pot
plastic pan


Another great thing about this box is that it's perfect for emergency situations.  If we had to leave our house in a jiffy, and we were able to get in our car and leave (as opposed to leaving on foot), we'd throw this box in the trunk along with our 72-hour kits and it would be a great supplement to those kits.


Isn't that a great box??  It has everything we would imagine needing for camping, and it would be a dream to have in an emergency.  And the greatest part is, most (if not all) of these things can be found at places like Goodwill, Big Lots, and other discount stores.  Nothing inside our box is fancy or top-of-the-line. It's very basic and perfect for emergency use. 


A camping/moving/emergency box is a great gift idea and if you start collecting things now, you could definitely have one (or more) put together by Christmastime.


Is there anything else you suggest adding to the box?  I mean, it's pretty full as it is but I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Food Storage Tuesday (and I need some advice!)

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 personal documents.  This could include copies of your birth certificates, passports, ss cards, wills, etc.  You may also want to include copies of your Patriarchal Blessings. Of course, if you are not comfortable keeping these sorts of copies in your 72-hour kits while they sit in your home, you should still make copies and put a folder in a safe place... just remember to grab it when you leave your home in an emergency!  You may also want to put other important papers in your file, like maps, instructions, etc.

How is your three-month supply coming along?  I know I say this every couple of weeks, but DON'T FORGET to store WATER!  I can't even stress enough that water is more important than food.  It is vital that everyone in your home has access to clean water for drinking.  Check out this article about emergency water - even if you haven't stored water there is still some water in your home that could be used in a pinch.  However, it is best to actively store water in your home.  Click on the link to read about water storage.



This month for our longer-term storage we are gathering rice.  And speaking of rice, I have a question!  Just this evening for dinner, I opened up the plastic lid off one of my #10 cans of rice (it's only about 1/3 full since we've been eating it) and I went to dump out some rice into the rice cooker and there were hundreds of BUGS in the bottom of the can!  If I had just scooped out a cup or two I never would have seen them, but since I was dumping it out I noticed them at the bottom.  So, the question is... did those bugs get in there since I opened it up and put the plastic lid on, or do you think they were in there originally when the can was sealed?? YUCK!  I know that people say you are supposed to put your rice (and wheat/flour, etc) in the freezer for a day or something to kill any eggs that may be in your food so they don't hatch (they aren't harmful), but who does that? Do YOU do that? I guess I should start......  I don't know who canned this one up, probably my mother-in-law. I wonder if any of my other cans are bad?  I guess I'll just have to start pouring out the rice before I start eating out of each can to make sure it's ok to eat!  Blech. 


Anyone else have any food storage horror stories? :)

Monday, July 12, 2010

Motivational Monday



“All too often a family's spending is governed more by their yearning than by their earning. They somehow believe that their life will be better if they surround themselves with an abundance of things. All too often all they are left with is avoidable anxiety and distress”

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin "Earthly Debts, Heavenly Debts," Ensign, May 2004, 42

Friday, July 9, 2010

Food Storage Friday: Magic Milk Shakes

I don't know about you, but I like ice cream. A lot. But when I want it and I don't have it in the house, I use this great recipe for make a chocolate shake akin to a Frosty.

Magic Milk Shakes

1 1/2 to 2 c. ice water
1 1/2 c. nonfat dry milk powder
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 t. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 trays of ice cubes, as much as you can spare
2 T. oil plus 5-second squirt of non-stick spray for emulsification


I realize I don't have a photograph here. That's because I am currently on a no-dessert policy and I don't think I could stomach the thought of making four delicious, thick chocolate shakes and not sampling one. Or two. So here's what you'll have to imagine.

I also realize that ice and ice water aren't technically "pantry shelf items." However, if you're in the middle of a snow storm and you have electricity to boot, why not make a magic milk shake from the ice outside? It's also a fun way to use up almost-expiring powdered milk.

To make the milkshakes, place all of the ingredients into the blender, including the oil and non-stick spray. Use less water for thicker milk shakes and vice versa. The blender should be about 3/4s full. If your blender is a weakling like mine, you might have to add more water. Place the lid on. Process for a full two minutes. This is important as the continued blending breaks up the ice crystals and makes a creamy consistency. Pour into cups and serve.

Makes 4 12 oz. shakes.

For variations:
Add a ripe banana
Add a big spoonful of peanut butter
Add a few broken peppermints
Omit cocoa powder and reduce sugar to 1/2 c and 1 T. to make a vanilla shake


Brittany

Recipe courtesy of Cindy Lerch.

Originally Posted November 13, 2009

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Food Storage 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 a small first aid kit.  That link will take you to one on Amazon that looks pretty great (it's actually a 2-pack, which would be very handy so two people could have their own kits.  Maybe one in Mom's kit and one in Dad's).  Shop around for a first aid kit that will fit and will work for your family.  I suspect that they are all pretty similar so you can't really go wrong here. :)


How's your three-month supply coming along?  I'm STILL working on my meal plan.  If you want a ready-made 3 month meal plan and shopping list, check out our food storage e-book.


This month for our longer-term storage, we are gathering rice.  Not sure what to do with rice?? You can see all our food storage rice recipes here.