Marti’s Corner – 22

Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

* THIS was advertised on my FB feed. It’s a great price and looks like a winner. Do your own research, but it’s something to think about. 6 in 1 Portable Outdoor LED Camping Lantern With Fan
* Here is a link to download the book called “LDS Preparedness Manual.” Please read the disclosure at the beginning. There is a suggested year’s supply and a calendar to help you purchase this in smaller increments. Lots and lots of valuable information. It’s free, of course. LDS-Preparedness-Manual.pdf. (It is NOT prepared by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
* I got all excited about thermal cooking again (see below) and bought two cookbooks. PLUS, I got all excited about making my own pasta and bought a pasta maker. (Ugh, so many kinds to choose from). I can’t wait to try it.
* I had the opportunity to use my 72-hour kit again. I was with the girls at their Ward Camp activity. It was warm, and no one had sunscreen. Surely, in my pack of everything, I had some. No, no, I did not. I had at least 4 containers of insect repellant but no sunscreen. Don’t worry; I’ll take care of that today when I go shopping.

* Garden news: Do you have leaves that look like this:

A leaf miner causes this. This little worm lives between the layers of the leaf. You can’t spray it with anything because it’s protected. It only takes about 1 week for it to mature and turn into a flying insect, which then bores into more leaves and lays eggs (at night, of course). Be vigilant. If you see this, cut that part of the leaf out and throw it in the kitchen trash, where it will go out into the trash can at the end of the day. OR take it right out into the garden trash can. But don’t just leave it in the garden. I am only beginning to find them now that the weather is really warming up.

LONG TERM FOCUS: Pasta

Have you ever tried making your own pasta? It would save having to store it. You don’t even need a pasta maker. This guy makes it look so easy with or without a pasta maker. Easy to Make Homemade Pasta Dough Recipe – YouTube
Then I watched this one: How to Make the SIMPLEST Homemade Pasta – YouTube

I now believe I’m an expert and can’t wait to try out my new pasta maker.

SHORT TERM FOCUS: Pasta Sauce

You can use either store ingredients to MAKE sauce, or you can just store the sauce. I have a really good spaghetti sauce that I love, so I always make that. I also have a recipe for Alfredo sauce, but I tend to just buy it when it goes on sale. I know – go figure. I’m going to include both recipes below. The spaghetti sauce calls for sausage – which I use. But in a pinch, we can get by without it. Plus, if I’m making lasagna or something else that “uses” pasta sauce, it’s easier to just open a jar or can rather than make a bigger mess in the kitchen. This week, just pick up some extra sauce – whatever your favorite kind is. Winco usually has Hunt’s pasta sauce for about $.80. Get 4 or 5, and store them away.

72-HOUR KIT FOCUS: Food

My car has broken down in my emergency scenario, or there has been an earthquake that has closed the freeways, and I have to walk home. I wanted three days of food that would give me strength and energy for that walk (I KNOW this might sound silly, but in MY head, it’s always the worst possible thing, and I want to prepare for THAT thing). I just wandered through the store, looking for what would be easy to cook or eat. Food can be heavy, and I wanted to travel as light as possible. BUT, I didn’t have a ton of money for freeze-dried hiker’s meals. I have packets of oatmeal. But then I knew I would need to cook that oatmeal. You want each pack to be independent.

Here are two of my three-day’s supply of food:

Breakfast: oatmeal, hot chocolate Lunch: Top Ramen, beef jerky Dinner: Beef stew, dehydrated pineapple Snack? 2 granola bars plastic silverware and napkins This all fits in a gallon zip lock bag
	Breakfast: Cheerios, powdered milk, Tang Lunch: Lipton soup, dehydrated apples Dinner: Spaghetti, pretzels Snacks: 2 granola bars, 1 fruit roll-up plastic silverware and napkins Again, everything fits in a gallon zip lock bag.

I bought an emergency ration bar once because I was curious. Ultimate Survival Technologies 5-Year Emergency Food Ration Bar – 2400 calories packaged to last 5 years. It’s pretty good. But I’m not sure that it’s very filling. Don’t want to buy and pack individual meals? Fine. Get a bunch of these. They are lighter and take up a lot less room.

Notes:
* I put some Jolly Ranchers into a pack once, thinking they would be good to suck on. They all melted, and it was a BIG mess! Now, I pretty much vacuum seal everything.
* Next week I’ll share other things that I have so that I can cook and prepare all this food.
* Even though I keep the pack in the car, and it gets really hot in there during the summer, the food stays good for at least a year. I try to replace the food once a year.

If you are not packing for a 3-day hike, then just get a box of granola bars and some fruit roll-ups.

MISC FOCUS: Thermal Cookers

I was first introduced to thermal cooking by Sister Whittier when she did a class on Alternative Cooking. You can watch that class here: Emergency Preparedness.
I was VERY impressed. You can cook a whole meal with just a few minutes of boiling. Think of the fuel you would save!! I bought one and then experimented with lots of different foods. Here is a great article all about thermal cookers and why you might want to think of getting one: What is a Thermal Cooker & How Does it Work? – A Heart Full of Joy. She even tells you which brands she prefers and does a comparison.  I haven’t used mine in a while. I’m thinking it’s time to just break down and buy the cookbook and start using it again, especially in the summer.

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES

Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground beef (or 1 pint)
1 lb. sausage
Cook and drain meat
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes. Sometimes I don’t have this, so I use my immersion blender and stick it in a can of diced tomatoes and make my own.
1 med green pepper chopped (I use dehydrated)
1 med onion chopped (I use dehydrated)
1 c. chopped carrots (I use dehydrated)
1 c. water
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 TB brown sugar
1 TB Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced (I use the kind in the jar)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Slow cook for 8-10 hours. I never remember to do this, so I just simmer for 45 min. – 1 hour.

Alfredo Sauce

1/2 c. butter – melted
4 cloves garlic minced
8 oz. cream cheese (THIS ingredient is not shelf-stable)- add and melt and blend till smooth
2 c. milk – add a little at a time
6 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp black pepper

Chicken Tetrazzini

2 1/2 lbs chicken cut in pieces
2 4-oz jars of mushrooms
1 16-oz jar Alfredo sauce, or recipe from above
1/4 c. chicken broth
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg (oddly enough, this gives it a really good taste)
Simmer together. Serve over cooked linguine or noodles.
Top with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Cheesy Italian Shells

This recipe is one of my 19 food storage recipes
Sauce:
1/4 c. instant powdered milk
1 TB cornstarch
1 TB Italian seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Mix into 3 1/3 hot water. Mix If you are using non-instant powdered milk, Mix 1/4 c. powdered milk into 1 c. water and mix with a blender or shake in a jar. (not as easy to mix). Then add the rest of the water.
1 1/2 c. pasta shells
1 pint drained ground beef (or 1 lb. ground beef browned and drained)
1/2 c. stewed tomatoes (only about 1/3 of a can)
Add pasta, beef, and tomatoes to the milk mixture and heat 12-20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.
3/4 c. cheddar cheese – If using freeze-dried cheese, add while cooking. If using fresh cheese, then add after.

Marti