Marti’s Corner – 141

Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

There are several sites where you can find information on preparedness.  One is here: Temporal Preparedness Resources . You can find disaster plans for every area of the country.

Another is fema.gov  Plan Ahead for Disasters

Locally, you can go to rivco.org (stands for Riverside County) Disaster Preparedness | County of Riverside Emergency Management Department There is good information there as well.

They all have this in common:

Start with a plan.  Prepare food and necessities for a disaster.  Make an emergency kit for evacuation OR for staying home.  Teach your kids what to do.  Practice with the family.

GARDEN HAPPENINGS:

We are inching toward our last frost date at my house.  About 2 weeks to go.  That means:

I can plant my broccoli, cauliflower and peas outside.  IF there is a frost, it will not kill the plants, but I will probably cover them anyway.  My tomatoes are 5-6 inches high, but will have to wait another 2 weeks at least.  My goal is to have everything in the garden by the end of March, so I can get a crop before the summer heat sets in.

THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE:  chicken

Boneless, skinless chicken breast is on sale at my local Winco store for $1.99 a pound.  When chicken is this cheap (well, cheap by today’s standards), get a lot and can it.  

Don’t want to can???  Then buy some already canned chicken.  At $2.85 or so per can, it is pricey.  MUCH cheaper to can your own. 
Don’t have a canner?  Don’t know how?  Check around.  I’m SURE there is someone in your vicinity who will help you!  Otherwise, YouTube is your friend.  Learning how to do this simple thing will save you so much money in the long run!

If you are used to using canned chicken, the chicken you can yourself is exactly the same, except that each pint jar equals about 1 pound of chicken.  

MISC. PURCHASE:  seeds

Even if you are NOT going to plant a garden, this is a good time to get seeds.  Grab a packet of everything you MIGHT want to grow.  Wrap a rubber band around them, put them in a sandwich bag, and throw them in the back of the Crisper.  (Have you ever known anything actually to get crisper in the crisper???)  Discount stores will usually discount their seeds.  Think of it as insurance you hope you won’t need to use.

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES:

Using food storage powders in cooking:

Craig has been sick all week.  I made him some chicken noodle soup–which as you know–makes everything better.

This made A LOT, and I was able to share it with a few friends.

8 c. chicken broth

2 c. cooked chicken diced (sometimes I use chicken breast browned and diced and sometimes I use canned chicken)

2 carrots chopped – I used dehydrated

2 stalks of celery chopped – I used dehydrated

1 onion chopped – I used dehydrated

1 c. noodles (I really like fettuccine noodles for this soup.  I actually used about  1 1/2 c.  I like noodles!)

1 TB minced garlic (less if that sounds like too much–but garlic is really good for colds)

1/4 tsp rosemary

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp turmeric powder (also good for you)

4 tsp salt

     Simmer until the veggies are fully rehydrated and cooked.  Usually about 20 minutes for me.

It dawned on me that flour tortillas could be a great substitute for bread at all three meals.  Who doesn’t like breakfast burritos???

My last attempt at tortilla making was interesting.  Maybe I’ll have better luck with this recipe.

2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. Lard

1 c. room temp water

1 tsp salt

(909) How to make EASY FLOUR TORTILLAS from SCRATCH, The BEST Step BY Step Recipe, SECRET TIPS + MEAL PREP

Snickerdoodles

I like this recipe because it lets me use and rotate my shortening (which I don’t use very often).  

1 c. shortening

1 1/2 c. sugar

     Cream together

2 eggs – add

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt

     Add and mix

2 3/4 c. flour

  Mix and refrigerate 30 min.

Roll in 1 inch balls and then roll in cinnamon sugar mix.  (I don’t measure this, I just put about 1/4 c. sugar in a small dish and add cinnamon until it looks good)

Place on parchment.  Bake 375˚ for 8-10 min.

It’s getting crazy out there.  Be safe.  Pray.  Be Prepared.

Marti Shelley