Where to begin

Many times people see Food Storage as this HUGE weight on their backs. They ask me (because of my calling) why they need it. If they are people I know well, I tell them , "So you won't come running to me wanting MY food, when you have nothing" (I do have a sense of humor). I tell others, #1 It has not just been advised, but we have been admonished and commanded by our church leaders to have SOME food storage, #2 If you like food and certain kinds of foods, you need to have them on hand. #3 Why not?

Was it raining when Noah was commanded to build an ark? Nope.
Did people think he was crazy for building this massive ship? YEP.

I have spent many hours discussing foodstorage with people, trying to make a difference in someone's life and yet they still don't GET IT (food storage that is).
Let's break down food storage to simpler terms: FOOD that is STORED in your basement, pantry, freezer, fridge. How many times in the middle of making something, do you realize you are out of some random ingredient? I can try my neighbors (and they always try me), but they could be out also. And usually you don't have time to run to the store.
When there is a great sale (who can resist a great sale?) on Cold cereal, why not buy and extra box or 2? I have found other things to do with cold cereal, than just eat it cold. What about canned goods- Oh the things you can make with a can of soup! Or Beans! And you know someone will need cupcakes or a birthday cake soon, so when you see a sale for cake mixes for .75, buy more than 1.
If your family likes canned veggies- like corn or green beans, buy a few extra. If you have a freezer and space, stock up on those frozen food sales (not just ice cream, but real foods). If you have a garden, learn to freeze your own produce!
Food Storage is not hard. Maybe figuring out what to do with all the random ingredients is a bit intimidating, but start slow, stock up on things you use a lot, and NOT just food, but paper products like Toilet paper! Watch for sales and use coupons if you can. I have learned about printing off coupons from online sources. That's fun to save money and get something for almost nothing.
Sit down and think up a couple weeks of meals for your family, all meals and snacks. Write them down and then write down ingredients that you would need. This would be your shopping list. Don't forget seasonings, condiments, marinades, dry mixes, dressings, etc.
Obviously (well, for me), I always need to have eggs, milk, butter or a substitute, oil, salt, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda - just with those few ingredients I could make scrambled eggs, crepes, pancakes, cookies (because cookies are important part of survival, right?), and other simple dishes.
The other day I was cleaning out my fridge and I found bacon (a rarity it wasn't gone, with my bacon loving family) and I was trying to think of something to make with the bacon, using a vegetable. I had some fresh green beans too. I cooked 8 slices of bacon until crisp (you can use precooked bacon and there is less grease) and then tossed in the green beans, added a bit of pepper and some garlic salt and a little bit of water to steam the beans. This is now a favorite dish with my kids. The problem is I need to have bacon in my freezer or fridge. I might try some bacon bits to see if they can taste the difference. Since then, I have used frozen green beans and they perfect.
Look for simple meals you can make from simple ingredients. Experiment with flavors. Try new recipes or adapt them or old ones to your tastes. I made shrimp linguine last week- butter, frozen shrimp, garlic, parmeasan cheese and whole wheat pasta. It was so good. I had never tried it before and I was just cooking for my husband- so I thought I would try it.
I try to get a couple of meals out of a roast. So one night we had roast with potatoes and then the next night I made stroganoff with the leftover roast. I have also made shredded beef chimis that my kids love.
I hope that gives you some ideas on starting or building your food storage. Try cooking all your meals at home for one week and following your meal plan. You will save money and eat healthier, plus build that food storage!
Once you have some food storage built up, like a 3 month supply, you will feel peace of mind and blessings will come.

DEAR READERS, FRIENDS, ETC

I have been having some issues with my blog comments. Aparently I am quite popular with the Japanese , because all the comments I get are IN JAPANESE. All my blogger friends have no clue why Japanese is such a popular language for my blog comments. I do not speak Japanese and my sister in law that does lives too far away to help me. All the emails I send to my followers, who are sending me Japanese comments, in English are not being returned. It is quite frustrating, because if someone has a legitimate question or comment, I would love to respond. I do not want this blog to go private.
Please comment in ENGLISH.
Thank you for your support!

A CURE for Morning Sickness or Nausea?

Who'd have thunk it, I would come up with a "cure" for MORNING SICKNESS!? It hasn't been proven on too many people yet, but My whole wheat flax seed bread has been helping people for awhile. I have changed the names a little, with my twisted sense of humor...
case #1: We'll call him Mitt. He moved into my neighborhood with a brain tumor. I took them a loaf of bread. It seemed to help him not be so nausious after chemo treatments. I would always try to make sure he had a loaf when he had chemo...something to look forward to. Now 3 years later at his last check up, tumor had shrunk to a very small dot and they were moving out. I miss taking Mitt my loaf of bread but atleast no chemo for awhile. YIPEEE.
case#2: We'll call her Tess. She was so sick with morning sickness she felt yucky all the time...I gave her a loaf of bread. She loved it and felt better every time she ate it.
case #3 Sauren, she was so ill with morning sickness. She couldn't keep anything down . I finally took her a loaf of bread. She had a piece at night before bed, the next day...no sickness. She had a piece in the morning...no sickness all day. Hmmm I might be onto something.
I am contacting my OB/GYN to let him in on the recipe (He already calls me "Bread Lady") and see what happens.
If you want to try out the recipe and let me know what your experience is, I will post your story too. I may not have the cure to cancer, but could be for morning sickness.
You can email me at lilsuzihomemaker@gmail.com. The recipe is located on my blog, a bit farther down.
Special notes for the recipe: Lecithin granules can be found at health food stores or Kitchen Kneads and other baking supply stores. Sometimes you can find it in bulk.
Refer your pregnant friends to the recipe too.

Semi homemade Chicken Alfredo

On the way home from my son's orthodontist appointment, I was trying to think of a soft food for him to eat. He had some wires tightened on his braces (can't wait for those puppies to come off...soon, very soon), and his teeth hurt. One of his favorites is chicken alfredo. I bought a Stouffer's frozen chicken Alfredo one time (okay, a few times) and wanted to see if my family liked it. I, of course have a "wheat pasta nazi" for a husband, so I needed to make HOME MADE chicken alfredo using whole wheat pasta...
ANYWAY...
This is what I did:
I had 1/2 pkg of whole wheat spirals and 1/2 pkg of penne' pasta so I combined and cooked until tender. Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water, let drain.
6 chicken tenders cooked in olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic (you don't want the garlic to burn or get brown, so put it in last), with a little garlic salt (cook in a skillet).
Once the chicken tenders were done, I removed them from the pan, including the garlic, I made a cheese sauce, using milk, corn starch and a little butter. I added a jar of Alfredo sauce and then about 1 cup of Italian grated cheeses and stirred into the sauce. Let it cook and bubble a little, stirring constantly.
Cut up the chicken into bite size pieces, add pasta to the skillet with the sauce in it and add chicken. Toss to cover with sauce. You could probably serve right now, but I placed the pasta and sauce in a casserole dish and baked in the oven (350) for 15 mins.

My family loved this. I hope you will see what's in your pantry or freezer and just because you don't have exactly what is called for in a recipe, don't let that stop you from TRYING... and to take a phrase from one of my favorite tv shows..."MAKE IT WORK".

Wheat feast 2010

I taught another wheat class this last Saturday. I think it was better than last year's and I am getting to know Wheat better. Wheat and I are becoming good friends. Wheat is versitile...I like friends that are versitile. I can sprout Wheat and make a vegetable. I can grind it and make a meat alternative...meat from wheat, I can grind it and bake something savory or something sweet. I can make a hot or cold cereal with it.

Can you say that about very many other food items? Not too many.
For my Wheat feast 2010, I made Granola, a cold cereal, tortillas, graham crackers, bean patties,( gluten) wheat sweet and sour balls, chocolate chip cookies, pizza dough, cinnamon rolls, banana bars, brownies, french bread, 2 kinds of whole wheat bread (one using red wheat and one using white wheat), and a cinnamon raisin loaf. I sure learned a lot and what not to do. I am always learning and trying new things. I spend hours looking for new recipes and trying them out. I brought leftovers home (and then took various things to 2 different families) and my son said, "Mom I like it when you teach your wheat classes, because of all the good stuff".
He knows how to make me feel good.

Bread problems?

I was "talking" to some people online the other day and someone had mentioned they had issues with their bread. People always ask ME about their bread issues (like I am some type of expert, guess I have you all bamboozeled). It's okay, I always try and find a reason for their mishaps with bread. My bread recipe came to me by another "online" friend (really I do have friends IRL) over 9 years ago and it didn't work out for the first , oh, 10-15 times, maybe more. It's a tweaking here and there and a bit of this and that...I guess that's why my bread always turns out good.
Anyway, in my research I found the greatest website that I bookmarked. It has tips for bread machine users too!
So here is my gift to you...
http://www.baking911.com/bread/problems.htm

I hope it is helpful. If you keep trying, you should see success. I love it when my recipe works perfect for others...My flax seed bread recipe is listed on this blog.

Bob's Hot Fudge Sauce

Another dessert! I promise that isn't all I make!
I got this recipe from Angel Shannon's "Stick of Butter" cookbook. It should come with a WARNING! It is highly addictive.
12 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
2 sticks of butter
2 2/3 c evaporated milk (I made mine with non fat dried milk- FOODSTORAGE)
4 c powdered sugar
2 t vanilla
Melt choc. chips and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually stir in evaporated milk and powdered sugar: bring to a boil. Boil and stir constantly for 8 mins. (or a little longer if your arm can take it). Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir well. Poor into clean canning jars. makes about 3 pints and some leftover for licking!
I have no idea who Bob is, but THANK YOU!

Need a SPECIAL Dessert for the Holidays?

A few years ago I came across a great recipe for a cheeseball, but this one is sweet! If you like cheesecake and chocolate chips, this recipe is for you.
Everytime I make this, I get comments, like, "OH MY", "I could never make this", "This is so good". I will warn you- it is addicting, my kids eat it by the spoonful, when I let them.

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball
1 8 oz pkg of cream cheese, softened
1/2 c butter, softened
3/4 c confectioners sugar
2 T brown sugar
1/4 t vanilla
3/4 c mini semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 c finely chopped candied pecans
In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until very smooth. Mix in confectioners sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Take plastic wrap and line a small bowl ( a small Tupperware bowl is good, smaller than a cereal bowl, more like a storage container- I have used a gladware round container too)- with the plastic wrap, I lay one piece one way and then lay another the opposite way. Place all of the mixture in the lined bowl and press down to get out air bubbles. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Take the cheese ball out of the refrigerator before serving and unwrap. Roll in finely chopped candied pecans and place on a plate, flat side down.
Serve with graham crackers, vanilla wafers, shortbread cookies, etc.
**Note I haven't been able to find graham cracker sticks anywhere, but plain graham crackers work fine.

Thinking about Christmas gifts?

Why not food storage? I know it sounds lame. I can hear the groans from my kids already. REALLY, Food storage makes a great gift, whether it is a can of an item, a case of toilet paper (not really FOOD, but you still NEED it), a 72 hr kit or a starter kit from the Dry pack cannery, it shows YOU care about whoever you are giving it to.
I have come to learn that Food Storage is NOT about food. It's about Obedience. How many times have we heard our leaders admonish us to "get our houses in order"? Hundreds, right? Do you think they want us to be prepared? We need to be self reliant because when there is a natural disaster, the church sends aid, but they cannot help every single person at the same time.
We should be prepared for not just the "major" natural disasters, but those little disasters in our lives, like unemployment, the loss of a spouse, a major injury, health issues, etc.
When my daughter left for college last year, I stocked her with a few cases of food and some supplies she might need. I know when her budget is tight, she has potato pearls, green beans, pasta, tuna and peanut butter. She has learned to make some pretty tasty meals! I haven't showed her how to make bread, YET, but so far she is doing great and hopefully FOOD STORAGE will always be apart of her life.

The easiest fudge on the planet

This is one of the easiest and tastiest recipes for fudge ever! I can't remember where I got it, but I tweaked it a bit.
1 can sweetened condensed milk (you can use fat free)
1 c peanut butter
1 pkg semi sweet cocolate chips
1/2 pkg Heath Toffee bits

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk until the chips are melted. Add peanut butter and stir. You will see the glossy look go away Stir in the toffee bits. Pour into a prepared foil pan (spray it first with non stick cooking spray). I have used the small pans for a toaster oven, which make a great gift, in the pan!
I have found a variation without peanut butter and it works too.

Where Have I Been?

Just taking a break from the BLOG...I have had an incredibly busy past few months: kids, work, boutiques, teaching classes and working on family history... Life is just busy, so blogging doesn't take priority...
I am working on doing better.
Sorry I have left everyone in a lurch.

Mixin it up

It has been such a crazy few months...Where did the summer go? I taught a Beans and Rice class last week and have a Milk and Mixes class this week, on Wednesday the 26th. For those of you that come to my regular quarterly activity/class, you know all the work that goes into these classes. The Enrichment classes are much simpler and not as much food to taste. I spent the last week typing up recipes for the "Mixes" portion of the class. I am pretty excited to share these recipes and how making your own mixes can be economical and simpler.
I love the Magic mix and have used it a few times in the last few days. I used it to make cheese sauce for the funeral potatoes I made for dinner tonight. My daughter was home from college and she loves good comfort food like funeral potatoes.
I will post a few of the mix recipes next week. Crazy week ahead with my son starting Middle school on Tuesday, my Enrichment class on Wednesday and my mom coming for a visit on Friday. I don't see my mom that often, so we have a lot to catch up on.
If anyone is interested in the Enrichment class, let me know and I will email you directions and a time.

Baked Honey Chicken

In my research, I found this recipe and I tried it on my family (they are my taste testers) and I got a big thumbs up from my picky eater son. He loves meat !! I didn't have corn flakes, so I used Special K. I think any flakey type cereal would work. Reminds me of my Honey Bunches of Oats Chicken.

Baked Honey Chicken
3 lbs. chicken breasts - boned and skinned
2 c. corn flakes, crushed or other flake cereal
1/3 c. honeySalt and pepper
Instructions
Wash chicken and pat dry. Can be pounded thinner. Combine corn flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken in honey or smooth on chicken with your fingers, then roll chicken in corn flake mixture. Place in a large buttered baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 350 to 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes until golden brown..

Super easy Cheesecake from scratch

If you LOVE cheesecake (the cool, no bake kind) this recipe is so easy and tastes great. My family loved it and I made mini cheesecakes for my Milk and Honey class last week. For the mini cheesecakes, I use a MINI vanilla wafer (who'd have thought there was such a thing?) and used a mini muffin tin!

Easy Cheesecake
½ c warm water
¾ c non instant powdered milk
¾ c sugar
¼ c lemon juice or orange juice
1 t vanilla
1 c cream cheese or cream cheese yogurt (I used 1 8oz brick of lowfat cream cheese)
Put warm water in blender and turn on medium. While running the blender, add all ingredients. Pour mixture quickly into a graham cracker crust. Chill

YUMMY! Who knew dry milk could taste so good.

GOT MILK? WHY HONEY?

Here it comes, another of my foodstorage classes...Saturday July 18 at 10am. If you email me I will send you the address.
I guess this class is for me since I really don't like dry milk. I will get out of my comfort zone and try new recipes (or old ones, using dry milk) and honey, but not always together. I will have a variety of milks to try (non fat dry milk, morning moo- milk alternative, boxed milk- in a variety of flavors) for whoever shows up, to sample. I promise i will not force you to drink anything you don't want to!
Now HONEY...I LOVE HONEY. I use it in a lot of recipes and it is one of those essential food storage items I have to have on hand. It stores FOREVER! Even if it gets hard and crystalizes, I can place it in a pan of hot water and melt it back down (and even boiled it all over my stove top- not fun to clean up!) I am not a perfect cook! I have my "Lucy and Ethyl" moments. I practice a lot too, I may even practiced on YOU!

I have a busy 2 weeks ahead getting recipes and information together for my class, a " 5 ingredient or 15 minute dish" for Enrichment night and a Chocolate cookoff (starring my Butt cake- see recipe below) and all the other mundane household duties.
If you have a great recipe using dry milk or honey, email it to me.
Why Honey, it's time we GOT MILK!

Wheat blender pancakes

Over the years I have never found a recipe I really like, until now!
This recipe requires a blender and a griddle (or skillet). It is easy to mix up, if you don't mind the blender on for 4-5 mins.

Blender Wheat Pancakes
Put 1¼ cup milk and 1 cup uncooked whole wheat in a blender. Blend on highest speed for four to five minutes. Add 1 egg, 2 tsp. honey or sugar, and ½ tsp salt. Blend for 1-2 minutes. Add 2 tsp. baking powder and blend until combined. Bake on hot non-stick or greased griddle, turning once.
My kids have no idea these have wheat in them....
By the way I used white wheat instead of red wheat.

I had leftovers and put them in a ziploc bag and froze them for another day.

Whole wheat Flax seed bread

Since I have been making this more and more, people have been asking for my recipe.
I am always happy to share. I know many people have tried it themselves, but it didn't work for them. It could take some practice, since not every mixer is the same, ovens could vary, places to let it rise vary in temperatures, but just keep trying! It is well worth the time.

Suzi’s whole wheat flax seed bread
Turn on the oven to 350.

2 T yeast
1 ½ T salt
2 T lecithin granules
1 c. of flax seed, ground in blender (or 1/3 c oil)
½ c honey
5 ½ c warm water plus 2 T lemon juice (NOT fresh squeezed) ***not cold!
Mix together so all ingredients are well mixed.
Grind 8 c of wheat and 1 c. of oatmeal (regular or quick). It will make about 12 c of flour
Add 6 c. of flour to the wet mixture and knead.
Add
½ c vital wheat gluten
Mix well
Add
6 remaining c. of flour
1 c. bread flour
Knead well until dough starts to stick together and is not so sticky.
Oil a large bowl (I use a Tupperware, That’s a bowl) and place dough in it and knead a little to make one big ball. Place bowl in a warm place and cover and let rise until double in bulk. Punch down and divide into 3 bread pans (I use Pampered Chef stoneware pans). Cover and let rise about 20 mins. Bake for 26 mins. At 350 degrees. The loaves will be a light brown and sound hollow when tapped gently.
You can make cinnamon bread or even cinnamon rolls with this recipe but I find the rolls to be very hardy and thick, not light and fluffy.
I used to RUIN RHODES rolls and have been making this recipe for 7 years, so it is doable for the novice. I have a Ktec Kitchen champ that is programmed for bread, so it kneads it for the right time each recipe. Having the right equipment does make a difference!

Wheat 101

I am teaching another wheat class on May 20 at 7pm. for an Enrichment night. If you want directions, email me and I can send you directions and an address. I love teaching these classes and getting people informed about wheat and all the fun (yes FUN) things to do with it. I always offer a Taster's Table with yummy samples of foods made with wheat. You can email me at lilsuzihomemaker@gmail.com

I hope to see you there!

Extreme Lemon Sugar cookies

A LONG time ago, when I was single, I met this cute young lady at my single's ward. We got along great and had a lot of really great discussions and life lessons we learned together. After she got married and I got married, she moved around a lot and we lost touch. I wondered what happened to my friend Micki, until I read is the paper about her awesome website and cookbook...oliveoildesserts.com. I contacted Micki and we recently met at a Home Show where I purchased her cook book. I am always a sucker for a good cookbook (which I have been known to read like novels).
I wanted to make a cookie that was "better for you" and contained no chocolate. I tried Micki's Extreme Lemon Sugar cookies and Looooooooooooove them. I love lemon and I love cookies,
and these were not disappointing (sorry for eating while I type).
I thought I would wet your appetite with a new favorite:

2/3 c pure olive oil
1 c granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 t vanilla extract
2 T lemon zest (one large lemon)
2 T fresh lemon juice (no seeds please)
2 1/4 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c additional sugar for rolling
1/2 powdered sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 375. Coat cookie sheets with olive oil cooking spray.
In a mixer bowl add olive oil, suagr, egg, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until well blended.
Drop by teaspoons or by a small cookie scoop into sugar and roll until well coated. Place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 8 mins., cool on wire racks, dust while warm with powdered sugar.

Thanks Micki for a great lemony cookie!

Wouldn't it be Rice to Know Beans?

My next class is Saturday April 11 at 10am. (If you want the exact address, email me at lilsuzihomeaker@gmail.com), so I have been making a few recipes that have beans, bean flour, rice and rice flour in them. Some recipes have worked and others need tweaking.
I have packets of information and recipes that will be available at the class or I can email them to you.
I learned so much about beans. And I learned how to make so many things with rice.
Anyone outside our stake is welcome to come to the classes...I like people using their "bean" too!
See you there!