Food Storage Friday

5 Easy Steps to using your Food Storage

1.Figure out what is in your food storage.

Do you have a lot of powdered milk, wheat, rice, beans?

2.Write down a list of the meals that your Family typically eats.

Be sure to include baked good, breakfast and dinner.

3.Look for the ones that you can make simple adjustments to.

Recipes that call for milk are easy to substitute powdered milk to. Taste the same. I keep a container of reconstituted milk in my fridge for cooking purposes.

Do you bake? Try using some whole wheat flour for SOME of the white flour. Pancakes, waffles and cookies are great places to start.

Add rice to your soups, casseroles, and burritos.

4. Start conservative

You have to start out with small amounts of things like wheat. Converting over whole heartedly WILL cause major stomach problems. Take it slow.

Also look at only changing one or two recipes so you do not get overwhelmed. Next week add another and so on.

5.Look for new recipes that use more food storage items.

When looking for new recipes look for ones that have more food storage friendly ingredient lists.

Here are some GREAT food storage recipe sites:

http://safelygatheredin.blogspot.com/

extension.usu.edu

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/category/recipes

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/recipes/

Food Storage Friday

Cooking Oils and Fats

One adult needs to store a total of 25 lbs. of fats and oil for their year supply. This can be divided in several ways. According to the food guys calculator they split it up as: 4lbs. shortening, 2gals vegetable oil, 2qts mayonnaise, 1qts salad dressing and 4 lbs of peanut butter. This is ONLY a suggestion. Remember: Store what you eat, eat what you store.

Fats are essential for or health as well as much needed ingredients in some of our favorite recipes. So in short YES you do need this as part of your storage!!

Things to take into consideration:

• There are many cooking oil options such as almond, avocado, butter, canola, coconut, corn, grape, lard, nut, olive, peanut, pumpkin, safflower, sesame, shortening, soybean, sunflower, and vegetable blend.
• Shortening has a great shelf life (5 years +) but contains trans fats so use sparingly.
• Lard does not store well as it tends to go rancid. It has no shelf life out side of the fridge.

Places to buy:

• bulk food stores. Costco has great prices on all of these items.
• regular grocery stores. These are stocked. Watch sales and use coupons to get the best deals.

How to store:

• original container
• cool, dark spot
• remember to rotate!

Tasty Tuesday

Baking Day!!

Now I normally do not have a "day" for baking but I was just in the mood. So I made rolls, bread machine bread, banana bread and breakfast cookies. YUMMY!!!

I was in charge of rolls for all the holiday's since Thanksgiving. Well as of November 22nd I had never in my life made rolls so I learned quick! The recipe I use if from my ward cookbook. They are called Feather Rolls (thanks Celeste!!)

Feather Rolls

In a large bowl ( I use my kitchen aid w/ the dough hook for ALL of this) mix:

1 1/2 cups hot water 1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup sugar or honey 1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast (heaping)

Let mixture set about 10 minuets and get foamy.

Add:

2 eggs 21/2 cups flour 2 tsp salt

Mix well

Add 2 to 21/2 cups more flour (add flour until it pulls away from sides and is not gooey sticky). Knead 6 to 8 minuets (mix on high). Shape into rolls. Place on a lightly greased 12 x 17 pan. About 5 across and 6 down. Let rise until at least double. Cook at 375 for 15 to 20 mins.( I brush mine with butter.)

Now we had these left over from dinner last night so I cut 6 in half buttered them lightly. Sprinkled with grated Parmesan, garlic powder, and oregano. Them placed them under the broiler for 3 or 4 mins. Awesome little breads to go with spaghetti!

I have been trying to make all my bread. One it saves money and two it is yummmmers. Here is the recipe I love. I do have a few adjustments to it. I use 3 tablespoons of sugar vs. 2 and I often do a mix of wheat and white flour. I also butter the top when it comes out.

Okay so since the oven was on I made Danish Banana Bread too!! Thanks Liz for the super recipe!

Danish Banana Bread

1 cup oil 1 tsp. salt

1 cup brown sugar 2 tbs. hot water

1cup white sugar 2 tsp. baking soda

2 eggs 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups mashed bananas ( about 4 large) 3 cups flour (add last)

Mix in order listed. bake in 2 loaf pans at 350 for about 45 minuets. Cool for 10 minuets and then remove from pans.

Oh and last but not least Breakfast Cookies!!! I put this in our ward newsletter this month, but if you are not in my ward well then here is the very cool blog I got it from The American Homemaker !! This gal is awesome and a total blast to read. She is creative and quirky. LOVE IT!! Oh and the cookies....kids LOVED them.