Keep Calm-o-matic Poster Generator

This website is fun, create your own "KEEP CALM" poster spoof. I say this too much, I think I need to put the poster in my kitchen and just point to it!

Food Storage Friday: Papa's Beans

Today I'm sharing my father in law's "recipe" for beans! Dried beans can be stored for years easily and are cheap so go get a big bag or 2! My whole family loves these, they are often served when we get together with my husbands entire family! Slice some french bread and sprinkle in some cheese and fresh onions if you like and enjoy.

Papa's Beans

2 lbs dried pinto beans (about 4 cups)

6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (can substitute garlic powder)

3 large onions, diced (can substitute dried onions)

1 TB salt

1 TB pepper

Cayenne Pepper sprinkle to taste

Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

1/2 lb chopped bacon or ham hock (you can leave the meat out, but my family prefers them this way)

Sort, rinse and soak beans overnight in a large pot.

In the morning, drain, rinse and fill pot with new water and bring to a boil on high heat while stirring in all other ingredients.

Reduce heat to medium, but keep it boiling. You can further reduce the heat after 2 hours or so, when the beans begin to soften, keeping it at a low boil.

Stir throughout the day every 20 minutes or so, adding water when needed so they don't stick to the pot.

The longer they cook, the softer and yummier they get.

You can also combine all ingredients in the crock pot and let them cook all day as well. Enjoy with a salad and some bread and you have dinner, and good leftovers too!

It's Back- Food Storage Friday!

I don't know why I stopped doing it in the first place, probably because there are so many blogs out there already dedicated to it that are much more thorough, (or maybe I gave up when my kids destroyed my inventory list before it was finished!) but I got a lot of good feedback from you when I was doing it, so here we go again! Come back on Fridays for a simple tip, recipe or idea to help you on your way to self sufficiency with your family's food storage! For past FSF posts, click HERE.

I've told you how simple it is to bottle your own meat and today I wanted to share some sources for recipes to use that canned meat. Chicken is easy because it can be used in pretty much any of those many recipes calling for "cooked shredded chicken" but Campbells has several written spcifically for Swansons canned chicken HERE. Hereford Foods has canned meat products and they have some yummy looking recipes for canned beef and pork HERE. (To download instructions for canning your own meat click HERE.) My in-laws were in Maui last weekend when the tsunami threat was going on and Costco was limiting SPAM purchases to 2 per customer- HA! So just think about what you want to have on hand in case of an emergency or longer term food shortage!

A couple things to get you ready for Christmas!

Time is flying with the holidays coming, and especially with a new baby and I'm giving myself permission to not do a lot of the things I want to do so I don't get stressed! I'm way behind on my blog reading (so forgive me if I haven't left any comments lately!) but I have come across a couple of things I really wanted to share- first, a list of 30 great ideas for neighbor gifts from How Does She HERE. Lots of really unique ones there, also, Little Birdie Secrets has a bunch of cute ones HERE. Next, Shabby Princess has a free download for some ADORABLE Christmas recipe cards! You can get them HERE.And finally, Creating Keepsakes has a great set of Christmas quotes you can use for cards, gift tags, place cards or whatever and you can get those HERE.

One of my super talented friends has FINALLY opened up her etsy shop and has really cute, unique holiday photo cards, so go check out Lilly Mae Designs HERE.

Recipe Cards- another free download

*reposted 5/29 with updated download link- thanks!

I'm not entirely finished yet, but I got my first batch of recipe cards typed up, laminated and punched and I love them! It's hit me that I only have 3 weeks give or take a few days before my life gets turned upside down and inside out with a new baby and I have several projects hanging out there unfinished, time to get busy!  Anyways, I really love my new recipe cards, I'm going to put my top 30 or so easy dinners on one ring, (idea I got from Nanny Goat forever ago) cookies and deserts on another ring, and then the rest just in my recipe box.  If you like my recipe cards I put them in  PDF file and you can download and print them by clicking HERE.

(yes, I am having fun making my own free downloads)

I'm a winner! Thank you!

No, not the grand prize, but I did win a first prize in the Jose Ole Recipe contest and got a $100 gift card to Cooking.com! Thank you SO, SO much to anyone who voted for me, you're the best! (And thanks Jose!) Now I have to decide what to get~ I know I want one of these for sure:
What would you get?

Pumpkin Bars Recipe, per your request!

So my mom is actually the only one who requested the recipe, but it's the best pumpkin bar recipe out there in my opinion (especially when my friend Gina makes them) and I wanted to share it with you. Plus I needed a reason to show off one of my cute recipe cards! I made 6 different colors and designs, for different categories of recipes and they are simple and cute if I do say so myself! I'm still typing my collection and I can't wait to have them all done, laminated and stuck on rings!

Yummy- Tomato Pesto Bread

This is another really good, really simple dinner (or lunch.) Toast slices of french bread, spread with pesto sauce, and add sliced tomatoes and mozarella cheese then melt under broiler. It is delish. (great way to use up all that basil and tomatoes you may have in your garden!)
And if you haven't voted for my Jose Ole recipe, it's not too late! It really only takes a second and you only have to enter your e-mail address, and it would be so awesome if I could win! Click HERE if you would be so kind. Thank you!

Please help me be the coolest mom!

I entered a recipe contest (Jose Ole Coolest Mom Recipe Challenge) and mine was chosen as one of the top 20 for the category! If you would please click HERE and vote for me I would love you forever! It's a good one, I recommend you try it. You can only vote once (in each category) per e-mail address for the whole contest period, ending Septmber 15th and all you need is your e-mail address. 10 seconds of your time. If I win the cash grand prize I will do a really good giveaway on my blog, and since I have like 10 readers, that would mean a good chance for you to win too- so tell your friends to vote for me pretty please! Here is the link: http://www.joseole.com/contest/recipes/parties/66/ Thank YOU!

Simple Supper

Melanie asked for this recipe so I thought maybe some other people might want it too- Linguine with Brown Butter, Feta and Artichokes. It was in the food section of the paper some time ago. I keep a Costco jar of artichoke hearts and large container of Feta in the fridge at all times, it's a simple stand-by that everyone loves around here.

6oz Linguine Pasta

2 TB butter

1/2 cup crumbled feta

6oz jar artichoke hearts (6-7 large pieces from the Costco jar)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, chop and drain artichokes.

Drain pasta and set aside in strainer. Return empty pasta pot to med/high heat and melt butter until it starts to brown, a couple of minutes.

Add drained pasta, artichokes and feta; toss over heat for 1 minute.

Serves 4

Food Storage Friday- randomness: recipes, pandemic update

Sorry for my lack of blogging- I've been in a summer funk, it's too hot to do anything, my sister in law who we have lived next door to for almost 6 years moved away, (like 5 minutes away, but still...) and I just can't seem to get things done enough around here to really sit down and do a thoughtful post! There are a few things that have been bopping around in my brain for a while so I'm just going to get them out here- first of all, a great food storage friendly recipe we tried last week, it is from 5 Dollar Dinners:

Black Bean Soup

she suggests serving it with fresh cooked corn on the cob- it's a good combo

1 cup dried black beans (can substitute 3 cans prepared black beans)

2 cups chicken broth

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp dried garlic)

1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies (12oz) or salsa

2 TB lemon juice

1 tsp ground cumin

dollop sour cream

shredded cheese (optional)

1. Soak beans overnight in lukewarm water or for at least 2 hours in HOT water. Drain and rinse. Add to large saucepan and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until beans are tender. Once cooked, strain off liquid and return beans to saucepan. Mash beans with potato masher. (Or skip all that and just mash 3 drained cans.)

2. Add broth, chopped onion and garlic, salsa, lemon juice, cumin. Stir through about cook for about 15-20 minutes. Simmer longer for a thicker soup. Top with dollop of sour cream and/or shredded cheese.

3. Remove husk and threads from corn. Boil 4-5 minutes in large saucepan. Serve hot with butter!

And I haven't tried this yet but it's on the menu this week, Tuna Melts from Taste is Trump. Maybe it was the picture that got me, I've never had the desire to make tuna melts, but all of the sudden, hers sounded really good. Recipe HERE.

Ok, and finally a little pandemic reminder, thank goodness all the hype is over, and hopefully the swine flu fades away and we don't hear much about it again, but the concern is, viruses are always changing, and it's possible that this one, (or any other flu strain going around actually?) could mutate and become something more serious and deadly. It could happen, this fall, or years in the future, or never at all. The best preparations besides a good supply of food etc, would be to make sure you have a steady supply of not expired otc pain relievers, kleenex, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, and possibly medical masks. If someone in your family somehow contracted a potentially deadly virus, you would certainly want to be prepared to keep them separate from everyone, and still care for them without putting yourself or the rest of your family in danger. So that's my latest thoughts! Sorry for such a long post but it's pretty over due!

**Check back next week, I'm planning on laying out a Food Storage inventory system! Hopefully to be put in place around here this week- cross your fingers for me! I realized we've been using up a lot of our food stash and it's time to start keeping track of what we have and what we need more of.

Food Storage Friday: Pasta & Squash Frittata

How's your garden coming? Mine is small but good- we've been harvesting little cherry tomatoes almost daily, and the basil is growing with no problems too. (so go plant some if you haven't yet, it grows fast!) You can check with your county extension website to see what will still grow where you live. Yesterday I suddenly noticed we have 2 big zucchini and a couple good sized summer squashes already! So tonight's dinner is coming from our garden, I love it but I wonder if the kids will eat it...

Pasta & Squash Frittata

1 TB oil

2 zucchini, sliced 1/4" thick

2 yellow squash, sliced 1/4" thick

1/2 onion chopped

10oz pkg rainbow rotini pasta

6 eggs

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a large, oven safe skillet, (dutch oven style) saute zucchini, squash and onion in oil till softened, cool.

In large mixing bowl combine eggs and cheeses, then stir in cooked pasta.

Pour pasta mixture over veggies in pan and mix well. Cook on stove top until bottom is cooked, then place in oven and broil at 350 for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with warmed spaghetti sauce on top or the side.

Recipe Swap

Nannygoat is doing a recipe swap to help fill out those 30 dinner recipe cards! Here are a couple of our favorites right now that will be on my ring when I finally do it! Join the swap HERE.

Rachel Ray's Chicken Burgers with Slaw

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces
1 small red onion, 1/2 finely chopped, 1/2 thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 tablespoon hot sauce, eyeball it
1 1/4 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick brand) a palm full
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons honey, eyeball it
1 lemon, juiced
3 rounded tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 cups shredded cabbage mix
Salt and pepper
4 cornmeal Keiser rolls, split
Directions
In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add chopped onions, garlic and tomato paste and sweat them for 5 minutes to soften and sweeten. Sprinkle in sugar and remove from heat. Cool in a bowl, 5 minutes. Add tomato paste mixture, Worcestershire, hot sauce to bowl and combine. Add chicken to the bowl then grill seasoning and combine the burgers well to evenly distribute the flavors and form 4 patties. Wash up.
Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan, in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties 6 minutes on each side.
Combine the honey, lemon juice, and remaining extra-virgin olive oil in a bowl. Add relish, cabbage mix and sliced onions and season with salt and pepper. Toss the slaw to coat and reserve.
Serve burgers on bun bottoms topped with slaw and bun tops.

Italian Roast Pork Loin

1 tablespoon no-salt lemon pepper
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, mashed or put through a garlic press
1 (2 1/2-pound) pork loin, trimmed of all exterior fat

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine the lemon pepper, fennel
seeds, oregano, rosemary, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
Combine the olive oil and mashed garlic in a second small bowl.
Rub the olive oil mixture evenly over the pork loin, coating it
thoroughly. Sprinkle the herb mixture over the entire pork loin.
Place in a shallow roasting pan, broiler pan, or shallow baking
dish.
2. Roast until golden brown. An instant-read meat thermometer
inserted into the thickest part of the loin should register
160°F for medium, about 65 minutes, or 170° for well done,
about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Creamy Chicken and Rice

5 cups cooked rice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 can chicken (or about 1 ½ cups diced cooked chicken)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayo
1 TB lemon juice
½ cup or so of French Fried Onions

Mix together cheese, chicken soup, mayo, lemon juice and cooked chicken.
Spread half of the rice in the bottom of baking dish and layer half of the creamy
Chicken mixture, then the rest of the rice, and the rest of the chicken, and top with onions. Bake at 350 for 25 mins or so

Also, if you want to see a great blog with tons of recipes already typed onto cute recipe cards, check out the Lickable Spoon HERE.

PS- Thanks for all the kind comments about the hand sanitzers! To answer a couple questions, you can get rub ons from the Scrapbook store, and I don't know where to find a clear bottle with a black pump, but I really liked that idea of putting a transparency in a soap bottle! I want to try it too!

What do you people eat?

I'm in a food funk- what are you having for dinner? What do you eat for lunch? That one is really hard for me. I'm getting sick of everything and need some new ideas! I saw this great idea from NannyGoat to collect your family's top 30 recipes and put them on laminated recipe cards on a ring, then you pull out the ones you want each week and put them on your fridge- really cute idea. For better instructions and even a recipe card you can download, click HERE.

Food Storage Friday- a recipe

I totally forgot about food storage Friday until I saw this recipe- a yummy chocolate cake that you can make all from stored ingredients- no eggs! You can go read all the good reviews on All Recipes HERE. I want to try it this week with some chocolate chips mixed in- yum!

Crazy Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups cold water

Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into a 9 x 13 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three wells. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour cold water over all, and stir well with fork.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing.

Tis the season for soup!

It's finally cold enough to enjoy soup! And since I have no camera to post more interresting things, today I'm sharing one of my favorite recipes. It is SO good, and simple, not to mention cheap to make and low calorie which is good this time of year when you're surrounded by cookies and sweets.

Tomato, Pasta and Spinach Soup
originally from Women's Day Magazine

1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp oil
6 cups water
1 can crushed tomatoes (28oz)
4 chicken broth cubes
1/4 tsp dried sage
1 cup small tubular pasta (ditalini or tubetti)
10oz box frozen chopped spinach
1 can white kidney beans (15oz)
grated Parmesan cheese
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In a 3-4 quart pot, heat garlic and oil over medium heat until aromatic.
Add water, tomatoes, chicken broth cubes and sage and bring to a boil.
Stir in pasta and cook stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
Add spinach and cook, breaking up spinach as it thaws, 5-7 minutes longer until pasta is tender.
Stir in rinsed can of beans and heat 1 minute.
Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Makes 10 cups

Make your own "rotisserie" chicken

I don't like to eat chicken on the bone. And I usually only get boneless skinless chicken breasts for cooking because there is minimal touching raw meat involved, but I tried one of those deli rotisserie chickens once and my family just LOVED it. For $5-$7 they are great when it's dinner time, and you have no dinner, and the only other option is stopping by McD's, but I discovered it's REALLY easy and cheap to cook your own chickens. (Ok, maybe I'm the last to figure this out, but if not, keep reading!) You can get those little 5lb chickens for $.57 a pound when they go on sale. You take your chicken, and scoop the "stuff" out of the inside and throw it away. (sorry if that's common knowledge, my mom had to tell me that part) Then rinse the chicken off and stick it in a big bowl. Sprinkle seasoning all over it- I use 1 1/2 TB Season-All, with 2tsp rosemary, and 3 tsp thyme leaves. Get the Reynolds Oven Bags- throw in 2 TB flour and shake it up, then put your seasoned chicken in there and tie the bag shut. Place it in a casserole dish, and cook it! For 5lbs I do 80-90 minutes at 350. (For other cooking options, click HERE.) It's the easiest, cheapest meal and my family loves it. If I pull the meat off the bones before I put it on my plate I can eat it just fine and it is good. We usually have plenty left over for one of those many recipes that call for "chopped cooked chicken" too.

In other food news, do you know what trans fat is? I know it's the bad fat of course, but today I realized it is shortening! I have a lot of tubs of trans fat in my food storage- partially hydrogenated oil. Gross!

I've been away for a couple days...

***UPDATE! I accidently linked to the wrong bean salad recipe below! Click HERE for the good one! Sorry about that!***It's been too hot to blog. And I needed to get some stuff done around here- it's been hard to get back into a routine after being on vacation. I made this yummy black bean salad the other day to go with dinner, and it was even better for lunch the next day scooped up on tortilla chips and I was excited to share it. You can get the recipe HERE. (sorry about my crappy pictures, I need to take a class or something)And I went and saw the Harry Potter movie and it was really good! From someone who doesn't usually like "that kind of stuff" really, go rent or borrow the first 4 and watch them, then go see this one! You readers really have me thinking about reading the books too, but only after I have seen the movies because I don't want to be disappointed! I love the mystery and adventure, and like to think about all the spiritual parallels of good vs evil, finding your gifts and using them for good etc- good stuff!

And the rest of the weekend...

Tonight we had my parents and little brother over for dinner. It was fun to cook a "real" complete meal that people will actually eat. I made some really yummy rolls with a recipe from Ashley. I haven't figured out how to make them pretty yet- when Ashley makes them they are beautiful. I always get a few that look like scorpion tails. And for desert a yummy Chocolate Pudding Cake. It tastes better than it looks- like a crusty brownie oozing warm chocolate pudding.

Saturday after the boys went to their Priesthood meeting and the kids were in bed, Kyle and Ashley came over for a late night game of Progressive Rummy- I totally lost.

Friday we watched the kids while Kyle and Ashley went out. A few hours with sweet baby Lilly gave me a touch of baby fever, but a reminder of why I am not quite ready for another one.