Preparations Update

[UrbanHunter]

This may not be true Preparations, but the wife and I have been talking about making dry pancake and biscuit "mixes" that can be sealed in pint jars. I have been doing more cooking but I never do these items. The wife detests store bought mixes and when reading the labels they all have too much salt... So she is going to teach me how to make biscuits and pan cakes her way and then we will experiment using our long term freeze dried items to see what we can make that is "acceptable". Once we have an approved recipe we will make batches and place them in pint canning jars and pull a vacuum using the seal-a-meal thing....

I want to have a supply of long term easy but healthy and good food storage items that can give us variety. Plus, if something happens I want to be able to continue to function normally without resorting back to canned biscuits.....

 

[LadyLocust]

This may not be true Preparations, but the wife and I have been talking about making dry pancake and biscuit "mixes" that can be sealed in pint jars. I have been doing more cooking but I never do these items. The wife detests store bought mixes and when reading the labels they all have too much salt... So she is going to teach me how to make biscuits and pan cakes her way and then we will experiment using our long term freeze dried items to see what we can make that is "acceptable". Once we have an approved recipe we will make batches and place them in pint canning jars and pull a vacuum using the seal-a-meal thing....

I want to have a supply of long term easy but healthy and good food storage items that can give us variety. Plus, if something happens I want to be able to continue to function normally without resorting back to canned biscuits.....

I do this UH. I just line up however many pint jars and go down the line with the measuring cup of flour, soda etc. Then I get the little sticker labels and write how much of the wet ingredients to add. Saves on dishes too since you don't have to get everything out to measure when you want to make them.

 

[LadyLocust]

Well, the perk of sleeping for 2 weeks is that I didn't spend any money during that time. My rennet did arrive so I can make cheese if need be. I also need to now restock Pedialyte & will probably replace some of the vitamins consumed.

 

[Pearl]

Well, the perk of sleeping for 2 weeks is that I didn't spend any money during that time. My rennet did arrive so I can make cheese if need be. I also need to now restock Pedialyte & will probably replace some of the vitamins consumed.

My saying is, "always find the good in the situation"! You have done that! Glad you are feeling better

 

[WVDragonlady]

Been defrosting one of the freezers and doing inventory.
Plenty of pork ( )
Good amount of chicken pieces and ground turkey and chicken
Low on beef (thats expected since the price is so high)
Little bit of fish since we're not big fish eaters. Do have 3 bags of frozen raw shrimp and one can of frozen crabmeat
One row in the door of frozen oj and one row of frozen pineapple juice. I should get some lemonade and limeade ( just to flavor some things)
Last row is full of butter
Also have a double pack of 1lb yeast in there
Have about 6 containers of beef broth and cooked pork roast

Think I'm going to wait to do the other freezer lol This was a PIA undertaking. Its taken longer because its so cold out in the sunroom

 

[Morgan101]

Yesterday my wife was off helping her sister, so I had the afternoon to myself. I dug out my cache, a large plastic tote with extra supplies. Prior to yesterday that tote was like Fibber McGee's closet. Older members will know what I am talking about. Younger members can google it.

Anyway, I organized the whole thing. Separated and compartmentalized everything by category. I know exactly what I have and where to get it if I need it. Something I have wanted to do for months.

 

[LadyLocust]

Yesterday my wife was off helping her sister, so I had the afternoon to myself. I dug out my cache, a large plastic tote with extra supplies. Prior to yesterday that tote was like Fibber McGee's closet. Older members will know what I am talking about. Younger members can google it.

Anyway, I organized the whole thing. Separated and compartmentalized everything by category. I know exactly what I have and where to get it if I need it. Something I have wanted to do for months.

Back when humor was funny: Molly- Why do you have a single snow shoe? McG - Is that what that is? No wonder I'm so bad at tennis.

I bought 10# sliced mushrooms to throw on the dehydrator. They were out of the small cans.

 

[Tsrwivey]

I was able to find ground beef 80/20 on the rotten meat rack for $2.00 a pound and fresh salmon for 99 cents a pound. The good news is we extended our stash of meat by another 30 days. The bad news is I had to give up the freezer space for my make ahead meals.

I got another two cases of shelf stable whole milk, another 20lbs of grits, a commercial fry cutter, more seeds, and 10lbs of powdered sugar.

 

[goshengirl]

@Tsrwivey, do you have a link for the commercial fry cutter? I'm in the market.

 

[angie_nrs]

I did the same as you Morgan. I headed to the room where I've just been dropping bags to organize later. I got another shelf put up and started getting things out of bags and organized on the shleves. I found out I've got more canned meat than I thought I did. Grabbing a few cans every time I went to the store apparently adds up after a while. After about 3 hours, things look much better.

 

[Tank-Girl]

I have boxes and flats of food and cleaning supplies stacked up in almost every room.
It's not in any sort of order...it was more like..first through the door - first on the floor, then stack.
I have next to no shelving in this hovel so it's looking like an extreme hoarder episode.
I should put them in totes and label them and have a index card stuck the tote with a list of the contents.
I found a farm that sells half grass fed beasts ..then I realised that I'd have to buy another chest freezer to store it in.
Where the devil would I put another chest freezer?
No idea.

 

[jazzy]

just an observation not real important.....

to me having some campbells chicken noodle soup when im sick is The comfort item growing up and i got some last month to keep on hand thru the winter. the last several years i sdlowly stopped buying packaged or canned meals cause its cheaper to sort of make my own. this week i got a sore throat, cold, sniffles and feeling sorry for myself opened a can of campbells chicken noodle soup to have then off to bed.

now ive not had this for several years----but it was frikken NASTY

broth was bland and plastic-y, noodles looked like dead worms---it didnt taste good at all. didnt smell like the soup i loved for years. it wasnt spoiled or bad-- kinda of chemically-- just seemed cheaper ingredients were used cause it didnt taste at all like it used to. i gave it to the dogs and they werent impressed

now i know the world is coming to an end

guess when i feel better ill make up and can some of my old favorite chicken veg soup.

 

[LadyLocust]

just an observation not real important.....

to me having some campbells chicken noodle soup when im sick is The comfort item growing up and i thought id get some extra to keep on hand. the last several years i sdlowly stopped buying packaged or canned meals cause its cheaper to sort of make my own. this week i got a sore throat, cold, sniffles and feeling sorry for myself opened a can of campbells chicken noodle soup to have then off to bed.

now ive not had this for several years----but it was frikken NASTY

broth was bland and plastic-y, noodles looked like dead worms---it didnt taste good at all. didnt smell like the soup i loved for years. it wasnt spoiled or bad-- kinda of chemically-- just seemed cheaper ingredients were used cause it didnt taste at all like it used to. i gave it to the dogs and they werent impressed

now i know the world is coming to an end

guess when i feel better ill make up and can some of my old favorite chicken veg soup.

Hope you're feeling better soon Jaz. We found once we quit eating processed food then had a hankering for a certain thing & would splurge, it was gross. The worse was a coffee cake we liked, made one after about a year or two - Blek! Chemical cake.

 

[LadyLocust]

I went looking for a lined flannel overshirt for Hubby today. They didn't have any cotton (poly/cotton melts). I noticed they had their seeds in so grabbed a few I know I'll want as well as onion sets & garlic. It will be a month anyways before I can plant them but prefer to have them than not. Uncertain how things will roll with garden supplies this year.

 

[jazzy]

Hope you're feeling better soon Jaz. We found once we quit eating processed food then had a hankering for a certain thing & would splurge, it was gross. The worse was a coffee cake we liked, made one after about a year or two - Blek! Chemical cake.

thanks for your kind wishes LL,and i think you are 100% correct. once we stop eating processed foods maybe we get our taste buds back, lol. but i learned my lesson.

 

[Neb]

just an observation not real important.....

to me having some campbells chicken noodle soup when im sick is The comfort item growing up and i got some last month to keep on hand thru the winter. the last several years i sdlowly stopped buying packaged or canned meals cause its cheaper to sort of make my own. this week i got a sore throat, cold, sniffles and feeling sorry for myself opened a can of campbells chicken noodle soup to have then off to bed.

now ive not had this for several years----but it was frikken NASTY

broth was bland and plastic-y, noodles looked like dead worms---it didnt taste good at all. didnt smell like the soup i loved for years. it wasnt spoiled or bad-- kinda of chemically-- just seemed cheaper ingredients were used cause it didnt taste at all like it used to. i gave it to the dogs and they werent impressed

now i know the world is coming to an end

guess when i feel better ill make up and can some of my old favorite chicken veg soup.

They reduced the salt content a while back. I compensate by using 1/2 the added water and eat it with saltine crackers. I probably have it twice a month or so with bologna and ketchup sandwiches.

One of my favorites.

Ben

 

[Amish Heart]

I keep it around and the grandkids will eat it and canned ravioli, too. But today I made amish chicken and noodles and had it ready for a hot lunch, and they ate a ton of it. Grandson came back from sledding and had seconds. Like chicken noodle soup, but not much broth. And use thick cut egg noodles and fresh cooked shredded chicken. Sometimes it's served over mashed potatoes. Anyway, they do like homemade better every time.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

#me too

 

[Tsrwivey]

I bought this one but haven’t had time to get it out of the box yet.

 

[UrbanHunter]

This week we made 4 casseroles for the freezer. We are trying to find a good recipe for DIY Uncle Ben's wild rice seasoning, we like the rice but would prefer to distance ourselves from the revised branding....

 

[LadyLocust]

This week we made 4 casseroles for the freezer. We are trying to find a good recipe for DIY Uncle Ben's wild rice seasoning, we like the rice but would prefer to distance ourselves from the revised branding....

I'm sure you've done this, but if you search "Make your own Uncle Bens wild rice seasoning" several recipes show up. I usually pull up a couple of the copycat recipes to see about how much of what ingredients then kinda write my own - then adjust as needed.

ETA: I make my own taco seasoning, poultry seasoning etc.

 

[Amish Heart]

I do, too. Husband has a no salt diet, so I make a no salt taco seasoning. We use that alot.

 

[angie_nrs]

I keep it around and the grandkids will eat it and canned ravioli, too. But today I made amish chicken and noodles and had it ready for a hot lunch, and they ate a ton of it. Grandson came back from sledding and had seconds. Like chicken noodle soup, but not much broth. And use thick cut egg noodles and fresh cooked shredded chicken. Sometimes it's served over mashed potatoes. Anyway, they do like homemade better every time.

I made some beef and vege soup this past week in the crock pot. I add the wylers soup mix after the beef sits in the crock pot for several hours, but I add my own stuff (spices and veges) as well to it to 'soup' it up. One of the kids came by and ate 2 bowls of it, even though they weren't hungry. Yeah, the home made stuff is always so much better than any of the canned or frozen stuff. If making it for a meal, I pair it with biscuits and a salad. Good stuff, especially in the winter months.....it sticks to the ribs, unlike the canned stuff off the shelves.

I'll be attempting to make some sausage loaves this week to get some meat out of the freezer. It looks good so far and will last a long time in the frig and can be re-frozen. Hopefully it will be another 5# of meat being transformed into some yummy goodness to free up some room in the freezer. Even if we re-freeze it, I know it won't last long.....

 

[Weedygarden]

Where the devil would I put another chest freezer?
No idea.

I know that some people prefer chest freezers, but an upright might be easier to find a space for.

just an observation not real important.....

to me having some campbells chicken noodle soup when im sick is The comfort item growing up and i got some last month to keep on hand thru the winter. the last several years i 'd slowly stopped buying packaged or canned meals cause its cheaper to sort of make my own. this week i got a sore throat, cold, sniffles and feeling sorry for myself opened a can of campbell's chicken noodle soup to have then off to bed.

now i've not had this for several years----but it was frikken NASTY

broth was bland and plastic-y, noodles looked like dead worms---it didn't taste good at all. didn't smell like the soup i loved for years. it wasn't spoiled or bad-- kinda of chemically-- just seemed cheaper ingredients were used cause it didn't taste at all like it used to. i gave it to the dogs and they weren't impressed

now i know the world is coming to an end

guess when i feel better ill make up and can some of my old favorite chicken veg soup.

We rarely had Campbells chicken noodle soup when I was a kid. We usually had homemade food. I thought that soup was the best, but like many of you, as time goes on, I am finding that processed food is nasty. There are so many things in processed food that we have no idea what we are really eating. I am wondering if I am becoming a food snob? Maybe I am, but maybe we all need to be more particular about what we eat?

 

[Amish Heart]

I'm a terrible food snob. Alot of the time when we go out to eat, I ask myself why I am eating it, if I know mine is better.

 

[jazzy]

i dont think itds being a food snob, its more like being food smart. imn thinking the boomer generation were experimented on with vax, food chemicals and preservatives, chemicals everywhere in everythinbg. i recall many years ago reading about food scientists working so hard to come up with some additives that would make anything taste good.
i think they won.

i havent had a twinkie in like 60 years--today id be afraid. lol

 

[Spikedriver]

They reduced the salt content a while back. I compensate by using 1/2 the added water and eat it with saltine crackers. I probably have it twice a month or so with bologna and ketchup sandwiches.

One of my favorites.

Ben

Bologna and ketchup sandwiches...wait, what? Is that a real thing?

 

[Amish Heart]

My mom couldn't cook to save her life. I grew up on day old bakery sweets and bologna sandwiches.

 

[angie_nrs]

Bologna and ketchup sandwiches...wait, what? Is that a real thing?

Way back in high school, I knew a guy who ate mustard sandwiches with sugar on top.....as in a slice of bread with mustard smeared on it and sugar sprinkled on top. Yes, you read that right.
Although, I probably shouldn't knock it.......b/c I never had the nerve to try it.

 

[Morgan101]

I think we ate a lot of things because we were poor. We were kids. What did we know? You ate whatever your Mother put in front of you, and you better eat it, and you better not complain about it. There were starving children in China who wished they had what you had.