Christmas Gift Idea #1

September 28th, 2008 by Kim

 

It’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas.  I’ll be posting some ideas for practical, preparedness-themed gifts from now through December and this is the first.  Many people think that homemade bread and jam is difficult to make.  Let them think you like them best with this simple gift idea. 

Package a jar or two of homemade jam or jelly and a loaf of fresh bread in a basket and add a pretty bow.  Include your recipes, and maybe even an invitation to teach the recipient how to make their own.  If you don’t already know how to make these things, now is a great time to learn these home skills.  I will post my bread recipe soon for anyone who is interested.  It’s so much simpler than you might think and even easier with a friend.  Last week my mom and I made 57 jars of blueberry and raspberry jams in 3 hours.  Now we have plenty for holiday gift-giving and for our pantries.

If you don’t have time to make your own jams, the ones pictured above from Alison’s Pantry are the closest thing to homemade.  They come in four berry varieties, including a blend, and Cinnamon Peach (which I ordered last month and can’t wait to try!), and are packaged in generous 20 oz. jars.  They are absolutely delicious.

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Smart Seasonal Shopping

September 28th, 2008 by Kim

With current economic conditions, grocery receipt totals seem to grow every week.  However, careful planning can help you take advantage of seasonal sales to “preserve” your budget as well as your food items.

In January, this site will include a printable week-by-week list to help families systematically shop for preparedness and food storage items.  For now, I’m highlighting some ideas for purchasing and using seasonal items that work well for food storage.  This month, watch for baking supplies on sale at your local stores. Don’t forget butter (which can be frozen).  Starting in October, many items for holiday meals begin to be discounted including canned vegetables, stuffing mixes, turkey (freeze an extra for meals later), yams, canned pumpkin, cranberries (freeze or dehydrate for baking), etc.  These are super things for your food storage. 

You can even put your leftover Halloween candy to good use.  I purchase extra M & M’s discounted after Halloween to use in baking   (and for medicinal purposes…every first aid kit should have some :)).  My kids think these make cookies SOOOO much better than regular old chocolate chips.  (I do too, because they’re soooo much cheaper when I find them at 75% off.)  Chop any plain Hershey bars (or other solid chocolate) into chunks and freeze in Ziploc bags for cookies or other recipes.  Chop other candy bars into chunks to use in this fun brownie recipe.:

CANDY BAR BROWNIES

3/4 cup butter, melted

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

4 Snickers bars (2.07 ounces each), cut into 1/4 inch pieces

3 plain milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each), coarsely chopped

Directions: In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside 1/4 cup. Stir remaining dry ingredients into the egg mixture until well combined. Toss Snickers pieces with reserved flour mixture; stir into batter.  Transfer to a greased 13”x 9” baking pan. Sprinkle with milk chocolate candy bar pieces. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack. Chill before cutting. Yield: 3 doz.

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In the Mix

September 20th, 2008 by Kim

 I pride myself on being a “from-scratch” kind of girl.  I like to know exactly what goes in to my recipes and alter nearly everything I bake to reduce fat or attempt to make it healthier.  However, certain life events (read: pregnancy bedrest and exhaustion) can cause a gal to throw caution to the wind and purchase mixes for muffins, cakes, brownies and yes, even cookies (oh, the shame!) to keep her family happy.  I have to admit, some were so tasty I bought more after the baby was born and plan to keep them in my pantry for any time I just don’t have the energy or time to bake from scratch. 

And, sometimes mixes can be more than just handy.  If they just call for water, they can be a great addition to pantry storage for those times when you are out of eggs.  Mixes will last at least twice as long as their printed expiration date if you keep them in the freezer too.  Check back for recipes I’ll be posting to make your own mixes from food storage items.  You can spend a couple of hours making your own mixes and then have them handy to prepare in minutes on busy days.

Previous posts have proven me a fan of Alison’s Pantry products and their mixes were no exception.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Sweet Potato Pancake Mix–I love this escape from the typical buttermilk pancake mix.  It’s a great mix for the obvious, pancakes (or waffles), but it can be used as a base for other recipes as well.  My favorite is the recipe below from the AP website for a chewy, loaded oatmeal cookie that is really delicious warm from the oven.

SWEET POTATO RAISIN NUT NIBBLES

Description:
Blend:
3/4 cup soft shortening
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. Sweet Vanilla Powder (#1534)

Add and Mix well:
2 cups AP Sweet Potato Pancake Mix (#1967)
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Saigon Cinnamon (#3892)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (#1010)
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup each: raisins, nuts and semi-sweet chocolate chips (#1186)

Bake on a greased or lined pan in a 350º oven for about 15 minutes. Yield: 2 1/2 dozen, large cookies.

AP Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix–I love anything pumpkin and often make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from scratch, but this mix is the closest thing to homemade when I’m in a hurry.  The cookies are that delightful blend of spice and chocolate, and they bake up fluffy and tender.  I love them fresh out of the oven while the chocolate chips are still gooey.  The fabulous spicy smell in your kitchen (for a fraction of the work) is just an added bonus!

I saved the best for last.  Alison’s Pantry Marvelous & Chewy Macaroon Mix. The Alison of Alison’s Pantry calls these her favorite and one bite will tell you why.  As the name suggests, these cookies stay chewy and they are DELICIOUS!  I didn’t even know I liked coconut this much!  Unfortunately, my family didn’t either.  I found myself hiding ziploc bags-ful of them as my own little hoard.  The picture on the bag shows the cookies half dipped in chocolate which looked like bliss to me, but I could never slow the consumption of them long enough to try this variation.  Needless to say, I have ordered more.  The mixes are on sale this month in the AP catalog.

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Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

September 17th, 2008 by Kim

This is a great, healthy recipe that cycles some food storage items.  Thanks to Brandy Doty for sharing it.

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

2 c. cooked chicken, in chunks

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

3 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used mild cheddar)

1/2 c. finely diced onion (you can use your dehydrated onions)

1/4 c. finely diced green peppers (I used a dehydrated blend of red & green bell peppers)

1- 4 oz. jar diced pimientos, drained

3 c. dry spaghetti, broken into 2″ pieces ( I used whole wheat pasta)

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

pepper to taste

Cook spaghetti until al dente.  Do not overcook.  Reserve 1 cup cheese.  Combine all other ingredients to make a sauce.  When spaghetti is cooked, stir into sauce. Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining cheese.  Cover and freeze up to six months; cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately; 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly.

This is really delicious, and my family loved it.  I actually made two and froze one for later.  Let me know what you think…

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Muffins Recipes with Food Storage

September 8th, 2008 by Kim

I’ve been playing with some muffin recipes that use food storage items and thought I would pass along two keepers:

OATMEAL MUFFINS

1 c. oatmeal

1 c. buttermilk or sour milk

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 c. melted butter

1 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

Combine the oatmeal, buttermilk and brown sugar.  Soak for 1 hour if using old fashioned oats, 15 minutes if using quick oats.  Add remaining ingredients.  Spoon into greased muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  (My variations:  I reconstituted buttermilk powder from my storage, cut the fat in half by using 1/4 c. melted butter and 1/4 c. applesauce, and reconstituted 1/3 c. freeze-dried Honeyville Raspberries.  This recipe would be great with raisins, blueberries, or apples from your storage as well.)

WHOLE WHEAT MUFFINS

1/2 c. butter or margarine

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. milk

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream first three ingredients.  Add remaining ingredients.  Spoon into greased muffin tins.  Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Makes 15 muffins.

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