Nice Buns.

For a while now, I've been looking for a good recipe for hamburger buns that could be made entirely from food storage, not just in case I find myself living off of my food storage, but also for all those times when I forget to buy hamburger buns and have something like, well, hamburgers on the menu. But I really wanted them to be good buns and not just regular bread dough that's shaped like buns. So when I saw this recipe, originally from the New York Times featured on SmittenKitchen.com, I knew I had to try it.

The original recipe calls for a few fresh ingredients--eggs, milk, and butter--which, with a little tweaking can be swapped out for long-term storage items. But before I tried it with the substitutions, I wanted to be sure that the recipe was good to begin with, so I made it exactly as the recipe directs. You know, to isolate the variables. Gotta keep this scientific. The buns were amazing. So much better than the cheap-o, eight-for-a-dollar ones we usually buy. I know, that's probably not saying much, but trust me. My two kids, who usually discard their buns after about two bites, were begging me for them. Plain. With no meat. Wow.

So I decided I'd try them again using food storage to see if they still turned out. The results--at least, as far as I could tell--were identical. Same fluffy texture, same golden-brown color, same everything. The only thing that presented even a little bit of a quandary was the egg wash. I had never tried making an egg wash from powdered eggs, and was a little nervous that it might not work. So here are the results:

(Click on it if you want to see it bigger)

I did one with a powdered egg wash (just one reconstituted egg without any additional water), one with a fresh egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp. water), and one with no egg wash. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the powdered egg wash. It was very slightly lighter in color than the fresh egg wash, but other than that it worked the same, no funny tastes or textures or splotchiness. In fact, after I took a picture, it got mixed back in with all the others and I couldn't even tell which one it was. I had to sample a few potential candidates to make sure I tasted the one with the powdered egg wash and even after I tried them all, I still didn't know which one it was. The ones without an egg wash were good, too; they probably looked the most like the cheap ones I buy in the store. Their biggest problem was that the sesame seeds wouldn't stick, but I don't know that sesame seeds really add that much to a hamburger anyway.

So I guess in the future I won't be afraid to use powdered eggs to do egg washes. I might even try one on a pie sometime, although I'm still kind of a pie novice and don't know if I want to mess around with proven methods yet. Anyway, with a good bun recipe, you could easily shred up some canned beef, chicken, or even pork (which I have tried and it's actually pretty good) with some BBQ sauce, spoon it onto one of these buns, and have a great base for a meal. Here's the recipe, which was actually not too complicated or difficult, either:

Light Brioche Burger Buns

Ingredients:
-3 tablespoons warm milk [1-1/2 teaspoons powdered milk + 3 tablespoons water]
-2 teaspoons active dry yeast
-2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
-2 large eggs [1 tablespoon whole egg powder + 2 tablespoons warm water = 1 egg; double for 2]
-3 cups bread flour
-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
-1-1/2 teaspoons salt
-2-1/2 tablespoons butter, softened [stored long-term in the freezer or bottled, if you're brave]
-sesame seeds (optional)

1. In a glass measuring cup, combine 1 cup warm water, the milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat 1 egg.

2. In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Using a dough scraper, stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg until a dough forms. Scrape dough onto clean, unfloured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. [The dough is super, super sticky, but resist the urge to add more flour than you absolutely have to, as this will make them drier and denser. If you have one, you can knead it in a stand mixer with a dough hook, easy as pie.]

3. Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours. [For me, it only took one hour.]

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. [The first time made these, I made eight and I felt like they were too huge for a regular, 1/4-lb. hamburger. The second time I made ten and it seemed just about right. ] Gently roll each into a ball and arrange 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel [I didn't notice the "kitchen towel" part until just now. I covered mine with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and it worked well.] and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours. [For me, this was just under an hour.]

5. Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Beat remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. [And if you want to fully experience their awesomeness, definitely toast them, maybe with a little butter.]

Yield: 8-10 buns.

Why Do Mormons Store Food?

A few weeks ago my sweet friend Julie asked me to write a post for a blog called MormonWoman.org for which she is a contributor/administrator. The site is not an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but if I understand it right, its purpose is to give just a glimpse into the lives of LDS women and to help dispel misconceptions that people may have about Mormon women. Anyway, she asked me to write a post about why Mormons store food and I thought I would share it here:

http://mormonwoman.org/2009/08/28/ask-a-mormon-woman-why-do-mormons-store-food/

Naturally, writing a post all about how important I think food storage is and encouraging others to store food made me feel like a major hypocrite, since I haven't been giving much time to my food storage or this blog as of late (I guess if you're here, I don't have to point out how long it's been since my last post). But I thought maybe I could redeem myself by doing a new post right after I'm done with this one. Even though I haven't been posting, I have been trying some new fun things that I'm excited to share... as soon as I get back from Disneyland in a couple of weeks. I know, once a bum always a bum, I guess. But since I don't really think anyone reads this blog anymore, it probably doesn't matter anyway.

Strawberry Leather Forever

If you or your parents watched a lot of infomercials in the early nineties, this will look awfully familiar to you:

My parents had a bunch of those products: the Snackmaster food dehydrator, the Jet-Stream Oven, the Bamix.... I can't really talk when I personally have spoken the words, "I would like to order a set of Miracle Blades," but you know how most of those purchases go. You use them a few times before you discover that you actually can live without them and after storing them for a decade or so you give them away, throw them away, or sell them for five bucks in a yard sale.

So it should come as no surprise that as soon as I mentioned that I was interested in purchasing a food dehydrator, both my parents and my in-laws offered me the Snackmaster collecting dust in their respective garages. With their offers I could hardly justify the $200+ price tag of the dehydrator I really wanted--the Excalibur--when my primary reason for choosing it over the Snackmaster was so that I could have square trays for fruit leather instead of those pesky donut-shaped ones.

Though I was certain that a fifteen-year-old piece of Ronco couldn't possibly be worth anything, I decided to try it out on some strawberry leather, just so I could say I tried it and insist on buying the Excalibur. And of course, it made really awesome, totally delicious, all-natural fruit leather. Shaped like a donut. Really, I was very pleasantly surprised by the result and since this dehydrator didn't cost me anything, I'm trying really hard not to let the shape bother me too much.

I really didn't mean for this post to be about the dehydrator; I really wanted to talk about what a great thing fruit leather is. It's so easy to make, it tastes great (we've also made peach leather which was good, but I liked the strawberry significantly better) and it doesn't contain all the artificial coloring and sweeteners of the Betty Crocker variety so you don't have to feel so guilty about feeding it to your kids (or eating it all yourself).

Here are some tips I picked up through internet research and through my own experimentation (and failures):

- You don't really need to add any sweeteners or anything; just puree the fruit and pour it onto your drying trays. That said, I followed this "recipe" for strawberry leather and I think it turned out pretty well:
2 cups pureed strawberries + 2 tablespoons honey + 1 tablespoon lemon juice

- If you do decide to sweeten your fruit, do it with honey or corn syrup, as sugar can sometimes crystallize in storage.

- After you've prepared your puree, all you have to do is pour it onto your dehydrator trays. You can either cover the regular trays with plastic wrap or use these nifty fruit roll sheets. Then just dry it until it's no longer sticky and it peels away easily. In the Snackmaster, this can take anywhere from about 6 to 9 hours.

- If you don't have a food dehydrator and don't want to buy one (though you could probably find a real cheap one at a thrift store) you can dry fruit leather in the sun on baking sheets lined with plastic wrap. Just make sure you cover them with cheesecloth or nylon netting to keep bugs out of the leather but without touching it. Pick a day when the sun is hot and the humidity low and allow 1 to 2 days to dry.

- When you pour your fruit puree onto whatever drying tray you're using, make sure you spread it to an even thickness!!! This is very important. If you don't, some areas will be brittle when some are still gooey and you will end up throwing it in the garbage or letting your kids scrape it off and lick it off their fingers. Seriously, do the best you can to get it nice and even and about 1/4" thick like this:


- I found that in the Snackmaster 2200 (I'm not sure if other Snackmaster models have different diameters) it took about 1-1/2 cups of puree for it to come out just right.

That's all I got. What fruit leathers have you tried?

Blender Wheat Pancakes- No Wheat Grinder Needed!

Throughout my quest for good, working food storage recipes, I've run across several different blender wheat pancake recipes. And after trying them, I can see why:

-You don't need a wheat grinder to make them, so they're a good way to try out whole wheat in your diet without making a major investment.
-They're essentially a "one-bowl" recipe. Using fewer dishes always puts a smile on my face.
-They're more filling than regular pancakes, so you don't overeat. Actually, I still overeat because I like them so much (and I'm really more of a waffle person than a pancake eater) just not as much as I would regular pancakes.
-They're delicious! Even my eighteen-month-old, whom I've decided to start calling "Picky-Picky," likes them. You would never know they weren't made with white all-purpose flour. Honest.
-Do I have too many bulleted lists in these posts?

Anyway, I've tried several different recipes with minor variations and this is my favorite so far. It's from Family Dinner Cookbook by Debbie Harman.

Blender Wheat Pancakes

Ingredients:
-1 c. wheat
-1 c. milk
-1/4 c. melted butter
-2 eggs
-1 tsp. salt
-2 tbsp. sugar or honey
-1/4 tsp. baking soda

Blend wheat and milk in a blender for about five minutes, scraping sides of blender if necessary. [This particular recipe actually says to just blend the wheat by itself, but I think it works better when you blend it with the milk.] Add butter and eggs. Blend until well mixed. Add remaining ingredients and blend on high until mixed. Pour batter onto hot greased griddle. Cook until bubbles appear all over and edges start to brown. Flip and cook other side.

Tips:
-Make sure your griddle is at the right temperature (about medium-low) before you start pouring pancakes or bad things will happen. I'm sure that's obvious to anyone who regularly makes pancakes, but I had to find it out the hard way.
-If you want to cut down on your prep time, measure out the sugar, salt, and baking soda for several batches at a time into individual resealable bags so that all you have to do is dump it in when you go to make a batch. And if you really want to be a hard-core food storage user, you could even measure out your powdered eggs and milk ahead of time so that you only have to measure your wheat, water, and butter. Just make sure to adjust the amount of liquid accordingly.

The Perfect Containers

When I lived in Arizona my friend Jamie, a food storage/emergency preparedness guru, got me hooked on these storage containers from Wal-Mart:


I know, nothing special, right? And as always, not a super-flattering picture either. But here's why I like them. First of all, they hold the contents of a number ten can perfectly. Second, they have a lid like this:


As you can see, it has a small spout for pouring things like sugar and a larger opening for larger particles like potato pearls or refried bean flakes. Third thing I like about these containers is that I never have a hard time finding what I'm looking for. I have a lot of number ten cans in my pantry that all look really similar and sometimes I have a hard time finding the one I need or the one I've already opened. But having the items I use often in these transparent containers really saves me the hassle. And one last thing that I like about them is that the labels from the LDS cannery fit right on the front of them so I have the nutrition/preparation info when I need it.


Yes, I am aware that these containers don't really do anything that a number ten can doesn't do, but my obsessive-compulsive side is at peace when I open my pantry and see a nice row of uniform, neatly labeled, transparent storage containers. I know, I need help.

Canning Butter: No Canning Equipment or Experience Necessary!

That's right, you can can or bottle butter for your long-term food storage. And you don't need any special canners or know-how. Trust me, I have neither. You might think that for my first crack at solo canning I would choose some kind of fruit or vegetable, but I know that when it comes right down to it, butter is the food I can't live without. Actually, there are a couple of good reasons I decided to can butter (besides its deliciousness):

- You can buy butter that's already canned, but it's very, very expensive.
- The only alternatives I know are reconstituted butter powder and butter-flavored shortening and I can't imagine spreading either of those on my toast.
- YOU DON'T NEED ANY CANNING EQUIPMENT! Did I mention that already? That's the most exciting part, for me.
- Having butter in your year's supply really opens up a lot of options for food storage meals. Or if nothing else, you can use it in your kids' macaroni and cheese.
- If you have your butter stored in jars, you don't have to waste precious freezer space or worry about your power going out and ruining all your precious frozen butter.


I read a couple of slightly different methods for bottling butter and came up with this:

1. First, put all the jars you will be using (I used half-pint jars) into a 200-degree oven and leave them there until you're ready for them (at least 5 minutes).

2. Put all the rings and lids into a pot of gently boiling water. (I'm not sure of the reason for this, if it's just to sterilize them or if it's to get them hot, so I just left them there until I needed them.)

3. Melt the butter over low heat. Or maybe you should start doing this first. It actually took longer than I thought, so I probably could have gotten everything else ready while it was melting. If you're lucky like me, you'll have a lovely assistant like this to stir the butter for you while you read blogs or watch TV or whatever.


4. When the butter has all melted, pour it into the jars, leaving about 1/4" at the top. The easiest way to do this is to pour the butter into a pitcher and then use the pitcher to pour it into the jars. I found that out the hard way.

5. Take a damp cloth and wipe any butter off the tops of the jars. This is very important for getting a good seal on the jars and if I'm not mistaken, an important step when you're canning anything.

6. Put the lids and rings on the jars and let them sit to cool. As they cool, the jars will seal and
the lids will eventually "pop" as they form an indentation in the middle. If you're like me and you're really afraid that the jars won't seal, you'll stand there and obsessively push on all the lids to see if they've sealed yet. If you push on a lid and it pops back up, it hasn't sealed yet. Be patient or go do something else while you wait. Here is what it will look like at this point:


7. When the jars have sealed and the butter is at room temperature, shake all the jars and put them in the fridge. Take them out and shake them every ten minutes until they've solidified. Once they've set up, you don't have to worry about them separating anymore.

Here is a picture of my finished butter:


I did three pounds of butter and that's what I got out of it, plus a few tablespoons that ended up on the counter. (I started out pouring the butter straight from the pot into a funnel that my not-so-steady-handed, 3-year-old assistant was holding.) So I think that if I hadn't lost so much, three pounds of butter would have filled seven half-pint jars pretty well.

Butter has an official shelf life of 2 to 3 years, but one of my sources said that she has some cases of butter that are six years old and are still perfect.

One source also said that you should use high quality butter (land o' lakes or better). I used the Kirkland Signature butter from Costco, and I think it turned out fine. I think you have to worry more about the quality when you are canning margarine (which you can also do by this method), since cheap margarine sometimes contains water and separates easily. If you have any doubts about the quality of the butter or margarine you're using, start with just a pound. If it looks okay and hasn't separated after a month or so, go ahead and do some more.

Try it! It's fun, easy, and makes you feel like you know something about canning. And as if this post wasn't long enough already, let me just end with a picture of a couple of cows made out of butter. When my three-year-old saw it she said, "Hey look, that's me when I was a baby cow! You was a big cow."

Where's the Beef?

Sorry about the little lapse in posts there. I promise I'm still committed to this blog (for all three of you who read it besides me). Today I thought I would post about the wonder that is canned beef chunks. Has anyone ever tried these things? They're awesome! (Note: this is not the same as canned ground beef, which I've heard is kinda scary and dog food-ish. Please tell me if I've been misinformed.) Aside from frozen meat, it's the best way that I've come across to add meat to your long-term food storage. (Again, any other ideas are welcome!) It comes in 12-ounce cans of cubed, fully-cooked roast beef packed in beef broth. Okay, so I guess I don't really have any information to add to what the front of the can says, except to say that they taste really good! Here is what it looks like out of the can in all of its beefy splendor:

*Please don't let the poor photography in this post deter you from ever trying this meat. I'm not the Pioneer Woman, okay? I've come to terms with that. Just believe me when I say that it tastes better than I make it look.

The meat is really tender and flavorful and it's very versatile, too. Here are some of the things that I've done with it:

-BBQ Beef Sandwiches: Just drain off about half of the liquid, shred it up, and simmer it with your favorite barbecue sauce. Serve it on a toasted bun and you have dinner in about five minutes.

-Taco/Burrito meat: Shred it up with a little bit of the liquid and combine it with a can of pinto or kidney beans, a can of green chilies, and a can of diced tomatoes. Simmer it on the stove for 5-10 minutes (remember, the meat is already cooked) and it's ready to go. I think it tastes really good as is, but if you want, you can add additional seasonings like cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, or whatever you want. Just spread it on a tortilla and top it off with whatever you have on hand--cheese, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, guacamole... you know what you like. We've also eaten it nacho-style over corn chips. It may not look like much but I promise, the flavors will pleasantly surprise you.

-Soups and Stews: This meat is awesome for making your favorite beef stew recipe more food-storage friendly. And again, the meat is already cooked, so it saves you a lot of cubing and browning time. Sorry I don't have a recipe to post; I'll be on the lookout for a good one.

-French Dip Sandwiches: I tried it out in this recipe from The Essential Food Storage Cookbook and it turned out great! The au jus in this recipe is the best I've ever had. Here is the original recipe (fabulous as is) with my adaptations in blue:

Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:
-1 to 3 lb. beef roast (or 1 to 3 cans of roast beef chunks, drained)
-2 cups water
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-1 teaspoon dried rosemary
-1 teaspoon dried thyme
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon pepper
-1 bay leaf
-10 hoagie buns
-10 slices Swiss cheese (or provolone, if you prefer a milder flavor) -I also like to add 1 or 2 (4-ounce) cans of mushrooms, drained or if you wanted to get really fancy you could saute 6 oz. sliced mushrooms in a little butter to go on top. Mmmmm.... butter.

In a crockpot, stir together water, soy sauce, and seasonings. Place roast in crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours (or on high for 5 hours). [If you're using the canned beef, you only need to cook it for 2-3 hours, just so the flavors can all blend together.] Remove meat from broth and thinly slice or shred with fork. Keep warm. Strain broth and skim fat. Pour broth into small cups for dipping. Slice through buns and lay open on baking tray. Line one side of each bun with a slice of Swiss cheese. Broil 2 minutes or until lightly browned and cheese is melted. Fill each sandwich with beef and cut in half on a slant. [My husband and I also like to slather some dijon mustard onto the bun.] Serve hot with dipping broth.

Canned roast beef chunks are a wonderful food storage item. The only problem (which I know, I probably should have mentioned at the beginning of this post) is that I don't know where to buy them anymore. I used to buy the Costco brand from the aisle where they keep their canned tuna and chicken, but then I moved and now I shop at a different Costco where I haven't been able to find them. The last time I bought them was about a year ago. I'm not sure if Costco stopped selling them globally or if for some reason my Costco just doesn't carry them. Does anyone have any idea? Does your Costco have my beef chunks? Are there any other companies that sell this product? Am I going to have to buy a pressure canner and start canning my own? (Please say 'no.') Any info on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

To Bread or Not To Bread

As I mentioned before, I grew up not really liking whole wheat bread or for that matter, whole wheat in general. So the decision to start making my own whole wheat bread was a tough one for me to make. It took a lot of evidence to convince me that homemade bread 1) was not difficult to make 2) was not time-consuming 3) did not taste like cardboard (I know, I'm childish). Here are some reasons why I made the change from store-bought to homemade:

-Making bread is the easiest way to rotate through long-term food storage items. For example, the recommended amount of oil to store for one adult for one year is 10 qts. So for my husband, my kids, and me that amounts to 40 qts. (We count our kids as adults when we calculate our amounts. Better to be overprepared than underprepared.) I know you can count things like mayonnaise and salad dressing toward that amount, but even then it seems like a lot to rotate before it goes bad.
-Homemade whole wheat bread is delicious. And I don't just mean delicious for health food. It's moist, soft, spongy, and I would take it over white bread any day. And even my picky kids like it!
-Making your own bread is cheaper. To make one batch of bread dough according to the recipe below (which makes 4 loaves) costs a little over $4. That amounts to just a little over a dollar a loaf. You can't beat that, especially for high-quality whole wheat bread.
-Whole wheat bread is infinitely more nutritious. If you've studied nutrition at all, you know that eating white flour is basically just eating empty carbs. Bread made from freshly ground whole wheat retains its nutrients. And it's more filling, so you don't find yourself overeating as much.
-Making bread can be easy, fast, and fun. The recipe I use takes a little more than two hours (and that includes a significant amount of time when you're not actually doing anything) from start to finish and it makes four loaves of bread. That's enough for my family for about a month. (I know, a lot of families eat more than a loaf a week.)
-Eating bread that you made yourself is extremely rewarding. It's like eating vegetables that you grew yourself (not that I've ever had that experience). And for me, it helps to absolve some of the mom guilt that I feel when I let my kids eat Cocoa Puffs.


This is my favorite whole wheat bread recipe. It's from The Essential Food Storage Cookbook. (Have you noticed that I like this cookbook?) I'll put my comments in blue.


Whole Wheat Bread

6 c. hot water
2/3 c. oil
2/3 c. honey
1 to 2 tbsp. vital wheat gluten [I know they sell this at Macey's; I haven't looked anywhere else]
1/2 c. powdered milk (optional)
6 c. whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. yeast (my favorite is SAF instant yeast)
2 tbsp. salt
10 c. whole wheat flour
butter
[I also like to add 1 heaping tablespoon dough enhancer]

Mix hot water, oil, honey, [and definitely measure the oil first so the honey will just slide out of your measuring cup]vital wheat gluten, powdered milk, and flour [and dough enhancer]. At this point the batter should be lukewarm so it doesn't kill the yeast. Add yeast. Gently mix to blend and then let it sit to sponge about 10 minutes. Add salt.

While stirring, gradually add additional whole wheat flour until the dough begins to "clean" the bowl. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the the bowl, continue to add flour. You can test for enough flour by gently touching the dough with your finger. If dough sticks to your finger, add flour and keep kneading. When the dough barely does not stick to finger, stop adding flour.

Knead on low speed for 8 minutes. [When you are done, it will look about like this:]



Turn dough onto an oiled surface (do not use flour). Turn dough a couple of times to coat with oil. Cut dough into quarters. I like to weigh each quarter so they are all 32 oz (2 lbs.) each. [I've never done that, since I don't have a kitchen scale, but I find that using dental floss to quarter the dough makes for fairly even loaves.] Shape each quarter into a loaf and place in a bread pan that has been sprayed with oil. Cover and let dough rise 1 hour to 1-1/2 hours [until it looks about like this:].

A good place for bread to rise is under the lights on your range.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake 26 to 28 minutes or until internal temp reaches 190 degrees. You can gently push a meat thermometer through the side of the loaf into the middle for a temperature reading. Remove from oven and brush tops with butter. Let loaves sit 5 to 10 minutes before gently removing from pans. Cool on a wire rack.

[Now, I know I probably should have come clean before now, but I have to confess that I've never actually made this bread before without the aid of my Bosch mixer. The Bosch is easily my favorite kitchen appliance of all time and it kneads bread effortlessly to perfection. But the Bosch is a post for a different day. I guess what I'm saying is that I can't tell you what kind of an experience you'd have making this without a good mixer like a Bosch or a Kitchenaid. I know that pioneer women kneaded their bread by hand, so it can be done. If I knew for sure that anyone was interested, I would give it a try, but if not I'll continue to cheat with my Bosch.]


This dough is amazingly versatile. I've used it to make cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, breadsticks, cheddar onion bread, and caramel pecan pull-aparts. I'll post the how-to's later. If anyone else has any tips, questions, or complaints about making bread, please feel free to share!

Square Foot Gardening

I've wanted a garden for years. When I was a kid, I tried to grow pumpkins and watermelons just by sticking some seeds in a bare patch of dirt in the corner of our back yard in Las Vegas. The seeds actually sprouted and I think a baseball ball-sized watermelon even grew on a pathetic little vine, but under my negligent care it split open and a bunch of ants ate it hollow. I've since learned that there can be an endless number of factors that predict the success of a garden, so for a long time I've been too intimidated to try.

But recently I've learned from several gardeners, ranging in expertise from beginner to seasoned professional, about the square foot gardening method and I thought it warranted further exploration. I checked the book out from the library and have been nothing but amazed and impressed by this method. It's the most intuitive, effective, and economical system imaginable. You don't have to rototill, fertilize, or correct the pH of your soil. You don't have to spend hours thinning crops or pulling weeds and you don't have to buy expensive tools. In fact, after the first year, you don't have to buy anything except new seeds! And you don't overplant, so you don't have to leave anonymous bags of squash on your neighbors' porches to get rid of your over-abundant harvest.

If you're into gardening or want to get into gardening and could possibly trust a recommendation from a person who has no garden, check it out! The book is called All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. Now is the time to get started. I'm going to try it and I think I might actually be able to do it. Here's hoping!

Dehydrated Veggies: Onions, Peppers, and Carrots

Before I forget, I thought I would mention that all of the products I've been buying from Macey's are now available at Wal-Mart, at least the one in American Fork. The label on the can looks just a little different and the brand is no longer called Morning Moo's, but I'm almost positive that it's the same company packaging and selling it. I don't know if it's just Utah County Wal-Marts that are selling these products or if every Wal-Mart carries them. Does anyone else know?

Anyway, over the last year or so I've collected several cans of different dehydrated vegetables. Here are the ones I've tried so far:


Onions
First off, if you've never used dehydrated minced/chopped onions, go out right now and buy a can! They are seriously a gift from Heaven, at least if you're like me and you hate chopping onions. I substitute them in everything that contains cooked, chopped onions and you would never be able to tell. I bought a #10 can of them from Macey's but you can also buy them from the LDS cannery for about $7 and any grocery store or bulk food store would sell them in a smaller quantity. The only time I ever even buy real onions is when I need them raw and/or sliced. Fantastic!


Carrots
I found a ten-year-old can of carrots from the LDS cannery (about $7 if you buy them there) in my parents' basement (my mom needs a little help rotating her food storage) and decided that I would see if it lives up to its supposed ten year shelf life. When first opened, the can released a smell that was identical to that of the bagged bunny food we used to feed our rabbit. As you would expect, the skepticism set in immediately. I poured a bowl of dehydrated carrots, covered them up with water and let them soak for about 10 minutes until they were flexible. I cooked them up in a stir-fry (recipe to follow) and honestly, I couldn't tell the difference and neither could my family. Another success! Obviously they weren't like raw carrots and I wouldn't ever try to eat them plain. But would I use them in a soup? Definitely. Would I use them in stir-fry? Definitely.


Peppers
These also came in a #10 can from Macey's which I bought for about $10, but as I mentioned earlier they now have them at Wal-Mart. They come in a mix of red and green, so you wouldn't ever be able to have either color exclusively, but we can't be too picky, can we? Anyway, I used these exactly the same way as I used the carrots (soaked and stir-fried) and they were great! Like I said, no one noticed. The pieces are pretty small. I would say they're the perfect size for anything that calls for chopped red or green peppers. They don't have that special tender-crisp texture that fresh peppers can have, but they would definitely do if you were living on food storage.


And last but not least, here's the recipe I used to demo the carrots and peppers. I used a Rachael Ray recipe and just subbed the re-hydrated dehydrated veggies for the fresh ones (except for the green onions; I haven't ever seen them for sale and haven't tried drying my own... yet). It's a great recipe! I'm adding it to my 3-month supply menu.

Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:
-1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
-1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced [or use re-hydrated dried peppers]
-1 tbsp. sesame oil
-2 cloves garlic
-2 tbsp. rice vinegar
-a couple shakes of crushed red pepper
-black pepper, to taste
-1 tbsp. sesame oil
-1 large carrot, peeled and diced [again, try the dehydrated!]
-1 can water chestnuts, drained and coarsely chopped
-3 heaping tablespoons hoisin sauce (an Asian condiment that can be bought in the ethnic section of most grocery stores)
-a couple handfuls unsalted cashews
-3 green onions, thinly sliced on an angle
-hot, cooked rice

Combine first seven ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until it smokes. Add carrot and stir-fry for 2 or 3 minutes. Add coated chicken and peppers and cook another 3 or 4 minutes. Add chestnuts and heat through for 1 minute. Add the hoisin sauce and toss to coat evenly. Serve over a bed of rice and top with cashews and green onions. Feeds 4 well.

[Sorry I don't have a picture. My camera always makes food look crappy anyway and it wouldn't really motivate you to try it.]

Sour Cream Powder and Refried Beans

I thought this would be a good follow-up to the tortilla post in case anyone was wondering what I put on the bjillion tortillas I made. I saw this can of sour cream powder at a Macey's emergency preparedness sale a few months ago and decided I had to try it. If I could add sour cream to my long-term storage menu, that would create a lot of possibilities. Here it is in its reconstituted glory:


I think it looks slightly more yellowish in the picture than it was in real life. As you can see, its consistency isn't so different from the consistency of fresh sour cream. You can also thicken or thin it by changing the amount of water you add. It would be a really great thing to have in your year's supply if it weren't for the really strong bad taste. Yes, unfortunately sour cream powder didn't really taste like sour cream. I think it had the same aftertaste as powdered milk, which is probably pretty unavoidable in dry dairy products, but the taste was a lot stronger in the sour cream powder since it's a lot more concentrated when it is reconstituted. Boo. I did try it out in a recipe that only calls for a couple tablespoons and it wasn't that noticable, but I'm not sure that I wouldn't have been better off to just skip the sour cream altogether.

On a happier note, I would like to declare my LOVE for the refried bean flakes from the LDS cannery.


That's right, I just dropped an L-bomb. On beans. I'm actually kinda surprised that I even decided to try them since I normally don't even like refried beans. But they're awesome! Here's why:

-They taste way better than regular refried beans from a can. Just my opinion, but I would trust me.
-They have a shelf life of 4-5 years, a lot longer than Old El Paso. (I guess I'm just assuming that since I don't actually own any of that kind.)
-They only contain two ingredients: beans and salt. So you don't have to worry about all the lard or chemicals or whatever else is in commercially canned refried beans.
-They don't come out shaped like a can. I don't know why, but that always bothered me about the other kind.
-They're so easy to make! You just stir them into boiling water, cover them, and let them sit for 10 minutes.

I like to make them as recommended in Pantry Cooking:

Refried Beans

-2 cups refried bean flakes
-2 cups boiling water
-1 can (4 ounces) green chiles
-1 teaspoon dried onions
-1/2 teaspoon dried jalapenos (optional)

Stir refried bean flakes into boiling water. Lower heat and mix well. Add green chiles, onions, and jalapenos. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Makes 4 servings.


Try them! I know you'll like them.

Make Your Own Tortillas!

Several months ago I tried making my own tortillas in an effort to expand our food storage menu. They stank. Actually, the dough itself wasn't all that bad, but the flattening process took forever and yielded tortillas with roughly the same thickness as a thin pancake. Yeah, real great for burritos. What did this "flattening process" entail? Basically it meant me rolling each ball of dough for 2-3 minutes with my rolling pin in a vain attempt to reach the thickness of a real tortilla. Multiply that by twenty or so tortillas and it took a whole hour just to roll them out. And they were bad! Have I talked enough about how much I disliked this method?

After that experience I started shopping for a tortilla press. Since I didn't have a lot of knowledge of what to look for, I turned to online reviews. And I didn't really learn anything. So I ended up buying this one, which was the cheapest one I could find:
It's the Norpro Tortilladora and I bought it at Kitchen Kneads in West Jordan for somewhere around $15 (sorry I can't remember exactly how much). Amazon.com also sells it. It's so slick! I'm glad I didn't spend any more money than I did. The mechanism is very basic, but it smashes those tortillas down in just seconds. It's easy to use and easy to clean. My only beef is that it only makes 6-inch tortillas, which I found to be the case with most tortilla presses. I think traditionally only corn tortillas--which I hope to someday attempt--are pressed that way and they are usually a lot smaller.

I also wanted to mention this electric press, theVillaware V5955 Grand Wrap Tortilla and Flatbread Maker:
I've seen this one in action and it's pretty impressive. It actually works kinda like a waffle iron, flattening the tortillas and toasting them as well and it makes 10-inch tortillas. It is significantly more expensive than the manual ones and I read some reviews from people who had problems with theirs, so I decided to go with El Cheapo instead, but if I ever have money coming out of my ears it would be a fun splurge.

Now for the recipes. I've tried a few different whole wheat ones and they're all pretty similar, but if I had to choose one I like best it would be this one:

Wheat Tortillas

Ingredients:
4 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. shortening
1/2 c. olive oil
2 c. warm water

Thoroughly mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening. Stir in oil until mixture resembles sand. Add water and knead. Dough should be soft but clean the sides of the bowl. Pinch off balls 2-3 inches in diameter [or smaller if you're using a 6-inch press] and knead into a smooth ball. Place balls in a bowl. Cover and let rest for one hour. Flatten each ball and toast on a hot skillet. If you want to store them for later use, flatten each ball and cook slightly to prevent them from sticking to each other. Cool completely and store in large freezer bag. Will keep in fridge for 2 weeks. [This recipe made about three dozen 6-inch tortillas. I think from now on I'll just make a half batch.]


And for those of you who are not hard-core whole wheat flour users,

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:
6 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. shortening
1-2/3 c. warm water

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening. Add water and knead. Pinch off balls 2-3 inches in diameter. Knead each one in smooth ball. Place balls in bowl. Cover and let rest for one hour. Flatten each ball and toast on hot griddle. Tortillas can be cooked later by refrigerating them after they have been flattened and cooked slightly. Store in large freezer bag.

Incredible, Semi-Edible Egg Powder

This post turned out to be kind of long. If you want to just know what I concluded from testing two different powdered egg products, just scroll to the bottom.

For starters, let's just get this out on the table: I have spent a somewhat significant amount of time and money on the emergency preparedness/food storage resources available at Macey's. The main reasons for this are that 1) they are the easiest to obtain where I live, 2) they seem to be the most reasonably priced, especially compared to internet vendors, and 3) they carry a pretty decent variety. I also buy a lot of food storage from the LDS cannery, but they carry a pretty limited number of products. Anyway, a while ago I bought a #10 can of powdered eggs from Macey's to see if they could be useful in my food storage. Here is the verdict:

First I used them in one of these Betty Crocker cookies-in-a-pouch things:


I didn't take a picture of the cookies, but I couldn't tell any difference in the appearance or the taste from when I had made the exact same cookies before. Score! That means that you don't have to axe any favorite baking recipes from your year's supply because they call for fresh eggs. All you have to do is add one tablespoon of egg powder to your dry ingredients and two tablespoons of water to the wet for each egg and voila! In fact, if you wanted to create your own cookies-in-a-pouch mixes, you could put all of your dry ingredients in a ziploc bag with some egg powder for the eggs and all you would have to do is add water and oil (or butter or shortening or whatever). Just like Betty!

(As a side note, I think those cookies mixes are pretty good. In the past I've been kind of a cookie snob and thought that all cookies must be made from scratch, but they tasted good and it made way more cookies than I would have thought a bag that size could.)

After I tried them in the cookies, I thought I'd put them to the ultimate test and make scrambled eggs out of them, as I had read in a couple of different places about other people doing it. Here is what they looked like reconstituted in the frying pan:

And here is what they looked like cooked:


And here is how they tasted in one word: blech.

I will definitely store these for baking. They are undetectable in baked goods, have a storage life of 5-10 years, and are relatively cheap (if you buy them on sale this week at Macey's, a can costs $14.99, which is about 80 cents for a dozen). But if I ever have to feed my family exclusively from our food storage, we're going without scrambled eggs. I could definitely gag them down with enough hot sauce or ketchup, but they're definitely the "if it was scrambled powdered eggs or starvation" kind of option.

Also, when I went to take a picture of the can, I noticed that I had two different products:













At first I wasn't sure if there was any difference between whole eggs and egg mix, so I checked the ingredients, which are as follows:

whole eggs: 100% pasteurized whole egg solids

egg mix: pasteurized whole eggs, non-fat dry milk, vegetable oil (may contain soybean oil or corn oil), salt.

I had done my previous testing with the whole eggs, so to be thorough I tried scrambling the egg mix. The end product from the egg mix was a tiny bit better; it looked and tasted a little more like fresh scrambled eggs. But given the choice between eggs made from egg mix and no eggs, I would probably still choose no eggs.

Another key difference between the whole eggs and the egg mix is that it takes only 1 tablespoon of whole eggs to make an egg and 2 tablespoons of egg mix for the same. And according to the can info, a can of whole eggs will reconstitute into 226 eggs, while a can of egg mix makes only 96 for the same amount of money.

Conclusion: Powdered "whole eggs" are great for adding baked goods that call for eggs into your year's supply. But reconstituted and scrambled, they taste... pretty bad. Powdered "egg mix" is a lot more expensive than powdered "whole eggs" and doesn't taste much better.

Month-by-Month 72-Hour Kit

A couple weeks ago, this information was handed out in Relief Society. I personally might have prioritized some of the items on this list a little differently, but if your goal for the new year is to prepare yourself and your family (a good one, I'd say) this is a great way to get started:

72-Hour Kit Essentials

A 72-hour kit should contain the essentials needed for survival for a 72-hour period. It should be portable enough to take in a car or even the more essential portions on foot. Store it in an accessible place where it can be picked up at a moment's notice. Keep an index of the items in your kit with expiration dates where appropriate. Once your 72-hour kit is assembled, reassess the kit every six months to replace expired items. General Conference is a good time to help you remember. Some emergencies may require tents, tarps, boots, coats, etc. Keep these and other possible useful items accessible. Think and plan ahead. Remember, "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear" (D&C 38:30).

This is a Week-by-Week List of Items to Put into Your 72-Hour Kit

January
-Obtain 72-hour kit container (backpack, duffel bag, plastic bin).
-Check the batteries in your smoke detector.
-Place a flashlight next to your bed and one in an alternate location; check batteries.
-Add 1-1/2 gallons of water per person.*
-Add $10 cash.**

February
-Add a can opener.
-Add 2 cans of tuna fish/canned meat.
-Add 1 large roll of paper towels.
-Add 1 blanket.

March
-Add $10 cash.
-Add 4 rolls of toilet paper.
-Add 1 bar of soap.
-Add stress relief items (books, games).

April
-Add pocket/utility knife.
-Add $10 cash.
-Add 1 container of baby wipes.
-Add 1-2 changes of clothing.

May
-Add 48 oz. non-carbonated canned juice.
-Add 1 can of fruit and 1 can of vegetables.
-Add $10 cash.
-Add 1 box of matches.
-Add hard candy (jolly ranchers, lifesavers).

June
Add 1-1/2 lbs. peanut butter.
Add Ziploc bags (varied sizes).
Add $10 cash.
Check batteries in smoke detectors. Practice escape routes.

July
Add 1 box of crackers.
Add plastic utensils.
Add large candle and matches.
Add $10 cash.
Add 1 lb. graham crackers.

August
Add flashlight; check batteries.
Add disinfectant (beta dine, bleach sterile wipes, hand sanitizer).
Add paper cups.
Add $10 cash.

September
Add basic first-aid kit.
Add 1 lb. dried fruit (date for rotation).
Add 1/2 lb. non-fate dried milk.
Add battery-powered radio; check batteries.

October
Add $10 cash.
Add diapers and/or feminine hygiene supplies.
Add toothbrush and toothpaste.
Add hand shovel.

November
Add $10 cash.
Verify that each family member's immunizations are up to date.
Add 1 large roll of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Add 1 axe.

December
Add paper plates.
Add $10 cash.
Add 1-2 boxes pre-sweetened cereal.
Add photocopies of personal documents (insurance info, medical records, birth certificates, social security cards, photos, etc.) and send copies to a family member or friend in a separate location.

Though many of the items on the list can be shared among family members, each person should have their own individual kit containing their clothes, food, personal items, etc.


*I've heard a pretty wide range of amounts for short-term water storage and I think this is a little on the low end of the spectrum. It's enough water to keep you alive, but it may be wise to store more depending on what you plan to use it for, the kinds of food you hope to be able to prepare, etc.

**When you save cash for an emergency, it's always best to save small bills, as you may not be able to get change in some emergency situations.