Food Storage Friday

Today's Recipe: Rice pudding.

This recipe is really good for leftover rice.

Prepare pudding as directed. You could use Cook & Serve or Instant. Just add the pre-cooked (and preferably cooled) rice into the pudding. Let set in fridge, and enjoy!

Some things that can add a little pizazz to chocolate or vanilla pudding (with our without rice):

• orange or lemon zest
• almond or vanilla extract (Food Storage Friendly)
• shaved, toasted coconut (FSF)
• cinnamon (FSF)
• raisins or other dried fruit (dried apricots chopped really well with almond extract and vanilla rice pudding - you'll never be the same) (FSF)
• pistachios or macadamia nuts (FSF)

Submit your Recipe!

If you have a food storage recipe and would like it to appear on this blog, sent it to me!

Other good reasons to shoot me a line:
- To tell me how your storage/72 hour kits are coming
- To share a DIY project
- To submit activity ideas
- To ask any questions
- To vent about that mean lady at the supermarket (hey, everybody needs to vent)

 My email can be found in the "Contact Me" section of the blog.

Tuesday Storage

Each week we add a new item to the 72-hour kits, and each month, we move to a different long-term storage item. If you're just joining us now, don't worry! We just started, and we'll be going in a cycle. You'll eventually have everything you need.

This week for the 72-hour kits, we're adding glow-sticks (optional). This is not a mandatory item if you are adding a flashlight and batteries, but it may be a good idea, just in case those batteries didn't have as much juice as you thought. However, if you added a crank flashlight last week (like me), batteries aren't an issue. My 72-hour kit has been totally easy to start building. How is everyone else's coming?

Our long-term storage item this month is rice. There is still one week to stock up! Of course you can buy it later, but keeping up minimizes overwhelming shopping trips once a year.

How is everyone's 3-month supply coming? Keep in mind, 3 month supply is not only food. It includes anything you regularly use that won't go bad if it's stored for a few months, like soaps, shampoo, toilet paper and other paper goods, toiletries, detergent, etc. It should even include a few spares of utensils, like a can opener (heaven knows mine breaks at least every few months), or extra sewing machine needles.

Motivational Monday

Being that January's theme is finances, let me remind everyone that earthquakes and wildfires are not the only disasters we are preparing for. Remember the stock market crash of 1929? People starved to death during the Great Depression, a disaster that was purely financial. 

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but you should never be 100% positive that your job is secure, or that your investments are safe. 

"Though we never know when we will face a challenge that will require us to depend on the resources we have stored, we know that the Lord has said, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30).

Food Storage Friday

Fried Rice! Seriously, this is Tepan-grill quality stuff. I'm afraid it's not totally food-storage friendly, though.

The ingredients are super basic, and regular items that most people always have available.

Rice

Eggs (2 per person makes a pretty substantial meal)

About 1/3 of an onion

Carrots

Soy sauce

Salt, pepper

Butter

Finely chop your onion and carrots.

Saute in melted butter on medium heat.

Once heated through and slightly softened, add the rice. Add more butter, if desired.

Part the rice to one side of the pan.

add the eggs, scramble well, then mix into the rice.

If you crack the eggs into the rice or mix while the eggs are still wet, its fine. I prefer mine separated.

Add soy sauce (or for a gluten-free meal, nix the soy sauce) and season with salt and pepper.

Happy husband!

Tuesday Storage Additions

This week for the 72-hour kits, add a flashlight and batteries, or even better, a crank flashlight (that requires no batteries).

Has everyone added rice to their long term storage? Don't worry, there's still 2 more weeks! Remember, you can buy bags of rice at the grocery store, or buy #10 cans of it from the cannery/Bishop's storehouse. If you are interested in arranging a group to go there together, invite your visiting teachees, friends, new ladies in the ward, etc.

How's your 3-month supply coming? This week I added cereal to the list.

As you add food to your supply, keep in mind your climate. I live in a very humid part of San Diego County, so things like crackers go stale very quickly.

Scientists warn California could be struck by winter 'superstorm'

If Motivational Thoughts and food storage recipes aren't enough to motivate you to prepare for potential disaster, maybe this will. 

A group of more than 100 scientists and experts say in a new report that California faces the risk of a massive "superstorm" that could flood a quarter of the state's homes and cause $300 billion to $400 billion in damage. Researchers point out that the potential scale of destruction in this storm scenario is four or five times the amount of damage that could be wrought by a major earthquake.

It sounds like the plot of an apocalyptic action movie, but scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey warned federal and state emergency officials that California's geological history shows such "superstorms" have happened in the past, and should be added to the long list of natural disasters to worry about in the Golden State.

The threat of a cataclysmic California storm has been dormant for the past 150 years. Geological Survey director Marcia K. McNutt told the New York Times that a 300-mile stretch of the Central Valley was inundated from 1861-62. The floods were so bad that the state capital had to be moved to San Francisco, and Governor Leland Stanford had to take a rowboat to his own inauguration, the report notes. Even larger storms happened in past centuries, over the dates 212, 440, 603, 1029, 1418, and 1605, according to geological evidence.

The risk is gathering momentum now, scientists say, due to rising temperatures in the atmosphere, which has generally made weather patterns more volatile.

The scientists built a model that showed a storm could last for more than 40 days and dump 10 feet of water on the state. The storm would be goaded on by an "atmospheric river" that would move water "at the same rate as 50 Mississippis discharging water into the Gulf of Mexico," according to the AP. Winds could reach 125 miles per hour, and landslides could compound the damage, the report notes.

Such a superstorm is hypothetical but not improbable, climate researchers warn. "We think this event happens once every 100 or 200 years or so, which puts it in the same category as our big San Andreas earthquakes," Geological Survey scientist Lucy Jones said in a press release.

Federal and state emergency management officials convened a conference about emergency preparations for possible superstorms last week. You can read the whole report here.

(A 2005 California storm: AP)

Motivational Monday

 

“We can begin with a one week’s supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs… I fear that so many feel that a long term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.”

            President Gordon B. Hinckley

Rice Cooker Winner!

I used random.org to select the winner of the first giveaway! The winner of the rice cooker is....

Sherrie W!

Sherrie W. said...

I used to have a rice cooker this size and I loved it. Sadly it died. :-(
It's the perfect size for a small family and can be used for so many different meals! It's on my "need to get" list.
I LOVE that you've used pictures in your recipe preparation, I'm a visual and it made me want to go make pasta sauce right away! Thanks! ;-)

January 11, 2011 10:42 AM 

Sherry, email me at tesiahwilk@yahoo.com to claim the rice cooker! Congratulations! 

Don't worry, there will be another contest next month!

Food Storage Recipe

Sorry i didn't post this yesterday!

Get ready to freak out about today's recipe: SPAM Musubi
It's a common food in Hawaiian cuisine, and it's not at all as scary or gross as you might think. Spam has an unfortunate stigma: Ham-in-a-can = gross, right? Wrong.

Ingredients you need: Spam, rice, Teryaki sauce, seaweed (optional). Start cooking your rice (see last week's recipe). While it's cooking, prepare your Spam and seaweed, if you decide to use it. Cut the spam into thin slices. Cut one sheet of seaweed into quarters.

Once the rice is done, remove from heat, remove the lid, and allow to cool. While it's cooling, heat some teryaki sauce in a pan on medium.

Once the sauce is hot, add the slices of spam. Let them caramelize and get hot.

Lay out one strip of seaweed.

Put a small cup of water next to the pot of rice. 

Wet your hands. It makes handling the hot, sticky rice easier.

Spoon some rice into your hand, and shape into a ball.

Place the rice on the seaweed, and the caramelized Spam on top of the rice.

Fold the strip of seaweed onto the Musubi. If the seaweed doesn't stick because it's too dry, wet it slightly with the water you set aside.

Warning: If you are impatient and don't wait long enough for the rice to cool, you will have red, swollen hands like me.

I know Spam is kind of a freaky food, but it's really substantial and cheap. It's a very good source of nutrition for food storage. (I wouldn't recommend eating it everyday, but in an emergency, it will provide much needed energy). And honestly, it isn't gross at all if you cook it the right way. Spam Musubi is a meal my husband and I look forward to, so that should make you trust me and try it!

Rice cooker giveaway reminder

Remember to enter to win the rice cooker! Just comment on the original post, and you'll be entered to win. If you comment on a different post, it won't count as an entry. 

Tuesday Storage

This week for our 72-hour kits, add a set of scriptures. You can ask the missionaries for a paperback Book of Mormon; they're really lightweight. Also add a small vial of consecrated oil. If you do not know how to obtain this, ask your Home Teacher. It may be a good idea to put the vial into a plastic baggie so that if it leaks, it won't ruin the other contents of the kit.

For long-term storage this month, we are building our supply of rice. You can buy #10 cans of it from the cannery/Bishop's Storehouse, or if your family is a little smaller like mine, buy two or three 5 lb. bags of rice from the grocery store (that might be a little easier to get to). Keep in mind, we are gradually building our food supply. You don't have to rush out and spend $300 on rice. Build your food storage in a way that is manageable for your budget and time. I bought one 5 lb. bag at the beginning of the month, and will buy another one at the end.

How's your 3 month supply coming? Remember, 3 month supply contains food you regularly eat. This can also be gradually built by buying a few extra boxed meals or jars of peanut butter at the grocery store.

Motivational Monday

“I urge you…to look to the condition of your finances.  I urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt to the extent possible.  Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from bondage.  …If you have paid your debts, if you have a reserve, even though it be small, then should storms howl about your head, you will have shelter for your wives and children and peace in your hearts.  That’s all I have to say about it, but I wish to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable.”  Gordon B. Hinkley, Conference Report, Oct. 1998 pg 72, or Ensign, Nov. 1998 pg 54.” 

Sorry about any confusion...

OK ladies, I'm extending the rice cooker giveaway for one more week, because there seemed to be some confusion.

If you would like to enter the contest to win the Rice Cooker, go to the "Rice cooker giveaway" post and leave a comment.

If you want to enter the giveaway, but you leave a comment on the wrong post, your comment will not count as an entry! So make sure you're commenting on the right post.

Thanks everyone! Happy providence to you all!

Food Storage Friday

How to Stove Cook Rice

Some people use a rice cooker or a microwave. I prefer stove top, just because i can watch it a little more closely. 

The general rule when cooking rice is to use 2 parts rice, 3-4 parts water. Some different types of rice may vary, but for plain, white, long grain, most packages will tell you that rule. 

So if you're cooking rice for 2-5 people, use 2 cups dry rice, and 3 cups water.

I like to use fragrant Thai rice because it smells and tastes so good.

 Boil your 3 cups of water. You can add a little salt if you want.

 Once the water is at a rolling boil, add your rice (do not rinse beforehand) and cover the pot.

 Immediately turn down the heat to Low or Simmer (whichever your stove says is the lowest setting). Let rice cook for about 15 minutes, or until all water is absorbed. If your rice overcooks by a minute or two, you can still eat it, but there will be a lot of rice stuck to the inside of the pan. If you burn your rice, you can ruin your pan, so be careful!

 Some people like to add a tablespoon of olive oil or butter, but I add seasoned rice vinegar. Fluff with a fork and enjoy!

Don't forget about the rice cooker contest! It ends tomorrow evening, so submit your comments quick!

Rice cooker giveaway!

Like I mentioned on Sunday, this month's giveaway is a rice cooker! Here's how you enter the contest: Leave a comment on this post. You may leave up to 2 comments. I'll use a random selector online to choose the winner! The contest ends on Saturday night, so hurry!

Tuesday Storage

Today is the first Tuesday of the year! Which means we're starting 72-hour kits and food storage!

The first item you should have is a suitcase. It should be compact and easily transportable. Some people prefer rolling suitcases. Ours is just a small, over-the-shoulder, duffle type bag. Remember, we are gradually building these, so we will add one to two items per week.

Next on the list is long term storage (1 year or so). This month it's rice! Unlike 72-hour kits, the long term storage will change each month, so you have a little more time to acquire the items. Feel free to email me with recipes including food storage items for the month, and i'll test them out and post them on the blog!

Now I'll talk a little about 3-month supply. This contains food that we might normally eat regularly, such as boxed food [mac and cheese, hamburger helper, cake mix], spices, etc. It also contains all the long-term storage items, but only in 3-month amounts. It's easier than I make it sound, I promise. 

The easiest way to start building the 3-month supply is to just buy a little more than your regular grocery amount (only of non frozen or fridge items, of course). Each time i go to the grocery store, I might buy an extra box of pasta or a few extra cans of tuna.  If you do that, you hardly have to think about it, and its helpful  because you'll run out of things less quickly. 

Do you have any methods for building food storage? Would anyone be interested in arranging a monthly trip to the storehouse to pick up the different food storage items for the sisters in the ward? 

Motivational Monday

"Though we never know when we will face a challenge that will require us to depend on the resources we have stored, we know that the Lord has said, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30).

Happy New Year!

I think today's Relief Society lesson went really well! I'm feeling really motivated to get started on all my food storage and 72 hour kits! Start collecting stuff with me as i post, and the whole project will be much less overwhelming! Some great ideas from today are to have a question forum, learn how to sew clothes, and have first aid certification!

I'll work on posting the year's basic (and very tentative) plan, so everyone can see what's coming up! Get ready, girls, because starting this week, we've got a lot of preparations to make!