Burrito or Taco filling

Here is a great food storage recipe. I would imagine if you don't have refried beans you could use cooked or canned beans. (Home canned beans would be my choice) 

Can't wait to try the recipe. Thank you Susi!

 

"I have a recipe that I use a lot that contains all cannery items, or items from food storage.

It is a burrito or taco recipe.

It makes a large batch and can be scaled down to fit a smaller family.

 

4-5 cans beef chunks (the size of the cannery cans)

1 jar cannery salsa

2 big handfuls of dehydrated refried beans (from the cannery)

1 handful of dehydrated onions

1 bag (8oz) cheese

 

Add all ingredients in to a pan, including the water from the beef chunks.  It is necessary to have the water so that it can rehydrate the beans and onions.  Let them all simmer till the beans and onions are rehydrated, or till all the liquid is soaked up.  Add the cheese to the mix.  Serve with tomatoes, lettuce and sour cream if desired.

 

Homemade tortilla recipe would work great with this.  

 

This can also be refrigerated and possibly frozen to add more to the food storage."

 

Submitted by: Susi McCabe

 

 

SPRING

Earlier today I was noticing how pretty the blossoms on our peach tree are. I decided to grab my camera and attempt to capture the beauty on film. As I was snapping away, I saw a bee and thought HOORAY! pollination in process. All of this excitement reminded me that spring is here and now is a great time to plant in the garden.

May I make a few suggestions before you run down to the store to "see" what they have.

Plan ahead. Know what you want to plant. Since becoming a Certified Master Gardener, I have found their website a very valuable tool. http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/pubs/press.htm Once you are on click on the right hand side where it says "download free U of A horticulture publications". Have fun with these. My favorite publication is under the Vegetables section. The pub is titled "Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County".

Start small. If you are new to gardening, keep in mind you don't have to go for the gold this season. I started with a 4x4 raised planter bed and got the bug to garden. I now have 2 4x10 raised beds. You will end up happier if you have a great crop from a small bed versus a failed crop in a too large bed.

If you are unsure ask. We have many people in the ward who are very skilled gardeners. A funny thing about gardeners; most of them love to talk about their experiences. If you have questions ask them in the comment section. If you have answers to these questions reply to them in the comments section. If you would prefer more one on one, call me. I love to talk gardening, and if I don't know the answer, I will get you in contact with someone that does.

Lastly, just have fun. Decades ago the prophet commanded us to plant a garden, this can be one of the most fun commandments to keep. The whole family can be involved, and it can really be quite rewarding.

Happy Gardening!

Home Made Instant Oatmeal Packets

My Daughter loves and I mean LOVES oatmeal. The good news is she prefers home made versus store bought. The down is every morning I get out a pot and make 1 cup of oatmeal. I dislike having to wash a pot for such a small amount of food. I came across this recipe a while ago and decided to try it out today. I am very excited. It was simple took hardly any time, and is far less expensive than what you pay in the store for the same convenience.

This is the same recipe that was on the board several months back.


"To make individual instant packets:

In blender, blend 1/2 cups of oats until powdery.

Into each of the packets (perhaps a zip-lock style sandwich bag) combine the following ingredients:

1/4 Cup unpowdered oats
2 Tbsp powdered oats
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (optional)

Close the top securely and store in a cool,dry place.

Microwave Directions for cooking:
Empty packet into microwavable bowl. Add 2/3 Cup water or milk. Microwave at HIGH about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir."

I opted to use a smaller food processor instead of my blender. I also left out both the sugar and salt. I don't need the extra sodium, and we add a little brown sugar to sweeten the oatmeal just a bit after it is cooked.

 

  

 One of my top priorities is my families health, but life is busy. Any time I can combine healthy eating and convenience I do it. Try it and let us know what you think. Enjoy!

Self-Reliance

I found this on the church's website. Though it was interesting and a great reminder of the important commandment to become and live self-reliant.

Self-Reliance

Ward Canning Day

This last Saturday was our monthly Ward Canning Day. Congrats to all that were able to participate. We were able to can/bag close to 500 lbs of food!

We do not have a scheduled Ward Canning Day for February, but if you want to request the use of the Mylar bag sealer let any one of us on the committee know. In March we will be having a Ward Canning Night. It is scheduled for the 12th in the evening. More information to come.

If you are one of the lucky few who already have obtained a "year supply" and can share any ideas please do. Recipes, storage ideas, rotating ideas, all are useful.