I Dare You To Eat It

Fresh Ingredients

optional garnishes: fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, sour cream

Storage Ingredients

2 cans tomato sauce (14 oz. each)

1 can evaporated milk (12.5 oz.)

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves

Combine tomato sauce, evaporated milk, and dried basil (or substitute with fresh basil if available) and heat. Serve with grated cheese and a dab of sour cream if desired.

Yes friends, it’s another easy food storage meal that tastes legit! My dear friend, Khaliel, gave me this awesome soup recipe and so far it has been a hit with the 48 year old husband, the 25 and 27 year old newlyweds, AND the 13 year old still living at home. That’s saying a lot. I think that’s success. Best if all, this recipe only takes one minute to prepare. I could weep. For me, food storage isn’t primarily about planning meals for an emergency. It’s about planing regular meals that my family can enjoy RIGHT NOW.

Right now, we’re facing month number THREE of a rather extensive remodeling project in our home, with at least another month and a half to go. Hard to ‘complain’ about a remodeling project (boohoo) but I CAN STILL DO IT! I’m thrilled that we’re finally investing in some much needed home improvements but all this construction has made life a little funky as we contend with workers, tools, machinery, tarps, and the constant layer of dust that covers everything.

Last night, as I opened these three cans…

spicing it up with a bit of this…

or a little of that…

meant I was able serve my family a quick and healthy dinner, in spite of all the chaos.  Thank you!

One of the VERY BEST perks to giving food storage presentations all over the place is that I get to meet wonderful, gifted, and generous people like Bill and Mary Mitchell.

When I shared my recipe for sloppy-joes Bill was shocked to learn that I didn’t know how to make my own chili sauce. Then he kindly invited me to come to his home so that he could teach me his mother’s famous recipe. As soon I tasted Grandma Marsden’s I was 100% converted, and totally willing to learn!

Fresh Ingredients

5 or 6 medium sweet onions

2 red peppers

2 green peppers

Storage Ingredients

2 giant (1 gallon) cans of diced tomatoes (106 oz. each)

2 cups apple cider vinegar

4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Grind the onions and peppers on coarse grind in a hand grinder. (Or, chop them into 1/2″ chunks…forever. That little old grinder was an awesome tool!)

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot.

Cook about 10 minutes or until onions are transparent.

Process 15-20 minutes in a steam processor. (It would be a mistake for me to try to share more detailed instructions because I’ve only done this once. Gulp. But I have to admit, it seemed really easy…as I watched Bill do everything.) 

This recipe made about 20 pints of chili sauce, so almost 3 full batches. (That’s canning talk.)

We’re totally addicted to this stuff. My pot roasts have never been so happy.

Fresh Ingredients

2 eggs, beaten

(You will also need two egg yolks and 1/2 cup of butter for the frosting.)

Storage Ingredients

1 can peaches (1 lb. 13 oz.) drained and mashed (about 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups of fruit)

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup oil

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon white flour

1/2 cup butter

2 egg yolks

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts, or coconut (I used 3/4 cup pecans and 3/4 cup giant flaked coconut. Wow)

Combine sugar, eggs, oil, and peaches. In a separate bowl stir together the wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to peach mixture and blend well. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Pour into a 9 x 13 inch oiled cake pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

For the frosting, combine brown sugar, flour, butter, egg yolks, and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil, stirring, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla, nuts and/or coconut. Carefully spoon hot frosting onto warm cake. It’s really really good.

My dear sister, Virginia, popped a bite of this cake into my mouth, insisting that I taste it, while I was dropping something off at her house. That’s all it took for me to want to try this recipe. (And you know how I feel about baking.) PLUS this recipe uses whole wheat flour AND canned fruit so it’s perfect for using both my long-term storage and my three-month supply. 

People may complain about canned fruit but I always try to maintain a small selection of peaches, pears, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and applesauce. The canned fruit may not be my first choice on a day-to-day basis, but I want the luxury of having it in my food storage. And, if I’m going to buy the stuff, I better have a plan for getting it used. This super moist peach and wheat recipe tastes like a luscious cross between carrot cake and German chocolate. It’s also easy to prepare, and that matters a whole lot to me!

A couple of my daughters have given this recipe a prominent nickname but really it’s just a simple food storage meal that tastes surprisingly similar to the extra creamy macaroni and cheese served at this restaurant chain.

Fresh Ingredients

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Storage Ingredients

2 cups dry macaroni

1 cup Alfredo sauce (Buying the 3-pack of sauce from Costco makes it perfect for my three-month supply.)

1 cup water

1/2 cup powdered milk

*or substitute 1 cup evaporated milk for the water and powdered milk

Boil pasta in salted water for about 7 minutes. If using powdered milk, reserve 1 cup of the hot cooking liquid and then drain the pasta. Return both the reserved water and the pasta to the pan and stir in the powdered milk, Alfredo sauce, and Parmesan cheese. (If you’re using evaporated milk drain all the water before adding the other ingredients.) Transfer to a small cake pan or casserole dish and top with the grated cheddar cheese. Cover with plastic and microwave for 2-3 minutes until all the cheese is melted on top.

I like to serve this dish with a healthy side of sauteed spinach

and fresh tomatoes. The whole meal can be ready in less than fifteen minutes and that’s much quicker than driving to the nearest restaurant and waiting for our order to be prepared.

A dash of nutmeg is nice on top as we enjoy a yummy dinner and the money we just saved.

You can tell from this picture that I really meant to share this recipe about four weeks ago. Oops. The year is flying by and I’m already TIRED!

Back in December, and thanks to the combined suggestions and ideas from a number of generous readers, I recycled some of my food storage cans, quickly covered them with a little bright red wrapping paper, and filled each with hot soup. Hopefully enough to feed a  family, this neighbor gift was uncharacteristically healthy and came from my food storage.

Fresh Ingredients

1 medium onion, diced

8 carrots, diced

8 celery stalks with tops, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup pico de gallo (This is where I love to use the frozen pico in my freezer.)

Storage Ingredients

2 cups pinto or pink beans (I’m sure that other beans would also work well.)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup powdered milk, dry

2-3 teaspoons salt

Sort beans for debris and rinse. Cover with 2 quarts of water and soak for 12-24 hours. If possible, change the water two or three times during the soaking process in order to draw out and reduce the indigestible sugars that cause digestive discomfort. Before cooking, drain and thoroughly rinse beans.

Fill crock-pot with 2 quarts of fresh water and beans. Then add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, olive oil, oregano, cumin, and pepper. Cover with lid and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours, or until the beans are soft. (My beans are…more mature…so I let this soup cook overnight.)

Then add powdered milk, salt, and salsa. Puree the soup, using a stick blender or regular blender, until smooth. Serve with warm tortillas, corn muffins, or garlic toast on the side. Very yummy.

My number one FAVORITE RECIPE of 2009 was for this simple pico de gallo. It changed my life. Really.  

We’ve easily doubled the use of our rice and beans, and because those dry ingredients are already on hand and in my home as part of our long-term food storage, we’re saving money every time we serve this meal.

Big thanks go to Kris for sharing the recipe last Spring. All summer long we enjoyed our home grown ‘maters’ garnishing rice and bean taco salads. When the change in seasons forced me back to buying the not-so-sweet-little-nothings sold at the grocery store, I decided to experiment with substituting petite-cut canned tomatoes. As the family tasted the food storage friendly salsa Lizzie asked, “Is this the salsa from the Rio Grande restaurant?”

Close enough! 

Fresh Ingredients

8-10 Roma tomatoes, diced or substitute with 2 cans, petite-cut tomatoes (1 lb. 12 oz. each can)

1/2 cup yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup green onion, sliced

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 limes, juiced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Storage Ingredients

2 cans petite-cut tomatoes (1 lb. 12 oz. each can) substituted for fresh tomatoes

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

Mix all the ingredients and chill for an hour or two. So good! And because I’ve been preparing this recipe again and again, for a year, I’ve also discovered that it freezes well.

Sort of like raspberry freezer jam…but different. The point is, IT’S ALL GOOD, and I hope you’ll love it as much as we do.

Ahhh…sweet success.

Storage Ingredients

1 can crushed pineapple with juice (20 oz.)

1 box angel food cake mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. With minimal mixing, combine entire can of crushed pineapple with angel food cake mix. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Cake should be lightly browned and center tested done when fully baked. Cool inverted. Frost with sweetened whipping cream if desired.

Refreshing and light as a feather, this is a great holiday dessert! Perfect after a rich meal. Big thanks to dear Linda for sharing such an easy and yummy recipe. With only two ingredients, it’s practically holiday baking for pre-schoolers, and something even I couldn’t mess up. Our whole family loved it. One daughter said, “Dang, this would make a great wedding cake.” That’s a pretty big compliment, especially for a Weight Watchers recipe. Fat free if served without frosting.

I suggest you give this recipe a try and consider adding a few cans of crushed pineapple and boxes of angel food cake mix to your three-month supply. Angels in your home will love you!

Merry Christmas!

Dear Cozette shared this recipe for a yummy soup that uses the mango and peach salsa sold at Costco.

Besides the fact that I’m always looking for simple and delicious ways to serve more wheat berries to my family, I especially wanted to prepare and share this soup with my nephew. You see, Steve was diagnosed with Leukemia about four months ago. My sister, Carolyn, is doing everything she can to help him eat healthy food and WHEAT has been suggested by his doctors. 

Without a doubt, Steve is our favorite Chemo Sabe. Your prayers in his behalf are greatly appreciated. (www.stevenrevans.blogspot.com)

Fresh Ingredients

2 lbs. cooked diced chicken breasts (or) four cans (12.5 oz. each) canned chicken breast

Storage Ingredients

Combine in a large soup pot and simmer 10 minutes:

1 (48 oz.) Mango Salsa with Peach

1 (14.4 oz.) can diced tomatoes

3 Tablespoons olive oil

Add:

2 lbs. cooked diced chicken breasts (or) four cans (12.5 oz.) canned chicken breast

2 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth

1 quart chicken stock or water with chicken bouillon or chicken base

1 1/4 teaspoons cumin

2 (11 oz.) cans of drained corn or equivalent frozen corn

2 cups cooked whole wheat berries

Simmer for 15 minutes. Pour into soup bowls over broken tortilla chips. Garnish with sour cream, grated cheese, avocado pieces, fresh lime juice, cilantro leaves, olives. Go wild!

A couple of weeks ago, my dear friend Kris shared this wonderful recipe for Dutch Apple Pie, made entirely from food storage ingredients. With a ten year old can of dehydrated apples already sitting on my kitchen counter

and my twelve year old hungry for an after-school treat, I thought this was a perfect recipe for Lizzie to try. Now, you may notice that the apples look a bit odd, after 10 years of storage, but don’t be scared. These babies are supposed to last 30 years…even if their appearance and texture has changed a bit. TMI?

Storage Ingredients

Filling:

4 cups dehydrated apples, firmly packed

4 cups water

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Bring water to a boil in a 3 quart pan. Add apples, stir and let stand for 5 minutes. Add sugar, flour and cinnamon to apples. Cook, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly. Pour into an oiled or sprayed 7 x 11 inch pan.  (We buttered our pan, because we could.) The main difference I noticed about this recipe was that in preparing the apples this way created a very VERY luscious, almost caramel-like, filling.

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

Cut butter into flour and sugar until crumbly.

Sprinkle crumb topping over the apple filling.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.

Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or half and half.

WE LOVED THIS DUTCH APPLE PIE!!! If you have dehydrated apples in your storage you should definitely try this recipe. If you don’t have dehydrated apples in your storage,

get some.

Hello again!

Probably more than any other food storage item, people are always telling me that they don’t know how to cook dried beans. (I obviously can’t take a good picture. Here’s hoping that  ’soft edges’ might give a boudoir effect, making a bowl of pintos  even more appealing.)

With thanks for patient coaching and encouragement from my friend, The Amazing Cozette,  I’ve finally learned how simple it is to prepare the least expensive protein.  I’ve also learned that died beans, freshly cooked at home, taste so much better than the precooked canned beans from the grocery store. (Think freshly cooked vegetables vs. canned vegetables.)

Right now, I’m working on serving beans at least twice a week. My twelve-year-old and her friends have enjoyed the after-school bean burritos. I’ve enjoyed serving a healthy snack that comes from food storage. We’re saving money and improving our diet…but don’t tell the kids.

Fresh Ingredients

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

Storage Ingredients

2 cups dry pinto beans

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 1/4 cups water

Sort beans for debris. Rinse. Cover with 2 quarts of water and soak for 12-24 hours. If possible, change the water three or four times during soaking process in order to draw out and remove indigestible sugars that cause digestive discomfort. Drain and thoroughly rinse beans. Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for approximately 10-12 hours, until beans are tender. Add 1-2 teaspoons salt to taste, and serve.