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

Food Storage Friday: Strawberry Shortcake

I'm coming to you from the road - my grandma's house in Pennsylvania, to be exact. Hence the pretty countertops and wide open spaces. We decided to try out strawberry shortcake - a perfect treat for springtime (and any other time of the year, really). I adapted this recipe from one I found here at Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients: Sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, shortening, and powdered milk. And canned berries - any kind you like (not pictured here... they were currently being purchased at the store!). But we ended up using strawberry pie filling.

First, combine the flour, some of the sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Side note: is this not the cutest salt container you've ever seen?? It looks so fun and vintage. I would have asked my grandma about it but she actually currently lives in Palmyra. I'll have to get the story on that when I talk to her next.

Cut in your shortening until the mixture is nice and crumbly - similar to making a pie crust.

Finally, prepare your powdered milk (1/3 c powder for every 1 cup of water) and stir in until moistened.

Dollop the dough onto the baking sheet, then flatten them into circles. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top. Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes.

Once it's cooled a bit, slice sideways and pour your canned berries on top. Click here to get our recipe for whipped cream using powdered milk, and you're good to go!

Strawberry Shortcake

Serves 4

1 can strawberries (or any other fruit you like)

8 tsp sugar

1 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 c shortening

6 Tbsp milk (prepared from dry milk)

Whipped topping

In a bowl, combine the flour, 4 tsp of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Next, stir in the prepared milk just until moistened. Drop 4 dollops of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, then press into circles. Sprinkle tops with remaining (4 tsp) sugar.

Bake at 425 for 10-11 minutes. Once cooled, slice horizontally and add strawberries and whipped topping.

Originally Posted: April 10, 2009

Honey Honey...

I am gathering honey this month for my longer-term storage, but to be honest I don't know much about honey storage!  So, I'm asking all of you to please share with me what you know!

How much honey do you store, and how do you store it?  Is it just in the container you bought it in?


Where do you buy your food storage honey?  In the store, or online?


Does honey go bad?  I think it doesn't, but maybe I'm wrong?  I know that I have seen honey get crystallized... does that mean it's done for, or is there a way to revive it?


What's a good price for honey? 

In all honesty, I don't like honey plain but it's great as a sweetener and in breads, and my husband loves it, so I would like to store a year's supply (but I'm still trying to figure out how much that would be for my family).  Any suggestions and advice is welcome... just leave a comment!