"A year's supply of food storage is beneficial in several ways:

1. It provides peace of mind as we obey the counsel to store.

2. It helps ensure survival in case of personal or natural disaster.

3. It strengthens skills in preparing and using basic foods" ("Home Storage: Build on the Basics," Ensign, June 1989, 40).


Crispy Noodle Prawn Twists  Gluten Free



Ingredients:
1/4 pkg rice vermicelli noodles
10-15 large prawns or shrimp, peeled & de-veined
Peanut or canola oil, for deep frying

Directions:

Place dry noodles in a pot of boiled water. Let sit for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Lift out strands of noodles and lay on a clean towel, to remove excess moisture.

Taking a few strands at a time, wrap noodles tightly around prawns. Using towel, blot excess moisture off wrapped prawn.

Depending what size pot you are using, oil should be at least 2 inches deep. Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Once oil  has reached 350°F, using chopsticks, gently place 1 wrapped prawn in hot oil (have lid ready to deflect any splatters from you). Once noodles are golden, flip and cook other side. These will cook quickly - 60 seconds or so. Cook only 1 prawn first to determine your cook time. Then continue cooking the remaining prawns (up to 3-4 at a time).

After cooked, drain excess oil off on paper towels, then serve with plum sauce.

Plum Sauce  gluten free


Great dipping sauce for crispy chicken strips.

Ingredients:
Variation 1
1 lb (1 can) purple plums in heavy syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

Variation 2:
3 lbs red or purple plums, halved and pitted
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup water
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup white, rice or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp ground cloves

Plum Sauce

Directions:
Variation 1:
Puree plums and syrup in a food processor or blender.
Pour puree into a saucepan and mix with remaining ingredients.  Let simmer for about 30 minutes, until thickened.
Allow to cool, then keep refrigerated in a sealed container.

Variation 2:
In large heavy saucepan, bring plums, onions, water, ginger and garlic to boil over medium heat. Cover and lower heat to simmer, stirring occasionally, until plums and onions are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Place a large sieve over a large bowl, and pour mixture into sieve. Using a potato masher, or the bottom of a cup, press the mixture through until you have extracted as much of the liquid as you can.

Pour liquid in bowl into a clean pot and add remaining ingredients. Taste, and adjust any spices as necessary. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer until mixture has thickened, about 45 minutes.

Allow to cool, then keep refrigerated in a sealed container. Or can fill hot sauce into canning jars, seal, and process in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes.

WHOLE WHEAT ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Make this classic dessert entirely from your pantry food storage!

Ingredients

• 1½ C. powdered sugar
• 1 C.cake flour (or ¾ C. whole wheat flour + ¼ C. cornstarch)
• 1½ C. egg whites (12) (1/2 C. dry egg white powder + 1½ C. water)
• 1½ t. cream of tartar
• 1 C. granulated sugar
• 2 t. vanilla
• ¼ t. salt

Instructions

1. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375ºF.
2. Pulse in blender powdered sugar and flour; set aside. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Beat in granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, on high speed, adding vanilla, and salt with the last addition of sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy meringue forms. Do not underbeat.
3. Sprinkle sugar-flour mixture, ¼ cup at a time, over meringue, folding in just until sugar-flour mixture disappears. Push batter into ungreased angel food cake pan (tube pan), 10×4 inches. Cut gently through batter with metal spatula.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cracks feel dry and top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately turn pan upside down onto heatproof funnel or bottle. Let hang about 2 hours or until cake is completely cool. Loosen side of cake with knife or long, metal spatula; remove from pan.

Top Ten Ways to Keep Your Food Storage Safe

 

Food storage is a great way to prepare your family for emergencies. However, bacteria and other contaminants can invade your emergency food and render it useless. Here is a list of the top ten ways to keep your food storage safe and secure!
1. Before canning, make sure everything is clean! Many people can their own fruits and vegetables. This is a great practice for you and your family, just make sure you thoroughly clean off the produce and canning jars before starting. This may require rinsing in a water/bleach solution or boiling.
2. While canning, refrigerate the produce you aren’t ready for yet. If you plan on canning 10 lbs. of strawberries, it will take a while to get all of them done. Instead of leaving all 10 lbs. on the counter while working, put the fruit-in-waiting back in the refrigerator. This is very important for fruit has been cut, because it is more prone for bacteria. Refrigeration will help keep your fruit fresh until you’re ready for it.
3. Weevils? Freeze that flour! Ever heard of weevils? These pesky bugs will hatch in your flour and invade all of your other grains too! When you purchase any form of grain, make sure that you freeze it for 4 to 7 days before putting it in your storage room.
4. Store plenty of water. When planning your food storage, make sure that you have enough water for drinking, food preparation, and general hygiene purposes. You can do this with a combination of water barrels and filters. Water storage should also been taken into consideration when purchasing food storage. For example, freeze-dried food requires substantially less water than dehydrated foods, or traditional foods like rice, beans and wheat.
5. No more expired food, rotate it out. If a portion of your food storage consists of canned goods from the grocery store, make sure to put recently purchased items in the back so that the oldest items get used first. This prevents you from having to throw out expired food.
6. Have a balance of food groups and nutrients. Have you ever tried eating just noodles and bread for a week? It gets boring real quick, and you are more likely to get sick when you don’t eat a balanced diet. When planning your food storage, try to have a good balance of fruits and vegetables with your grains. You can do this by storing canned goods, freeze-dried foods, and/or canning your own foods.
7. Do you know what you have? Take inventory regularly. This allows you to keep track of what you need and helps you watch out for expired foods. If you keep an accurate inventory, finding expired foods can be completely avoided.
8. Include comfort foods. I know this sounds silly, but in an emergency you and your family will be stressed. Having a tasty piece of strawberry shortcake (or whatever your family’s favorite dessert is) will help ease the tension of survival.
9. Use a proper long-term storage container. Leaving food in the bag it came in, or not lining storage containers with plastic can make them more susceptible to moisture and other contaminants.
10. Use oxygen absorbers appropriately. These are great for preserving foods! Make sure they are put in all of your dry food storage containers.

by Alyssa Staehli

 

4 Simply Steps to Food Storage

"As long as I can remember, we have been taught to prepare for the future and to obtain a year’s supply of necessities. . . . I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over. With the events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness. . . . Create a plan if you don't already have one, or update your present plan . . . We are not in a situation that requires panic buying, but we do need to be careful in purchasing and rotating the storage that we're putting away." (L. Tom Perry, in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 47; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 36).

Grilled Shrimp & Lime Quesadillas gluten free


Grilled shrimp with lime and smoky paprika gives a new flavor to quesadillas.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 lime, zested & juiced
2 tomatoes, diced
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, diced
4 scallions, finely diced
2 cups Monteray Jack cheese, shredded
8 corn tortillas, warmed
Directions:
In a dish combine first 5 spices. Sprinkle over shrimp until coated (reserve spice mixture). Put shrimp on skewers and grill until cooked. Remove from skewer, chop, then place in a bowl with the lime zest and juice. Toss to coast, set aside.

Combine diced tomatoes in a bowl with reserved spice mixture. Toss to coat, set aside.

To build quesadillas, layer a tortilla with the shrimp, tomatoes, some cilantro, avocado and cheese. Top with another tortilla and spray lightly with cooking spray. Gently place quesadilla onto a greased skillet, flip once tortilla starts to brown (or can use an indoor panini/grill press).

Serve with sour cream and salsa if you desire.

Cucumber Salad With Lemon & Basil  gluten free Fresh basil, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes with a hint of lemon - simply delicious.  Ingredients: 4 English cucumbers, cut into 1/2" slices, seeded 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, whole 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tsp lemon zest 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup fresh basil, torn Salt & pepper to taste Directions: Prepare cucumbers and tomatoes (seeding the cucumbers and keeping the tomatoes whole prevents their juices from diluting the dressing). Chiffonade basil, then cut again to make smaller pieces. Whisk together all dressing ingredients (and basil), then pour over veggies. Refrigerate for at least 30 mintues, to allow the cucumbers to get flavored with the dressing. **Note: To chiffonade basil: stack leaves together, roll tightly (lenthwise for long strips, or widthwise for shorter strips), then thinly slice with a sharp knife. Refer to pictures below.

Southwest Cheddar Cheese Soup Time: 30 minutes, start to finish Yield: 6 servings 4 medium-sized russet potatoes 3 C water 3 chicken bullion cubes (or 3 t bullion granules) 1 onion, chopped 1 C carrots, chopped 1 C green pepper, chopped 1/3 C butter 1/3 C flour 4 C velveeta cheese, cubed 2 T salsa 1. Chop up the potatoes, onion, carrots and green pepper. Toss them into a big soup pot and pour 3 cups of water over the top. The water should cover the veggies up with about half an inch of water remaining on top. 2. Add 3 chicken bullion cubes or 3 teaspoons of bullion granules to the pot. Give it a nice stir to incorporate. Turn the heat to medium high and let the veggies cook until they are fork tender. 3. While your veggies cook, find yourself some velveeta cheese. You will need just a little bit more than half of a 2 pound block. Or in other words, 4 cups of velveeta cheese cubed up nicely. Open up that package and cut up the cheese with a sharp knife. 4. In a skillet (or medium-sized sauce pan) melt 1/3 cup of butter over medium high heat. 5. Add 1/3 cup flour and immediately whisk it around to form a thick paste. 6. Pour in 3 1/2 cups of milk and whisk it around to combine. Keep stirring it and watch for it to get nice and bubbly and thick. Should take just a few minutes. 7. When your veggies are cooked through, add the thickened butter and milk mixture to the soup pot. (Don’t drain any of the liquid the veggies were cooking in). Give it all a nice stir. 8. Add your velveeta cheese and 2 tablespoons of salsa. (Feel free to add a little bit more, if you enjoy that kind of thing). Stir it well to combine. The cheese will melt quite quickly. When it has been incorporated into the soup remove the pot from the heat, serve and enjoy.   Apricot Cobbler Recipe INGREDIENTS 1/2 C Sugar 1 Tbsp Cornstarch 4 C Freeze Dried Apricot Dices 1 C Dehydrated Buttermilk Powder 1/4 Cup Dehydrated Fat-Free Milk 1/4 C Chopped Nuts 1 Tbsp Sugar 1 Tbsp Melted Butter or Clarified Butter PREPARATION 1. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in apricots and water. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir one minute. 2. Pour into ungreased 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. 3. Stir together remaining ingredients unto a soft dough forms. Drop dough by 6 tablespoonfuls onto hot apricot mixture. 4. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Four simple steps to planning food storage 1. Decide how much food you want to store. Set a goal to get a two-week supply of food then work up to a month supply. 2. Think about storable foods that you like and purchase them. 3. Look for favorite family recipes and other delicious food storage recipes that can be made with stored foods. 4. Create a menu for a week with your favorite food storage recipes. Multiply ingredients by two to plan your food storage for two weeks.

"Consider the important (food storage) program which we must never forget nor put in the background. As we become more affluent and our bank accounts enlarge, there comes a feeling of security, and we feel sometimes that we do not need the supply that has been suggested by the Brethren. . . . We must remember that conditions could change and a year’s supply of basic commodities could be very much appreciated by us or others. So we would do well to listen to what we have been told and to follow it explicitly" (Spencer W. Kimball, in Conference Report, Apr. 1976, 170; or Ensign, May 1976, 124).

Croutons  gluten free


Crunchy and filled with flavor, these croutons are perfect in salads or stuffings.
Ingredients:
6-8 slices GF bread (fresh or day old), cut into 3/4-1" cubes
3 Tbsp olive oil or melted butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp dried parsley
Directions:
On a rimmed baking sheet place bread cubes. Drizzle oil over, then sprinkle with seasonings. Using your hands, toss everything together until evenly coated.

Spread out into a single layer and bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown. Turn broiler on, and broil until tops are golden brown and crouton is crunchy.

Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Taco Salad in Tortilla Bowls  gluten free Ingredients: Taco Bowls: 6 - 6” corn tortillas Cooking Spray Salt Taco Salad Filling Suggestions: Chilli flavored ground beef Lettuce Tomatoes Black beans Cheddar cheese Avocado Sour cream Salsa Directions: Sprinkle each tortilla lightly with water and stack them on a plate. Cover with another plate turned upside down, and microwave for 45 seconds. Spray each side of a tortilla lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt then place in an upside down muffin tin - in the space between 4 muffin cups, creating a bowl (see picture 2). Repeat with remaining tortillas, then bake at 375°F for 10 minutes. Turn off oven, flip tortillas over (see picture 3), then let sit in oven for another 20 minutes to completely crisp up.

Food Storage Sour Cream Pound Cake Food Storage Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe Recipe type: Dessert Prep time:  15 mins Cook time:  1 hour Total time:  1 hour 15 mins   This recipe is so great for food storage….and strawberries! Ingredients 1 C. butter (1 C. white bean puree) 2¼ C. sugar 6 eggs (1/3 C. dry egg powder + ⅔ C. water) 3 C. flour (1 C. whole wheat flour and 2 C. all-purpose flour) ½ t. salt ¼ t. soda 1 C. sour cream (1 C. food storage yogurt or 1 C. dry sour cream powder + ½ C. water) 1½ t. vanilla Instructions Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter until soft. Add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy. (If you’re using beans, simply beat the puree and sugar together) Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each. (If you’re using powdered eggs, just put in the powder and water and mix) Mix together flour, salt and soda; add to batter alternately with sour cream, beating until smooth. Add vanilla. Prepare cake pan by coating generously with non-stick spray, then sprinkling with granulated sugar; or grease pan heavily. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until done. Cool cake for 10 minutes; remove from pan. WHOLE WHEAT ANGEL FOOD CAKE Food Storage Whole Wheat Angel Food Cake Recipe Recipe type: Dessert Prep time:  30 mins Cook time:  30 mins Total time:  1 hour Serves: 12   Make this classic dessert entirely from your pantry food storage! Ingredients 1½ C. powdered sugar 1 C.cake flour (or ¾ C. whole wheat flour + ¼ C. cornstarch) 1½ C. egg whites (12) (1/2 C. dry egg white powder + 1½ C. water) 1½ t. cream of tartar 1 C. granulated sugar 2 t. vanilla ¼ t. salt Instructions Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375ºF. Pulse in blender powdered sugar and flour; set aside. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Beat in granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, on high speed, adding vanilla, and salt with the last addition of sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy meringue forms. Do not underbeat. Sprinkle sugar-flour mixture, ¼ cup at a time, over meringue, folding in just until sugar-flour mixture disappears. Push batter into ungreased angel food cake pan (tube pan), 10×4 inches. Cut gently through batter with metal spatula. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cracks feel dry and top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately turn pan upside down onto heatproof funnel or bottle. Let hang about 2 hours or until cake is completely cool. Loosen side of cake with knife or long, metal spatula; remove from pan.

Food Storage

"Recent surveys of Church members have shown a serious erosion in the number of families who have a year’s supply of life’s necessities. Most members plan to do it. Too few have begun. . . . It is our sacred duty to care for our families, including our extended families" (Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Sept. 1986, 4; emphasis in original).

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Strips  gluten free Crunchy coated chicken strips flavored with Parmesan and Dijon. Ingredients: 4 chicken breasts, sliced into strips 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp thyme 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4-1/2 tsp chilli powder or cayenne pepper 3/4 cup GF corn flakes, crushed 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, dry-finely grated style Directions: In a shallow dish, mix together mustard, and spices. In another dish, mix together the corn flake crumbs and cheese. Coat the strips in the mustard mix, then dredge into the crumb mixture, turning until fully coated. Place strips on a rack over a foil lined baking sheet. Lightly spray with some cooking oil spray, then bake at 450°F for 15-20 minutes or until fully cooked. Mashed Potato Souffle  gluten free These potatoes are so light and fluffy, you better make extra - since everyone will want seconds! Ingredients: 3 Tbsp butter or margarine 3 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled & boiled 3 egg yolks 1 1/4 cup milk or milk alternative 1 1/2 cup Gruyere or Jarlsburg cheese, grated Salt to taste Directions: Mash potatoes, then add butter. Cool slightly then mix in yolks, milk and 1 1/4 cups of the cheese. Salt to taste. Spread into buttered baking dish, and top with remaining cheese (don't pile potatoes too close to dish edges, as it will rise a few inches as it bakes), and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes. Whole Wheat Herbed Rolls Ingredients: 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast 2-3/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°), divided 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or 1/2 C. bean puree) 1/4 cup honey or molasses 1 tablespoon salt 2 teaspoons garlic 2 teaspoons dried thyme 2 teaspoons dried basil 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 egg, beaten (1 T. dry egg powder with NO water)4 cups whole wheat flour 4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour Method: 1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add the oil, honey, salt, seasonings, egg, whole wheat flour and remaining water. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. 2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes (or use a kitchen mixer). Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. 3. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into three portions. Divide each into 16 pieces. Shape each into rolls. Cover and let rise until doubled, 20-25 minutes. 4. Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Yield: 4 dozen   Food Storage Yogurt What you’ll need for food storage yogurt with powdered milk: 2-quarts pasteurized milk (cream, whole, low fat, or skim) — for food storage purposes, we’ll use powdered milk. For non-instant milk you’ll need, 1 1/2 c. dry milk powder and 2 quarts water. If you’re using instant milk you’ll need, 3 c. dry milk powder and 2 quarts water. Additional nonfat dry milk powder (for extra milk proteins) — Use 1 1/3-cup powder when using non instant powdered milk, or use 2 2/3-cup powder when using instant powdered milk. The higher the milk solids the firmer the yogurt will be. Commercial, unflavored, cultured yogurt — Use 1/2-cup. Be sure the product label indicates that it contains a live culture. Also note the content of the culture. L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus are required in yogurt, but some manufacturers may in addition add L. acidophilus and/or B. bifidum. The latter two are used for slight variations in flavor, but more commonly for health reasons attributed to these organisms. All culture variations will make a successful yogurt. I like the Mountain High Yoghurt as my starter. (Optional) 2 to 4 tablespoons sugar or honey. Instructions for your food storage yogurt: Mix your powdered milk (all of it-both the milk to make the initial 2 quarts of milk and the additional milk). In a 4-5 qt. slow cooker, place milk and sugar or honey, if you are using it, cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours. After the 2 1/2 hours, unplug the slow cooker and let it sit for 3 hours. After the 3 hours, remove 2 cups of milk (you may notice a skin of sorts on your milk in the slow cooker, go ahead and remove that with a spoon and discard) and stir in the 1/2 cup of yogurt in a separate bowl. Add the yogurt mixture to the remaining milk and stir. (If you want to check your milk temperature, you can use a candy thermometer and make sure it’s between 112 and 117 degrees F. Put the lid back on the slow cooker and wrap in a large and thick bath towel and let sit (unplugged) for an additional 8 hours. After the 8 hours, unwrap and uncover the slow cooker. SCOOP (DO NOT STIR) the yogurt into clean containers and refrigerate – chill before serving. (This recipe was adapted from National Center for Home Preservation and the method of cooking the slow cooker was approved by the man who wrote that article…as long as it doesn’t curdle-if yours curdles throw it out!)