Preparedness Tip For March

A quick alternative to enchilada sauce for half the price:

8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1/4 to 1/3 package of fajita seasoning

The end.

(That's simple!)

mmm...

Margie Harward will be hosting an oatmeal class this coming week.

Tuesday, Nov 18th
7:30 PM
Relief Society Room

You may remember the wheat class that was a smashing success. I'm sure that oatmeal will be just as enjoyable, if not more!

What the World Needs Now is Wheat Sweet Wheat

Sunday (September 14th) will be the last chance for everyone to sign up for the wheat class being held On September 16th in the Relief Society room at 7pm. When I say THE wheat class, I mean THE WHEAT CLASS to end all wheat classes. You won't want to miss it & if you do you'll wish you hadn't & if you don't you. . .well, you get the picture.

Ketchup Catch-up

Tomato Ketchup compliments of Margie

1 can (6oz) tomato paste
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1/8 cup water
1/8 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
Mix all ingredients and refrigerate in an airtight container. This mixture will be be as smooth as commercial ketchup, but is very similar in taste. Makes 1 pint.

Preparedness Tip

When I was young and had an upset stomach, my mom would often mix a glass of water with a bit of baking soda. It was a much dreaded concoction, but it always seemed to make me feel better. Over the years, I've learned that soda has a myriad of potential uses. One submitted by our ever-faithful preparedness committee is as a substitute for toothpaste. Just wet your toothbrush and add a small amount of baking soda. Rinse mouth well after brushing. I wonder if you brushed your teeth with baking soda while you had an upset stomach--would it kill two home remedy birds with one stone? Maybe?

A Syrup Testimony

First of all, please note that the original recipe for the apricot syrup I posted last week was weird (totally my fault, but now correct). A big thank you those who so sweetly and subtly caught my accidental error.

Secondly, an apology that our blog has been post free the past few days. I went to visit my family in Idaho. That might seem completely irrelevant to some, but the fact that we made the apricot syrup recipe & dined on the most amazing pancakes you've ever experienced make this declaration more than relevant. Let me just testify to the goodness that is this apricot syrup. If you have apricots on your tree or lurking in your local farmer's market, pull out the puree and the sugar. . .you'll definitely be in for a sweet time (and an easy one, too).

Please note that I don't typically drink my syrup, but this recipe is sooo good that I succumbed to the temptation.

Pancakes & Syrup Anyone?

On Saturday, a group of SWEET sisters learned to make apricot syrup and afterward enjoyed it on some healthy pancakes.

Margie H. was kind enough to share the recipe. I'm going to make a batch this weekend. I've heard rumor that it's the best syrup in the world. . .and my sources are completely reliable.

APRICOT SYRUP
4 cups of pureed apricots
add 1 cup water
mix together in pan
add 3 TB lemon juice and 4 cups sugar
bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil 5 min. continuing to stir.
Put in jars. Put jars in canner with hot water. Water should be 1 inch above jars. Bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars, let seal and cool.

HEARTY PANCAKE MIX
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups finely crushed cornflakes
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 TB sugar
1 TB baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients: Mix well. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months. Yield: 5 batches.

To prepare pancakes , combine 1 1/2 cups mix, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 egg and 1 TB oil, whisk just until moistened.

Yield--10 pancakes

An EGGceptional Tip

A Preparedness Tip from our friends on the Emergency Preparedness Committee:

Egg substitute (for use in baking) Before starting recipe for cookies, cake, etc., combine 1tsp unflavored gelatin with 3 Tbsp. cold water and 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. boiling water. This mixture will substitute for 1 egg in a recipe.

Life is full of surprises, huh?

Calculate

Ever thought you needed a special calculator to help figure out how much food storage your family needs? Well, here you go--your very own personal food storage calculator!

Food Storage Calculator

This calculator is designed to help you determine your longer-term food storage needs.

The suggested amounts are for an adult.

U.S. Standard or Metric

	Number of people in the home:
	Number of months of storage wanted:
Suggested amount		Calculated amount
(person/month)
25 lb.	Wheat, white rice, corn, and other grains
5 lb.	Dry beans and other legumes

You may also want to add other items such as sugar, nonfat dry milk, salt, baking soda, and cooking oil. To meet nutritional needs, also store foods containing Vitamin C and other essential nutrients.

Food Storage

Let's make one thing about this post VERY clear. This is NOT my food storage (as I have no alcohol in my pantry). I love presentation and am a color oriented personality, but this photo is being used simply because it's pretty--not because it's practical to only have red, yellow, and blue in your food storage forage. I might recognize the importance of presentation, but I'm also a realist and pragmatist!

Last night was visiting teaching palooza around here & I loved it. I especially enjoyed a visit from my friends Caroline & Diane. We talked about a whole lot of things--including food storage. Caroline mentioned THIS WEBSITE (I hear these people are pretty reliable ;) I was immediately interested. . .and am hoping it will be of some help to others. Caroline said that there is not charge for shipping/tax... only a bit more than if you drove to the cannery and bought it... less hassle...quite easy! Check it out! I'm getting hungry for some cracked wheat just writing about it. . .

Thanks Caroline & Diane for a lovely visit & some great information.

Unsolved Mysteries: Baking Powder

I really like to cook & I LOVE to bake. So, when I read in the RS newsletter on Sunday that baking powder can't be stored for long periods of time (as in food storage years), I was intrigued. So, here's the scoop (of baking powder that is).

-Don't keep baking powder for more than one year, as it loses its potency. To check whether your baking powder is still usable, add 1 teaspoon of it to 1/3 cup of hot tap water. The mixture should bubble vigorously.

-Substitute 1 tsp of baking powder by mixing 1/4 tsp. baking soda with 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar. Who knew? Our wow super-d-dooper emergency preparedness committee--that's who!

-If you're interested in learning more about baking powder--click here & you'll know more than you probably need/want to!