Week 42 - Canned soup

Week 42: CANNED SOUP Buy soup when it is on sale. Soup counts towards vegetables.

Store bought can soups like my favorite brand, Campbell’s Chunky Style are an easy and somewhat inexpensive way to build food storage especially when on sale.   For my stored soups I will turn them into extra filling meals for 2-3 people by adding a cup of rice, beans or pasta and maybe some extra spices to bulk up the soup. This method works well for stretching you food dollars and making great use of your bulk dry stored foods.


There is so much you can do with canned soup.  One of my favorite cookbooks is the Campbell's one.  It tells me so many ways to cook with soup and mix it with meat, paste or veggies!  The recipe's are simple and fast!  Here are a few!   

From: Campbell's Community

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 hours 

Serves: 6

Slow Cooker Veggie Beef Stew

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil

1 1/2 pounds beef for stew, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 bag (about 24 ounces) frozen vegetables for stew

1 beef bouillon cube

1 1/2 cups V8® 100% Vegetable Juice

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until it's well browned, stirring often. Pour off any fat.

Place the beef, vegetables and bouillon cube in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Stir the vegetable juice, flour, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and garlic salt in a medium bowl and pour it into the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 11 hours or until the beef is fork-tender.

Salsa Chicken Soup

3 1/2 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural Goodness® or Certified Organic)

1/2 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice

1 can (16 ounces) Campbell's® Pork and Beans

1/2 cup Pace® Chunky Salsa 

1 cup cubed cooked chicken

• Heat the broth in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Stir the rice in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is done.
• Stir the beans, salsa and chicken in the saucepan and heat through.

Week 41 - Vinegar

Week 41: VINEGAR l (or more) gallons. It is a great cleaner too. For cleaning you need white.



Vinegar
There is vinegar and then there is vinegar and it is not all alike. The active ingredient in all vinegars is acetic acid, but what the sour stuff is made from can vary widely. The most common vinegar is the white distilled variety which is actually just diluted distilled acetic acid and not true vinegar at all. It keeps pretty much indefinitely if tightly sealed in a plastic or glass bottle with a *plastic* cap. The enamel coated metal caps always seem to get eaten by the acid over time. It is usually about 5-6% acetic acid and for pickling it is the type most often called for.
The next most common variety is apple cider vinegar. There are two kinds of this type. A "cider flavored" distilled acetic acid type and a true cider vinegar fermented from hard cider. Either will store indefinitely at room temperature until a sediment begins to appear on the bottom. Stored vinegar will sometimes develop a cloudy substance. This is called a "mother of vinegar" and it is harmless. As long as the liquid does not begin to smell foul it can be filtered out through cheesecloth or a coffee filter and rebottled in a clean container. The mother can even be used to make more vinegar. If it begins to smell bad, however, it's gone over and should be tossed out.
The more exotic wine vinegars, balsalmic and other types all can be stored like cider vinegar. Age and exposure to light and air, however, eventually begin to take their toll on their delicate flavors. Tightly capped in a cool, dark cabinet or refrigerator is best for their storage.

Some fun cooking tips for vinegar!


To make basic vinaigrette salad dressing use 1 part white distilled vinegar to 4 parts oil.

Make creamy vinaigrette by adding some plain or whipped cream to a mixture of 1 part white distilled vinegar to 3 parts oil.

Tenderize meat with white distilled vinegar. Use it in marinades or when slow cooking any tough, inexpensive cuts of meat.

When poaching eggs, add a little white distilled vinegar to the water. The whites stay better formed.

For extra tenderness with boiling ribs or stew meat add a tablespoon of white distilled vinegar.

To add a zesty new taste to fresh fruits such as pears, cantaloupe, honeydew, or others, add a splash of rice or balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately to prevent the fruit from becoming mushy.

Freshen wilted vegetables by soaking them in cold water containing a spoonful or two of white distilled vinegar.

When boiling or steaming cauliflower, beets or other vegetables, add a teaspoon or two of white distilled vinegar to the water to help them keep their color. This will also improve their taste, and reduce gassy elements. This also works when cooking beans and bean dishes.

Make pasta less sticky and reduce some of its starch. Add just a dash of white distilled vinegar to the water as it cooks.

Give some extra zest to your white sauce by adding 1/2 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar.
Here are some different uses for vinegar!
To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.

Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.

Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled vinegar.

Clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so, then run hot water down the drain.

Deodorize the garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.

Deodorize and clean the garbage disposal with white distilled vinegar ice cubes. Make them by freezing full-strength white distilled vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water.

Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.


(taken from vinegar tips.com)

Week 40 Iodized Salt

Week 40: IODIZED SALT 10 or more canisters. It seasons & preserves. In a pinch it can be used as a toothpaste or de-icer. Get canning salt for canning.

Salt - 8 lbs/ per person/ year

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming less than 2300 mg (about 1 tsp.) of salt per day.  2300 mg / day would amount to about 3 lbs. of salt per year.  Remember that many foods that are stored long term are bland, so salt will greatly help to improve the taste and make these foods more enjoyable.

It is good to have extra salt for other household uses and pickling.  Salt is inexpensive and can be stored indefinitely.

It is recommended to store iodized salt to prevent goiter.

If you may want to store rock salt if you make homemade ice cream.

Storage life for salt is indefinite. So long as you keep it dry and do not let it get contaminated with dirt or whatever, it will never go bad. Over time, iodized salt may turn yellow, but this is harmless and may still be used. Salt it rather hygroscopic and will adsorb moisture from the air if not sealed in an air-tight container. If it does adsorb moisture and cakes up, it can be dried in the oven and then broken up with no harm done.
All salt, however, is not the same. Salt comes in a number of different varieties, each with its own purpose. Very little of the salt produced in the US is intended for use in food. The rest of it, about 98%, has other uses. Therefore, it is important to be certain the salt you have is intended for human consumption. Once you are satisfied it is, you should then determine its appropriateness for the tasks to which you might want to set it to. Below is a partial list of some of the available salts. I hope to make it more complete as I find better information.

Table Salt

This is by far the most widely known type of salt. It comes in two varieties; iodized and non-iodized. There is an ingredient added to it to absorb moisture so it will stay free flowing in damp weather. This non-caking agent does not dissolve in water and can cause cloudiness in whatever solution it is used if sufficiently large quantities are used. In canning it won't cause a problem since there is very little per jar. For pickling, though, it would be noticeable. If you are storing salt for this purpose, you should be sure to choose plain pickling salt, or other food grade pure salt. In the iodized varieties, the iodine can cause discoloration or darkening of pickled foods so be certain not to use it for that purpose.

Canning Salt

This is pure salt and nothing but salt. It can usually be found in the canning supplies section of most stores. This is the salt to be preferred for most food preservation or storage uses.

Kosher Salt

I'm not precisely sure what makes kosher salt different from canning salt. I'm presuming that it must have been processed in a particular manner in accordance with the kosher dietary laws of the Jewish faith because it is used in preparation of kosher foods. It is generally larger in grain size than table or canning salt and may have even been rolled to produce "flaked" kosher salt. Grain size can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Sea Salt

This type of salt comes in about as many different varieties as coffee and from about as many different places around the world. The "gourmet" versions can be rather expensive. In general, the types sold in grocery stores, natural food markets and gourmet shops have been purified enough to use in food. It's not very suitable for food preservation, though, because the mineral content it contains (other than the sodium chloride) may cause discoloration of the food.

Rock or Ice Cream Salt

This type of salt comes in large chunky crystals and is intended primarily for use in home ice cream churns to lower the temperature of the ice filled water in which the churn sits. It's also sometimes used in icing down beer kegs. It is used in food preservation by some, but none of the brands I have been able to find label it as food grade so I would not use it for this purpose.

Solar Salt

This is also sometimes confusingly called "sea salt". It is not, however, the same thing as the sea salt found in food stores. Most importantly, it isnot food grade. It's main purpose is for use in water softeners. The reason it is called "solar" and sometimes "sea salt" is that it is produced by evaporation of sea water in large ponds in various arid areas of the world. This salt type is not purified and still contains the desiccated remains of whatever aquatic life might have been trapped in it. Those organic remains might react with the proteins in the foods you are attempting to preserve and cause it to spoil.

Halite

For those of us fortunate enough to live far enough south to not need it, halite is the salt that is used on roads to melt snow and ice. It, too, is not food grade and should not be used in food preservation.

Salt Substitutes

These are various other kinds of metal salts such as potassium chloride used to substitute for the ordinary sodium chloride salt we are familiar with. They have their uses, but should not be used in foods undergoing a heated preservation processing, they can cause the product to taste bad. Even the heat from normal cooking is sometimes sufficient to cause this.

 

(taken from Troubled Times: Salt)

Have a wonderful week!

Week 39 - Canned Meats

Week 39: CANNED MEATS Tuna (be sure and rotate) Spam, dried beef, go for 10 cans.


Benefits of Storing Canned Meat in Your Food Storage

Canned meat is a great food storage item. Roast beef, corned beef hash, Vienna sausages, Spam and canned chicken are readily available. We've been spoiled by fresh meat from the grocery store, but all it takes is one trucker strike, or a power outage to limit your use of fresh meat. Here are some benefits and ideas about stocking canned meat in your food storage:

• It's quick and easy to use.
• A 12 oz can of roast beef can be used in place of ground beef in many recipes. Even though the size is smaller, you don't have to use 1 lb. of meat in recipes. "Serve it hot over rice or noodles, or drain the gravy and shred the beef for awesome tacos, burritos, or BBQ." Hereford.com
• A 12 oz can of chicken may be used in enchiladas, salads, and chicken sandwiches.
• It's a great backup for a last minute meal.
• It has a 2-year shelf life. There are some more expensive canned meats available with longer shelf life, but they are very costly.
• Even though it is more expensive, periodically use it in recipes in place of fresh meat to rotate it.
• Using what you store will help your family become accustomed to eating it.
• You can also can your own meat in jars if you have a meat pressure canner.

(taken from Prepared LDS Family)

You can buy many different canned meats at Walmart, Amazon.com, Costco and Sam's Club.  Just be sure and try them and see if your family will eat them and like them!

Here are some hopefully helpful recipes so you can try out the canned meat on your family.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 (10 ounce) cans chicken chunks
• 1 pint sour cream
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken and mushroom soup
• 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package uncooked egg noodles
• 4 ounces buttery round crackers, crushed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In medium skillet, fry onion in butter until softened. Pour into 9x13 baking dish.
2. In large bowl, combine chicken chunks, sour cream and soup. Stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar. Stir in uncooked egg noodles. Pour mixture over onions in baking dish. Top with crumbled crackers and remaining cheddar.
3. Bake 30 minutes, or until top is golden and noodles are soft.

Bree's Chicken Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 (12 ounce) cans chicken breast chunks, drained
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 8 croissants, split

Directions

1. Break the chicken breast chunks into small pieces in a large bowl. Mix in the celery, onion, and grapes. Season with dill and salt and pepper.
2. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture, and mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before spreading the salad onto the croissants to make sandwiches.

Cheggy Salad Sandwiches Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• 1/4 cup Parmesan curls, shaved with a vegetable peeler
• 1/4 cup chopped pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons sweet dill pickle relish
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup cole slaw dressing
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
•  
• 10 slices sandwich bread
• 5 lettuce leaves
• 5 slices ripe tomato
• 2 avocados, sliced
• 5 slices Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1. Lightly combine the canned chicken, eggs, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, pickle relish, chopped onion, mayonnaise, cole slaw dressing, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.
2. To assemble sandwiches, spread a generous serving on each of 5 slices of sandwich bread, and place lettuce leaves, sliced tomato, sliced avocado, and Monterey Jack cheese slices over the salad. Top with remaining sandwich bread slices.