FOOD STORAGE NIGHT

hahaha...I know you are all laughing and thinking of the horrible dinners that you and I both had as kids, as we drank powdered milk, ate wheat extender and possibly beans that were 4000 years old....

In fact, I think I am still laughing as we try out recipes and explore what we really want and NEED in our food storage. Because there is no way in hell that you are ever going to get me to drink powdered milk....just ask Mack..he thought he would be sneaky and try it...no way....I can taste the nasty stuff diluted to less then 3/4ths. I will cook with it though.....so I am trying.

The plan is that we have designated Monday night to cook exclusively (why Monday you ask...? Because our kids are a captive audience as they can have no other activities on that night...and they will be here for dinner!)from our food storage.....it can't be something that we picked up that week because it was on sale or even our short term pantry...it has to be from the long term food storage....wheat, beans, dried eggs, dehydrated vegies...and yes even the dreaded powdered milk.

So the first week, we did okay, it was just beans and salted ham (we canned it during the fall) and wheat bread, made complete with powdered milk.....not bad we can survive on that (especially if I have ketchup to add to the beans and Mack has Evaporated milk.) The wheat bread was yummy...I learned that if I kneaded in the flour with my hands versus the kitchenaid...the dough was a lot softer and i could feel when it was done...I am sure there are more then a few of you that already knew this!!!

But Dessert...well that was a different story...it wasn't bad, but it definitely needs some tweaking. It was carrot cake with the church dehydrated carrots, dried eggs and dried butter.....it would have been better if I had gotten the carrots smaller when they were still dry..that would have made it better then trying to stomach big ole pieces of carrot...but all in all we could survive on it.

Tonight will be more of a trial...and error..kind of thing. We are having baked beans...made with what....yum...I know you are all thinking that, baked mac and cheese with the cheese sauce made from powdered milk, flour, powdered butter and powdered cheese..that one should be okay. Dessert is peanut butter cookies, made with wheat flour, honey, powdered eggs and of course peanut butter...not impressed with the cookie dough so far..but hopefully rolled in sugar they won't be so bad....

I know that you are scratching your heads and asking why? Well for several reasons such as saving money....knowing that we will survive (decently) in case of an emergency...eating more healthy by cutting out the processed foods...and measuring ourselves to see if we have what we need.....also it will come in handy as i start to help put together a food storage mini class each month for other sisters in the branch so that we can learn form each other and just be prepared, as well as following counsel from the church and being prepared.....

I already think that it is better to be "shopping" out of our food pantry and storage, we go to the store less and have saved more money, time and energy as well as ate out less because we had food that was quick and ready to go at home, which again saves money, time (not so much the energy though).

So go ahead and have a good laugh, ask my kids how they are liking it...(BECAUSE THEY LOVE IT!!!! Just ask them!) and let us be the test dummies...but hopefully you will try it too..or even share your trick with me....

I have attached a link to an article in the Ensign by President Marion G Romney. An amazing talk that was published more then 24 years ago...yet applies so amazingly well to today. Just click on the food storage title!

And just a moment on my soap box...I found it ironic that as the government pushes for billions of dollars in unbacked loans and a "stimulus" plan saying that they will rescue the American people....the Ensign was on the opposite spectrum...helping yourself and not expecting someone to give it to you...LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this issue of the Ensign..and I will spare all of you my thoughts on just what the "Stimulus package will do....to the American people and economy...

Happy Eating!