Welcome to our blog... this is a place where we can all help each other follow the advice of our church leaders and get ourselves and our homes in order. Click on the tabs at the top of this page and link to encouraging thoughts and articles about home and family preparedness and local grocery ads for comparison shopping as well as other helpful sites and tools. Or click on one of the informative videos on the side Video Bar and listen to others share how they have made food storage work for them. Also on this site, look for monthly info on a specific storage staple and a tested recipe for using that staple. Also look for a weekly comparison chart with the best buys from 4 main grocery stores side by side. And, watch for important dates for events coming up that will help you get prepared. The important thing is that we all get started...let's do it together and make this the year we all feel a little more prepared and a little less afraid!

WEEKLY GROCERY STORE BARGAINS

WEEKLY GROCERY STORE BARGAINS

Saturday, February 26, 2011

March's Food Storage Staple... Powdered Milk!!!

Don't be afraid! Powdered milk is not just for drinking...you can actually cook and make useful things with it! I learned a bunch of fun stuff and I got so excited I had to share it here with you (along with some web sites that you can go to to learn even more - or just Google "cooking with powdered milk" and find more than you ever even wanted). Have fun!

POWDERED MILK
   The recommended amount of Powdered Milk for a 1 year Food Storage plan is 75lbs per person.  Powdered Milk, if properly stored in a cool place in sealed, airtight containers can last up to 30 years. However, in original packaging and once opened, powdered milk should be used quickly - typically within a few years. NOTE: The Dry Pack Cannery has Non-fat Dry Milk Available for packing in # 10 cans or 5lb pouches and for purchasing in 25lb bulk bags.

In addition to using powdered milk in place of milk for drinking or cooking, powdered milk can also be used to make and replace many other dairy products that are derived from milk like cheese, cottage cheese, sweetened condensed milk, yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream, Que so Blanca cheese, cool whip, etc. . If you are interested in obtaining these recipes, directions and further ideas for using your powdered milk supply check out a website called mormonchic.com and click on "recipes" then select the "powdered milk" category from the alphabetical list there.

THIS MONTH'S FOOD STORAGE STAPLE RECIPE:  "MAGIC MIX" (A Mix Base made from Powdered Milk that replaces a Basic White Sauce and can be used to make Yummy Stuff!))
Recipe from the everydayfoodstorage.net Web Site

2 1/3 cups POWDERED MILK
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup margarine (must be stick margarine not a spread) OR butter, softened to room temperature

Place all ingredients in a mixer and beat with wire whip attachment until mixture resembles cornmeal. Makes 5 cups of mix and can be stored in an airtight container in the frig. for use in any of the following recipes...

Basic White Sauce (Makes 1 Cup)
2/3 cup Magic Mix
1 cup cool water
   Place in saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wire whisk until mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Cook to desired thickness and use as desired.


Homemade Macaroni & Cheese
2 cups prepared White Sauce (made from Magic mix as described above)
2 cups uncooked macaroni
2 cups grated or cubed cheese (any variety you prefer...cheddar, MontareyJack, processed...) + extra for garnishing if desired
1-2 teaspoons salt to taste (try garlic salt for a variation)
1 Tablespoon prepared yellow mustard

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Pour into strainer and drain. Set aside. In same pot you used for macaroni, assemble all the other ingredients. Cook and stir until well mixed and just bubbly. Gently stir in drained macaroni and heat through. Serve with garnish of your choice...chopped tomatoes, more grated cheese, cracker crumbs, whatever. VARIATION: To make a meal of it try  "McDonald's Cheeseburger Mac & Cheese"...by stirring  in 1 lb of browned and drained ground beef,  a 1/2 cup of ketchup and 1/4 cup of reconstituted dry onions (rehydrate by adding to 1/2 cup warm water then when soft, draining the water)along with the cheese and stuff listed in the instructions above. Serve with some steamed, mixed veges and you'll have a full meal.


Homemade Pudding (Chocolate or Vanilla)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup Magic Mix (not prepared)
2-3 Tablespoons Cocoa powder (if making chocolate, if making vanilla omit this ingredient)
2 cups cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla
   Place all dry ingredients into a saucepan and mix well. Add water and over medium heat, cook and stir until mixture is thick and bubbly. Beat in vanilla. Cover and cool. Serve and enjoy.


The following chart shows the ratios of powdered milk to water needed to reconstitute powdered milk for use in cooking and drinking (the average #10 can yields just over 5 gallons of milk)...

Amount of Milk Water Powder
1/4 cup 1/4 cup 2 teaspoons
1/2 cup 1/2 cup 4 teaspoons
1 cup 7/8 cup 3 tablespoons
2 cups 2 cups 1/3 cup
3 cups 3 cups 1/2 cup
1 quart (4 cups) 3-1/2 cups 2/3 cup
2 quarts 8 cups 1-1/3 cups
1 gallon 3-3/4 quarts 2-2/3 cups
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As requested...COPYCAT Cafe Rio Recipes from the Relief Society Garden Party 8/14/2012

BARBACOA SWEET PORK
Makes 6 Generous Servings

2-3lb pork shoulder/picnic roast (with bones)
1/4 cup Southwestern Spice Rub (Made by mixing 1/2 cup Kosher salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon each of ... black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground oregano, chili powder, cumin... and a dash or two of cayenne pepper)
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 liter Coke (not diet)
Water
1 can mild chopped green chilies
1 can green or red mild enchilada sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar (can add more or less to adjust to your taste)
One full day before cooking pork, pat roast dry then rub with Southwestern seasoning all over. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight. The next morning, spray your crock pot with cooking spray and cover the bottom of the crock pot with onions and green bell peppers. Place seasoned pork on top of vegetables. Pour 1/2 of the liter of Coke over the top of roast in crock pot. Then add enough water to come up to about 1 inch of top of roast. Cover and cook roast for 4-6 hours on high/medium high (or until pork can be easily pulled into tender shreds with a fork). Remove pork from pot and set aside to cool until you can handle it.
In the meantime, discard cooking liquid and make a fresh sauce by mixing the remaining Coke, the green chilies, the enchilada sauce and the brown sugar in your crock pot and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and adjust sauce to be sweeter if desired. Shred pork and add it in with sauce. (At this point, pork can be refrigerated and saved until a later serving time.) If using right away, cover crock pot and turn back on to high. When juices begin to bubble, reduce heat to low/warm and keep until ready to serve.

CILANTRO, LIME RICE
Makes 6 Salad Servings

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups rice (long grain white rice works best)
1 lime, juices and zest
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
In a skillet, melt butter. Add rice and cook and stir until it just starts to brown here and there. Add chicken stock and all other ingredients. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and serve as desired.

TOMATILLO DRESSING
Makes 2 1/2 cups

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
Mix these 3 ingredients together as directed on the packet. Set aside to thicken while you prepare the following...
1 small bunch cilantro, large stems removed and chopped to make about 1/2 cup
3 tomatillos, outer skins peeled away, washed & quartered
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Juice & zest of 2 limes
1 teaspoon green Tobasco sauce
Place cilantro in the blender and pulse until cilantro is chopped. Add tomatillos, garlic, lime juice & zest, and Tobasco sauce. Add the already prepared ranch dressing that you set aside. Blend until smooth and well-mixed, scraping down sides if needed. Pour into a bottle with a lid, cover and chill until ready to serve.

Now, TO ASSEMBLE a COPYCAT Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad, layer as follows...
Warmed Flour Tortilla
Cheese (whatever kind you prefer)
Shredded Sweet Pork
Beans (any good seasoned black or pinto bean will work)
Cilantro/Lime Rice
Chopped Lettuce
Tomatilla Dressing
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Crispy Tortilla Strips (you can make these yourself by cutting corn tortillas into strips and deep frying them or you can buy them in the salad dressing/crouton section all ready made)

ENJOY!!!