Taste Test Tuesday: Fall Baked Apple Pie

MMM pie!  This recipe technically goes well with 4th of July, fall and Thanksgiving, but I'm a little slow in sharing it.  It is delicious no matter what time of year though!  My sister shared this recipe with me, and it was amazing.  This would be a good recipe to use dried apples--as they are already cored, peeled and sliced--just rehydrate them.

Enjoy!

Taste Test Tuesday: Honeyville grain sale & products

Taste Test Tuesday:  Another sale at Honeyville so you can get your food storage for cheaper!  

from the email you can sign up for to be notified of sales and deals:

"Honeyville's 5 day 10% Off Sale starts Today, Monday, Oct. 21st and ends Friday, Oct. 25th, 2013

. To claim your 10% savings, shop online at store.honeyvillegrain.com before the sale ends. Just shop as usual, then simply enter the coupon code "HARVEST" during checkout and enjoy the savings."

This sale started yesterday, I meant to post but as always some well meant things get put aside.  This sale goes till Friday so there is still time to take advantage of it.

As far as taste test Tuesday:  of the products I have bought from Honeyville grain, I have thought they all were good quality and tasty--well as tasty as dried or freeze dried/powdered foods can be compared to fresh, as fresh is almost always better tasting.  But when it comes to having shelf stable foods, I have really liked the ones I have tried from Honeyville, especially the dried green onion--so nice to have on hand!!!

Here are some of the foods I have tried and liked and how I have used them:
green onion:  mixed in with eggs, on/in enchiladas, cheese & egg casseroles
diced potatoes:  in soups and pot pies--perfect size for these as they are small cubes--about the size of a pinkie nail--but in the shape of a cube
hashbrown potatoes:  as hashbrowns, or potato casseroles where shredded potatoes are nice to have
egg powder:  for baking--cakes, brownies, rolls, etc.  Remember egg powder was designed for baking not for eating like scrambled eggs--they do have a different taste, but in baked goods that difference in taste isn't noticeable.
freeze dried fruits (blueberries and strawberries):  great for snacking, in oatmeal or other cereals, in yogurt, rehydrated to make a fruit sauce for desserts or yogurt.

Notes:  Once you open a can of freeze dried or dried food, you should use it within 6-12 months.  I found this particularly true with freeze dried--as they do absorb moisture over time.  Also, I recommend reading the comments that customers have made, as they often have great ideas on how to use the food or insight on why or why not the person liked the product.

Taste Test Tuesday: Fruit Leather

Today is a very simple recipe for making yummy and colorful fruit leather.  The ingredients:  apple sauce plus flavored gelatin or flavored drink mix if you want to flavor and color the fruit leather.  Plain applesauce without the gelatin or drink mix works just fine too.  Making a variety of colors, you can make a variety of designs.

Simply mix the gelatin or drink mix into the applesauce, mixing more or less in to get the color you want.  Yellow doesn't need drink mix or gelatin, I just added lemonade mix to it to flavor it.  I found that orange and blue needed more mix to reach colors that actually were orange or blue and not yellow or green.
 
If you don't have fruit leather trays for your dehydrator or even if you do and you want a very easy clean up, you can use plastic wrap.  Put the plastic wrap on the tray, getting it as flat as you can.  To make removal easier, spray it with cooking spray before putting the applesauce on it.  Spread a thin but even layer of applesauce onto the plastic wrap.  And dehydrate away at the fruit setting of about 135 degrees.  When they are dried, let them cool and then simply roll them up with the plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.  I use kitchen scissors to cut the rolled up fruit leather into about 1 to 2 inch wide strips for those that aren't specific designs.

Enjoy making very easy fruit leather!

 

Taste Test Tuesday: Strawberry Fruit Topping

Today's recipe:  Strawberry Fruit Topping.  I made this fruit topping to top homemade no bake cheesecake (that uses dry milk).  I had some dried strawberries that I had dehydrated using a dehydrator, I thought I'd try making a fruit sauce out of them and this is the result...mmmm.  It was absolutely delicious on the cheesecake, but also great for ice cream.

Enjoy!

Taste Test Tuesday: Broccoli & Fruit Salad

Today's recipe uses fresh or frozen broccoli and dried fruits.  The apricots and cranberries, if dried at home, will probably need to be rehydrated slightly so they aren't too chewy.  Using store bought dried apricots, they aren't really dried like those done at home, but work great for this salad.  I used kitchen scissors to cut each apricot into halves or fourths when adding to this Broccoli & Fruit Salad so they aren't too big.

This salad is a great way to add flavor and color to a meal.  MMM....Enjoy!

Miscellaneous Monday: Ideas on Incorporating Food Storage

March Food Storage Madness:  This month I hope to share ideas on many different aspects of food storage from getting and storing it, to using it and more.

Today's March Food Storage Madness:  Spring cleaning--getting some of that food storage out and actually using it!  If we store food and never use it, it wastes money, time & space.  So below are some ideas on incorporating different food items into what you may already be making/eating:

Wheat:  wheat can be cooked whole or cracked, or it can be ground into flour.  Got recipes that use flour?  Most recipes do well switching out white for wheat flour--either a complete switcheroo or partial.  Cooked whole or cracked wheat isn't just for cereal anymore!  Are you having meals with ground meats?  Cooked whole or cracked, wheat is wonderful to add to ground meat dishes.  Having rice?  Again cooked whole or cracked wheat can be added to rice dishes.  Salads--yep, same thing!  You can also make wheat meat (wheat gluten) and flavor it to taste like beef, chicken, sausage and more.

Dry milk:  besides simply making up a gallon and using it in cereal or for drinking (I suggest adding a little vanilla to it though for taste), dry milk can be used in baking or making sauces, puddings, cream soups and more.  Got a recipe that requires cream of ... soup?  Instead of buying a can from the store, you can make your own using dry milk using S.O.S mix or Magic Mix.  Need to make a white or cheese sauce, dry milk can be used--Magic Mix again to the rescue!

Dried fruits:  great for adding to cereal, yogurt, making fruit sauces & pies.  They are also great by themselves as a snack.

Dried veggies:  great for soups, adding to egg dishes (like casseroles or quiche), rehydrate and add to other casseroles or stir fries.

Beans:  Cooked beans can be added to meat dishes, casseroles, rice dishes and more, simply add with the meat or in place of the meat.  Cooked beans can also be pureed and used to replace the oil/butter in baked goods like cake or brownies!

Canned meats:  great for soups, chilis or even salad sandwiches (like chicken salad or tuna).  Great for casseroles too.

Dry Egg Powder:  most dry egg powders are made for use in baking--so if baking and the recipe calls for eggs, dry egg powder can be used.  If using for making scrambled eggs or omelets, the taste may not be to your liking.  There are products that claim to taste better for these types of uses (like egg crystals).  Also, dry egg white powder is great for when you only need whites.

I hope these ideas help in using your food storage.  It is so much better to learn how to use these things in tasteful ways now, than during an emergency.  Have fun, enjoy using your food storage!

Taste Test Tuesday: Chicken Rice Soup and Jello Dessert

The recipes I am sharing today come from my sister-in-law.  The first a chicken rice soup can be adapted to use even more food storage than just the rice and flour by using canned or dried foods, and dry milk, and adding cooked beans.  It was nice and creamy and yummy.  The second recipe uses frozen strawberries, so easy to make year-round without killing the budget trying to spring for fresh strawberries.  If you like sweet and salty, this is a great dessert to have with the salty pretzels and the sweet jello & cream mixtures.

Enjoy!

Taste Test Tuesday: Bacon Green Beans, Red Hot Apple Pie

Today's recipes come from my sister.  They can use fresh, frozen or canned veggies/fruits.  Or dried apples rehydrated for the apple pie.  The first recipe is Bacon Green Beans.  I used frozen beans and it turned out great, not the healthiest of side dishes with all the bacon and butter, but yummy.

The second recipe is Red Hots Apple Pie.  This was yummy warm, but once it cooled the red hots did harden a little, so I would suggest eating it warm with ice cream.  If you aren't a fan of cinnamon candies, simply leave them out.  This is a very simple and easy pie recipe.

Enjoy!

Honeyvillegrain sale

If you sign up for Honeyvillegrain emails, you may already know that from Jan17-Jan22, you can get 15% off your entire order!   (that doesn't include the already awesomely low flat rate shipping).  But, if you haven't signed up to receive emails with deals and such,

Here are the details (from the email):

"We hope you're still holding true to those New Year's Resolutions. If building up your food storage pantry or a special new diet is part of your resolution, then we may be able to help. From now until Tuesday, January 22nd we're offering deep discounts (15% Off Your Entire Purchase*). Tell your friends and family!  Simply enter the coupon code "RESOLVE" during checkout. Shop online at store.honeyvillegrain.com  or visit a local Honeyville store near you for your 15% savings starting today."

Way cool!  Their prices are normally already great, but with these % off sales they periodically do, you get an even better deal.

So, as the email says:  "Tell your friends and family!"

Ok, so personally, in the past I have ordered and been amazed with their service and products.   I've tried both dried and freeze dried products--love the freeze dried blueberries!!!!--so yummy to add to yogurt with some cooked cracked or whole wheat berries and a few sunflower seeds for crunch.  The other products I have tried have been great too. I still always compare prices with other companies that sell food storage companies just to be sure before I buy anything, but for certain items, honeyville has often beat the other prices when shipping is included in the total cost.  There are certain items that are still a better deal at LDS home storage centers, or when Emergency Essentials does group specials on items (because group specials also qualify for free shipping); but honeyvillegrain's prices are pretty good, in general, for dried and freeze dried fruits and veggies.

Taste Test Tuesday: Raisins

I know today isn't Tuesday, but since I didn't post then, I will now.  Making your own raisins is really easy.  I used frozen grapes (both green and red) and though it took a long time, they did eventually dehydrate into what were then known as raisins.  Then being the operative word--as they are good and disappear fast.

So here is the recipe card with a picture of the dried grapes on the dehydrator tray.

Enjoy!

Wednesday Why: Shelf-Stable Meals/Menu

What are some shelf stable meals?  And what is an example of a 1 month shelf stable meal menu?  When I say shelf stable I mean food items that can remain on a pantry/cupboard shelf until opened.  Also if using dehydrated foods, will need to store more water to rehydrate these items compared to their canned counterparts.

Some great meals that can be made using shelf stable food items are:  Soups, chilis, noodle dishes, rice dishes, baking mix foods, cereals/grains; all with canned/dehydrated fruits and veggies as sides.

Specifically:
Soups/Chilis:  canned soups/chilis or homemade using: broths, canned/dehydrated veggies & meats, canned/dry beans, pasta sauces, salsas, tomato sauces, jarred sauces and rice or noodles.
Noodle dishes:  Make casseroles, soups or pasta/sauce dishes.  Simply add canned/dehydrated meats, veggies, condensed soups, jarred sauces/salsas and seasonings to taste.  Like spaghetti or other noodles with pasta sauce, canned noodle dishes (like ravioli, Spaghetti O's, etc.), boxed or homemade Mac & cheese (using jarred cheese sauce or velveeta since these don't have to be refrigerated until opened), ramen noodles.
Rice dishes:  casseroles or soups using rice.  Simply add canned/dehydrated meats, veggies, condensed soups, jarred sauces/salsas and seasonings to taste, just like with noodles.
Potato dishes (using potato flakes):  Make up flakes to mashed potatoes, add canned/dehyrdrated meats/veggies/condensed soups and seasonings to make casseroles--using mashed potatoes as a crust of sorts
Potato dishes (using dehydrated potato dices, slices, shreds, etc):  make casseroles by adding condensed soups, canned/dehydrated meats or veggies and seasonings.
Baking Mix dishes/foods:  pancakes, biscuits, waffles, pot pie/pie/cobbler crusts/topping, cornbread, breads, some cakes and cookies
Cereals/Grains:  using dry milk for drinking milk and thereby the milk in cereals, oatmeals, grits, cracked wheat cereal.  Make wheat cereal with wheat berries or cracked wheat and sweetener/jam.  Crackers are a great 72 hour kit item, but also great for meals at home--use with tuna/canned chicken, PB&J or cheese.

Sample 1 month menu using shelf stable meals:

You may have other favorites that already use or could use shelf stable items in place of fresh.  When you find a meal that your family likes that uses only shelf stable items, then write it down and add it to your rotation.

When making your own menu, you can choose any number of breakfasts, lunches and dinners, I chose 7 different meals to rotate through, you can do more or less.  Then simply stock up on the items needed to make those meals--even though these items are shelf stable, you will want to use and rotate through them before the expiration date.

Hope this helps in giving ideas on meals that can be made when the fridge/freezer isn't working.  All of these meals can be made using an alternative cooking method if the electricity is out.  I originally put this menu together a few years back in preparation for hurricane season, knowing that if one hit, the electric could be out for anywhere between a day to a couple of weeks days.

Taste Test Tuesday: Fruit Leather

Fruit Leather, mmm.  I had some nectarines that needed to be used so I decided to make them into fruit leather.

I wasn't sure how set they would get on their own, so I threw in some apple knowing it has a good amount of pectin in it.  I also threw in some frozen strawberries because it sounded good and my blended nectarine/apple mix was rather watery and I needed to thicken it a little.

I dehydrated the fruit sauce over night and in the morning had fruit leather, yum!  The picture on the recipe card is the finished leather, the picture below is a before picture.

Tast Test Tuesday: Blueberry Peach Cobbler

Blueberry Peach Cobbler, MMMM!
This was delicious by itself, but even better with whip cream or icecream when it was still warm, but then again whip cream and icecream seem to make everything better.

I did cut up the peaches, both the fresh and the canned to more bite size chunks.

For this recipe, I used homemade cake mix--the mix recipe can be found here on everydayfoodstorage.net, where she has put together a great handout on making your own cake and muffin mixes.  I have tried the chocolate cake mix (see this post for cookies made with that mix), the white cake mix by itself, and making it into strawberry cake.  I personally have liked the chocolate cake mix best when used for cookies, and the white cake mix best when used for cobblers.  If you make your own cake mix, this recipe uses these long-term food storage items: dry milk, flour, sugar.  It also can use dry egg powder.

Enjoy!

Taste Test Tuesday: Whole Wheat Basic QuickMix

Milky May:  Today I will actually be sharing a few recipes, because they use the same basic mix that I want to share.  Not only does it use whole wheat flour but it also uses dry milk powder.   The recipe for this Whole Wheat Basic Quickmix I got from a friend from Michigan, she is one of the ones who got me started with my zeal for using wheat often and in different ways many years ago.  So on to the quickmix recipes...

I love this mix, it makes delicious biscuits!  And it is whole wheat!!!

MMM, just thinking about these biscuits.  I've made them plain, I've also made them with additional seasonings and cheese, both are delicious.  If I haven't shared my apple cheese biscuits in the past, I will have to share that another time, but this recipe will also work by adding shredded cheese and rehydrated dried apples.  The picture above were ones I made with shredded mozzarella and italian seasoning.

My kids love chocolate chip pancakes--I've used both regular sized semi-sweets and mini, the minis don't sink to the bottom of the batter as easily as the regular sized chips do (this is true for breads and muffins too).  You can also add a little peanut butter, or pumpkin, apples and cinnamon, etc. for some different flavors--adjust the liquid/oil slightly as needed.  For the pancakes, I made them without any oil, but if you would like you could add 1-2 T of melted butter or oil to the batter--this is where pumpkin or peanut butter would replace the oil rather than adjusting the liquid.  As for the waffles, I made them after mixing up the pancake batter, I doubled the recipe, then after using about half of it for pancakes, I mixed in some oil (no extra egg this time) and they turned out fine, though I think having the extra egg would be better, so the oil amount above is actually just a guess-timate, it could be as much as 3/4 cups, but I think I used at least 1/2 c worth.

Tomale Pie is another recipe that can use this quickmix, but it is also very good with cornbread.  I share this recipe, because it is good but also it shows that the biscuit mix/cornbreads can be used as a crust of sorts for pot-pies and such.  This is also a good recipe to add dried veggies-like carrots, onions, peppers, etc.

Enjoy!

Taste Test Tuesday: Dried fruit in cereal

This is a very simple, yet yummy way to use freeze dried fruits.  Simply add them to your cereal--dry cereal or oatmeal, or to yogurt without rehydrating them.  MMM.  I like to use freeze dried strawberries with cereal and freeze dried blueberries with yogurt.

Enjoy!

Taste Test Tuesday: German Pancakes

I wanted to try German pancakes with more food storage items.  Though it did end up with a different texture than German pancakes when made with fresh eggs, it still turned out good.  This version's texture was more like a thick pudding, albeit yummy, than a more bread-like version.  The strawberries on top made it delicious!  Enjoy!!!

Taste Test Tuesday: Blueberry Pie

MMM, blueberry pie!  The nice thing about this pie recipe is that the fruit can be frozen, fresh or rehydrated.  I used frozen when I made this, directly from the freezer that is not thawed.  It thickens up as it cools, and is even thicker the second day.  Great with whip cream or icecream--mmm here we come!


Enjoy!

Taste Test Tuesday: Fruit Pizza

This is one of those recipes that shows you can adapt recipes to use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose and use freeze-dried fruits instead of fresh.  This recipe has been adapted, but the original recipe came from The Essential Mormon Cookbook by Julie Badger Jensen.  


Enjoy!

Taste Test Tuesday: Apple Cranberry Almond Oatmeal

I felt like making my own oatmeal mix using dried fruits and this was the result...mmm.  You can eat it with milk in a bowl, or on a plate with roasted potatoes, scrambled eggs or other delicious food items.  


Oatmeal is nice to have in food storage because it cooks up pretty fast (even faster if using quick oats), it is healthy and filling.  If you'd like to make your regular oats cook up faster, you can put a cup or so in a blender and pulse a few times to break up the oats before cooking.

Taste Test Tuesday: Potatoes & Sausage

I'll admit I had to come up with amounts for this recipe after the fact, so you may have to adjust to get it to the right taste your family enjoys.  I should have written down what I used at the time I made it rather than trying to remember.  But, I think the above is pretty close to what I used.  I didn't have sour cream on hand, so I used milk instead, it turned out fine.  This recipe would also be good adding some bell peppers (fresh or dehydrated)

When rehydrating veggies, you can use water or stock.  For more flavor, especially when making potato flakes into mashed potatoes, I highly recommend using chicken broth/stock.

Freeze dried or dehydrated fruits and veggies are a great addition to home storage as they take up less space than their canned or even frozen counterparts.  I like to have canned, frozen and dehydrated in my storage, rather than just one or the other, here is why:  I want to have the ability to have canned should there be a lack of water (as dehydrated requires water to rehydrate); I like to have dehydrated also since space to store food isn't always optimal and they are very nice and handy to only have to rehydrate or throw into a soup; and I like frozen for the ease in preparation and taste in everyday cooking.

Enjoy!