Cooking 101

Last Tuesday evening Joanne Poulson and Esther Davis taught a very informative (and yummy) interest group on how to use your 3-month food storage supply in various recipes. We ate two different chicken dinners, apple crisp, and chocolate cookies. Below are the recipes demonstrated as well as a few helpful handouts. (Click on the image to enlarge it. You can also zoom in on the image if you open the image in a "new tab.") Thanks Joanne and Esther for a such a delicious night!

Drinking Water Safe Hoses

To follow up with our water barrel class, we would like you to know that we have found drinking water safe hoses for filling up water barrels at Wal-Mart. Different colors and lengths are available. Prices start at around $10 plus tax for a 25 foot hose. (This is the best deal we've found.) You can also purchase fifty foot hoses there. Look in either the sporting goods section or the gardening isle for different options to suit your needs. You will want one or more of these hoses to fill your barrels from your outside spigot. Make sure you have enough length to go from the spigot to the final resting place of your barrel. You can not move the barrel after it's filled! After use, keep your hose in a place where it will be protected from the elements. I keep all of my water barrel "tools" in a plastic box.

Please let me know if you are interested in purchasing water barrels or other smaller containers for water storage. We will be making orders for these in the very near future.

Provident Living--Group Orders

Here is some more information on the products we are ordering as a group:

1. Freeze -Dried Seasoned White Chicken. This comes from the Emergency Essentials catalog. Described as real cubed, cooked white chicken for your home storage. Regular price is $42.95. Our group price is $28 each. Here is a great opportunity to try even one can, to see if you like it. Shelf life is many years, but once opened, the product must be used up pretty quickly. There is no shipping cost on this one so if you need anything else from Emergency Essentials, now would be a prime time to get it. Also, if you are ordering water barrels, (info below) now would be a good time to order barrel supplies i.e. barrel opener, siphon hose (to empty barrels), siphon hose adapter (attaches from siphon to your garden hose), drinking water safe hose (for filling water barrels), etc. Look it over online, or if you have this month's catalog, water supplies are on pg. 42, and the chicken is on pg. 50.

2. 55-gallon water drums. The price will be affected by how many our group orders. We're looking at around $50 plus tax. We'll purchase them from a local company called Pennco Containers. We will likely need help from people with large vehicles on pick-up day. Details to follow.

3. The Aqua Rain gravity water filter. This is a wonderful product which can be for daily use and/or emergency use. It needs no water pressure, can produce up to 24 gallons a day, and can turn water from any source into safe drinking water. You fill the container from the top, and the water filters into the bottom section where you can then use the spigot to access the water. Ceramic filters contain carbon and silver, and can be cleaned multiple times for longer use. (Radioactive material is not filtered--sorry.) This product can be used to filter water from chlorine pools, ponds, hot water heaters, you name it. This is a more expensive item on the outset, but pays you back over time. I keep a container in my fridge that I fill with this filtered water, and I always have cold water. The filter does need counter space with no cupboard above (it's too tall to fit under an upper cabinet), or you can simply store it for emergency use. You can let me know if you have any other questions about this item. Price will be somewhere around $300, and I don't know yet if that will include shipping or not. You also have the option to buy replacement filters now, so you will always have them available in case of need. More information can be found on http://www.aquarain.com/. Ask for one for Christmas!

Some sisters have been telling their friends/family (members and non-members) about our items available for ordering. Feel free to let others know if you think they may be interested, and I will be happy to help them too. Just have them contact me via phone/email, or combine their order with yours.

PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH YOUR ORDERS BY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20th. THANKS!

EMERGENCY FUEL OPTIONS

What a great, informative PREPAREDNESS class we had this evening. Sister Adair showed at least 7 or 8 different options for emergency fuel sources. not only for year supply storage, but also our 72 hour kits. Fuel supplies us not only warmth, but many cooking options when we are without conventional electricity or gas.

We had the opportunity to make the little paint can/toliet paper stoves, and duct tape on the side, an opener, a lighter, and a v shaped opener to cut #10 cans around both top and bottom to provide a surface to cook on, when they are placed over the canned fuel.. We also had demonstrated a canned gel heat source, and two different size stoves which fit the cans. We tried single Coleman burners, and a neat Volcano cooker, which uses only 10-12 briquets. Some of the stoves could be used inside, and several had to be used outside.

We had an opportunity to place orders at wholesale prices on the canned fuel and stoves, neat flint and stone lighters - if anyone is interested, they may call Kim Adair for information, and also be included in the order.


As always Kim had made a great treat from storage, this time a banana bread, made with freshly ground "soft " white wheat. We got so busy making little stoves, we never got around to making
the s'mores that Kim had available to toast over our fuel sources.

As always, there were fun door prizes, insect repellent, candles, ground white wheat that Kim offered freely. There were about 9 of us, and it was so rewarding to see one of our fairly recent converts Angelina Anthian , enthusiastically working on her little stoves to get her "food storage" started. Blessed is the man( or woman), who when he heareth the word - doeth it!

Upcoming Preparedness Class!

We have heard a great deal about preparedness this past weekend at stake conference. Truly, our leaders care for our welfare enough to encourage us to prepare for difficult times.

This Tuesday, October 18th @ 7:00 p.m. (Kim Adair's Home) we will have our emergency preparedness class on fuel sources for cooking and heating.

1. You will be able to make quart size cans of fuel. Instructions/supplies will be available. (Cost is about $6.00, depending on what you want.) If you have not signed up yet, you can contact me to give me an idea of how many you'd like. You're not committed to buy until you see that night what is offered. Then you can decide for sure.

2. We will show and tell about Alco-Brite--another heating/cooking source in a pint-size can. I will take orders for this item Tuesday night. (Discount/wholesale price about $3.50 per can.)

3. Cooking stoves and fire starters to accompany both options above will also be discussed, with the option to order. Cost TBA.

4. We'll briefly talk about other larger cooking/heating sources that are available out there for emergency use.

5. Also...if you'd like to bring your important documents (birth certificates, driver's license, other i.d., etc.), Laurie Johnson will have her document scanner for you to scan them and they can be saved onto a small portable memory device that YOU bring. You can then keep that in a safe/72-hour kit. (No cost...bring your own stuff--up to 8 1/2 x 11 size.)

Tons of great information will be discussed, so come and learn and enjoy!
Money will be due that night (Tuesday).

If you can't make it, but want to order any of the above, please contact Kim Adair.

Rotate Your Rolled Oats With This Granola Recipe!

I met Bonnie Muir at the grocery store just before our last "Fun With Food Storage" meeting. We were swapping stories and comparing notes on granola recipes. She has one she loves that I would like to try. The recipe from our meeting was more like a granola "bar", and hers is more like a crunchy cereal, made in a larger quantity that will keep longer. Very practical! What a great way to go through those rolled oats. It costs a little more to make in the beginning, but it lasts: therefore, it saves you money over time in not having to buy several boxes of cereal. Can we all say...ROTATE???!!!

Here's the Recipe.....

PERFECT GRANOLA

13 cups rolled oats

1 cup white flour or whole wheat flour

1 cup honey

1 cup vegetable or coconut oil

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons vanilla

2 cups wheat germ

2 cups brown sugar

16 oz. coconut

2 cups sunflower seeds

1 1/2 cups water

Mix together and place on two large cookie sheets. Bake at 200 degrees for 1-2 hours stirring every 20 minutes or until golden brown. Store in cans or plastic containers.

Makes 40 1/2 servings.

" DELIGHTFUL PREPAREDNESS"

Tonight at our Preparedness Class taught by Kim Adair, she presented the subject with the "spoonful of sugar, helps the medicine go down" approach. Actually many of us are beginning to realize we are in a drought, and trying to survive this summer's ferocious heat. She made, Chocolate Ice Cream or Milkshakes and Peach Sorbet all from storage, to cool us off. She also made Chewy Granola Bars.


As many of you have watched the effects of Hurricane Irene, we touched again on our need for 72 hour kits - D batteries were gone from the Supermarkets in those areas, within hours.

Kim has taught about 8 classes so far, and we will selectively choose some of her handouts, and send out a "link" in our Relief Society Blasts going forward, so that those who have a "desire" may print them for themselves - thanks to Laurie Johnson for scanning.

Here are two recipes from tonight - to make them perfectly you need a really good blender. a VitaMix or Blendtec are two of the best. The Chocolate Ice Cream is made with Country Cream Chocolate Powdered Milk. We have done one order on the Country Cream Powdered Milk regular, and if we get enough interest, we could do one on the Chocolate Powdered Milk - it has an exceptional taste for powdered milks.

PEACH SORBET (or any freeze dried fruit of your choice)
1 cup water
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
1 cup freeze dried peaches
4 cups Ice.
Place all ingredients in blender except ice. Blend to mix ingredients. Add icc and blend to desired consistency.


CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM OR MILK SHAKE (blender)
1 1/2 cup water
1-2 tsps.vanilla
12/3 cup Dutch Milk Coclate Drink Mix
1/2 cup sugar
6 cups ice
Place all ingredients in blender except ice. Blend to mix ingredients. Add ice and blend to desired consistency. Optional: Malt flavoring to taste.
Recipe may be reduced by 1/2.

Tip: Powdered milk or powdered chocolate milk or powdered soy milk or powdered chocolate soy milk can be used for these recipes, or can be used for warm drinks in the winter.
Remember if you are interested in an item to be ordered on a ward-wise basis, contact Kim, and she will find a source, see if the price is right, and if we can get other sisters interested to make the minimum, she will place an order.

A Recipe For Using Your Food Storage

I know some of you may have ordered "Tomato Powder" in #10 cans the same time I did (two or three years ago) . I just recently pulled mine out so I could rotate it. It seems to work pretty well and the directions are easy enough on the can. You can use this in place of any canned tomato sauce or tomato paste. It stirs up instantly. Lately I used it to make a jar of spaghetti sauce go further. Instead of using two standard size jars/cans of spaghetti sauce, I just used one and then used my tomato powder/water plus some very simple seasoning. This is just basic cooking...nothing amazing...so don't expect gourmet. Sometimes that's just what we need, though...quick and easy ways to rotate. So, if you have a large-ish family and don't mind leftovers for the next day, or want to freeze a portion of sauce for another occasion, you can give this a try.

Beef (or any meat) Spaghetti Sauce (Extended with Tomato Powder)

1. Cook 2 lbs. of Ground Beef as usual and drain/remove fat.

2. Add one can or jar of pasta/spaghetti sauce (about 26 oz)--any flavor.

3. In the empty jar/can put 1/4 c powder and 1/2 cup water, or you can go further with 1/2 cup tomato powder and 1 cup water and shake/stir to the consistency you like. That's what the directions are on the can, but I used closer to 1/2 c. powder and 2+ cups water because I like it runnier. Just add the amount of water you like to the amount of powder you like to make it what you want.

4. Add seasonings to taste... Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and Italian seasoning. I'm sorry to say, I don't always measure my seasonings, but start with about 1/2 teaspoon each of oregano and Italian seasoning. You can always add more. You're on your own for the others I mentioned. If you are a spaghetti sauce connoisseur, then add whatever else you like. (If you really are a spaghetti sauce connoisseur, then you're probably making the whole thing from scratch and you need to be giving us YOUR recipe!

That's basically it. Freeze half for later if you like. Good Luck.

This Week in D4

TODAY/MONDAY:

Ward FHE at Campbell Green Park, 6pm--bring your own Picnic dinner


WEDNESDAY:

Canning, 9am-11:30am. Read your email or contact Cathy Meyer for details.

SUNDAY:

Sisters,
For next week's lesson please take a look at Neil L. Anderson's talk "Never Leave Him." It is from the Oct. 2010 General Conference. I would like us to ponder the quote, "no one of us is immune from the influences of the world," and ask ourselves in what areas we may still be vulnerable to those influences and how we can strengthen our fortifications.
Thank you,
Fronda Wiseman

Hello Sisters, (Sorry this is all squashed together in one paragraph...for some reason I can't get it to format correctly...) I would like to remind everybody that the Wheat Montana grain, etc. order is due soon. Your money needs to be in the hands of Julie Anschutz in Allen by Monday, April 18th. That means your check should be in the mail ASAP!!! I hope many of you take this opportunity to build your food storage. I've had several people ask me about empty 6 gallon buckets/pails and lids. This company also sells these and Gamma Seals too, so this would be a chance to order some at the same time. Shipping costs for empty buckets/lids and gamma seals will be $2.00 per item and $1.00 per item for bucket openers and oxygen absorber packages. If you're interested in a whole lot of buckets, then I have a more local source where you might could save some money ordering in bulk. If you have any question about the best thing to do, then please get in touch with me. If you are interested in a canning event after ordering wheat/grain in large bags, let me or Cathy Meyer know so we can try to coordinate this. Good Luck! Kim Adair.

April Wheat Order

Hello Sisters,

How are you doing on your provident living pursuits? Do you have self-sufficiency on your mind? I know so many of you are thinking about how to better protect yourself and your family and you have a great interest in following the warnings the Lord has given us. Self-sufficiency is not just a one-time event, it is a lifestyle, and when we plan our lives in this manner we learn to think and plan ahead, work harder, and choose more wisely in all aspects of our lives. I can attest to the comfortable and content feelings we enjoy when we embrace this eternal principle.

With this in mind, here is a bit of forewarning so you can plan ahead and save up for a wheat order from Wheat Montana Farms. Some of you are familiar already with this drill. A very nice lady from Allen (not a member of the church but a very nice Christian lady who spends an enormous amount of time and effort doing this so be sure to be grateful and polite...) will put together a group wheat order in April. This is the person I've worked with getting my own wheat over the years so if you need help in the process, I can answer questions. Other than that, it will be up to you to get your order form and money to her in a timely fashion. All information on how-to's and deadlines will be provided in early April.

More Soon,
Kim Adair

STAKE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FAIR Coming Up SOON!!!

I hope you are all planning to attend our Stake Emergency Preparedness Fair.

Saturday, February 26th
9 a.m. to Noon
Stake Center (on Bowser Rd.)

The stake is putting forth a great effort in order to empower it's members to improve their self-sufficiency. This will be an inspiring event! Make an effort to come and get ideas and information. If you have not done so, I suggest getting a BINDER to orgainize all of your Food Storage/Preparedness information. Then, when you get information on a certain topic, you simply stick it right in your binder. Purchase some binder tabs and also pockets/sheet protectors to put items in in your binder that can't be hole punched. (Like the CD they will give to each family who comes to the fair!!!)

Just a word to those who may be feeling a bit overwhelmed: COME!--and after you have seen all the possibilities, pick ONE thing to start working on. No one can do it all at once, so keep it simple and start small. (...you know you should!)

See you there!

MORE FREEZING WEATHER!!!

With MORE freezing weather, here are MORE ways to be prepared:

1. Don't forget your food/water/fuel supply! (That was just a reminder!)

From the City of Dallas (Utilities and Water) we have the following important information:

Before a Freeze:

1. Wrap all exposed pipes located outside or in unheated areas of your home, including the attic.
2. Remove garden hoses from outside faucets. Insulate those faucets with hard foam covers or wrap with cloth or paper.
3. Cover vents around the foundation of your home.
4. Learn where your private water cut-off valves are and how to operate them.

In Sub-Freezing Weather:

1. Let hot and cold water drip slowly from inside faucets during a freeze.
2. Open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls.

If you need help or emergency assistance in turning your vater off or on, you can reach the City of Dallas 24 hours a day by calling 311.

-----------------------------------------------

If you find yourself stuck at home on a freezy day, pull out your powdered chocolate milk that you have stored up and make a cup of "hot chocolate".

Here's an easy recipe from cooks.com (with a few modifications of my own) for those cold days when you're stuck inside with your canned vegetables...

Easy Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup

1 lb. stew meat (or ground beef)
2 (14-16 oz) cans vegetables of your choice (green beans, corn, etc.)
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 sm. potatoes (cook fresh ones or rehydrate potato dices)
rice
spaghetti noodles

Season/cook meat as desired. Add tomato sauce, juice from vegetables, and water to desired consistency. Cut up potatoes or dehydrated dices to mixture with 1/8 to 1/4 cup raw rice. Break up a small amount of raw spaghetti noodles and put in soup. After rice and spaghetti are cooked, add mixed vegetables and continue cooking until thoroughly heated. Add water if necessary during cooking. Season as desired to taste. (Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, beef boulion...whatever you have on hand that you enjoy.) You can easily double for large families.

STAY WARM!!!

PREPARING FOR WINTER WEATHER

I don't know about you, but I prefer the warmer weather. Perhaps that's one reason I'm settled in the south. Lucky for me, we have more warm weather than cold and I'm certainly grateful for that! However, we all realize that Dallas can get PLENTY cold as you have likely experienced and will continue to experience (i.e. "arctic" weather is on the way and due to arrive THIS Sunday night...) Around here, the weather can do just about anything so if you're like me, you'll feel a happy sense of relief if you have thought ahead about cold weather preparedness.
Last winter, we had some neighbors whose heater broke during a cold snap...and it was several days before it was repaired. Can you say, "EXTRA BLANKETS, PLEASE!!!"

Let me share with you a few ideas for things to have on hand (and in surplus) if you're stuck "OUT in the cold" or "IN in the cold"! Obviously, you have to think of both and plan accordingly. If you have to leave the house quickly, you have to make sure you have quick access to your winter gear. You can pack what you can in your emergency kit and have other supplies handy as well.

First, look to your 72-hour kits. Do you have sufficient warm clothing? Long pants and long-sleeve clothing for you and your family? How about your minimum three-day water and food reserve? Okay, how about we make a little list...

A FEW WINTER WEATHER EMERGENCY SUPPLIES FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT--

1. Minimum three-day WATER and FOOD supply in case you are unable to stir from home for a time.
2. Emergency blankets/wool-type blankets. Sleeping bags, too.
3. A full (or mostly full) tank of gasoline in your car. Blankets in your trunk? An emergency kit for your car.
4. Hand warmers
5. Matches (waterproof) and firestarters/lighters
5 Indoor-safe heaters using alternate power sources such as propane. "Canned" fuel for warming or cooking.
6. Emergency light sources--flashlights, lanterns, candles.

Take some time to gather some necessities and feel peacefully prepared!

As always, feel free to contact me if I can be of service to you or answer any questions you may have.

Kim Adair

How May I Serve You?

I love how I feel every time I further my own efforts to be prepared for what may come down my path. The efforts we all make to prepare physically and spiritually will bless our families and give them a feeling of security and peace. We have a responsibility to care for our ourselves and our own. I encourage you all to take this seriously and ponder the ways you can strenghten your own desire for self-reliance. We should not live thoughtlessley or recklessly, believeing that we can just tap into other people's resources any old time, or that no large-scale crisis will ever happen to us. This is not the way the Lord would have us think. Instead, we have been receiving warnings about self-reliance for EVER SO LONG! Don't wait another minute to get started or to continue your efforts!

I LOVE this provident living calling and I want to serve you as best I can. Please tell me what we can do to best help you progress in the area of provident living. What types of group orders are you particularly interested in? What would you like to know or what do you need help with? Reply to this post or talk to me in person/phone/email and I will see what we can do to help you out!

It's Still HOT=SMOOTHIES to the Rescue!

If you were at our 72-hour kit/water classes we had orange and mango smoothies. Some of you were interested in how to make them so here are the basic recipes for anyone who wants to try them at home. The ingredient amounts are extremely "loosely" stated. You can vary it however you like and use the amount of frozen stuff that your blender can handle. This is a great way to use your powdered milk!

If you can live with a minimum amount of sugar, then these can make great healthy meals. Then, when you have company, you can "sweeten it up" and make it a crowd pleaser. (I won't tell anyone though, if you want to just sweeten it up for YOURSELF for breakfast or lunch!)

For both of the recipes below, put liquid/soft ingredients into blender first, then frozen ingredients. Blend on a lower setting, then gradually move to highest power setting. If you have a larger capacity (8 cup) blender jar and want to maximize it, then just add more of everything. Enjoy!!!

FRESH ORANGE "JULIUS" SMOOTHIES (MAKES 4-6 CUPS)

1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 cup Honey or 1/2 cup Sugar (sweeten to your taste)
8 oz. Vanilla Yogurt
1/4 heaping cup Powdered Milk
2-3 Fresh Seedless Oranges (peeled)
Ice to suit your freezy/icy preferences and blender ability

MANGO SMOOTHIES (MAKES 4-6 Cups)

1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 cup Honey or 1/3 to 1/2 cup Sugar (more or less up to your preference)
8 oz. Mango Yogurt (Wal-Mart--comes in 32 oz. container) or Vanilla Yogurt
1/4 heaping cup Powdered Milk
1 1/2 cups Water
1 1/2 cups Frozen Mango (Sam's Club--possibly seasonal item)
Ice (Optional)

July is a GREAT time to think about WATER!

Joel's parents in Lindon, Utah, were reminded last month that the unexpected does happen. Their area was put on alert to boil tap water for a few days. In some homes the water looked like it had just been bucketed out of a dirty ditch. The city repaired the spring runoff problem quickly but they could not use the public water supply for about two days.

For those in the afffected area that were prepared, this event was just a mild inconvenience and a chance to practice using preparedness supplies. Those who were boiling water or running to the grocery store for bottled water were unprepared. Consider the scenario if it had been on a larger scale. Stores still open would be emptied of bottled water and food in a few hours. Power and gas services would likely be out and you would not be able to boil water on the stove. With this experience as a reminder let me encourage you to review your plans for--

Emergency Water Storage!

The most recent message from the First Presidency says, "Store drinking water for circumstances in which the water supply may be polluted or disrupted." Start with a three day supply for your family and work up to 14 days. The minimum recommendation is to store one gallon per person per day. This is just enough water to survive but not enough for things like washing dishes, sanitation, showering, laundry, pets, etc., so the more you are able to store, the better. If you are pregnant/nursing, sick or in harsh conditions, then the need is also increased.

MINIMUM Three to Fourteen Day Emergency Water Supply:

One Person---------3 Gallons--------14 Gallons

Two People---------6 Gallons--------28 Gallons

Three People-------9 Gallons--------42 Gallons

Four People--------12 Gallons-------56 Gallons

Five People--------15 Gallons--------70 Gallons

Six People---------18 Gallons--------84 Gallons

Seven People------21 Gallons--------98 Gallons

Eight People-------24 Gallons-------112 Gallons

If you need more information about how to properly store water, please let me know and I will get you the information. Also, I am always happy to help you individually with your preparedness planning, so feel free to get in touch with me at any time.

Coming Soon: Smoothie recipes using your powdered milk! YUM!

FOOD STORAGE OPPORTUNITIES

Sisters - Kim Adair, who is our new Food Storage Specialist, will have two opportunities to order some basic food items this Sunday. She will be offering Raw Honey from a local source, which while it is more expensive, it is excellent for those who suffer from allergies to use a local source. She will also have a Wheat order opportunity from a local woman in Allen. If interested sheets will be passed out right after Relief Society with all the information. If you have any questions - Kim says you may call her anytime for more information - the number is in the ward roster.
The honey will have only a short deadline - a week, and the wheat a little longer. Our time in Relief Society is so short, so if you have questions - please call Kim to answer them. Provident Living means start putting something away for the rainy days - when the Sun is shining!

Canning Date

Sisters, mark your calendars for Monday, May 3 from 9 am to 1 pm. We have reserved a spot at the cannery for those who would like to work on their food storage. In recent counsel at Stake Conference, we were advised that if we have not already started our food storage it will soon be too late. Let us not procrastinate this very important counsel....you and your family's lives may very well depend on it. So over the next few weeks, take inventory of your food storage or lack thereof and then come join us. A list of the items available at the cannery and cost will be available on Sunday. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

WHEAT ORDER

Sister Dunn would like all the wheat orders by Feb. 1st, instead of March 1st. If you are interested please call her at 972-233-2604 or contact her by e-mail bigagg@swbell.net. You can read full description on the wheat if you click on Food Storage on the right hand side of the blog. Thanks - if you want it don't delay!