Marti’s Corner – 94

Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

*  Can you make cheese from nonfat powdered milk?  The answer is YES, but you need Rennet Tablets Junket Rennet Tablets, 0.23 Ounce (Pack of 2).   Here are the directions:  Mozzarella Cheese From Milk Powder Recipe | In The Kitchen With Matt

*  PreppingDeals.net – Prepper Supplies, Survival Gear, and Augason Farms

This is kind of a cool site.  I get daily links (which can be a pain, I admit), but I usually scan them once or twice a week.  Sometimes they offer REALLY good deals.  They primarily deal with Augason Farms’ dehydrated and freeze-dried foods.  I have purchased and used this brand.  But there are other deals as well.  Check it out.

GARDEN HAPPENINGS

*  I’m itching to start my late-winter garden plants by seed.  To know WHEN, just subtract 100 days from your last frost date.  You can get there here:  https://www.almanac.com/gardening/  

My zip code says the first frost is Jan 3, and my last frost is Feb 14.  But here’s the thing.  I know for a FACT we had three frost days last year in March.  So, I’m going to go with March 14 instead.  Having said that, you can go ahead a plant, but be ready with frost blankets just in case.  According to Nicole Burke at Gardenary.com, she says to count backward 100 days from your last frost date.  THAT is the date you can start seeds indoors.  Well, counting back from March 15, you get to Dec 7! – which is today as I’m typing this.  So, probably sometime during the next week, I’m going to try and plant my broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. 

THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: sauces 8-10 jars

Time to pick up some additional jars/cans of

spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, or whatever sauce you might add to pasta to form the basis of a meal.  If you don’t want to store canned sauces, pick up ingredients to make your own:  tomato sauce, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, etc.  Alfredo sauce is difficult to make from shelf-stable items, so it would be worth getting a few jars if you have favorite meals using this sauce.

MISC PURCHASE: fuel, propane

This is a great time to make sure that all your propane tanks are full.  If we ever have to cook with our BBQs, propane will sell out quickly.  In fact, you should probably have a spare tank as a backup.  Don’t have a propane BBQ?  You can get a small camp stove for a reasonable price, AND an attachment that will let you hook it up to a large tank.

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES

Chili Mac

This is just what it sounds like:  chili with macaroni.  What’s NOT to like??

Boil some water and cook 1/2 pound pasta (elbow macaroni or another similar type), drain

While the pasta is cooking, start on the chili.
1 large yellow onion diced (1-2 TB dehydrated onions reconstituted)
1/2 green pepper, seeded and diced (1 TB dehydrated green pepper reconstituted)
1-2 TB olive oil
     Sauté onions and pepper in oil.
4 cloves minced garlic (1 TB minced garlic reconstituted)
    Just put all dehydrated veggies in a small cup, add hot water, and let them sit for 15 min or so until they look like you JUST chopped them!

Add the garlic and sauté a few min more
1 lb ground beef – add and brown  Drain if needed
1 TB ground cumin
1 TB red chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika or sweet paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 can crushed tomatoes (14 oz.)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 c. beef broth
1 TB tomato paste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
   Bring to a boil, and simmer about 10 minutes while flavors combine and chili thickens.
Then add the cooked pasta and toss well to combine.
Optional:  Top with cheese and either cover or place in the broiler for 2 minutes to melt the cheese.
Serve with sour cream

Hawaiian Haystacks

I just bought an e-book advertising recipes using food storage.  I was pretty disappointed to see that there were only 12 recipes using all shelf-stable foods.  There were lots of recipes using fresh foods, but that was not what I was looking for.  ANYWAY……  Hawaiian Haystacks was one of her food storage recipes.  For me, they are like making hamburgers or tacos.  It’s not conducive to just two people.  AND… I DO like fresh tomatoes and green onions on my haystacks.  But, in a pinch, this would make an easy meal.

rice:  1 c. rice + 2 c. water = 3 c. cooked rice.

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can chicken
1 can crushed pineapple (I prefer pineapple tidbits)
1 pkg Chinese noodles (I’m not sure what the expiration date is on these, but there is a really yummy Christmas treat that I make with them, so one package could serve double duty.)

If you have never had these haystacks, you give everyone a scoop of rice.  Mix the soup with the chicken, heat, and spoon over the rice.  Then pile on top what sounds good.

I like:
peanuts (you’d think this would be weird but it is SO good)
Chinese noodles
green onions
diced tomatoes (also seems weird but tastes so good)
pineapple
cheese (ditto)

Other people like:  celery, green or red peppers, chopped broccoli, olives, spinach, coconut, raisins, and mandarin oranges

Christmas Jumbles
NOT a food storage item.  Well, I guess it could be if you have chocolate in your food storage!

As promised, this is my treat using Chinese Chow Mein noodles that I only ever make at Christmas for no particular reason.
1 package semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 package butterscotch morsels
1/2 package Spanish peanuts
1 bag Chinese Chow Mein noodles
Melt the chocolate carefully in the microwave or with a double boiler.
Add the nuts and noodles.

Spoon out onto tin foil or wax paper with whatever utensil will let you make small drops of yumminess.  Two spoons?  A spoon and a fork?  Two forks?  Whatever will work.  Let them cool and harden.  SO GOOD!!!

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Be vigilant!  We do NOT know when, but we know emergencies WILL come!!!

Marti