Thanksgiving

Ah-ha....the spouse - John - is not much of a cook. However, he has a unique perspective and I sought it because I was stumped by your proposal of using items primarily from our food storage. When I told him about your email he said...."what would we be eating if we didn't go grocery shopping for Thanksgiving but just had to eat from the basement." A light bulb went off and this is what we would have if I walked to the basement right now:

Turkey - from the can bought from the warehouse at $1.40 per can. They sell it when there is a surplus. This canned turkey seems to be mostly dark meat and has a gravy with it. The gravy would be extended via flour or corn starch. No, we wouldn't attempt to mold it into the shape of a turkey even though we have gelatin to do so.

We would have cranberry sauce - whole or jellied - from the can because we keep 6 cans per year which calculates in Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are usually bought in the spring when there is a drop in price due to the new crop coming in for canning.

We could have corn or green beans from the can. Green beans could come from the freezer because Uncle Brad has a big garden and we freeze at least 35 meal's worth. Yams could be done likewise since we get the year's worth in the spring supplementing with gleaned sweet potatoes from North Carolina. The farmers allow you to glean their sweet potato fields.

We could have whole wheat bread. Unleavened if the yeast went bad. I have never learned how to make a starter for sourdough bread....maybe now is the time. I don't think I could bear stuffing without fresh celery, onions and eggs....however, we could make stuffing with the dehydrated celery and onions and egg beaters from the freezer. Poultry season, parsley, pepper, and other seasonings are on hand.

Water is stored in the 55 gallon drums and can be used for cooking and drinking. Since we don't know how long we will be in food storage mode, a decision is made that there isn't enough to bath.....sit far apart at the table!

Dessert....chocolate chip cookies (yes Lydia, chocolate chips are a necessity in my food storage....now just to eat but to add serenity and kindness to survival - the butter was in the freezer, sugars are kept in garbage cans with rock salt and bay leaves), pudding with corn starch and powdered milk and (Dutch) cocoa, Jell-O that has been in the food storage too long and pumpkin pie since the canned milk, pumpkin and seasonings are on the shelf and the pie crust could be made with vegetable shortening or lard (lard makes wonderful pastries and if you don't use it regularly, you cholesterol won't sky rocket).

We would pray with real intent for the food to sustain us, to feed others if need be, and thanksgiving for the Lord's plan of food storage and self reliance. Please let me know if I forgot something. Martina Moran

BAKING SODA starts working as soon as it gets wet, so once a
batter is mixed, bake it right away.
Most BAKING POWDER is double-acting, or has two rising
ingredients. The first is triggered by moisture and the
second by heat. That means you can delay baking after the
batter or dough is mixed. If you're suspicious about your
baking powder, test it by putting 1/2 teaspoon in 1/4 cup
hot water. If the water bubbles like mad, it still works.

When confronted with the questions growing out of the use of
the various baking powders now on the market, the puzzled
layman is apt to sigh for the good old days when this
product was rather haphazardly mixed at home. Just in case
you run out of baking powder, mix--for each teaspoon of
baking powder called for in the recipe--1/2 teaspoon cream
of tartar, 1/3 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda and 1/8 teaspoon
salt. After adding the above ingredients, do not delay
putting the batter into the oven. And don't try to store
this mixture, as it has poor keeping qualities. If you doubt
the effectiveness of any baking powder, test by mixing 1
teaspoon of baking powder with 1/3 cup of hot water. Use the
baking powder only if it bubbles enthusiastically.

			Lydia

For more delightful Recipes to help you use items from your storage click here.

I have posted a Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe that uses oats from storage that
 you whiz into oat flour.

If you have a nice recipe that you make with or without your storage 
supplies, please share it.  I will post it and give you credit.

			Thanks for your support.
			Lydia

	Ah-ha....the spouse - John - is not much of a cook. However, he has a unique perspective and I sought it because I was stumped by your proposal of using items primarily from our food storage. When I told him about your email he said...."what would we be eating if we didn't go grocery shopping for Thanksgiving but just had to eat from the basement." A light bulb went off and this is what we would have if I walked to the basement right now:
	Turkey - from the can bought from the warehouse at $1.40 per can. They sell it when there is a surplus. This canned turkey seems to be mostly dark meat and has a gravy with it. The gravy would be extended via flour or corn starch. No, we wouldn't attempt to mold it into the shape of a turkey even though we have gelatin to do so.
	We would have mashed potatoes from the potato pearls also from the warehouse and placed in Mylar bags using the sealer from the Stake.
	We would have cranberry sauce - whole or jellied - from the can because we keep 6 cans per year which calculates in Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are usually bought in the spring when there is a drop in price due to the new crop coming in for canning.
	We could have corn or green beans from the can. Green beans could come from the freezer because Uncle Brad has a big garden and we freeze at least 35 meal's worth. Yams could be done likewise since we get the year's worth in the spring supplementing with gleaned sweet potatoes from North Carolina. The farmers allow you to glean their sweet potato fields.
	We could have whole wheat bread. Unleavened if the yeast went bad. I have never learned how to make a starter for sourdough bread....maybe now is the time. I don't think I could bear stuffing without fresh celery, onions and eggs....however, we could make stuffing with the dehydrated celery and onions and egg beaters from the freezer. Poultry season, parsley, pepper, and other seasonings are on hand.
	Water is stored in the 55 gallon drums and can be used for cooking and drinking. Since we don't know how long we will be in food storage mode, a decision is made that there isn't enough to bath.....sit far apart at the table!
	Dessert....chocolate chip cookies (yes Lydia, chocolate chips are a necessity in my food storage....now just to eat but to add serenity and kindness to survival - the butter was in the freezer, sugars are kept in garbage cans with rock salt and bay leaves), pudding with corn starch and powdered milk and (Dutch) cocoa, Jell-O that has been in the food storage too long and pumpkin pie since the canned milk, pumpkin and seasonings are on the shelf and the pie crust could be made with vegetable shortening or lard (lard makes wonderful pastries and if you don't use it regularly, you cholesterol won't sky rocket).