"Boy, I need a wife!"

The college age boys were visiting over Skype which let two of them see that their friend was enjoying a snack.  They questioned, "What are you eating?"  When the reply revealed, "Chocolate chip banana Bread," the boys were quick to exclaim, "Boy, I need a wife!"  I smiled.  Some women may object that their role is to bake scrumptious treats for their men,and they would rather have him do the baking in the house, or perhaps they settle for purchasing a loaf of banana bread on the way home from work. Both options are better than no treats, but given all the options at my fingers, I applaud that young wife for taking the time to make a treat worth bragging rights.

Cooking:

We bought 50 pounds bananas on sale in the discount cart.  Within a day we peeled and bagged all the bananas in freezer bags.  It has been so handy to pull out a bag, dislodge one or two bananas for a breakfast shake, banana cookies or more banana bread.  Savings/benefits: 35 cents per pound, security in the freezer supplies, and happy children and husband.

Life - Enjoying the Fleeting Moments

Our nation mourns. This week 20 kindergartners were shot to death in school along with eight adults. Life.

The time we spend on this earth is a gift.  No one knows when their time is up.  No one knows when it will be the last time to kiss your loved ones goodbye.  I have determined to live each day with meaning and purpose.  To find joy and happiness - not pleasure and fun - but lasting joy of caring, service and meaning in every moment.  Life is too fleeting to carry regrets. Perhaps that is why I'll post today.

Meals:

We hurrried  home from church in a snow flurry.  No Sunday meal invited us so I quickly started frying onions to make 'Frisco Burgers.  The savory smell of onions cooking enticed the children to come and chat while the table was set, buns cut, cheese sliced and napkins folded.  It was really not a big affair because everyone helped and peace and contentment filled our home.  The burgers were delicious.

The Power of Touch

The most profound lessons come in the simplest packages.  The lesson learned: touch is a powerful tool to bond two people.  I had been out of town for three days supporting one of the older children in her activities. My youngest at the tender age of three was left home with siblings.  She seemed totally unaffected by my absence.  She was not clingy or teary.  Nevertheless, upon returning just in case she needed some extra nurturing, I decided to make a conscious effort to hold her, to hug her, to give kisses, to stroke her hair, to pat her as she walked by, to touch her arm when I was talking to her, to look at her when I passed her glass of milk.... Within a day she was returning me the favor.    Spontaneously she would exclaim, "Mom, I love you." Over the next two days, her little arms would wind themselves around my neck time and time again  to whisper in my ear "I love you."

I smiled because I had not been telling her "I love you." with every touch.  Yet, she understood love from every touch.  I remembered an experienced mother telling me that at one point as she struggled with one of her sons the thought came to her to "touch him."  So at every family meal while pouring all the glasses of water, she made a point to put her hand on his shoulder for those brief seconds behind his chair.  She reported "It made all the difference."

I wonder how many marriages would be sources of supreme trust, joy, and comfort if we would simply increased the frequency of touch with kindness and caring.  Can a masterpiece be wrought without the "touch of the Master's hand?"

IN THE KITCHEN:
There are no eggs in the house today.  Brainstorming what we have on hand and what could be done with them on the way home from church yielded the following list of goodies for the afternoon snacks:

Apple crisp
Egg-less chocolate cake with fudge sauce
No bake chocolate oatmeal cookies
Raw cookie dough without eggs


I suppose there are many other treats we could make but the children thought of these.
I am glad they considered life full of opportunities not the lack thereof.

"Daddy, I cooked the broccoli!"/ Food for the Road

We held Sunday Dinner an hour and a half waiting for Dad to come home.  As soon as Dad appeared on the scene our 5 year old exclaimed, "Daddy, I cooked the broccoli and I didn't even cut myself!"
I smiled; the broccoli had big chunks of stem and little floweretts and one whole pan got eaten by the crew before Dad made it home.  We had to steam more for dinner.  Who can stifle the glee of a 5 year old?

Preparation: We spent 5 days on the road.  To prepare for those left at home as well as food to eat while traveling with six children, we baked bread and froze loaves, baked and froze muffins, baked a large batch of samosa's (little potato pies), froze the remaining half of birthday cake in 3 inch squares for the 14 year old to snack on when he came home from school, and left a large bowl of leftovers for the teenagers.   Everything worked well.  The samosa's were the biggest hit on the road - filling and savory even cold. This proved very useful when we were stranded while a new transmission was installed.  The grocery options were expensive, greasy, and not very nutritious.  The restaurant option nearby were very expensive.  Samosas were inexpensive, homemade, savory, and nutritious.

Restaurants:  We went to lunch at a Mexican Restaurant for Labor day to celebrate a birthday.  We invited a friend to join us.  I smiled when the friend asked my son, "How do you like Mexican food?"  He replied, "I don't know I've never had it before." Then proceeded to clean his plate spotless.  I thought it a great example of the rhyme my Mom chimed to us "Try it you might like it!"   We all loved the excursion.


Recipes:

Samosas
5 pounds of potatoes, washed, peeled (or not if you like), and diced
1 cup frozen gren peas
1 cup frozen baby lima beans (optional add in, peanuts, or other beans or other vegetable chuncks)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Mrs. Dash
1 tsp Montreal Chicken.

Pizza Dough
3 cups warm water
3 TBS yeast
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS salt
6 TBS oil
7- 1/2 cups flour white or whole wheat

Mix all together.

Boil potatoes in enough water to cover for 5 minutes or until tender to a fork.  Remove from water, stir in frozen vegetables, add spices.  Make pizza dough. roll pizza dough thin in a large rectangular shape.  Cut the rolled out dough with a pizza cutter into rectangles, squares, and small triangles about 2 inches by 3 inches. Spoon 2 Tablespoons of the potato mixture onto each dough shape.  Bring up the sides and corners and pinch them together over the top of the filling.  Bake for 12-15 minutes in an oven heated to 350 degrees.

Delightful Sunday

We enjoyed visiting and just being together after our Sunday dinner of pork loin roast, mashed potatoes, gravy,  steamed carrots and broccoli, green salad and ice cream. The relaxed conversation lasted for three plus hours.  We read family histories detailing more difficult times when luxuries were scarce, articles encouraging us to protect our freedoms by example and civil discourse, and played name that tune while the big girls styled the little girl's hair.

The best moments came with our after dinner snack of gluten free peanut butter cookies.

Here is the recipe:

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Mix together, bake 10-12 minutes, let cool before trying to eat.  The are more crumbly hot.

I thought the cookie excellent.  Leaving flour and butter out as called for in a conventional recipe conserves calories while satisfying a sweet tooth.

He Knows Our Desires

My son was sitting at the bar typing his talk for church in two hours.  I was sautéing zuccinni and onions. The essence of savory foods started filling the house and inviting the children to wake.  Before they made it to the kitchen, we were enjoying a minute of relative quiet.  "Mom, what does 'and a hair of his head shall not fall to the ground unnoticed' mean?"  Humbled, I looked up from the frying pan.  "To me it means God knows us.  He knows our thoughts, our feelings, our words, and everything we do.  He knows our desires."  He nodded and turned back to the computer.  His talk would not mention the ideas discussed.   His life experiences will test the reasoning.

I marveled again, offering a little prayer of thanks that I had taken  the few minutes to fry up a breakfast.  In the mindless stirring of a frying pan came the opportunity to teach, to witness.  God knows us,  He loves us enough to hear the very desires of our hearts.

Breakfast:  Scrambled Eggs with diced Zuccini, onions, and a roma tomato
Lunch: Leftover vegetable soup from yesterday and eggs from breakfast.
Dinner: Steamed broccoli;  rice with hamburger, onions, and peppers;  Lettuce wedge.

Preparing for Success

Christmas of 2012 taught me a lesson.  About 2:00 am just hours before the children would wake to open their gifts,  I woke my husband  "It is time to put the little kitchen together, this is a 'Daddy' job."  For the next three hours both of us laboriously inserted one screw at a time to complete the project, I felt grateful that my husband can follow directions.  I knew I had been taken through an exercise that stretched me and taught me that SUCCESS IS DELIBERATE.  This method is often counter to the way I like to approach life, especially cooking.  I like to wing it, throw it all in,  go for adventure, be flexible and follow my best sense.  There was nothing intuitive in that little kitchen set.  The only way through the maze of parts was a step by step  disciplined approach.

I learned success at any task takes following a plan.  When feeding a family these are tools to use: recipes, menues, budgets, and a plan for acquiring and using basic shelf stable items and long term food storage items. We will create happy memories, feed our our families and protect our homes.  it will take careful PLANNING to be SUCCESSFUL.  Lets do it!

Back to Biscuits:


This week I cleaned the fridge freezer and made a list of everything. Our breakfasts, lunches and dinners have included these items.  Stress has decreased considerably because the menu possibilities are in front of me and we can use what I have.  The freezer is organized and it is like giving myself a hug every time I open the door.


One item I found was a gallon size bag of biscuit mix.  This homemade mix is all the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and the butter) in my Grandma's biscuit recipe.  I assembled 3-4 mixes at a time, froze them, and now we get to enjoy them. 

"Could you help us with food"

Last week I had the privilege of putting some food on our friends shelves.  The mother and I shopped together to find foods that would ensure that the children would not ever have to be hungry because there was no food in the house when food stamps would not come for 2 more weeks.  Rice, pinto beans, spices, a pork loin, and 5 pounds of cheese were the staples we chose.  Mom cut the pork loin into individual 1/2 cup servings of tid bit pieces, the cheese was re-sacked into 1-1/2 cup portions then refrozen.  The meat and cheese will provide flavor and variety for months if used wisely.  We augmented the shopping list with foods from our own shelves - white flour, and honey.  The 25# of rice and 20 pounds of beans are easily a six month supply for a family of 6.  The peace of mind for this mother is worth the sacrifice of fast food or other prepackaged foods for a month to allow this family to be prepared.

"Be Hungry, Be Foolish" - Dairy Free Rice Krispies

Steve Jobs chose to close his remarks at the 2005 Stanford Commencement exercises offered this counsel: "Be hungry, be foolish."  I agree.  Hunger is a good thing.  Too often we are afraid of it.  Too often we deny our children the growth of knowing they can be hungry and they won't die.  Too often we never develop an appetite for something greater than the next meal.

Schooling our appetites is part of our purpose on Earth and sometimes it requires we do more than just "go hungry: we have to be hungry - for knowledge, for discipline, for charity.   This requires that our stomachs learn to be hungry as well.  For Steve Jobs that meant he lived out of vending machines off loose change for six days a week, and once a week walked seven miles for a good meal.  No one would argue that Steve Jobs achieved success.  The road there required he be hungry. 

On the Home Front:
"Mommy, isn't this the best day of your life!" My five year old was sitting on the counter stirring the noodles.  I smiled back with an uncertain, "Yes?"  He clarified, "Because we've never cooked this before!"  I chuckled out loud.  We were cooking ABC pasta for a special "mac and cheese" dish.  Roger, the five year old, was cooks helper and he requested mac and cheese.  The special noodles made our day.


Group Hug - Good smells from cooking dinner evoked a group hug in the kitchen as all three children 7, 5, 2 grabbed my legs and waist to say "Thank you Mom!  Your the best Mom!"

Food Tips:

We made Rice Krispies without butter or margarine.

6 cups marshmallows
2 TBS canola oil
6 cups Rice Krispies

Melt the mini marshmallows in the oil that is just enough to cover the bottom of the pan
Add the cereal, stir until well mixed, Put in pan to cool.  Enjoy.

Old Flour
I opened some flour that had been stored in the original 5# paper sacks inside a five gallon bucket for a long time. (I took it off a friend's hands when they moved- I have had it 18 months- it has been stored for maybe 5-10 years. The flavor was okay but the flour was dry.  It was so dry that the brownies crumbled like sand.  The next batch of bread that I made with that flour took 1/3 again more water.  (Original recipe called for 4 cups water I added 1-1/2 cups more water for the same dry ingredients.)

Preparation an Divine Truth

Preparing is a truth.  To be happy we must prepare.  We prepare ourselves for the day by showering, eating breakfast, taking a moment to pray.  We prepare ourselves for the week by going to church, pondering on the upcoming responsibilities, and our direction in life.  Any good sales person or parent will ask what our hopes and dreams are and if we are headed that way.  Long term planning and setting goals for life determine what we do today.

Mealtimes are no different.  If we are wise each day we are executing a plan - preparing.  If we are not short sighted we will do more than just fill stomachs for the next three hours, we will be preparing the current meal while thinking of the next meal and at the same time by cutting salad greens, putting a dish in the crockpot or preparing a triple batch of the current meal for extra freezer meals. 

As we shop, we are prudently looking for sales, buying extra, preserving food for times of want ahead.  Preparation becomes a way of life as one constrains the desires and impulses of the moment for a long term benefit. 

This month (September 2011) my goal is to live life and blog our day to day with these principles in mind.  There is no overt monetary restriction, no challenge to only use what is on our shelves, I will prepare meals according to what we have on hand, the sales we encounter, the time restrictions of our family and the appetites to satisfy. Let's see what benefits we enjoy as we prepare for family mealtimes.

Without appology - Intestinal Fortitude

For three days my children have enjoyed a big pot of baby Lima beans, pinto beans, read lentils, split mung beans, and brown rice flavored with dehydrated onion, crushed tomatoes, garlic, Mrs. Dash, and salt.  The dish tasted delicious but by the second day I felt a little badly when the children came home from school and beans were all they could find to eat.  The older children were ravenous and ate it with great relish commenting "This makes my tummy feel so happy."  One seven year old refused to eat the beans until I held her on my lap and gently persuaded her to take one bite, then another.  She ate a full cup one bite at a time while sitting on my lap.  My mother's heart was doubly rewarded knowing my sweet child had eaten a healthy meal that would stick to her bones while enjoying a special bonding for a few minutes.  I had to question myself, "When was the last time you got the hold this child without competition from other children, the laundry or the next errand?"  Thank goodness for mealtimes.

The willingness of the children to eat just beans with bread and butter for lunch, dinner, breakfast, after school snack/dinner, and dinner again made me hope that maybe they are developing a little "intestinal fortitude."   This is the quality to do what is unpopular, and may appear unpleasant, what at first one may not want to do but after doing feels the greatest reward: a sense of accomplishment and well being.  Often intestinal fortitude is required if we are to serve and love others in our family or community.  I count it an honor to develop such strength in my family even if it is little by little around a dinner table.

Thursday September 1, 2011
Breakfast:  oatmeal
Lunch: mixed beans
Dinner: Mixed beans/ Fresh hot bread

Friday September 2, 2011
Breakfast:  beans, bread and butter
Lunch:
Dinner: beans with tortilla chips

Saturday September 3, 2011
Breakfast: blueberry muffins, beans
Lunch: rice pudding (that did not get prepared before breakfast)
Dinner: **Italian chicken over biscuits** This was an absolute hit from Family Circle magazine.


Recipe:
2 pounds chicken thighs ( I used 1 quart bottled chicken cubes.)
1-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash -original.)
3/4 tsp garlic salt (I used diced garlic browned with the onions.)
1/4 tsp black pepper (I left it out.)
1 large onion ( I put 2 in and doubled all spices.)
1 large can diced tomatoes ( I put in three cups diced tomatoes.)
1 cup chicken broth ( I used the juice in the bottled chicken.)
2 TBSP tapioca (I used tapioca purchased at the Indian Store - 2 pounds for $4.00)
1 can cannellinni beans (I used 1 cup red lentils, could also use pinto, navy, or mung bean)
1/2 cup sliced black olives (I left these out.)
1/2 cup fresh basil torn into small pieces ( I used 2 TBS dried basil.)

Brown onions and garlic, add all other ingredients.  Let it simmer while preparing biscuits.  Prepare a double batch of biscuits (I baked two batches - one for dinner tonight and one for cream of tuna later and also measured out another double batch of biscuits putting the dry ingredients in a gallon size bag in the freezer ready to add the eggs and water.  Doing a little preparation while I'm already in the kitchen goes a long way in feeding out family on the run.)

"I am my mother's daughter" - Creating New Recipes

The 18 year old read the recipe - "Almond paste, we don't have it, but I'll make it."  Not to be deterred she proceeded to bake Almond Sandwiches with a bit of ingenuity and creativity.  We ate the cookies with relish the flavor was divine, the presentation left a lot to be desired but we will work on that next time.

For dinner I used the spices of a favorite Indian dish to make a sauce with pork cubes to put over our baked potatoes.  It was a hit.  Traditional spice mixes like a Sloppy Jo flavoring, a taco flavoring, an Indian Aloo Gobi, a Mexican Mix or an Italian favorite can all be used with totally different base foods to create a new dish.  Base foods may include potatoes, rice, beans, gluten extracted from wheat flour, paneer (yogurt cheese) or a meat - pork, chicken or beef.  Foods to add in can vary according to what is on hand: onion, green pepper, red pepper, mushrooms, asparagus, okra, peas, soy beans, etc...

Tonight's base sauce: (coming tomorrow morning)

"Mom You're the Greatest"

Saturday

The two children with me clamored for a treat - they had been in the car for 2 hours and it was dinner time.  Fruit snacks, a shake, "McDonald's -I'll even eat the onions" the 9 year old said.  I didn't want to be an old grump and just say no, nor a wimp and just say okay; I wanted to give them an opportunity to deny themselves and delay gratification.

I offered the choice "fruit snacks now or ice cream with everyone when we get home?"  They both immediately voted for ice cream at home.  I was pleased to let them have a couple small scoops while the leftover pizza was heating.  They could have another scoop when they had finished their supper and had some red pepper for salad.  As my 5 year old boy stirred his ice cream, he looked up with a twinkle in his eye "Mom, you are the greatest!"

For storage I purchased 18  containers of a margarine blend on sale at $.70 each.  The total was $12.60 with a nutritional value of 20% Vit D, 10%  Vit A,  10% Vit E, 35% B6and 20% B12.  It tastes excellent and should last us a year.  We have gone weeks without any butter spread so we will be grateful for a small ration if I don't get to add any other butter for a while. 

I also noticed a sale on 6 inch red peppers at $.60 each. My garden is not doing well so I purchased eight - three packs which will hold in refrigeration for several weeks.  Peppers also freeze really well so I can dice the red peppers for additions to potato skillets, pizzas, and soups throughout the year.  The peppers are an excellent source of Vit C so they are critical to a balance food storage.

Salmon lettuce wrap

Salmon Salad hits the spot on hot summer days.  This is recipe created while the troops were panting for food on a scorching July day a couple of weeks ago.  We relished it in a leaf lettuce wrap.  My camera is in the repair shop - can't wait to post some pictures when it is returned.

1 can salmon bones, skin and all but drain the liquid (save to put in scrambled eggs later)
1 can water chestnuts drained and diced into small chunks
3 ribs celery diced into 1/4  pieces
2-3 TBS Miracle Whip
1 TBS Shrimp cocktail sauce

Mix everything together.  Place 1/2 cup into a rinsed lettuce leaf.  Fold and eat.  This dish is an excellent source of Vitamin D, Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

Today:
Breakfast:  Rice pudding made on the stove top
Lunch: Leftover chicken soup
Dinner: Leftover Chicken Teriyaki

Harvard Magazine Review - Building Convenience

Waging war on the societal trends that are pulling 49% of American's food budgets into restaurants has become one of my mantra's in this blog.  The article "Restaurants Rampant" in Harvard Magazine July-August 2011 reiterates the dilema in which we find ourselves.  Why are we as a nation in the middle of a famine and overfed at the same time?  There is no food to be had at home so statistics indicate that families eat out.  The fast food or "professionally cooked" food is void of nutrients, high in fat and sugar and addicting.  Starving for family togetherness and a Mom in the kitchen, Americans eat and eat.  No wonder we find ourselves in an "obesity epidemic."  All the associated health risks of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer along with juvenile deliquence and divorce trot along side this stampede.  It is time to stop, evaluate the direction of our lives and preserve what is most dear: family.  One of the most compeling places to start is at the family dinner table.

Harvard Magazine reports "A Grand Presentation" is the big marketing tool of many restaurants nowadays like the el Bulli on the Costa Brava north of Barcelona. Chef Adria spends six months a year just planning how to turn regular ingredients into "pyramids" or making "ravioli transparent." I feel to the contrary, a man and a hungry child don't want "phoo phoo food" as my husband calls it.  They simply want homemade food cooked and served in a wholesome meal.  A guest in our home this week observed, his mother never cooks; if there is food, they never sit down and eat together, and they never have a prayer over the food.  I fear this is the norm in too many homes across America.  We are in a nationwide famine for homecooking.  As cooks we need to overcome our fear of not making it "just right."  There are a thousand recipes and a thousand cooks in a thousand homes and a thousand restaurants.  Who is to say our way is not the perfect way for our families.  Create your own signature dishes.  Let them flop or soar.  One only fails, if he "fails to try again."

If convenience is demanded by your family's lifestyle, then create convenience - homemade.   Here are some dishes that help me throw a meal on the table in minutes with minimal preparation:

• 4 Week Bran Muffins (in the refridgerator)
• Pancake Mix with all dry ingredients, dry milk, etc.. ready to add water, eggs, and oil
• Muffin Mixes (modified with less sugar, half whole wheat, more nuts etc..)
• Biscuit Mix (Grandma's recipe only all the dry ingredients and butter cut into the mix, just add the water)
• Whie Sauce Mix - use in cream soups, a-la-king recipes, cream gravies over biscuits, etc..
• Oriental Stir Fry mix Beef or Chicken in quart jars in the fridge ready to make a delicious Terriyaki Sauce in 5 minutes
• Frozen cookie balls individually frozen on a cookie sheet then stored in a large freezer bag or box just like one can buy except that I control the cost and the ingredients.
• Frozen pie crusts
• Frozen waffles - Once a month I make a double batch and freeze the leftovers.  It is enough for 2-3 more meals.
• A few freezer meals like upside down spaghetti, chicken enchiladas or linguini-a-la-Anne (not too many because these take a lot of valuable freezer space for frozen meat, margarine, fruits and vegetables.
• Once a month cooking with the family of Granola, Crisp Topping, or homemade noodles.
• Spice Mixes like Taco and Sloppy Joe customized to our families palates and stored in one meal size foil packets that eliminates dragging all the spices out every time we cook.
• Menus that build off the basics that will last 30 years ensures that I always have something to eat on hand: rice, wheat, beans
• Pressure cook and bottle meat and beans for homemade convenience.
• Simplify recipes and pick recipes that don't require hours of step by step preparation.
• Bottle/freeze fresh garden produce for later use - eliminating another trip to the store.
• Leftovers.  I nearly always prepare enough food to last at least one more meal.  That enables me to relax for a cumulative 3 days out of 6 and do no cooking - just reheating.  Everyone in the family loves the easy.  These meals are sometimes frozen and sometimes refridgerated but never wasted.
• A few pioneer favorites like bread and milk that are simple, wholesome and enjoyed by all.
• Crock Pot breakfasts and dinners once or twice a week save more hours in the kitchen.
• A menu or a plan for the week and the month avoids the biggest obstacle of all: deciding what to eat every day.  These decisions are hard if procrastinated until 5:30 when the gang has to be at soccer practice at 6:00 -  All too often McDonalds will win.

As for me and my house, I am waging a war to protect what I hold most dear a chance to look at my husband and children across the dinner table every day and reaffirm that we are connected.  We choose a "feast" physically, socially, and emotionally over the famine in the land.  We are happy.

Hats off to followers, Megan and Steve, for creating their own "Food Storage Recipes."  See Megan's blog at http://myfoodstoragecookbook.com/ for more ideas.

Today: Breakfast: Spinach omlet with leftover mac and cheese and hot dogs for those too timid to try something new.
Lunch: Chicken Noodle Soup (added more spaghetti noodles broken to small pieces to the leftover broth from yesterday's chicken soup with egg drop noodles)
Dinner:  Chicken Teriyaki with broccoli, celery and almonds over rice.

Filling the freezer - "I want solid food"

My 13 year old son wandered into the kitchen prowling through the refridgerator and opening the bread drawer.  I suggested leftover cake, cookies and milk, ice cream in the freezer?  "Oh, no!" he said.  "I am sugared out.  I want some solid food."  I chuckled under my breath when he pulled out the one bowl of leftover black beans.  He heated them for 10 minutes - they have been in the fridge for 4 days - and relished  eating black beans with tortilla chips.  That is soul food.

This last week I have bottled 19 quarts of chicken (Tyson chicken breast was on sale a couple of weeks ago.  It is the cheap, tough breast that doesn't taste the best grilled or fried but when diced and pressure cooked, it is great and for $1.50 per pound, it is worth it.)

We also cooked and froze 40 pounds of ground beef.  It was 80% lean to begin with but after browning the whole 40 pounds in a large stock pot (you could use a roaster) I rinsed it with hot water saving the drippings.  I let the fat come to the top of the drippings, skimmed it off and bottled 4 quarts of beef broth.  The meat that was then 99% fat free, I bagged in quart size freezer bags with meal portions of about 3 cups for our family.

Blueberries were on sale for $1.00 a pint.  I bought 24 pints, rinsed each pint, transfered the pint to a quart size freezer bag and into the freezer the blueberries went.  The children will enjoy blueberry muffins for at least 24 weeks of the year.  Not bad!

I intended to also freeze strawberries at a $1.00 a pound but they got eaten far faster than I could freeze them.  All in all it has been a good week to get the food supplies restalked.

Preparing for a Fair - Pecan Pie

Next month on August 27th our Community will host a Preparedness Fair.  We are preparing to do a food storage display.  Today we practiced making Pecan Pie with beans!  The recipe calls for less sugar than a normal Pecan Pie recipe.  Depending on which version we compared it to we used between 1/3 to 1/2 less sugar.  The beans added a protein source making the pie delicious!  I could have eaten a whole slice when sith a regular pecan pie it is so sweet and sugary that 1-2 bites is enough. 

Here is what we tried:

Mock Pecan Pie

1-1/2 cups cooked. drained Pinto beans (or you can use white beans if you don't have pinto)
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs, beaten (3 T dry egg powder+1/3 cup water)
1-1/2 t vanilla
1/2 ts sea saltif desired
1/2-3/4 cup finely chopped pecans (or more to cover the top of the pie)

Cream the sugar, butter egggs, and beans (If you are using powdered eggs you don't need to mix the dry egg powder with water first - just put the dry egg powder in with creaming and add the water withthe vanilla, which is the next step).  Add vailla and salf.  Pour into a 0 inch unbakd pie shell.  Sprinkle the chopped pecans over mixture.  Bake at 375 for 25 minutes Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes more.  Pie is done when knife inserted in center comes out clean. 


Monday July 18th:
Breakfast:  Ham scram with fresh bread and butter
Lunch:  Ham sandwhiches on fresh hoagie rolls baked for breakfast.
Dinner:  Take and Bake Pizzas and homemade cheese pizza, fresh cucumber slices and watermelon

Good manner perserve Family

My daughter smiled in disbelief and showed me the  letter rumored to be read "Round the world" from a mother in law that dared to offer some constructive criticism of her son's fiance.  We agreed that the world is in sad shape when some one has to be given this little piece of advice:







When you are a guest in another’s house, you do not declare what you will and will not eat – unless you are positively allergic to something. You do not remark that you do not have enough food. You do not start before everyone else. You do not take additional helpings without being invited to by your host.


Read more: Worst Mother-in-Law Ever: The Letter Read ‘Round the World! http://fresh1027.radio.com/2011/07/01/worst-mother-in-law-ever-the-letter-read-round-the-world/#ixzz1SNSwNjpZ


Personally, I thought how quickly neglect of good table manners can destroy family relationships.  Selfishness is rampant in today's society.  We see it  in the form of eating on one's own time schedule, eating what one pleases, eating as much as one's greed can allow with complete disregard to others at the table.

 A family's chief function is to love and support each other.  This requires sacrifice - mothers and fathers sacrifice sleep and personal time to feed and care for children.  Children learn to share.  Everyone in the family learns to fore go some personal comfort for the benefit of the whole when we cook , clean, and live together. 


I resolved to invite more careful observance of Table Manners in our home.  I want my daughters to start off on the right foot with their mothers and fathers in law.  Families are of what Heaven is made.

Let the Summer Begin!

Okay, so we have enjoyed a family trip and one week of down time since school let out.  It has been nice to sleep in, eat whenever and whatever was quick and easy, relax and play more than we worked.  A dose of "unstructured time" is in my opinion a vital part of being a child and savoring the moment.  But enough is enough and now is when a mother's heart is most excited to have her children home for the summer.  Time to structure our lives of our own free will not because we have a school schedule to whip us into shape. 

I thought I would start with set meal times.  This will add a little stress to my day because I will have to be dependable with breakfast at 7:00; lunch at 11:30 and dinner at 6:00.   The compensation will be the children will know these are the times the kitchen is open and if they don't make it to the right place at the right time, they will be hungry.  There will be no more calling and pleading to come to lunch from all corners of the yard and house.  I hope children will learn to be a little more responsible. Even my mother heart wonders if that is really possible.  I may be naive, but I am desperate enough to try.

We will follow with swim time, play time, movie time, reading time, piano practice time, school time, sewing time, and chore time.  I doubt every activity will fall on every day but both the children and I will be relieved to have a plan, eliminating the "free for all" that has been happening this past week.  I know of one mother who wrote and produced an play every summer including every child in the neighborhood.  It is in moments like these that mothers shine and life is good.  It is hoped that children also learn intrinsic motivation through the satisfaction of accomplishment.  There is nothing that is quite as satisfying as reaching a goal one has set for himself.  Cheers to summer!

Posted in Recipes :  Dilled Chicken with Penne Pasta

A Senior Recital - Is it worth it to Bake?

My almost five year old has been waiting all week for the day we get to listen to the recital and then eat cookies.  This morning he bounded out of bed, "Do we get to eat the chocolate eclairs today?"  He would not forget carrying them in the house after the shopping trip and he was ready for the party.  Then we started baking miniature brownies in the small muffin tins.  The aroma filled the house with more of an invitation than he could resist.  He asked to have a brownie, when denied the privilege he asked for the beater.   When Dad said, "Yes," he chimed "You're the best Dad ever!"

We didn't bake everything for the recital, but what we did bake created anticipation for a special event for a member of our family. Was the hassel of baking worth the positive bonding between siblings or the compliment to Dad?  You bet it was.


Breakfast today: Cracked wheat/oatmeal hot cereal with milk, raisins and walnuts
Lunch: Macaroni/tomato with wheat gluten protein chunks instead of hamburger (see the  Wheat gluten post and pictures)
Dinner:  Hot bread and milk with whole wheat bread, butter and salt