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.