Vacuum Canning (Zombie Meals) - Creamy Noodles with Peas and Mushrooms

My family really enjoys this meal.  It's actually one we make all the time - with real alive food, not the freeze dried kind.  Since they like it so much, I wanted to see if there was a way to recreate it, Zombie style.  Turns out, I can - and - unless they watch me make it, most of them cannot tell the difference.

You can serve it alone, or add some chicken to it for added protein.  I usually serve it with grilled chicken strips stirred in after it's done cooking and a side salad.

Makes 8 servings

2 cups noodles (I use mini penne)

2 cups powdered milk

1 cup powdered butter

1/2 cup flour

2 tbsp parsley flakes

2 tbsp freeze dried garlic OR 1 tbsp garlic powder

2 tsp salt

1 cup freeze dried or dehydrated peas

1 cup freeze dried mushrooms

1 oxygen absorber

Layer the above ingredients into a DRY and STERLISED 1/2 gallon jar, putting the noodles in first so that the powdered material can fall down around them (conserving space).  Top with an oxygen absorber and two part rings.  Seal tightly.  Allow one to three hours to seal and button on lid to 'pop'.

Shelf life of approximately 5 to seven years.

Cooking instructions for label or top of lid:

Bring 9 Cups of water to a rolling boil.  Add the contents of the jar and mix completely.  Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until noodles are tender.   If desired, add chicken and heat through.  Remove pot from heat.  Sauce will continue to thicken on standing. Serve.

If you wanted to cut this in half and use a Quart size jar, you absolutely can do that.  Cut all the above ingredients in half, but use 5 cups of water to prepare.

Enjoy!

Zombie Meals - How To

If you are unsure what a Zombie meal is, please refer to this post.

Now that you're all caught up, I'm going to give you the specifics on what you need to make these meals in a jar for your family food storage, emergency preparedness, or Zombie Mom nights.

(This post contains links to Amazon.com however, these items can also be purchased in many cases locally to you.)

You will need:
Glass Canning Jars in your preferred size.  I use mainly Quart and Half Gallon jars to create meals for my family of 7.
Two part lids for canning jars in the size needed (Regular mouth vs. Wide mouth.)
Oxygen absorbers in the 300CC size.  (I prefer these because they come packaged in groups of 20.  Once a package is opened, they start to lose their effectiveness.)
A Variety of Dehydrated or Freeze Dried Foods.  I use Honeyville, Thrive, and Augason Farms (which can also be found at Wal-Mart stores in limited varieties.
Spices and flavorings as desired.
Measuring implements such as measuring cups and spoons.
A Wide Mouthed Canning Funnel (not required, but VERY helpful)
Your Recipe!

1) The first step is to assemble all the needed items.  Clean, sterilize and COMPLETELY DRY the glass jars before using.  These foods are freeze dried or dehydrated, which is why they have a long shelf life. Moisture is going to be your enemy here.

2) Open the sealed cans of each ingredient and line them up on your counter-top  I typically do this in the order the ingredients appear in the recipe.

3) Using the funnel and the measuring scoops, put the desired ingredients into the jar.  It works best if you put in noodles and other 'chunky' items before the powdered items.  This allows the powder to settle down and around them, allowing you to put more food into the jar, conserving space.  Any delicate foods (for example peas and mushrooms because they crush easily) should be placed on top.

4) Top all the ingredients with an oxygen absorber packet.  If you have a canning device that removes air such as a FoodSaver with lid attachment, that would also work here, but it is not a substitution for the oxygen packet.  All the oxygen MUST be removed from the jar in order to prevent bacteria growth.

5) Assemble the two part lids, and screw them down tightly.

6) After one to two hours, the jars should seal on their own.  The oxygen absorber removes all the oxygen in the jar, creating a vacuum. The lids can be reused, however, the oxygen absorber cannot.

7) Label the jars with instructions for preparing, and then put into your food storage closet (or under the bed, whatever works best for you.)

As I stated, these meals have a long shelf life, usually around 5-7 years (based on the ingredients in the mix), however in our house they don't tend to last that long as we use them regularly (which is also important, because you *should* rotate through your food storage).  In addition, they are healthy, nutritious, and easy to make - meaning less last minute trips for fast food or consuming bowls of cereal on those busy nights.

I'll be posting a recipe for creamy pasta with peas and mushrooms next, which is actually one of our family's favorites!  And, watch for tips on creating your OWN recipes using dehydrated and freeze dried foods.

Enjoy!

Tamara

Zombie Meals In A Jar

If you want to get super technical, I guess the appropriate term is "Meal Ready to Eat" or "Dehydrated Meal" - but my friend Heidi told me they reminded her of Zombies for a few reasons:
1) They are dehydrated and freeze dried, Just like a zombie.
2) You can reanimate them with water late at night when your family is hungry after a long day away from home.
3) They have shelf life of 5 to 7 years and are going to be available to you when the zombie invasion does happen...or you know, when you are late coming home from all the things you do and you need the husband or children to make their own dinner.  (I call this the MOM zombie invasion...super busy moms tend to look like zombies by the end of their days.)

I've learned a lot about freeze dried meal preparation in the last few months.  For instance, freeze dried foods of today taste a whole heck of a lot better than they did in the past.  I'm still pretty wary of the TVP meats, however (freeze dried meats such as hamburger, chicken and ham) but that is a personal preference. I've known several who use and love them.  I also found that there are places you can purchase the ingredients for the meals locally, as well as online, however - did you know that Wal-Mart also carries a line of dehydrated and freeze dried food?

Anyway, I've found several different recipes on the web for creating freeze dried meals in a jar (aka Zombie meals) and while most of them are pretty tasty (and yes, I've added them to my food storage as well) I wanted some meals that closely resembled the things my family likes to eat on a regular basis, so of course I set out to create a few of my own.

Over the next few posts, I'll share some recipes, instructions on how to do this, and creative ways to store them. I'm actually pretty excited about this project.  I've been meaning to ramp up my food storage for a while.  In fact, I've had cans and cans of dried wheat, rice, noodles, carrots, peas, etc. that I've been saving, but in an true emergency, I'm not sure I would of known what to do with them.  This solves that problem.  With these meals in our food storage, I'll no longer have to worry about trying to get my kids to consume an entire 10# can of dried carrots  or apple slices.

Stay tuned!

Tamara

Pumpkin Cookies

It's that time of year.  The time when pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING starts invading our grocery stores, local bakeries, and yes, even Starbucks...or so I've been told.

Of course, there is no law that says you have to wait until Fall to bake pumpkin anything - but I challenge you - does pumpkin stuff not taste better in the autumn?  I say it does.

Lots. Better.

So, on that note ...

PUMPKIN COOKIES!
(The easiest, yummiest, quickest recipe I have.  Hands. Down. Special thanks to my sister Ski who helped me figure it out many moons ago.)

1 box SPICE cake mix
1 small can pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin pie filling...not the same thing, no matter what they tell you...)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips (Semi-sweet are best if you like chocolate.  I use white chocolate chips, because well - I'm allergic to the other ones, and I prefer to have my cookies and live too.)

Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or use a Silpat Non Stick Baking Mat.

Combine all the above ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. 
Using a large cookie scoop (for 3 inch cookies) or a medium scoop (for 2 inch cookies) scoop the cookies out onto the prepared baking sheet leaving about 1 1/2 inches between cookies.

Bake at 325 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookie springs back when touched.

Now, like I said, I make mine with white chocolate chips, because I like them that way.  I've also been known to add candied pecans to the top just before baking.  Either way, they are tasty, and I'm told pretty darn delicious with real chocolate in them too.

Enjoy!

SnickerDoodle Melts

SnickerDoodle Melts

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup shortening (sorry, do not substitute butter. It doesn't work)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg

1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups cake flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp nutmeg

3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Cream together the first five ingredients in the bowl of a mixer.

Combine in a separate bowl, the next five dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, until mixed completely.  You will want a consistency that is slightly more moist than playdough, but not sticky to the touch.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Add 1/2 tsp nutmeg (if desired - and I usually DO desire...)

Roll the cookies in 2 tbsp sized balls in your hands, and then coat in the cinnamon sugar blend.  Place on a cookie sheet (I typically use a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat) and flatten using the bottom of a cup or glass measuring cup until they are 1/2 inch thick.  Keep flattened cookies approximately 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 9 to 10 minutes, or until the tops are puffy and the edges have cracked.  Pull them out of the oven and leave on the baking sheet for five minutes.  Remove to a wire cooling rack. Cool Completely. Eat.

Then eat another.

Pour a glass of milk.

Have one more.

Make another batch, because the family will be angry when they realize that they are all gone.

Enjoy!

Beefy Noodles (or, cheater stroganoff)

Recently my husband had the opportunity to travel to Russia for work.  While he was there, he dined in the finest of restaurants, eating the most ah - may -zing food.  How do I know it was amazing?  He took pictures of everything he ordered and sent them to me...because that's the kind of guy he is.

One of the things he actually got to eat was real Russian Stroganoff.  It was made with Venison and served on a bed of mashed potatoes. He said it was melt-in-your-mouth-would-even-please-chef-Ramsay good, which of course made me jealous. Immediately.

Since I've never tasted real Russian Stroganoff, I have nothing to compare to, but I did grow up eating a "beefy noodle" dish that my mother often called Stroganoff. I'm pretty sure comparing the two is like comparing fresh Gelato to a McDonald's Ice cream cone...but, to me they both taste great on a hot day.

So - here's what you need to make a cheater Stroganoff - or beefy noodles, whatever you want to call it.

1 package egg noodles, cooked and drained
2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, cubed
1 tbsp garlic
2 cups sliced mushrooms (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups beef broth (or equal amount of your favorite lipton soup mix, prepared to package directions.)
1 cup of sour cream (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook and drain egg noodles, set aside.
Brown and drain ground beef, set aside.

In a large sautee pan, heat the two tablespoons olive oil.  Add to the pan the onion and garlic.  Cook until the onion is tender and translucent.  Set aside in a separate dish.

Do NOT clean sautee pan.

In the same sautee pan you used for the onions and garlic, add the 6 tbsp butter and melt, stirring constantly to loosen bits from the bottom of the pan.  Once the butter is fully melted, make a roux by adding the flour.  Cook the flour until it is foamy and toasted brown, about three to five minutes on medium high.

Whisk in the beef broth stirring constantly and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan to get all  the 'bits' off.  When the mixture is thickened to the consistency of yogurt (store bought, not greek...) add the onions and ground beef.  Cook until heated through.

Rinse egg noodles with hot water, and serve egg noodles with a ladle full of beef/onion mixture.

You can use Lipton beefy onion soup mix prepared to package directions instead of the beef broth (it's yummy!), you can also add in mushrooms with the onion and garlic.  If you want a creamy sauce, stir in 1 cup of sour cream into the sauce just before serving.

Enjoy!

Home Made Mac N Cheese

I always thought it was funny to call something "home made."  If you want  to get down to the technical side of things, anything you make at home whether it be from a box or from scratch is home made. Was I at home?  Yes.  Did I make it?  Yes.  Therefore, home made.

This recipe is not, however, from a box.  Well, the noodles are.  I like to cook from scratch, but I'm not crazy.

Here's what you'll need:

1 16 oz pkg elbow noodles cooked and drained
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheese of choice (I used mild cheddar.)
salt and pepper to taste.
And if you want it super rich and creamy - 1 brick of cream cheese.

In a deep sautee pan, melt the butter over medium high heat.  Once melted, add to it the 1/4 cup flour, stirring constantly.  If you cook a lot you will recognize this as making a roux.  The butter is going to combine with the flour and get thick and foamy.  Cook for about three minutes, stirring constantly, until the butter/flour mixture becomes a light golden brown color.

Quickly whisk in the 3 cups of milk.  Stirring constantly, cook over medium high heat until thickened. It doesn't take long, about 5 to ten minutes at the most.  When the sauce is slightly thickened, add the two cups shredded cheese (and cream cheese if desired...) and mix well until melted.  Once completely combined, add to the pan the cooked noodles.  Coat well.

Salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

In our house,we tend to add a little more grated cheese to the top. Why?  Because we like it.  We also have been known to use bow tie pasta just for the heck of it.  Sometimes Wacky Mac.  Sometimes, we make the cheese sauce and serve it over asparagus or Brussels sprouts.  That's right, Brussels sprouts. Which my kids eat willingly. I know, they are weird.  I love them anyway.

Chick Fil A copycat chicken

I loves me some Chick Fil A tasty tasty chicken and some lemonade almost on any given day. Unfortunately my budget does not. I like it so much in fact that I have surmised there must be an addictive substance in it somewhere. Since I couldn't get my hands on the top secret recipe, I had to piece together several on the web to come up with one that will suffice. This one will do.

1 egg
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
5 teaspoons powdered sugar
20 chicken breast tenderloins
Oil for frying.

Preheat the oil to 350 degrees.

In one bowl mix the egg and milk. Set aside.

In a second bowl mix all the dry ingredients.

Take the chicken tenderloin and dredge it first in the milk and then the flour mixture. Place on a plate while you dredge remaining chicken. Once the oil reaches the optimum temperature place four tenderloins in to cook. Cook until dark golden brown, or until done, about 12 minutes. Drain on paper towels, cool and eat.

Repeat as needed.

Crock Pot French Toast

So the other day I was trolling Pinterest looking for fun organizational ideas for the home, when I realized, I don't think organizing is fun at all...it's work, and I don't like to do it; so I quickly switched gears and started looking for things that were fun, you know, like crock pot recipes.

After searching for a short time (and admittedly playing for a long time), I found this pin, which looked very interesting, and yummy.  It intrigued me for a few reasons, 1) my kids are french toast fiends and 2) they come by it honestly because I am too.


So, here's the recipe, we used plain white bread, but I think if I made it again, I'd use a cinnamon raisin bread, or a hearty sour dough, or homemade sandwich bread, or even bagels...but for this morning, plain old wonder white did nicely.

Recipe:
1/2 loaf of bread torn into half pieces (or enough to fill your crock pot about half way)
6 eggs
2 Cups Milk
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla 

Mix eggs, milk, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla together in a bowl.  One by one dip the bread pieces in the egg mixture and then lay into a pre-greased crock pot until all the bread pieces are in the crock.  Pour remaining egg/milk mixture over the bread. Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours, depending on the heat that your crock pot puts out. (Mine tends to cook a little hot, so I cooked mine for 4 1/2 hours.)  Let set for 20 minutes with the lid off before serving.

The kids really enjoyed this.  Heck, I enjoyed it.  I especially loved the outside ring of "toast" because it was crispy and delicious.  We served ours with syrup and fresh cut fruit. Nom nom nom.

If you try this, let me know what you did differently, a different bread?  Different spices?  I think I may want to add some nutmeg and leave out a good deal of the brown sugar next time around - and use raisin bread.

I must give credit where credit is due - the original pin and recipe came from this site,which I am starting to adore.  Thanks!

Peach Breakfast Cobbler

Since I am fairly new to the whole "cooking-breakfast-in-the-crockpot" thing, I've been staying fairly conservative in the recipes I'm trying out.  I'm still trying to figure out a)what the oven to crock pot temperature conversion ratio is and b)I'm kind of low on things like eggs and sausage right now, and with it being 120 bagillion degrees outside I don't want to go to the store to get more. So, conservative we stay - plus, it's kind of great to be able to use some of the food storage items we have around that need to be rotated.


So today, we are making peach cobbler.

1 large (28 oz) can of peaches - with juice.
1 white cake mix (or yellow, whichever you prefer. I think french vanilla might be good too...)
1 stick of butter cut into 8 to ten squares
1 cup brown sugar, divided
2 tsp cinnamon
pam (to spray the crock pot, of course)

1)Pour the can of peaches into the crock pot, including the juice (or syrup, whatever.)
2) Chop up the peaches.  I use a pampered chef food chopper right in the crock pot, you can use whatever you find easiest.
3) sprinkle 1/4 cup of the brown sugar over the peaches.
4) dump the entire cake mix (dry) on top of the peaches, spread it evenly.  DO NOT MIX.
5) Sprinkle remaining brown sugar over the cake mix.
6) sprinkle the cinnamon over the cake mix and brown sugar
7) Arrange the butter squares on top of the entire mixture.
8) Set the crock pot to cook on low for 6 hours at the required timer (I usually start mine at 11 PM to be done at 6.)
9) Go to bed, sleep, wake up - EAT!

I have to say, waking up each morning to a house that smells like freshly baked breakfast has taken me back to childhood.  I remember waking up each morning and mom having breakfast ready for us to enjoy before heading to school - in my very young formative years anyway.  I love that I can set the crock pot to do this for me - I only wish I had figured this whole thing out sooner.

Crock Pot Bread Pudding Breakfast

I found this one in a crock pot cook book, and modified it to fit our family taste buds. 

6 cups cubed sour dough bread (I bought a sliced loaf, and cubed it.)
6 eggs, beaten.
1 3/4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp (heaping!) cinnamon
1 cup raisins
1  cup fresh blueberries
1 cup pecan pieces ( the original recipe called for almonds.)
1 tsp vanilla

1) combine the eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla in a large bowl.
2) Spray the inside of the crock with non-stick cooking spray
3) add the cubed bread to the crock, along with the fruit and nuts.  Toss to mix well.
4) pour milk mixture over the cubed bread (It will not cover the bread, nor do you want it to, I think.)
5) Toss to coat.
6) Set the timer to allow for four hours of cooking time, plus one hour of resting time after cooking. (Five hours total)
7) Go To bed.
8) Wake up and eat!   The original recipe also suggests you serve the bread pudding with fresh fruit.  I'm thinking strawberries.

Steel Cut Oatmeal Breakfast from the Crock Pot

2 Cups steel cut oats
3 cups milk
3 cups water
1 egg
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup raspberries (I used fresh)
1 cup blueberries (I used fresh)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1) crack egg and slightly beat
2) combine egg, milk, water, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
3) pour all remaining ingredients into the crock pot then cover with milk mixture.  (will be VERY watery)
4) Set the timer for 7 hours on low, to be ready just as you wake up.  (So if you plan to wake up at 6 AM, set the timer to start cooking on low at 11 PM.)
5) go to bed
6) Wake up to a fresh breakfast.
All of the family liked this one, in fact, I had very little left over.  This recipe filled about half of my 6 quart crock, I have no idea how many cups that is, but I'd wager it was approximately 8 standard servings.
Again, no photo.  Sorry.  I honestly didn't think about blogging these until after I made tomorrows breakfast tonight. There will be one tomorrow, promise.

Baked Crock Pot Oatmeal

This year I'm trying to be a good mom and make sure the kids have a good breakfast each morning, and by good, I mean something other than a bowl of sugar cereal or a piece of toast...not that anything is wrong with that, mind you - but we all know that cereal and toast are a midnight snack food, not a breakfast staple...

ahem.

Anyway, I found a few recipes on pinterest a while back that made me think about using my crock pot for breakfast.  Why not?  I use my dutch oven all the time, and it's basically the same principle, right?  And since the recipes have been a big hit, I'm going to blog them so I know where to find the darn things later when I want to make them again.

So - here we go.

Baked Oatmeal

2 cups rolled oats
4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
8 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups cubed apples

1) Spray your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray (Do NOT forget this part, trust me.)
2) Combine all of the above in the crock pot and give it a good stir.  I think if I make this again, I'd add raisins, or maybe some nutmeg.  (mmmmmm....nutmeg.)
3) Set the timer so that your crock  pot will cook on low for 7 hours.
4) Go to bed.
5) Wake up to a crock full of oatmeal fresh and hot and ready.

You may want to serve the oatmeal with extra brown sugar on top.  My oldest didn't think it had enough flavor, where my son said, "It's like the spices are dancing in my mouth!"  I liked it just as it was, so did the husband.  Maybe the teenager is just being picky.

I didn't take pictures, because,well, I didn't think about it at the time.  Sorry  I'll promise to do better.

Mormons are Not Weird...They are Famous.

There's been a lot of talk lately about famous Mormons.  Whether they be teeny bopper rock star singers (see This post) or presidential candidates, athletes, talk show hosts, or do-wop era diva's; there are a lot of famous Mormons out there amongst the living non-peculiar world.  The thing is, these folks have been there all along, it just so happens most people didn't realize their faith or religious convictions were of the Peculiar variety.
I, for one, actually love that there are celebrities in our midst who are quietly living their lives and not out living them and shouting from the roof tops that they are Mormon.  I like that the way they carry themselves, speak, preform service, dress, and act tells the world that there is something different and special about them before it is even mentioned that they might, just MIGHT be Mormon.  There are several among the non-peculiar world that are quite peculiar and most might never even know it. One of the most peculiar things about this people is that we, for the most part, tend to live by a peculiar standard all of the time - not just when the timing fits. It's one of the things that makes us stand out from others, and is also one of the things that most other non-peculiar folks tend to admire about the Mormon people.
However.
I also love those who have taken a very public stance on their religion and their career.  Governor Mitt Romney, for one, who during the Salt Lake Olympic games gathered the worlds leaders together for a brunch at the SLOC headquarters.  The brunch was a widely televised event and news outlets from every single nation were there.  There was coffee, tea and champagne being served at said brunch, and the eyes of the world were on Mitt.  One news outlet reported, "He never once turned his coffee cup over, it sat on the table upside down untouched the entire meal."  And his Champagne flute? "Filled to the brim with orange juice during the obligatory toast."  Mr. Romney has never hidden his peculiarity from the world and on this particular occasion, all eyes were all on him to see if he really lived the way he professed to.
I love to see famous Mormons living their peculiar life Loud. And. Proud.
I will never be a person who has to defend my peculiarity on a public or a world stage, nor will I ever be someone that the world is watching to see if I've done anything against the way by which I've decided to live my life. I can't possibly imagine what it would be like to choose to give up my famous rock-star career to serve a mission for two years in a far away land. 
I do know I admire those who despite their fame, are still able to remain peculiar and respond without question "I'm a Mormon" when asked.  I've heard of peculiar people turning down roles on  (or being fired from!) Broadway because the role required of them to pretend to drink or smoke (avoid the appearance of evil...), or singing groups making their entire wardrobe be redesigned so it could fit within the modest guidelines by which they've decided to dress.  I've heard of political leaders turning down drinks with higher political officials.  And yet, all these famous Peculiar people are still living their faith as if nothing has ever happened.
We are all challenged from time to time.  Our peculiarity makes us stand out in a crowd.  For famous peculiar people, it makes them stand out that much more.  Good for you peculiar politicians, teeny bopper rock stars (heh, and aging teeny bopper rock stars - I'm looking at you, Mr. Osmond...), talk show hosts, athletes and 60's era do-wop singers for showing the world that it's okay to be peculiar.  Peculiar is okay.  Peculiar is not weird.

"Café Rio Shredded Pork Salad"

Quotes intentional.

Why?

Because it is a semi-psuedo-recipe-meant-to-kind-of-sort-of-duplicate-the real-thing-but-doesn't-really-fully-match-up-in-a-taste-test-but-is-a-good-stand-in-for-the-real-thing-when-you-live-hundreds-of-miles-away-from-the-nearest-Café-Rio.

Also, this isn't my recipe, and I'm not sure where it came from. 

Oh, and it's super nummy.

Barbeque pork

Cook 4-5 pounds of pork roast in a crock-pot on low for 12-14 hours. 

ADD:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cumin
20 ounces of Coca Cola (I use caffeine free, it doesn't really matter much.)
1 Large bottle of Red Taco Sauce (La Victoria works)
Cook two more hours, and shred the meat and then cook for two more hours. 

RICE:

Mix and cook together:

2 cups rice
4 cups chicken broth
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped cilantro (less is okay, do this to taste)
1 can diced green chiles (the small can, I think is 4 oz)
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tbsp..)

Salad Dressing:

3 tomatoes
1 package buttermilk ranch mix
2 cloves of garlic
½ cup mayo
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup sour cream
1 cup cilantro (again, to taste)
¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper (optional)

Blend all in a food processor or blender.

Home cooked pinto beans

2 quarts water
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 cups sorted and rinsed pinto beans
4 teaspoons of salt

Bring water, onion and beans to a boil.  Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for 3-5 hours.  Stir each hour and add additional water if needed.  After the beans are cooked add the salt, (adding before hand will crystallize the beans and keep them from getting soft).  Leave the beans whole and serve with Café Rio Pork Salad. Or, mash them and use them as refried beans, making sure to pour out most of the water first.

Pico de Gallo

1 ½ pounds plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ cup cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

combine all ingredients.  Adjust seasonings to taste.  Let stand for 20 minutes before serving

Complete the salad by layering the ingredients in this order:

A tortilla (or cheese crisp)
Rice (from above)
Home cooked Pinto Beans (from above)
Barbeque pork (from above)
Lettuce
Pico de Gallo (from above)
Salsa
Guacamole
Café Rio Salad dressing (from above)

Examples of Faith. Elder David Archuleta.

I am not a big teeny bopper music fan.  Bieber throws me into involuntary convulsions and any of the Disney babies - don't get me started.  But,  to every rule, there is always an exception, and gradually David Archuleta has become that exception for me.

My teenage daughter has always liked his music, in fact for her 12th birthday she asked for his album 'The Other Side of Down'.  I listened to it with her, and even (secretly) ripped a copy of it to my own mp3 player to listen to - in the car - when nobody was listening with me.  But the more I learned about this amazing young man, the more I liked him.

He has always stuck to his values.
He believes strongly in his faith.
He holds very high standards.
And most recently - he's been willing to give up his entire music career for two years to serve a mission for his church in a foreign country, likely void of the luxury comforts that he's come accustomed to with his success.
He's cut his hair.  He's traded in the schedule of the road for a 6 AM to 10 PM proselytizing schedule (which might actually be easier...).  He's traded in fame and adoring fans for door to door possible humiliation and being openly mocked by those who do not believe nor understand his faith (side note, I've had missionaries over to our home for dinner who have shared experiences such as having beverages hurled at them from passing cars while riding their bikes down the street.)  And, he's using his own money to do so.

This is Elder David Archuleta, who entered the Missionary Training Center this week just in time to sing in the choir during conference.  Elder David Archuleta, the world famous teeny bopper rock star who is just one among many missionaries sharing the same gospel message, and is happily doing so.
If there was going to be someone that my daughter is going to crank up his music, dance around and be crazy, and swoon every time he comes on the radio or television etc...well, then I'm okay with it being this young man.  (for the record, there is no swooning, not yet - none that I know of...or that she'd admit to, come to think of it - her friends read this blog, I'm not sure I should be posting that about her...oh well, too late now.  I don't have any white-out, after all.)
Anyway, my point is, he's a great young man and I admire his faith and ability to follow and live it.  I only hope that I too am able to live my faith as boldly as he has, and not be ashamed to do so.  He's made this very personal decision in a very public way, as his career dictates.  I will never have to make such a personal choice so publicly, but I do hope that I can follow his example of living my faith in such a way that nobody doubts my beliefs.

Examples of Faith.

I am not a big teeny bopper music fan. Bieber throws me into involuntary convulsions and any of the Disney babies - don't get me started. But, to every rule, there is always an exception, and gradually David Archuleta has become that exception for me.
My teenage daughter has always liked his music, in fact for her 12th birthday she asked for his album 'The Other Side of Down'. I listened to it with her, and even (secretly) ripped a copy of it to my own mp3 player to listen to - in the car - when nobody was listening with me. But the more I learned about this amazing young man, the more I liked him.
He has always stuck to his values.
He believes strongly in his faith.
He holds very high standards.
And most recently - he's been willing to give up his entire music career for two years to serve a mission for his church in a foreign country, likely void of the luxury comforts that he's come accustomed to with his success.
He's cut his hair. He's traded in the schedule of the road for a 6 AM to 10 PM proselytizing schedule (which might actually be easier...). He's traded in fame and adoring fans for door to door possible humiliation and being openly mocked by those who do not believe nor understand his faith (side note, I've had missionaries over to our home for dinner who have shared experiences such as having beverages hurled at them from passing cars while riding their bikes down the street.) And, he's using his own money to do so.

This is Elder David Archuleta, who entered the Missionary Training Center this week just in time to sing in the choir during conference. Elder David Archuleta, the world famous teeny bopper rock star who is just one among many missionaries sharing the same gospel message, and is happily doing so.
If there was going to be someone that my daughter is going to crank up his music, dance around and be crazy, and swoon every time he comes on the radio or television etc...well, then I'm okay with it being this young man. (for the record, there is no swooning, not yet - none that I know of...or that she'd admit to, come to think of it - her friends read this blog, I'm not sure I should be posting that about her...oh well, to late now. I don't have any white-out, after all.)
Anyway, my point is, he's a great young man and I admire his faith and ability to follow and live it. I only hope that I too am able to live my faith as boldly as he has, and not be ashamed to do so. He's made this very personal decision in a very public way, as his career dictates. I will never have to make such a personal choice so publicly, but I do hope that I can follow his example of living my faith in such a way that nobody doubts my beliefs.

Mormons are not weird. But I am. *grin*

I promise I've not gone away and left this blog to wither away as a dry reed.  I've not given up on my already embraced weirdness, nor the weirdness of the people around me. 
Truth is, I've just been busy.
While that is not about to change (not by a long shot, considering I've recently decided to go back to school and finish my degree), I do hope to get back to posting here regularly.
I realize there are a lot of blogs out there like this one that are written by Mormons like me with a love of the Gospel and the desire to share it with others - even if it is in their own weird little way.  I started writing this blog for my daughter who was trying to overcome the stigma of being a "weird" Mormon, but I think it's actually started helping me to define more thoroughly who I am, and helped me to become more comfortable in sharing the basic foundations of what I believe - not only behind the anonymous walls of cyberspace, but in person - face to face - when others ask or question, or simply want to know what it is that makes me - well, me.
So, I'm a mom, a daughter, a wife, a science fiction geek, have an almost incontrollable sweet tooth at times, I like fried foods, dancing to music with the kids ( and without) I believe in being honest with my fellow man, I rather enjoy attending three hours worth of church each Sunday, I believe my family is forever - and that makes me happy rather than terrifies me (although, I have to admit at times it is  the latter...) I like to stay busy with mindless television from time to time, I'm a student (both literally and figuratively), I'm a little strange, a lot weird...
and I'm a Mormon.

Popcorn.

So the other day when Alison and I were at Deseret Book, I found this CD which looked like a lot of fun for the kids.  (yes, the kids...honest).  So I purchased it and once we got in the car I immediately popped it in (pun TOTALLY intended) for a quick listen.
The songs are catchy and entertaining, and full of a hip hop beat that reminds me of all of the songs on the "Just Dance for Kids" game. 
It's now been playing in my CD player non-stop for three days.
Someone save me now.
Why do we,as parents, do this to ourselves?  We think - "oh look -here's something fun that will keep the kids entertained in the car and might not be to terrible to listen to myself"
and then after purchase we are silently screaming in our heads,

"Dear Mother - for all that is good and holy in this earth - make it stop! make it stop! I'll do anything you ask, just please, make it stop!!!!"
It wouldn't be so bad I suppose, if I hadn't realized that I had been singing and bopping along to the tunes for a full 20 minutes before I discovered I was in my car alone...
Yea, that's typically not something I should admit in public is it?
No worries, this isn't public, it's my blog - and my lovely three readers won't tell anyone, right?  Right???
Anyway - I want you to experience the joy that is Popcorn Bopping.  My kids love it.  And this tune, well - it's growing on me.

Now you are going to have that song stuck in your head all day.
You're welcome.

Things I know because I have kids.

1.) Webkinz is spelled with a "z" like Zebra, not with an "s" like snake.
2.) Chicken is gross, but chicken nuggets are awesome.
3.) Potatoes are gross, but French fries are amazing.
4.) The "kids" channels start at 290 on Direct TV and go to 300.
5.) No matter how much I protest, Lightning McQueen is MUCH cooler than Herbie the Love Bug.  (I still disagree.)
6.) It is actually impossible to make it through the day without peanut butter and bread in the house.
7.) NASA-like countdowns are appropriate in EVERY situation that involves a timer or a stopwatch.
8.) Tomato catsup is indeed a vegetable...even though Tomatoes are a fruit.  (to be fair, I learned this from the school lunch program.)
9.) Nothing I own is actually mine.  Ever.
10.) To have a child is to decide that your heart will walk forever outside of your body.
Yes, I stole the last one.

Dilly Beans

7 Quart size jars with lids, sterilized and hot.
7 lids for the quart jars, 2 part- with flat lids simmered (not boiled) in hot water.

4 lbs green beans washed and rinsed.
2 quarts of white vinegar
2 quarts of water
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of pickling salt
3 heads of dill (per jar)
1 tsp of garlic (per jar)
1 tsp of dill seed (per jar)
Combine the white vinegar, water, sugar and salt together in a large stock pot.   (mine is 6 quarts) Bring to boiling on the stove.  Reduce to simmer and allow to keep warm while working on the jars.
In the bottom of each sterilized quart jar, put in 1 teaspoon of garlic (minced) or one full clove, 1 tsp of dill seed, and 3 heads of dill.  Tightly pack the green beans into each jar  until fully filled.  You may need to break the green beans in half in order for them to fit into the jars.
Using a funnel, pour the hot brine from the stove top into each jar,leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Secure two part lids fingertip tight, and place into boiling water canner. Process at full boil for 20 minutes.  Remove from canner and allow to cool.
Let set in cool dark place for minimum of two weeks.  Chill, then eat.

Homemade Yogurt - The Tutorial (with Pictures)

A while ago I posted a recipe for making yogurt at home, in your crock pot.

The yogurt was good, in fact it was downright tasty - but it was a little runny and I didn't like the overall texture, so of course I decided to see what I could do to improve it.

After several trials I finally have settled on the following process.  Beware - it is very intensive, and if you don't have time to baby sit - well, it won't turn out right.  But,in the end, it is completely worth it - AND it brings the cost of yogurt down to about $2.00 for a 1/2 gallon.

Ingredients:
1/2 gallon whole milk.  (I prefer organic)
1/2 cup of room temperature starter yogurt - once you make your own batch you can use your own yogurt as a culture.  If this is your first batch, use an organic yogurt with live cultures and no additives.  I prefer Stoneyfield.

Equipment needed:
1 large pot with a lid(big enough to hold 1/2 gallon of milk)
Digital thermometer
Plastic or metal spoon or whisk (so it can be sanitized. Cultures on wood may ruin the yogurt - and on a side note...eeewwww...)

Process:

Bring the milk to a simmering boil in the large pot stirring constantly.  With the digital thermometer make sure you watch the temperature. When it hits 180 degrees remove the pot from the heat.  Allow the milk to cool to 110 degrees either naturally or by placing it in a cool water bath and stirring until it reaches the right temperature.

Add the yogurt culture to the milk once it has reached 110 degrees.  Stir it in thoroughly with a whisk or spoon until fully incorporated.

Heat your oven to 200 degrees.  Allow it to sit for 10 minutes and then turn off.  Place the pot inside the oven with the thermometer inside and the lid on.  If your thermometer has the feature, set it to alarm if the temperature goes above 110 or below 102.  This is the tricky part.  The yogurt MUST STAY BETWEEN 100 and 110 degrees for a minimum of 7 hours.

I usually keep the pot in the oven, and when it starts to alarm, I'll turn the heat back on to 130 degrees and then turn it off again...ALL WITHOUT OPENING THE OVEN DOOR. The cultures need a stable environment to grow in.  Too hot, and they'll die, too cold and they'll go dormant.

After 7 hours, remove from the oven and scoop into containers.  Put in the fridge overnight.  Your yogurt should be thickened enough in the morning to pass for regular American yogurt standards.  If you want something a little thicker...you can always follow this tutorial on how to make Greek Yogurt .

Flavor your yogurt with honey or your favorite fruit and enjoy! Just be sure to keep 1/2 cup reserved for the next batch. The cost of this yogurt is the market cost for 1/2 gallon of milk, usually around $2.00.

Enjoy!

How to Make Greek Yogurt

You will need:

1 bowl
1 wire mesh strainer
Cheesecloth
Plain Yogurt - either homemade (see this post) or store bought.  (I suppose you could do this with flavored yogurt too, I just haven't tried it.)

 

 

Place your wire mesh strainer over a bowl. 
Line the strainer with cheesecloth - double thickness.


Fill the cheesecloth/strainer with yogurt.  In this photo tutorial, I used about 2 cups.


Let sit until the bottom of the glass bowl fills with liquid (this liquid is called Whey and can be used in many other recipes, or you can throw it out, it's up to you.)  the yogurt will sit for minimum of one hour.
You can scrape the bottom of the cheese cloth and redistribute the yogurt if you want to attempt to get more liquid out.

Pick up bag and squeeze (lightly) remaining liquid out of yogurt. 


It should be very thick, in fact, it should be thick enough that a spoon will stand up in it without assistance.

Transfer to  container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

 

You can add your own fresh fruit or honey when serving for a different flavor.

What I learned from a bag of Skittles...

I have to admit, I’m a little obsessive compulsive. As long as I can remember it’s been impossible for me to eat a bag of Skittles without first dumping the contents onto a table and sorting them by color. I’d then order the stacks of brightly colored candy from the smallest amount to the largest amount. Finally, I could enjoy my treat – starting with the biggest pile and working my way down. Eating Skittles for me has never been an out-of-the-bag or on-the-run treat.

One day, while sorting my snack, I became mesmerized by the colors. You see, each bag of Skittles has five individual colors. I started to think…I have five kids. Five colors, five kids. The idea was brilliant – or at least I thought it was, at first the family thought I was nuts.

So, what was my brilliant plan? You can imagine that it’s difficult to keep up on the household chores, laundry, dishes, etc when you have such a large family. It can be done, but most large families have systems in place to help increase the efficiency of the home. We had not yet put anything like this into place, so it seemed our family was always running to keep up with our own clutter. My Skittles had given me the plan I needed. I called all the children together and asked each of them what their favorite color was. I heard back, pink, blue, red, purple and for the baby we decided her favorite color was yellow (she has a blanket that’s yellow).


With our colors decided we went to work. I purchased some very inexpensive ribbon at Wal-Mart (.99 a spool) in each of the colors. I found some great wicker baskets on Christmas clearance at Target. We then tied a ribbon to the handle of each basket – identifying it to each child. Our color coding didn’t stop there. Each child has a bath towel in their color (easy to identify which child left it on the floor after their bath), each child has their own cereal bowl and cup (I found these at www.kidsmartliving.com very inexpensively), and each child has a cubby with their colored basket in it for their afterschool storage. Everything in our home is attached to a color code somehow. And you wouldn’t believe how proud they are of their baskets, towels, cups, bowls, and cubbies. In addition to learning their colors, they are learning to be responsible, considerate of others, and are proud of the fact that they are able to help around the house without having to be helped.


We use our color coding system to organize our days as well. We have a simple white board calendar with marker system; each child has their own marker - in their color of course. At a glance we can see who is doing what on which day. We also use colors in folding our socks by placing a small dot of color on the bottom of the sock in permanent marker. Finally, we use color coded hangers for the hang-up clothes in the closet.

We find new ways every day to use our color system. It has helped our home run more efficiently, become more organized, and has opened up more time for us to enjoy each other as a family – rather than spending time cleaning up messes that never seemed to end. Our color system has worked so well, I even use it in my office, my email account, and my day planner. All of this from one simple little bag of candy.

GetButtonedUp

Three years ago, we lived in a town called Laveen, Arizona.  It was the height of the wildfire season, and we were under a constant threat of evacuation as a fire burned approximately three miles from our home.

Even though we had two major roads to serve as fire breaks, I was still concerned.  It isn’t every day that a fire threatens to wipe out your entire neighborhood, your schools, parks, stores, homes…Let’s just say it was a tiny bit disconcerting.

One thing I had working in my favor was this.

This is Life.doc  - and it’s definitely a Fabulous Find.  Inside this seemingly unassuming little binder are several tabs – organizing your most important documents and papers.  There’s a place for birth certificates, immunization records, insurance policies, emergency contact numbers, health records (was little Jimmy allergic to penicillin or was it Tabitha?).  It takes a few hours to set up and fill out – but worth every minute once done.

In addition, we also have Valuables.doc- the binder to help you catalog all your valuables and irreplaceable in the event of something truly unimaginable, like a wildfire or home burglary.  There’s a place to store photos, receipts, serial numbers, and other important –yet easily forgettable in a stressful situation – information.

Get Buttoned UP! has products for organizing and simplifying many aspects of life.  And I truly do consider them a Fabulous Find.  Their binders start at about $20.00 and can be found at Target Stores, which is where I got mine.

ZadyBall

Today’s product comes to us via my daughter, Ali.

Isn’t he cute???  Sure he is!   So what IS he?

This is Zadyball … Baby Ringo the Octopus to be exact – and he’s cute as a button.  His tentacles are perfect for baby to grab on to and hold, his body is soft and squishy and he has a special surprise inside…bells…but not the obnoxious loud bells, a perfect little jingle sound that entertains baby, and doesn’t drive mom crazy.  The best part?  This little lovey (that your child will CERTAINLY grow attached to) is machine washable!  That’s right…try throwing that favorite teddy bear in the washer…go ahead, I dare you…No worries like that with the ZadyBall!

Zadyball has many different styles, animals, bugs, and simply round balls – AND she’ll customize one for you if you aren’t quite finding your favorite little buddy on the site.

My baby loves it – and come to think of it, a few of the big kids in the house like it too.  In fact, I was interviewed on our local television network and the camera guy also thought it was fabulous…I had to fight to get it back.  This thing is awesome.

To find out more about ZadyBall-
http://www.zadyball.com
http://www.facebook.com/zadyball

Tervis Tumbler

I love Arizona.

I love living here.

I even love the heat…except….

Sometimes the heat makes it impossible for me to enjoy a glass of ice water (or anything cold for that matter) unless I drink it very, very quickly – and we are talking superhuman quick here…Ice headache quick…and I’m just not willing to do that.

With Tervis, I don’t have to.

These things are awesome.

That’s right, they go beyond fabulous.

They are insulated so they stay cold.

They are double walled – so they don’t sweat (which is good, because I can never find a coaster when I need one anyway)

And…

Drum roll please…

The come in this FABULOUS Design…


This thing has just overcome fabulous and awesome and has reached Bodacious.

I have two – one in 16 oz and one in 24 oz.  They come with awesome travel lids, are super heavy duty, dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and keep my drinks filled with ice water for hours on end…that is if I don’t drink it too quickly.

I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond (I had a COUPON!) But you can get them at http://www.tervis.com too.  The large cups sell for around $16.00 if you want one with a licensed logo, prepare to spend a little more.

The only thing that would make these perfect?  If they DIDN’T sell them with these on them…

Just sayin’.