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!)