Waste Not, Want Not
October 24th, 2008 by KimMy mom mentioned a savvy use for the apple bits that remain at the bottom of your #10 cans of apple slices. She reconstituted them and used them in her bottled apple syrup recipe (this recipe is posted in a previous entry). They can also be added to oatmeal to dress up breakfast, or you can add them to homemade oatmeal packets.
HOMEMADE INSTANT OATMEAL PACKETS
6 C. Quick cooking oats
8 ziploc baggies
Salt, if desired
Put the following into each baggie: 1/2 cup regular oats, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Store baggies in an airtight container. (I didn’t do this the last time I made them and the brown sugar turned into rocks in the bags. J) This makes a larger portion than the store-bought packet. To serve, empty packet into a bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water. Stir and let stand for 2 minutes. Adjust water amount for thicker or thinner oatmeal. Can also be made in the microwave for 90 seconds.
Here are some variations to try:
Sweetened Oatmeal: Add 2 T. sugar
Brown Sugar/Cinnamon Oatmeal: Add 2 T. brown sugar and 1/2 t. cinnamon
Raisins and Brown Sugar: Add 2 T. packed brown sugar and 2 T. raisins.
Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal: Add 2 T. sugar, 1/2 t. cinnamon, & 4 T. Chopped dried apples (I also like to add chopped nuts to this one)
Fruit and Cream Oatmeal: Add 2 T. non-dairy coffee creamer and 4 T. dried fruit
Health Nut Oatmeal: Add 4 T. any kind of wheat germ
Posted in Home Storage & Preparedness Tips || 2 Comments
“Bounce” Your Squash Bugs
October 24th, 2008 by KimI love to reap the benefits of planting a home garden. All of the sweaty time in the dirt is worth it when the first tomato is ripe…until the squash bugs arrive. I hate those critters, and until now had not found a successful deterrent. Every year I would lose about a third of my harvest to the voracious little beasts. Yesterday, my coworker mentioned that the key is to place Bounce laundry sheets on the ground around your plants. She says it works great and will keep other bugs off your plants as well. I can’t wait to try it next year!
Posted in Home Storage & Preparedness Tips || 2 Comments
Christmas Gift Idea #2
October 18th, 2008 by KimMy previous posts provided recipes for apple and peach pie fillings and apple syrup, and I had suggested that these make great gifts with a homemade pancake mix. Pancake mix is a great way to utilize food storage items, especially nonfat dry milk that is sometimes tricky to rotate. Here is a great recipe that I found on the American Profile website that I think would work beautifully for this gift. You can mix these up in October, store them in airtight containers in your freezer, and have them ready for Christmas gifts or Christmas morning breakfast. Enjoy!
OATMEAL PANCAKE MIX
By Theresa Slemp
4 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup instant nonfat dry milk
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons cinnamon
5 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
1. Mix all ingredients together well. Store in a sealed gallon-size plastic storage bag or airtight container.
2. To make pancakes, beat 2 large eggs in a large bowl. Gradually beat in 1/3 cup canola oil. Alternately add 2 cups pancake mix and 1 cup water to mixture. Blend well. Preheat and oil griddle. Pour 1/3 cup batter per pancake onto griddle. Cook until bubbles form around edges, turn and continue to cook until done.
Posted in Gems in a Jar || 2 Comments
Canned Peach Pie Filling
October 14th, 2008 by KimThe fresh, spicy flavor of this peach pie filling is unbeatable. It is wonderful in cobblers or on pancakes or waffles. This recipe calls for Clear Jel rather than cornstarch for thickening. Clear Jel is a modified corn starch that keeps your syrup clearer and thickens really nicely. Remember that it always needs to be mixed with the sugar in a recipe before adding liquid to avoid clumping.
CANNED PEACH PIE FILLING
Ingredients for 1 Quart:
3 1/2 C. sliced fresh peaches
1 C. granulated sugar
1/4 C. + 1 Tbsp. Clear Jel
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. almond extract
3/4 C. cold water (or peach juice)
1/4 C. bottled lemon juice
_________________________________
Ingredients for 7 Quarts:
6 quarts sliced fresh peaches
7 C. granulated sugar
2 C. + 3 Tbsp. Clear Jel
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. almond extract
5 1/4 C. cold water (or peach juice)
1 3/4 C. bottled lemon juice
Heat jars, lids and rings in boiling water or oven. Prepare a bowl of water with Fruit Fresh (citric acid) per package directions, and keep sliced peaches in it until ready to add to sauce. For sauce, combine sugar, Clear Jel, cinnamon, and cloves in large saucepan and mix well. Combine water and almond extract and slowly stir into sugar mixture. Cook and stir over medium high heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Add the lemon juice and boil the sauce for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
Gently, add in the drained sliced peaches and continue to heat mixture for 3 more minutes. Fill hot quart jars, leaving 3/4-1″ of headspace, wipe clean and apply secure lids and rings. Process jars in hot water bath for 30 minutes.
Posted in Gems in a Jar || 1 Comment
Three Cheers for Freeze-Dried Celery
October 14th, 2008 by KimDon’t you hate it when you find you are out of one ingredient to make the recipe you’ve been salivating over? Fall is my favorite season of the year. As soon as temperatures become even remotely cooler, I start craving creamy soups and anything with pumpkin. So, I was nearly giddy when I found this recipe for Corn, Chile and Potato Soup, and had fantasized all day about how great my kitchen would smell with homemade rolls in the oven and this recipe simmering on the stovetop. As soon as I started the recipe, I feared my fantasy was going to evaporate because the only celery in my fridge was limp beyond use. But all was not lost, I suddenly remembered there was a #10 can of freeze-dried celery slices in my storage room. Maybe this was just the emergency for which it was stored! They worked like a charm. This recipe is a handy one to keep on hand to cycle several dehydrated veggies. I hope you enjoy it.
CORN, CHILE AND POTATO SOUP
2 Tbsp. butter
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 med. onion, chopped
2 1/2 C. water
2 C. diced potatoes
1 can cream style corn
1 can whole kernal corn, undrained
1 (4 0z.) can diced green chiles
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp. paprika
1 bay leaf
1 can evaporated milk
2 Tbsp. flour
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add celery and onion; cook for 1-2 minutes or until onion is tender. Add water, potatoes, corn, chiles, bouillon, paprika, and bay leaf. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and cover.
Cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir a small amount of evaporated milk into flour in a small bowl to make a smooth paste. Gradually stir in remaining evaporated milk. Stir milk mixture into soup. Cook, stirring constantly, until soup comes just to a boil and thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
Posted in Home Storage & Preparedness Tips || 1 Comment
Another Way to Store Vegetables
October 7th, 2008 by KimWith temperatures slowly cooling, you can soon store root vegetables and fruits in the garage. This simple tip can save both money and pantry or refrigerator space. Watch for sales on potatoes, onions, and apples and buy in bulk. If temperatures in your area are at 60 degrees or below, then these items will last for months in your garage. Having these items on hand can save you gas as well by avoiding trips to the grocery store.
Posted in Home Storage & Preparedness Tips || 5 Comments
Home Canning
October 5th, 2008 by Kim
Our local fruit stand had beautiful apples and peaches this year, so we have devoured about a case of each and preserved several other cases in a variety of ways. We flash froze some of the fruit for smoothies, and bottled apple and peach pie fillings and Spiced Apple Syrup (with diced apple pieces…yum!). We used Jonathan apples for the pie filling and syrup for their texture and tartness. The pie fillings make great cobblers (in fact I’m looking for great cobbler toppings if you have a recipe), and they are truly spectacular on pancakes.
We had never bottled pie fillings before so I scoured the internet for recipes and tips and then made a few alterations. They turned out absolutely delicious! Here are the recipes we used:
APPLE PIE FILLING
In a large pan, mix together:
4 1/2 c. white sugar
1 c. Clear Jel
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Combine and add to dry ingredients:
2 tsp. salt
8-10 c. water (depending on your preference for the thickness of the syrup. I used 9 cups.)
Stir water mixture into dry ingredients, bring to boil and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add:
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
Sterilize canning jars, lids and rings and keep hot.
Peel, core and slice 6 lbs. of tart, crisp apples. Pack the hot canning jars with apples, leaving 1″ of headspace. This is important! The hot syrup will expand and will leak out of jars if overfilled, keeping them from sealing correctly.
Fill jars with hot syrup, clean jar rims, apply lids and screw rings on tightly.
Process in water bath canner for 20 minutes.
YIELD: 7 quart jars
SPICED APPLE SYRUP
Use the same recipe as above, but substitute apple cider for at least 5 cups of the water. Dice desired amount of apples. Stir into syrup and fill jars as indicated. This will make about 7 pint jars (because you are using less apples). This makes a sweet gift paired with a homemade Pancake Mix.
I’d love to hear how these recipes turn out for you. Happy canning!
Posted in Gems in a Jar || 3 Comments
Stocking the Freezer
October 1st, 2008 by KimI recently received an e-mail asking about purchasing meat to stock a freezer, and thought I would share these ideas with everyone. If you are restocking your freezer, I’ll tell you my secrets. My husband and I are really selective about the meats and fish we buy, so I don’t buy a lot of breaded items. MSG triggers migraines for my husband so I read a lot of labels on frozen meats. My trick is to go to local grocery stores at about 6:00 a.m. and buy the meat that has been discounted from the prior day. It ends up costing about half the regular price, and usually ground beef is even more of a savings. Then I bring the meat home, marinate steaks and chicken if desired, and vacuum seal portions for the freezer. I have spent a day or two making freezer meals with these meats before as well. If you store these packages in a cardboard box in your freezer, they will last even longer.
I found that all the grocery stores in my area discount this way. Some stores even discount their filet mignon. I can get much better cuts of beef (at a great price) for fajitas or stew this way (it cooks up fantastically tender in the crockpot). Generally, pork chops or roasts, and ground turkey or cuts are available as well. If you have a Costco nearby, in our opinion, nothing beats a Costco filet. They are the most tender, flavorful steaks around and worth the price. We have a hard time ordering steak at a restaurant now because we like our Costco steaks at home better, so this is our splurge. We also buy frozen chicken breasts from Costco, unless I can get them on sale at the grocery store.
I’d love to hear your tips for stocking your freezer…please post.
Posted in Home Storage & Preparedness Tips || 5 Comments