Homemade Dough Enhancer

This blog post has been one of the favorite ones I have done. Not because it is a spectacular post or is very exciting, but because it is one that made me learn a lot and one that I know I will use almost every day. This information has changed the way I make bread, especially whole wheat bread

I have experimented with lots of different bread recipes and found many that I really like. However, when you are making whole wheat bread or even bread that is partially whole wheat, it is a whole different ballgame.

Many recipes make good whole wheat bread and it tastes really good, right out of the oven, but in my thinking, it’s better if you eat it up the first day. However, if your bread rises properly and the texture is good, it even tastes good after that.

Enter dough enhancer. I’ve tried several different types of dough enhancers and they work great. My problem is that I hate being dependent on dough enhancer to make good bread. Or maybe I should rephrase that; I hate being dependent on the availability of dough enhancer to make good bread. The reason for my excitement with this post: Homemade Dough Enhancer.

I have found two different dough enhancer recipes. They both work great. I’ll post both recipes here today. However my favorite one I’ll post first. The only reason it is my favorite is because the ingredient list is short and sweet however the second recipe works equally as well.

If you really want to make whole grain homemade bread light and wonderful, just like white bread, only better, dough enhancer is what you need. You can buy dough enhancer, but it’s more frugal–and fun–to make it yourself! You know I get excited about being able to make things myself rather than buying them; to me that is fun!

What is a dough enhancer? A dough enhancer is a natural product used to make a better bread product. It will make your bread beautiful, light, fluffy, and delicious. Most breads that you buy use this product and you will see the biggest difference if you use a dough enhancer in your whole wheat bread because the whole wheat flour is heavy and course unlike all-purpose flour.

When you buy a dough enhancer from a store it has basically four key ingredients. Gluten, acid, starch, and sugar (of course they are called other things but that is what they are). Those four ingredients serve key roles in developing a better bread texture by developing and strengthening the bubbles that make your bread.

1. Gluten: is the natural protein portion of the wheat grain. It is responsible for the stretchiness of dough and for the shapes that baked goods hold. You can think of it as the elastic in the balloon. I promise your breads will be softer, lighter and you will never go back to baking without it.
2. Acid: strengthens the balloon so that it doesn't pop too early (if it pops too early your bread falls.)
3. Starch: adds an extra layer to your balloon so it won't break or pop-think of it like the additive they add to helium balloons to last longer. And when you're dealing with whole wheat, the flour, is course and can pop or weaken the gluten.
4. Sugar: this is what the yeast eats. When it eats the sugar it creates the air that fills the balloon or bubbles.
This homemade dough enhancer is made from things you probably have around your house. All you need is gluten, WHITE vinegar for your acid, and potato flakes or instant mashed potatoes for the starch, and sugar which your bread recipe will already call for.

Tips for using your own everyday items in:
Homemade Dough Enhancer #1
Gluten: use ½ T. - 1 T. per cup of flour (before you measure a cup of flour put ½ T.-1 T. gluten in the bottom of your cup then measure flour as usual)
WHITE Vinegar: use the same amount of vinegar that you are using for yeast (for example 1 t. yeast - 1 t. vinegar)
Potato Flakes: use 1/8 to ¼ c. per loaf of bread you are making, experiment to see what works best in your recipe. (Do not substitute potato pearls they won’t work!)

You can buy the vital wheat gluten in almost any store; Macey’s, Whole Foods, Winco (very cheap in the bulk section), Wal-mart and Smiths or Fred Meyer as well as any preparedness supplier. It is an essential for bread making. I like to buy the gluten in bulk and dry pack it for future use also. Potato flakes can be bought in bulk or dry packed for long term storage. Sugar and vinegar you probably already have.

This gluten recipe and the bread recipe below are from Crystal Godfrey who has made my whole wheat bread making life so much simpler. Thanks Crystal!

EZ Wheat Bread recipe
1 1/4 c. warm water
1 T. active dry yeast
¼ c. honey or 1/3 c. sugar
2 ¾ c. whole wheat flour (or whatever combination white/wheat you like. I use 100% hard white wheat1/4 cup wheat gluten
1 t. salt
2 T. nonfat non instant dry milk
1 T. butter/margarine/oil
1 T. vinegar
¼ c. potato flakes (NOT potato pearls)
Mix ingredients in order listed in mixing bowl of mixer with dough hook attachment (like kitchen-aid) for 12-15 minutes. Let rise until double, 1- 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, and shape into loaf or rolls. Let rise again until double and bake 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly tapped.

This second recipe uses a combination of wheat gluten, lecithin, ascorbic acid crystals, pectin, gelatin, nonfat dry milk, and ginger. Wheat gluten improves the texture and rise of bread. Lecithin teams up with the gluten to make bread lighter. Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) helps the yeast work better. Pectin adds moisture, as does the gelatin. The dry milk helps the dough relax, and the ginger is another yeast booster (you won’t taste it in the finished product). Most of these are also preservatives, so they help keep your bread fresh longer, and they are all natural.

Homemade Dough Enhancer #2
1 c. wheat gluten
2 T. lecithin granules
1 t. ascorbic acid crystals
2 T. powdered pectin
2 T. unflavored gelatin
½ c. nonfat dry milk
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
Mix together and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For 100% whole grain breads, use 3 tablespoons per loaf. Add to your recipe along with the flour.
I love dough enhancer so much I make it in triple batches and keep it in a quart-size jar.
*Note: While it’s not necessary to use dough enhancer in white bread recipes, you can! You’ll have higher loaves, and loaves that stay fresh longer. Especially in summer months, if you don’t use air conditioning, dough enhancer will help you keep your bread fresh longer.

72-Hour Kit Wednesday - Breakfast foods

One of the most essential items in your kit is the food. We’ll work on one meal at a time starting with 3 breakfast meals for each person. To prepare the breakfasts for everyone this week you’ll need, individual bags, a can opener for each person (more on this later), and the food for breakfasts for each person.

When I first did my kits I packed all the meals for one day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, in a large Ziploc bag. I have since changed my thinking on this and I’ll tell you why. A lot of the things that happen during an emergency will have a psychological effect on you and your family. For instance, you are aware that when you are in an emergency and have to depend on what is in your kit, you may be hungrier and knowing that what is in the Ziploc bag has to last for three meals may have a tendency to make you hungrier, just knowing that is all there is to eat. However, if you pack each meal separately in a Ziploc bag (9 meals total) it will be the same amount of food, but seem like more.

What you pack for your meals is an individual preference but let me tell you some things that I have discovered. Some of these are no-brainers but we’ll mention them here anyway:

First, don’t pack things your kids don’t like, won’t eat or have never had before. During a time of stress is no time to try new or unusual things or be forced to eat something you don’t like.

Second, and this is a big one, consider the nutritional value. Not so much if there is too much fat or sugar, but the amount of calories for each person. You must have the recommended amount of calories for each person, each day to maintain strength and good mental attitude.

Third, do you want to be forced to cook your meals? The first kits I ever put together contained oatmeal packets, hot chocolate packets, instant soup, and several other meals that required not only cooking but water to prepare. Consider how much water you will have with you. Not only that, but will you be able to build a fire to heat the water or cook the food? My thinking is that I would rather have things that don’t have to be heated or cooked, in case there is no firewood or it’s too wet to build a fire. Of course, if you have to build a fire for heat, then cooking your food would not be a problem. You have to consider the best options for you.

Forth, I think that in addition to the foods for meals, snack foods may be very essential especially to keep everyone’s spirits up and moods elevated. We’ll do a separate post on snacks.

Fifth and finally, remember that any food you pack in your kits will need to be rotated every 6 months at the most. Make a note on each kit of the date when it will be time to rotate the food. Remember not to include any food in your kit that will not still be good in 6 months. One such item may be pop tarts. They are a good breakfast food, can be eaten unheated but can you keep them from getting smashed and how will the quality be in 6 months.

I’m going to list some foods that you may want to consider for breakfast foods. Remember, when you gather your foods, get enough for 3 breakfasts for each person and seal them in bags. Remember to consider the suggestions above as you choose each person’s personal food. Also, make sure to include enough food for each person. I think that the recommendation of some kit lists suggesting a granola bar for breakfast is not enough. Take this into consideration when you prepare your kits. Combine several of the choice below or add your own items to make a sufficient size meal for everyone.

We will talk about utensils and etc. to include with each meal. I have included a can opener (got them at the dollar store) for each person. I prefer to include canned fruit (mandarin oranges, crushed pineapple etc.) rather than the plastic cups which can easily leak or get punctured and don’t have a long shelf life anyway. When each person has their own can opener you can increase the variety of other meals for your kits as well.

Just a note about where to purchase the food for your kits. You'll want snack size cans of juice or fruit, but some things, like little boxes of raisins and granola bars can be bought in bulk at Sam's or Costco. As you are shopping, notice the things that are available in bulk. It may give you more ideas. Also be careful as you buy that the things you purchase won't leak in your kit; especially if they are packed tightly. You can consider this when choosing small cans of juice or juice boxes or packets.

Snack pack Cereal with powdered milk
(Cereal can also be eaten dry as a snack)
Instant oatmeal
Granola Bar
Fruit roll or fruit snacks
Dried fruit such as apple slices, raisins or banana chips
Boxes or small cans of fruit juice
Fruit cups or small cans of fruit
Cans of fruit or Applesauce cups
Hot chocolate packets with water
Beef sticks or jerky (yes, even for breakfast)

Just one last thought; I know many people prefer to use the MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) packs in their kits. This is great. My only suggestion is that you buy some and eat them before you put them in your kit. You may find that young children will think they are strange or unusual and will refuse to eat them. This is a great option if it is what you decided to do. Just make sure you know beforehand what you are getting and how to heat them (if they have to be heated) as well as making sure everyone will eat them.

If anyone has any other suggestions or things you have done in your kits, leave a comment, we'd love to hear your ideas.

Making your Money Stretch

Getting more and spending less is always a challenge. There is no cut and dried solution. Maybe the best weapon is knowledge and an awareness of what is coming and how to prepare.

Everyone has their own tips for making their money go further, but it never hurts to have a little insight into what to expect. The following article has some great tips. I have added a few notes also (in parenthesis) as some things have changed since this was posted. Things seem to be escalating at a rather rapid pace. If you have any great ideas to help the rest of us save some money this year, feel free to add them to the comments. We can all use a little help.

7 Things That Will Cost More in 2011 and What You Can Do About Them by Ann Brenoff
Get ready to stretch your wallet. We're already seeing the signs of prices creeping up in just the infancy days of 2011. So be prepared to open wide for:

1. A Trip to the Grocery Store
The USDA forecasts a 2% to 3% hike in the cost of all foods in 2011. Higher corn and soybean prices are the main force behind the increase. Remember, farm animals have to be fed and when those costs go up, so does what you pay at the store. Expect a big spike in the dairy case and meat counter, where pork alone is forecast to rise between 3% and 4%. (*Note: Since this was written, there have been severe freezes in Mexico and other parts of the United States, causing a spice in fresh vegetable, oranges and orange juice prices as well as other commodities raised in this part of the country.)
Solution: Sign up for sites that offer grocery coupons. Shop the weekly sales and the manager's specials. Plan your meals for the week and make a list of what you need before you go to the market. Don't buy impulse items, even if they're on sale. Consider a grocery co-op if your neighborhood has one. Think now about trying to plant a vegetable garden, at least for your fresh herbs and as many things as you can grow.

2. The Cost of Gas and Heating Fuel
If you are hanging on to that Hummer, now might be the time to unload it. Some fast-and-loose talk by former Shell Oil President John Hofmeister says gas will be back to $5 a gallon this year. That's about $2 more per gallon than the current average price of $3.05, says the Department of Energy. Blame it on the weather. Unexpectedly harsh winters here and in Europe have created a higher-than-usual demand for heating fuels. Add to that the increased demand for fossil fuels in places like China and India and the depreciation of the U.S. dollar -- and dare we mention the overall greed of the oil industry? -- And there you have it. (*Note: Since the crisis in Egypt followed now by the problems in Iran and Libya, prices are already shooting up at the pumps. Latest forecast: it will get much worse this year.)
Solution: Demand dictates price, so use less. Carpool, car share, combine your errands, ride a bike, walk. At home, wear a sweater and keep your thermostat set low. Consider solar panels and absolutely seal any cracks or leaks around your windows. Do anything that you personally can do to conserve and save yourself some money. For those with too much time on their hands, the price-tracking Gas Predictor can tell you whether you should fill up the car today or tomorrow.

3. Health Insurance and Medical Costs
Blue Shield in California said it was going to raise premiums by almost 60% and you can bet that your insurer has something similar planned. Don't look for much help from the government here. The Obama administration wants individual and small-group insurers to justify when they raise rates by 10% or more. But it's a toothless gesture. The Department of Health and Human Services wasn't given enforcement authority to do anything about it even if the hikes are deemed unreasonable.
Solution: Consider a catastrophic or high-deductible health plan, something that will kick in only for big-ticket medical bills. Experts recommend carrying insurance for the things you can't handle yourself. You might be able to handle $10,000 in medical bills, but not $100,000 -- hence a catastrophic plan could save you a lot in premiums. Also consider dropping dental insurance. Costco has an $87-a-year plan that just might get you what you need, assuming you don't need to see your own particular dentist.

4. The Cost of Clothing
Cotton prices are on the upswing and you're going to feel it in the stitched pocket. Cotton is now 80% more expensive than it was at the start of 2010 and many manufacturers believe they have no choice but to pass it on to you.
Solution: Fortunately, you do have a choice. Don't buy it. Thrift store shopping has enjoyed a renaissance this recession. Organize a kids' clothing swap at your school or a clothing swap party among your friends. Dare we suggest you even drag the old sewing machine down from the attic?

5. Colleges and Universities
For the 2010-2011 school year, tuitions are up by almost 8% at public, four-year colleges and 4.5% at private colleges. Expect more hikes for 2011-2012 as schools try to cope with a reduction in alumni giving, state funding and more students asking for financial aid.
Solution: No, we're not going to advise that you don't go to college. But you might want to consider enrolling in a community college for two years, or at least taking some of your courses there over the summer. Community colleges are cheaper. The economic sentiment at the moment is that student loans will only be burdens to you later on. Consider working for a year and socking away your money so that you get your education on a pay-as-you-go basis.

6. Raising Kids
Let's face it: Kids aren't cheap. It isn't just feeding and clothing them, it's also sending them to soccer camp, arranging after-school care, paying for the math tutor. Babysitters charge as much as $12 to $15 an hour, even higher for late nights. Public schools are turning to parents to help them make up budget deficits.
Solution: Hillary was right; it takes a village. Look for opportunities to barter parenting services. You help my kid in calculus and I'll help yours learn to write an essay. Form homework clubs instead of hiring tutors. Form babysitting cooperatives instead of hiring a nanny. Maybe this isn't the summer of the sleep-away camp, but surely a tent in the backyard with five friends sleeping over helps ease the pain. Some families have even exchanged homes for vacations.

7. Bank and Bank Card Fees
Checking fees, ATM fees, safety deposit box fees, talking to a teller fees. Our bank just charged us $3 to view a check that was cashed from our account; we had forgotten who we wrote it to and clicked on the online "view" button. Silly us. Lesson learned. New banking laws have meant new banking fees.
Solution: The only thing you can do is shop around. Some banks are better than others. Figure out what you need from your bank -- and it likely isn't yet another credit card -- and then do some comparison shopping. Check out your local credit union; you may find all the services you need offered there for less.

Black-Eyed Peas

We have talked about many different kinds of beans and the ways to cook and use them but one that is often overlooked, especially in the northern part of the US is the black-eyed pea. Black Eyed Peas are really a bean and are also called cowpeas.

Dried black-eyed peas are a great item for your storage. Using dried beans instead of the canned, makes the nutrition levels higher. Canned beans have 11 g of protein per cup, while the same amount of dried beans has 13 g. If you consume 1 cup of black-eyed beans, you will get roughly 25 percent of your protein requirement for the day. Just as important as total protein is the quality of the protein. Black-eyed peas contain all the essential amino acids or protein building blocks for your body. Canned beans contain 8 g of fiber, while cooked dried beans have 11 g of fiber per cup. This is even more important as we get older. Black-eyed peas contain 90 percent of your daily value of folate.

The major difference between canned and dried beans exists in the sodium content. Canned foods require a lot of salt to preserve the food. Specifically, canned black-eyed beans contain 718 mg sodium, while cooked dried beans only have 7 mg per cup. The average adult should consume 1,200 mg of sodium per day. That means if you eat one cup of black-eyed beans from a can, you are consuming 60 percent of the suggested daily intake. Consume nutritious black-eyed beans from a dried source rather than from a can to avoid high intake of sodium.

In the Southern United States, it's traditional to eat black-eyed peas or cowpeas in a dish called hoppin' john. It is often believed that you should always eat these beans at the start of a new year to bring good luck. There are even those who believe in eating one pea for every day in the New Year. This all traces back to the legend that during the Civil War, the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi, ran out of food while under attack. The residents fortunately discovered black-eyed peas and the legume was thereafter considered lucky.

I’m a little late with the New Years ideas but I figure after the storm of last weekend we could all use a little good luck. Maybe eating these beans will bring us good luck and spring will come soon.

There are lots of great recipes using these beans and they are a fun addition to your food storage for a little variety. Here are some recipes using Black-Eyed Peas. There are a couple of different salsa-type recipes, each with a different twist. The first has some crunchiness because of the celery, cucumbers and peppers. You can adjust the jalapeño to fit your family’s tastes. The second uses hominy which has always been a fascination to me. We used to buy it for a fun snack occasionally, served with butter and salt. I’ve never had it in a dip before but your might like the different texture it adds to this one. If your family likes to dip, give these a try. Feel free to substitute the canned beans for cooked dried beans.

Black Eyed Pea Salsa
½ c. olive oil
1/3 c. white wine or cider vinegar
2-3 T. sugar
1 t. celery seed
½ t. dry mustard
½ t. salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
3 stalks Celery finely diced
3 stalks green onions, sliced
1 whole red bell pepper, diced fine
1 whole cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 whole Jalapeño seeded and diced fine, optional
1 c. chopped cilantro
2 cans Black-eyed peas, drained
Mix 1st 7 ingredients. Set aside. Combine all vegetables except cilantro with peas. Pour dressing over the top and gently stir together. Add cilantro and stir gently. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Serve with chips.

Cowboy Caviar
Sweet basil
1 Green, red or yellow pepper (if you double the recipe just use all three)
1 Can white corn or Hominy (doubled I use both)
1 Can diced Italian or Mexican style tomatoes
1 Purple Onion, diced
1 Can black-eyed Peas, drained and rinsed
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Black Olives, sliced
1 8 oz Bottle Italian Dressing
Salt and Pepper to taste
½ Small Can Diced Green Chiles
1 t. Cumin
1 Avocado, diced
½ Bunch Cilantro
Mix everything, but the avocado and cilantro and let sit a few hours or overnight. Before serving add avocado and cilantro and serve with chips. It's delicious for eggs rancheros etc too!

I found the following recipe for black-eyed pea cakes with comeback sauce several months ago here and fully intended to make it for New Years (thought the good luck thing was fun) but we had too many leftovers and were leaving for a few days on New Year’s Eve so I didn’t get to it until a month or so ago. I thought it was a fun and tasty recipe. Serve me anything with a sauce and I’m all over it, especially when there is heavy cream involved. I was very careful with the spices in the sauce but I really liked this dish and will make it again. It is definitely a fun way to use the black-eyed peas which were new to me. Next time, I will definitely use dried black-eyed peas instead of canned.

Black-Eyed Pea Cakes
(Y: 8-12 depending on size)
2 cans of black-eyed peas; drained
1 slice bacon; fried and crumbled
4-8 T. olive oil; divided
½ c. onion; chopped
4 cloves garlic; minced
½ t. cumin
1 T. fresh cilantro leaves
½ t. dried basil leaves
½ t. cayenne
1½ t. salt
½ c. heavy cream
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/3 c. half & half
2 c. panko or fresh bread crumbs
Warm the black-eyed peas, while you prep the other ingredients. Sauté onion and garlic together in about 2 T. olive oil until softened. Add half of the black-eyed peas (about 1½ c.), bacon, onion, garlic, cilantro, basil, cumin, cayenne, salt to a food processor and pulse a few times until blended. Not too much. It doesn’t need to be totally smooth.
Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the remaining black-eyed peas and heavy cream. Chill the mixture until cool – about an hour or so. After the mixture has cooled, gently form the cakes and set aside. Prepare 3 separate bowls for battering. Flour goes in the first one. Then beat an egg and the half and half together in the second one. And the bread crumbs go in the third one. Batter the cakes by coating first with flour, then the egg mixture and finish with the bread crumbs. Set aside after coated. Have a plate or cooling rack lined with paper towels ready for cakes when cooked. Prepare skillet by heating 3-4 T. of olive oil over medium heat. Fry cakes in small batches, cooking approximately 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Be sure to watch the oil for overheating, and, if needed, add additional oil or start with new oil if it gets too dark. Remove cakes, let cool on paper towel lined plate. Serve with comeback sauce (below).
Comeback Sauce
(Other than mayonnaise and oil, we didn’t measure any of the ingredients, so combine to your taste preference.)
½ c. mayonnaise
1/8 c. salad oil (I used walnut oil)
Black pepper
Celery salt
Hot sauce
Ketchup
Mustard
Paprika
Worcestershire sauce
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until served.

Below is a traditional recipe for Hoppin’ John if you have never tried it. It is full of flavor and a fun New Years Tradition. However, it is great served anytime

Hoppin’ John
1½ c. dry black-eyed peas
1 lb. ham hock
1 onion, chopped
1-3 garlic cloves, finely diced
½ green bell pepper, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
½ t. crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 t. ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
4 c. water
1 ½ c. long-grain white rice
1 can petite diced tomatoes with chili peppers (optional)
1 cup shredded smoked Cheddar cheese
In a large pan place the peas, ham hock, onion, garlic, green pepper, celery, red pepper, cumin, salt and pepper. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 1½ hours. Remove ham hock and cut meat into pieces. Return meat to pot. Add tomatoes. Stir in the rice, cover and cook until rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle sliced green onion and shredded cheese over top of individual servings, if desired.

Food Storage Friendly Friday – Meal Idea and tip of the week

Today’s tip is for substituting applesauce for the fat in your recipes. Here are some guidelines. Experiment and see what you come up with. If you have a favorite applesauce substitution, we’d love to hear about us. Leave a comment and tells us about it.

Tips for using applesauce as a substitute for butter or oil to cut the fat in baking:

It's usually a 1:1 ratio. It works best in baked goods such as, quick breads, muffins etc. Generally the best way to know is to experiment because there is generally a slight change in texture. So, for example if you need 1 cup of butter start out with half butter half applesauce. If it works, next time do a little more applesauce etc. Although fats add richness and texture, the primary job of a fat in a recipe is to keep the flour protein from mixing with the moisture and forming long strands of gluten—a reaction that would give cake the texture of rubber. That’s why it’s so important to keep the liquid and dry ingredients separate until the very end, and to mix them together very gently by hand. When you substitute applesauce, it’s even more important to work the batter gently, and as little as possible, in the final mix.
Applesauce tips:
* Use unsweetened applesauce, or reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe if you use sweetened applesauce.
* Measure applesauce in a liquid measuring cup.
* Use a hand or stand mixer to thoroughly combine the applesauce with the other liquid ingredients (egg, flavoring), then blend the liquids with the sugar. With a large spatula, carefully fold the dry ingredients into the mixture until just combined.
* The finished product will be moist. Don’t alter the time for cooking because low-fat recipes dry out when they’re over-cooked.

The recipe of the week is a great one for this time of year. I am of the mind that you can’t have too many good soup recipes. This one was emailed to me by Sara J. from Utah. She says she makes this recipe with both fresh potatoes and corn and also food storage items and says her family likes it either way. I’d love to print your favorite food storage friendly recipe here. Email it to me at preparedness365@gmail.com. Thanks for the recipe Sara.

Chicken Corn and Potato Chowder
3 c. chicken broth
1 T. dehydrated chopped onion
¼ t. pepper
1 t. salt (or less to taste)
½ t. dried parsley
2 potatoes, diced, or 1 c. dehydrated potato dices
1 c. cooked and cubed chicken or 1 can chicken breast
1 can evaporated milk
¼ c. flour
1 can corn, drained
In large pan, mix broth, onion, pepper, salt, parsley, and potatoes. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. In small bowl, mix milk and flour; add slowly to pot, stirring constantly. Cook until thick, and then add corn. Simmer for 10 minutes. This recipe is very creamy. Y:4-6 servings

It's All About the Know-How

I ran into one of my friends the other day. I’d just recently told her about this blog. She told me that she had read most of it from start to finish. Her most surprising comment to me was, “I can’t believe you live that way!”

When I asked what she meant, she said that she would never make things from scratch when she could buy them. And if there was something that she wanted she would buy it instead of making it herself or going without. She mentioned the homemade laundry soap and asked why I don’t just buy it? I make it because I can and I love using it. Every time a scoop some into my machine I think about the fact that I would never have to go to the store for laundry soap again.

We had a good discussion and we both see things differently and always will. That is okay, it’s why we are friends. We discussed this for awhile and then we agreed to disagree on a couple of different points.

First of all she has good food storage. Lots of wheat and the basics. She always says, “I could feed a hundred people on my storage!” However, as for me, I would have a hard time living on just the basics. I want the good stuff too. Not that the basics aren’t good, they are just…basic.

Our biggest point of disagreement is that she strongly believes that she will never have to use her food storage. She said she only has “all this stuff” because her husband insisted. I guess that is as good a reason as any. I believe that at some point, we will be using our storage. In fact, I try to do that now. I tried my best to make her see that I believe it isn’t just for some time in the future, but it is a way of life.

I told her after we talked that I was going to have to blog about our conversation and she is okay with that. Her only comment was, “As long as my husband doesn’t read about it!” I laughed at that but I think she was serious.

Here is my theory. I believe it is “All about the know-how!” For many years I have clipped and copied different recipes for different ways to store and use everything. I’ve saved articles and collected cook books and survival information. I sure hope I never have to “survive” like some of those books describe but it would certainly beat the alternative. I want to “Know How” to make the best bread from wheat as well as how to make wheat meat – even if I never have to. I want to know how to live on what I have if I CAN’T go to the store.

I want to be able to raise a garden and preserve every bit of it that I can and then know what to do with it after I get it in the bottles. I want to know how to make storage food not only attractive but delicious.

I especially want to keep warm. I want to know how to heat and cook without electricity. I want to know about alternative methods of getting water other than just turning on the tap. I really don’t want to live on bottled pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles for a year.

As I was writing this, I remembered an experience I had a few years ago. A group of us had gone to the cannery to can chicken. While we were there, one of our friends who was with us made a comment that really hurt my feelings at the time. He said,” So I bet you have so much food storage that you can’t even get it all in your house. You probably need an extra building just to store it all.” Looking back I think he might have been making a joke but I didn’t think it was funny. I was hurt and embarrassed because he said it in front of everyone else. I understand now that he just didn’t know any better. Many people mistakenly believe that to have a good food storage, you have to have tons of food put away and I don’t. You just have to have the “know-how” to use what you do have to provide nutritional and filling meals for your family.

So I guess the biggest thing I can say to anyone who is interested in food storage and preparedness is that even if you can’t get all the storage you want to right now, you can afford to gather the “know-how” and study it so that you can be mentally prepared as you prepare physically.

I don’t ever want to wake up and realize that I don’t know how to cope with an emergency because I don’t have the know-how. That explains the several binders of handouts I’ve saved over the years and the papers I’ve copied from other’s information. I guess the biggest thing on my mind is I NEVER want to have to depend on someone else to take care of me because I didn’t prepare to take care of myself.

72-Hour Kit Wednesday - Tools

Part of the preparedness idea of the 72 hour kits is to have the right tools to do whatever is necessary to provide safe shelter and food for your family if you were forced to leave your home during an emergency. When you think about what you might have to do, chopping wood to build a fire to keep warm is at the top of the list.

One thing that is strongly suggested as part of an adult family member’s kit is an Axe. This could be used to cut firewood or kindling or for other emergency uses. There are different sizes of axes that can be purchased for your kit.

Another imperative item might be a shovel which you might use to dig a fire pit, an outdoor latrine, or trenches to detour water in case of a rain storm or just for any unforeseen problems. These too, come in more compact sizes that can fit in your emergency kit.

Smithfield Implement and R&R Hardware are having their “Crazy Daze” sale this week and their camping axe is only $3.97, so it isn’t a huge investment but an ideal one to find. The compact shovels are also very inexpensive.

As a matter of information, if you live close to Smithfield or Tremonton, Utah, they have tons of preparedness stuff on sale from crank flashlights and radios to the tools mentioned above. There are also emergency blankets and sleeping bags for under $3 as well as many different kinds and weights of regular sleeping bags. They have lanterns, 5 gallon buckets with lids, wool blankets, water storage drums and jugs, Dutch ovens, hand wheat grinders and various other items. If you can’t make it in this week, this is still an awesome place to get your emergency supplies even if they aren’t on sale especially for those who live in Northern Utah or Southern Idaho.

Keep working on putting cash away for your emergency kits. Gather the axes and shovels for your kit; and maybe if you get a chance, visit an emergency preparedness store or browse through a catalog or website and take note of some of the preparedness items that are available. Then grab a notebook small enough to carry in your purse and start a wish list. If you plan to get the items when you find them on sale or as you can afford them, it will get done, if we don’t plan, it seems it seldom happens.

Do-It-Yourself Rotating Can Storage Racks

I’m so excited to tell you about my latest project. I have been making rotating can racks for my canned foods. They have been a fun project and are helping me rotate and inventory my canned foods. The best part of all is the only cost for them has been a couple of bottles of Elmer’s Glue (one of which I already had).

These can racks are made from cardboard and will sit on my shelves. The cans are loaded from the top and roll to the bottom and most will hold 12 or more cans, depending on the size of the cans. You can paint them if you want; right now, because of the nasty weather outside, I’m just making and filling them and may paint them when summer comes and I can do it outside. I also still need to add labels to the boxes when they are painted.

I’ve seen the large can racks that you can buy at Wal-mart and thought they were nice but the thing that I didn’t care for was that first of all they are expensive, they take up a lot of room and don’t store many varieties of cans unless you have multiple racks and I don’t have room for that. I’ve seen homemade wooden varieties which are great and I’d love if I had a customized food storage area which I don’t. I guess the biggest drawback for me is that I have seen people who have a limited food storage budget spend a lot on racks that they could have spent on food to put on them.

With these homemade can racks, all your money can go towards the canned food to put in them. Also, another plus for me, is that I can see at a glance what items I am low on and need to restock, and how many I need to buy on my next shopping trip.

I have made 20+ of these shelves so far and one thing I’ve found is that as I make them, I think of things I’d like to have in my storage but don’t, so I figure that by making a rack for that item, and seeing it empty, I’ll be encouraged to start buying some cans of that item when I shop.

The original idea for these racks comes from the blog Pantry Panel and the details and instructions were further explained on the blog foodstoragemadeeasy.net which you will see when you visit the above link. There is a blueprint for these racks found here. As I have made many of these, I’ve made a couple of changes to the storage bins. Check out these pictures and see if you are interested. I can answer any questions you may have and help you get started if you wish.

When I first started making these, (and I thought about it a very long time before I started) I decided to just make one and see if I liked it – I had a hard time believing they would actually hold heavy cans. I made one and loved it so I made a couple more and have not been able to stop since. These racks will fit on most standard shelves. The sizes given are for vegetable size cans (I adapted this size to also fit mandarin orange, sweetened condensed milk and tomato sauce size cans), Fruit size cans like 20 oz. pineapple cans, and soup cans which I adapted to also fit canned milk.

Check out the above pages for instructions and more information. I think it is a great help to organizing and storing your canned foods. Let me know if you have any questions. I'd love to hear back from any who try making these.

Below is another picture of my assembly line making 7 of these boxes at once. It's kind of funny to see. Good luck with this project, it's a good one!

Muffins!!!

Many years ago our family moved to Utah. When we moved in, the community was in the process of putting together a community cookbook. Keep in mind this was in the days before computers and cell phones. I think because I was the new girl in town, I was asked to be on a committee to help compile and type the book. We called everyone in the area and asked for as many recipes as they would like to contribute. We then gathered them up and typed them on 4x6 colored index cards – certain colors of cards for main dishes, salads, breads, desserts, etc. – then we punched holes in the top of each card and they were held together with large rings. I used an old manual typewriter to type the cards I did and can I just say how relieved we were when the books were done. They turned out very nice for the most part.

The lady who was over this project was very worried that we weren’t going to have enough recipes to fill the book, or at least make it look interesting, so she gave me lots and lots of her recipes to use as fillers if we didn’t have enough recipes. We had so many recipes come in that we had to use the largest size rings we could find and it was still almost too full, so we ended up not using all of her extra recipes. Well, one of her recipes that we didn’t use in the book (mainly because it was too long to type on an index card) was a muffin recipe.

I have been planning a post about muffins for a long time because they are such a great food storage food and easily adapted to use food storage items. A few weeks ago, I was going through an old recipe binder and came across her recipe. It was called, “Marilyn’s Marvelous Muffin Mix”. When I came across the recipe, I wondered if they really were all that marvelous. I knew I had to try them so I made up some of the muffins and they really are good; a perfect addition to food storage recipes.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can add any fruit or vegetable, spice or extract to the muffins and have literally tons of different variations from one little mix. I like that idea. I made blueberry muffins with a streusel topping and carrot-applesauce muffins also. (I even added zuchinni along with the grated carrots in this one and really like them.) I froze some of each of the muffins, just to see how they freeze and they freeze very well. What a great idea to not only have a homemade muffin mix on hand but to also have some ready to heat and eat in your freezer.

Muffins are filling and nutritious and can be made ahead. You can adapt them to any kind of flour, white or whole wheat or a combination of the two. You can use fresh, frozen or dried fruit, or vegetables, including using a fruit sauce in the batter like applesauce or any blended fruit and they make a great breakfast or snack item. You can add nuts or topping or just have them plain. If you want to substitute powdered eggs for the fresh eggs, just mix the egg powder into the mix and add an extra 2-3 T. water or milk when you make up the muffins.

We like them hot with butter and jam, jelly or honey – a perfect way to use all the jelly on my shelf. Remember if you have dried peach or strawberry flakes in your storage, these muffins are a great way to use them. They are also great with dried chopped dates, apricots or pineapple. There is not a variation for a Rhubarb nut muffin but that is my next experiment. See how many variations you can come up with.

I have also included a recipe for homemade English Muffins. These are a little trickier but interesting to make. They don’t require baking and can be made on the stove-top.

Marilyn’s Marvelous Basic Muffin Mix
8 c. flour
3 c. sugar
3 T. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. salt
2 t. nutmeg
Whisk all ingredients together until well combined. Store in airtight container in a cool dry place. Use within 9 months.

Marilyn’s Marvelous Blueberry Muffins
2 ¾ c. basic muffin mix
1 egg
1 c. milk
½ c. butter, melted or ½ c. oil
1 c. fresh, frozen or drained canned blueberries
Preheat oven to 400º. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. Mix egg, milk and butter or oil; add all at once to dry muffin mix. Stir just till moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Gently fold blueberries into batter and fill cups ¾ full. Bake 18-20 minutes. Y: 12 large muffins. Optional Streusel topping: In a small bowl mix 1/3 c. flour, ½ c. sugar and 1 ½ t. cinnamon, Add ¼ c. cold butter, cubed, and blend with a pastry blender or fork until you have pea size crumbs. Sprinkle muffins with crumb topping. Bake at 400º for 20-25 minutes.

Marilyn’s Marvelous Fresh Peach Muffins
2 ¾ c. basic muffin mix
1 egg
1 c. milk
½ c. butter, melted or ½ c. oil
1 c. diced fresh peaches
Preheat oven to 400º. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. Mix egg, milk and butter or oil; add all at once to dry muffin mix. Stir just till moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Gently fold peaches into batter and fill cups ¾ full. Bake 18-20 minutes. Y: 12 large muffins.

Marilyn’s Marvelous Fruity Muffins
2 ¾ c. basic muffin mix
1 egg
1 c. milk
½ c. butter, melted or ½ c. oil
1 c. raisins or dried cranberries (any other dried fruits you desire)
Chopped nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 400º. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. Mix egg, milk and butter or oil; add all at once to dry muffin mix. Stir just till moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Gently fold raisins, dried cranberries and nuts if desired into batter and fill cups ¾ full. Bake 18-20 minutes. Y: 12 large muffins.

Marilyn’s Marvelous Banana-Pecan Muffins
2 ¾ c. basic muffin mix
1 egg
1 c. milk
½ c. butter, melted or ½ c. oil
1 Banana, mashed (1/2 c. mashed)
½ c. chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 400º. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. Mix egg, milk and butter or oil; add mashed banana and add all at once to dry muffin mix. Stir in pecans, stirring just till moistened; batter will be lumpy. Fill cups ¾ full. Bake 18-20 minutes. Y: 12 large muffins.

Marilyn’s Marvelous Cranberry Nut Muffins
2 ¾ c. basic muffin mix
1 egg
1 c. milk
3 T. sugar
½ c. butter, melted or ½ c. oil
1 c. fresh or frozen cranberries
½ c. chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 400º. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. Mix egg, milk and butter or oil; add 3 T. sugar to dry muffin mix. Add egg-milk mixture all at once to dry muffin mix. Gently stir in cranberries and nuts, stirring just till moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Fill cups ¾ full. Bake 18-20 minutes. Y: 12 large muffins.

Marilyn’s Marvelous Carrot Cake Muffins
2 ¾ c. basic muffin mix
1 egg
1 c. milk
¼ c. butter, melted
2 T. molasses (optional)
½ c. applesauce
½ c. finely shredded carrots (can substitute shredded zucchini)
½ c. coconut
½ c. raisins (optional)
½ c. chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 400º. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. Mix egg, milk and butter, applesauce and molasses (if desired); add all at once to dry muffin mix. Gently stir in carrots, coconut, raisins and nuts, stirring just till moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Fill cups ¾ full. Bake 18-20 minutes. Y: 12 large muffins.

Marilyn’s Marvelous Butterscotch Pecan Muffins
2 ¾ c. basic muffin mix
1 egg
1 c. milk
½ c. butter, melted or ½ c. oil
6 T. butter
6 T. brown sugar
2-3 Pecan halves per muffin
Preheat oven to 400º. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. Mix egg, milk and butter or oil; add all at once to dry muffin mix. Stir just till moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Melt 6 T. butter in saucepan. Stir in brown sugar. Put 1 T. mixture and 2-3 pecan halves in bottom of each muffin cup. Fill cups ¾ full with batter. Bake 18-20 minutes. Y: 12 large muffins.

Marilyn’s Marvelous Vanilla Muffins
2 ¾ c. basic muffin mix
1 egg
1 c. milk
½ c. butter, melted or ½ c. oil
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
Preheat oven to 400º. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. Stir 1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix into dry muffin mix. Mix egg, milk and butter or oil; add all at once to dry muffin mix. Stir just till moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Fill cups ¾ full with batter. Bake 18-20 minutes. Y: 12 large muffins.

Marilyn’s Marvelous Chocolate Muffins
2 ¾ c. basic muffin mix
1 egg
1 c. milk
½ c. butter, melted or ½ c. oil
1 small pkg. chocolate instant pudding mix (try white chocolate pudding)
½ c. mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 400º. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. Stir 1 pkg. chocolate instant pudding mix into dry muffin mix. Mix egg, milk and butter or oil; add all at once to dry muffin mix. Stir in chocolate chips if desired. Stir just till moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Fill cups ¾ full with batter. Bake 18-20 minutes. Y: 12 large muffins.

English Muffins
1 c. hot water
½ c. prepared powdered milk or ½ cup water and 3 T. powdered milk
2 t. honey
2 t. salt
4 c. flour (you can use ½ white ½ whole wheat)
2 t. instant yeast
2 T. oil
Cornmeal
Add water, powdered milk (and water for powdered milk), honey and salt to a mixing bowl. Combine. Add 2 c. of flour and yeast and stir until combined. Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise for one hour. Add remaining 2 cups of flour and oil and stir until well combined. Roll out onto a cornmeal covered surface and using a cookie cutter or cup, cut out round shapes. Let cut muffins rise, covered, for another hour. Heat a griddle to medium high heat and grease with a little oil. Grill muffins on both sides until lightly brown and cooked in the middle. Eat fresh!

Food Storage Friendly Friday – Meal Idea and Tip of the Week

This week’s tip is probably one you have already heard. I have heard it just twice this week alone. It’s about the increasing prices of everything this year. So here is the tip: If you need to buy anything that is primarily made of cotton, try and do it before March. Supposedly, the price of cotton has gone up 10% already and is expected to rise another 80% by the end of this year with a big price hike coming in March.

You may be wanting to buy clothes, or bed linens or (a preparedness tip coming up) White cotton flannel to store for diapers if you have infants. Storing Diaper Flannel (unless you have flannel diapers in your storage already) is a great preparedness idea. If there were an emergency of almost any kind, one thing that would immediately hard to get would be disposable diapers. If trucks can’t get to the stores for any reason, diapers would clear off the shelves in a hurry.

Storing diaper flannel allows you the option to make up some diapers to have ready just in case (along with storing diaper pins, etc.) and if you don’t use the flannel to make diapers you can use it for any number of other uses. If you use other cotton fabrics you may want to buy some of them now. This is just a heads up here in case you see any major cotton purchases in your future.

It is time for another reader submitted recipe again. If you have a favorite recipe that uses mainly food storage items or would easily be adapted to use items from your food storage, send it in. Email it to me at preparedness365@gmail.com. It is amazing to find that many of the favorite things we make all the time could easily be adapted to be food storage recipes. So look in your cookbooks and find recipes you love that you would like to share with the rest of us to help us make good food as part of our preparation.

This week’s recipe is for a quick meal. It is sent in by Jeri B. from Arizona.

BBQ Pork, Chicken or Beef Sandwiches
1 pint or quart of canned pork or chicken or beef
BBQ sauce
Homemade hamburger buns from roll mix or roll recipe or thick slices of homemade bread
If you don't have BBQ sauce stored, then make your own with ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, garlic powder and if you want, some molasses

*Note: as Jeri mentioned, you can make your own barbecue sauce but I’ve found that if you have a favorite barbecue sauce, it will store a very long time in the proper storage conditions. It’s a great idea to have a few extra bottles on hand. Thanks, Jeri!

72-Hour Kit Wednesday - Hand Crank Radio

Even though we cannot predict or prevent earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, or other natural disasters, we can prepare our families to cope and survive as well as possible. Here are some things that you can discuss in your families to prepare for any unforeseen event.
First, establish a "meeting place" where family members can gather in the event of an emergency. You may want to select a local school or church.

Second, in case it is not possible to gather, having a common message center is vital. One of the most important keys to receiving and sending information to family members who may be in various places when a disaster occurs is through an out-of-state contact. This is a friend or relative designated to handle messages should you not be able to call or locate your local family members. While most local private phone lines may be out of order for hours after a disaster strikes, pay phones are usually operable much sooner. The out-of-state contact can receive and relay messages from family members so you will know they are safe.

Establish in advance who your out-of-state contact will be. Everyone should carry with them a card with the out-of-state contact's name, address, and day and evening phone numbers. Let your children's teachers know who the out-of-state contact is for your family. That way, if your children are at school and you cannot pick them up, school authorities will know whom to relay a message concerning where your children will be taken. Each family member should carry a phone card or enough change for several phone calls.

This week’s suggested item for your 72-hour kits is one small hand crank radio. These range in price from about $15 up to $50 or more. My theory on this is that you just need a way to know what is going on in the event of a widespread emergency. You cannot plan on having access to a car radio in the event of an emergency as you may not have your car with you. It is always possible, depending on the type of emergency that you may be separated from others or even stranded with others who are not prepared.

A battery-powered or hand crank radio is helpful in monitoring the status of the disaster. Be sure to keep a fresh supply of batteries on hand. Check expiration dates on the batteries and rotate them regularly. Do not keep batteries inside the radio because they expire more quickly and may leak. When charged, most cell phones are able to call 9-1-1 even when they are not active. It is wise to have a cell phone (even not activated) when traveling or for emergency use. However, do not totally depend on Cell Phones. If towers are damaged they may be useless.

Emergency Essentials has a good selection of different radios with everything from a basic hand crank AM/FM radio to wavelength emergency radios which include a flashlight, charger for your cell phone depending on what you want and how much you want to spend.

If you have a transistor radio that uses batteries that is okay too; just make sure to start with good strong batteries (not stored in the radio) and to rotate the batteries with fresh ones every 6 months. If there is a chance you will forget to rotate the batteries, you are better off using a crank radio.

I am including a link to Emergency Essentials to see their variety of radios; many of these are on sale in their catalog on a regular basis. You can also give them a call at 1-800-999-1863 for more information on what is available.

Food Storage Friendly Friday – Recipe and Tip of the week

The tip this week is for your dishwasher. I believe it may have other applications as well. Let me know if you know of any other similar ideas. Here is the tip: Use 1 packet of lemonade flavor Kool-Aid (or any other generic brand) in place of that expensive chemical stuff to clean your dishwasher periodically. It works the same and helps to keep down the hard water deposits. You can just put it in the soap dispenser and run it on a short cycle. However, do not allow the dishwasher to dry the dishes. Change the setting to avoid running through the drying cycle or just keep an eye on it and shut it off when it gets ready to start drying. Prop the door open a bit to allow the dishes to air dry. Nice in the winter as it heats up the kitchen a bit.

If you have had very hard water you may have used a chemical such as something called “Lemi-Shine” with your detergent when you ran the dishwasher. This lemonade Kool-Aid will do the same thing so you can use 1 packet of that with your detergent every time you run it if you want. Or however often you think it is necessary. This is much cheaper and leaves the glasses sparkling with no white residue. Just use the cheap store brand with no sugar.

The reason this works so well is because of the citric acid. I have read so many good tips concerning citric acid lately. I need to study up and see what else it will do.

This week’s recipe was sent in by Camille J. from Utah. This food storage friendly recipe is for dessert. This looks like a cake my mom used to make a lot. It was my dad’s favorite. I’ll be trying this soon. The name of this one pretty much says it all. What a great food storage friendly recipe. Thanks, Camille.

WWI Eggless, Milkless, Butterless Cake
1 c. water
2 c. raisins
1 t. cinnamon
¼ t. nutmeg
½ t. cloves
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. shortening
¼ t. salt
2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. baking powder
Place water, raisins, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, shortening, nutmeg and salt in a saucepan and mix. Place on heat and bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes. Allow to cool, then sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir into cooked mixture. Place in a greased loaf pan and bake at 350º for one hour. Glaze if desired.

Homemade Fabric Softener Sheets

One of my very first posts was for homemade laundry soap. I was so excited to try making my own soap and seeing how it would work.
Well, I’m halfway through the 5-gallon bucket of Laundry detergent and I must say I have loved using it. It has lasted forever, was cheap to make and cleans well. What more can you ask? I still use prewash spray occasional or sometimes add a scoop of OxyClean but I have been very pleased with the homemade soap. I also posted the recipe for powdered laundry soap.

Several people I know are making this and using it and I was interested to see what they thought about it. The only negative comments I heard were that someone said it seemed like a lot of work to make it (she obviously had not tried it) and someone else said they didn’t have a place to store a 5 gallon bucket where their kids could not get into it and they were afraid of one of their children falling into the bucket. That is a valid concern. Because so many people I have talked to were interested in doing it, I wanted to post a link to the post where I originally posted it but I can’t make it go directly to that post so I decided it is just easier to repost the recipes again.

I’m also posting a recipe for homemade fabric softener sheets. I don’t use fabric softener all the time but it’s great to be able to make my own for when I do.

Just a couple of things I want to mention before I put the recipes here. First, Fels Naptha is an awesome cleaning product. It’s cheap, easy to store and very versatile. If you store a bar or two along with borax and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (this is different than the Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent – Make sure you get the Washing Soda), you have your long term laundry products stored for more than a year or two depending on the size of your family. Pretty inexpensive storage compared with the number of containers of laundry detergent you’d need to store for a year. I’ll be posting some other uses for these cleaning products.

Also, someone mentioned to me that they had a hard time finding the Fels Naptha. If that happens to be the case with you, you can substitute a bar of ivory hand soap instead. I think that’s awesome too.

I am excited to make the powdered laundry soap next and give it a try to see how it works. I’ll be sure to let you know. Here is the scoop on the homemade fabric softener.

Homemade Fabric Softener Sheets:
3- 4 cups water
1 cup vinegar
1 cup of hair conditioner (the cheap kind is fine)
An old fabric softener bottle or a big clear plastic juice bottle to mix ingredients in
A plastic container – a square Tupperware or an empty baby wipes container would be ideal – anything that has a lid
Combine all ingredients in your large bottle and shake well to combine. Use old wash cloths, (if they are badly frayed, trim and hem them) or cut and hem an old towel. Cut the towel or wash clothes or rags to fit into the square plastic container. Layer 3 to 5 clothes and pour enough softener to get the bottom rag wet. Seal the container. To use a fabric softener sheet, flip the stack of rags and get the wet one. Wring it out into the container. After your clothes are dry, put the used cloth back on top. Next time flip the stack to get another wet one. Just keep rotating through the rags and add more fabric softener to the container as needed. If you wish to double the recipe, a 15 oz. bottle of conditioner will work just fine. Experiment with different scents of conditioner till you find one you love. Vinegar is a natural rinsing agent and will not leave a smell but helps make your clothes soft. Also, you can almost always find VO5 or Suave conditioners for under $1.00 a bottle so this is very economical. Buying big gallon jugs of vinegar also makes it even cheaper. Give this one a try and see if you don’t feel like you are saving money. I like that!
Here are the reposts of the Liquid and Powdered Laundry Soap for anyone who missed it the first time around. Seriously, if you have not tried this yet, do it. It is one of the best things I've done!

Liquid Laundry Detergent
4 c. Hot water
1 Fels-naptha Soap Bar
1 c. Washing soda
½ c. borax
1 -5 gallon bucket with a lid
Grate bar of soap and add to a large sauce pan with the hot water. Stir continuously on low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. Fill the 5 gallon bucket ½ full of warm water, add washing soda and borax and melted soap. Stir with a large spoon or stick (Paint stirring stick works great) until all powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot water. Stir, cover with lid and set overnight to thicken. You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil for each 2 gallons of liquid if you want. For a top loading washing machine use ¼ c. per load. You will get 180 loads out of 5 gallons For a front loading machine use 1/8 c. per load and you get 640 loads out of 5 gallons. This costs just pennies a load and cleans better than popular commercial brands.

Powdered Laundry Soap
2/3 bar grated Fels Naptha Soap
1 cup washing soda
1 cup 20 mule team borax
Mix and store in airtight container or bag.
**light or small loads, use 1 tablespoon
**normal loads, use 2 tablespoons
**heavy loads, use 3 tablespoons
Tip: The above recipes will NOT make suds in your washer, so don’t be alarmed. Fels Naptha Soap is a pure soap and typically makes little or no suds, in the water. This makes it perfect for the new washers, as well as, traditional washers. You will also notice the need to either reduce your laundry softener, or in most cases you can even eliminate the use of softener completely.

72-Hour Kit Wednesday- First-Aid Kits

I’ve read several discussions where people have asked if it is really necessary to have all the suggested items in your 72-hour kit. Most lists I’ve seen are quite long and some I have seen, like the ones put out by the Civil Defense Program years ago, were up to 3 pages long. I think that you have to decide what you are willing to include and what you don’t want to be caught without.

One thing that is, in my opinion, absolutely necessary is a First-aid kit. I don’t think, however that it needs to be real extensive. Here are my thoughts on the best way to put one together.

First of all remember this is just a small kit for your backpack. I do believe each person should have their own small kit with just the basics; band-aids, antibiotic ointment, tweezers, gauze and tape, some alcohol pads and maybe a triangular bandage. Here is one suggestion that I really like; make a small kit for each child in your family with the above listed items or any items that you see fit. If you wish a basic small kit can be purchased already put together with just the minimum items.

One of the adults should have a more extensive kit which includes things like small scissors, safety pins, triangular bandages (if they are not included in individual kits), a more extensive assortment of band-aids including butterfly bandages for more serious cuts, Rubbing alcohol or alcohol pads, burn ointment, elastic bandage or wrap, calamine lotion, knife, soap, thermometer, fever reducing tablets (Tylenol) adult or child, Ibuprophen (for aches and pains), matches, Ipecac syrup, eye wash, and perhaps a small first-aid Manual if someone is not well trained. The contents of each kit will depend on the ages and number of family members. Your kit needs to be personalized to your needs.

One thing you need to remember as you assemble your kits is that, as we have talked before you need to rotate the items in them every six months. This will also include the items in the first-aid kits. They need to be rotated regularly and updated with new and more current items.

One thing I would suggest for each 72-hour kit is a container of anti-bacterial wipes. These would be an awesome thing for each family member to have. Remember we are also working towards getting cash in your kits. Hope you are putting a little away every chance you get.

A book review - Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

The Book - Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite Treat
by: Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope

An interesting new cookbook that hit the store shelves in 2010 is “Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.” This is a charming cook book with adorable pictures. These two authors are not new to the cookbook world, they also have several other very successful and much acclaimed vegan cookbooks. It is a fun book to flip through and just look at the great pictures, and maybe drool a bit.

The recipes themselves are varied too. This book has all-time favorites and regional classics as well as many interesting variations. Here are some of the great recipes; Magical Coconut Bars, Snickerdoodles, Cheesecake Brownies, Sweet Potato Blondies, Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies, Frosted Grapefruit Icebox Cookies, Blackstrap Gingersnaps, Oatmeal-raisin, Deluxe Cocoa Brownies, Graham Crackers, chocolate cut-out cookies and Applesauce Softies to name a few. These utilize natural sweeteners and whole wheat flour. One recipe I really want to try is the Vegan Lemon Bars, it looks really good.

This cookbook is for those who wish to change the way they cook and eat. It has some amazing recipes and ideas in it. Remember that it isn’t just for vegetarians but for anyone; especially helpful to those with milk or egg allergies as well as to people trying to adapt food storage to their baking. This might be interesting to those who like to “taste” the raw dough, but worry about raw eggs in it. Now you don’t have to worry about raw eggs.

For those looking for a few 100% shelf stable, food storage, recipes to have on hand, this book is great. All the recipes are made from 100% shelf stable ingredients. The ratings on this book were surprisingly high, as they were for the authors Vegan Cupcake book.

Here are some more of the cookie varieties from the book:

Chocolate Chip Cookies. If you love the butter flavor in cookies you might be a bit disappointed by this one. But then, I’m an original Nestlé’s Tollhouse Cookie Girl! However, considering it has no dairy or eggs, it is an interesting option. This is the only recipe I did not read great review about so I did not give it a try.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows These cookies are dairy free and egg free. They are like stuffed cookies; a rich chocolate outside with a peanut butter surprise in the middle. This is a softer dough that is very easy to work with. This is a great recipe and just as good as other similar versions I have tried.

Lazy Samoas are the dairy free, egg free version of the famous Girl Scout Cookies. I have a recipe to make them and it is lots of work. The recipe is very long and involved and I’m not sure I want to put that much time into it for just the two of us. It could take all day. This dairy free and egg free version is quick and quite good. There is no shortbread bottom, in order to save time but the end results are good.

If you are looking for some recipes to adapt to your food storage you may want to check out this book. I think you will have fun experimenting with the different recipes.