I will go and do the things....../common mistakes with food storage

1 Nephi 3:7
“…I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”


Grilled Corn on the Cob with Flavored Butter  gluten free


Summer is all about BBQ'ing, so forget the pot of boiling water, and fire up the grill to give your corn on the cob a wonderful smoky flavor.
Ingredients:
Corn Cobs, with husks

Herbed Butter
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 Tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp tarragon, finely chopped
1/2 lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Chili Butter
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

Old Bay Butter
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 Tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped
Directions:

Gently pull back the husks, and remove all the silk. Replace the husks back around the cob, then soak the entire cobs in cold water for 10 minutes.

Drain, pat dry, then place over a medium grill for about 10 minutes, or until tender.

If desired, for the last few minutes of grilling, pull back the husks to expose the cob, and get a little char on the kernels.
Peppers & Eggs on Sweet Potato Hash brown Nests  gluten free




A breakfast that is tasty as it is eye-catching. Sweet potatoes add a great flavor to the hash browns.
Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, peeled
1/2 sweet potato, peeled
1/4 small onion, finely diced (optional)
3 Tbsp oil
5 eggs, divided
1 Tbsp rice flour
4 peppers
Salt, pepper & spices of your choice
Directions:
To make the hash brown nests; preheat oven to 400°F. Shred all peeled potatoes using a large grater or a julienne grater (thats what I used in the picture). Toss together into a bowl, along with onion if using.

Using a oven safe skillet, heat 2 Tbsp oil, then fry potato mixture until starts to soften, about 3-5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg, flour, and seasonings of your choice. Pour into skillet, mixing fast until evenly incorporated. Then shape into 4 wells/patties using the spatula or spoon. Place in hot oven and continue baking until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes (depends on thickness of grated potatoes).

To make eggs; slice peppers into 1/2"-3/4" thick slices. If they are narrow peppers, you may need to make the slices 1" wide, so the egg doesn't spill when added. You want 2-3 nicely shaped pepper slices per person.

Heat a skillet with 1 Tbsp oil, then add pepper slices. Let them fry on med-high for about a minute, then crack an egg into each one. Reduce heat to medium and cook until desired doness (for harder eggs, after a few minutes of cooking, add a few tablespoons of water to pan, and cover with a lid until done).

Strawberry Salad with Candied Pecans  gluten free


Juicy strawberries, creamy goat cheese, sweet & crunchy pecans...simply delicious.
Ingredients:
Salad:
Mixed Greens
Strawberries, sliced
Candied Pecans
Goat Cheese, crumbled

Candied Pecans:
1 cup whole pecans
1 egg white
1/4 cup brown sugar

Dressing:
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp GF balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 tsp Dijon mustard
Directions:
For the pecans: Beat together the egg white and brown sugar. Pour in the pecans and then stir until the nuts are completely coated. Transfer the pecans to a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet, spreading out to an even layer, then bake at 300°F for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before adding to salad.

For the dressing: Whisk all ingredients together, then let sit for at least 20 minutes so the brown sugar dissolves.

To serve, toss mixed greens with dressing and plate. Top each plate with some sliced strawberries, goat cheese and some pecans.

 

Asparagus with Balsamic Glaze Balsamic vinegar gives a slightly sweet flavor, and balances the strong flavor of the asparagus perfectly. Ingredients: 1 bunch asparagus 1 - 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 - 2 tsp GF balsamic vinegar 1 tsp parsley Salt and pepper Directions: Place washed and trimmed asparagus in shallow glass dish. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar, add seasonings and toss together to coat. Broil until tender-crisp.

There are seven common mistakes people make when storing food. They are: 1. Variety Most people don't have enough variety in their storage. 95% of the people I've worked with have only stored four basic items: wheat, milk, honey, and salt. Statistics show most of us won't survive on such a diet for several reasons. a) Many people are allergic to wheat and may not be aware of it until they are eating it meal after meal. b) Wheat is too harsh for young children. They can tolerate it in small amounts but not as their main staple. c) We get tired of eating the same foods over and over and many times prefer to not eat, then to sample that particular food again. This is called appetite fatigue. Young children and older people are particularly susceptible to it. Store less wheat than is generally suggested and put the difference into a variety of other grains, particularly ones your family likes to eat. Also store a variety of beans, as this will add color, texture, and flavor. Variety is the key to a successful storage program. It is essential that you store flavorings such as tomato, bouillon, cheese, and onion. Also, include a good supply of the spices you like to cook with. These flavorings and spices allow you to do many creative things with your grains and beans. Without them you are severely limited. One of the best suggestions I can give you is buy a good food storage cookbook, go through it, and see what your family would really eat. Notice the ingredients as you do it. This will help you more than anything else to know what items to store. 2. Extended staples Never put all your eggs in one basket. Store dehydrated and/or freeze dried foods as well as home canned and "store bought" canned goods. Make sure you add cooking oil, shortening, baking powder, soda, yeast, and powdered eggs. You can't cook even the most basic recipes without these items. 3. Vitamins Vitamins are important, especially if you have children, since children do not store body reserves of nutrients as adults do. A good quality multi-vitamin and vitamin C are the most vital. Others might be added as your budget permits. 4. Quick and easy and "psychological foods" Quick and easy foods help you through times when you are psychologically or physically unable to prepare your basic storage items. "No cook" foods such as freeze-dried are wonderful since they require little preparation, MREs (Meal Ready to Eat), such as many preparedness outlets carry, canned goods, etc. are also very good. "Psychological foods" are the goodies—Jello, pudding, candy, etc.—you should add to your storage. These may sound frivolous, but through the years I've talked with many people who have lived entirely on their storage for extended periods of time. Nearly all of them say these were the most helpful items in their storage to "normalize" their situations and make it more bearable. These are especially important if you have children. 5. Balance Time and time again I've seen families buy all of their wheat, then buy all of another item and so on. Don't do that. It's important to keep well-balanced as you build your storage. Buy several items, rather than a large quantity of one item. If something happens and you have to live on your present storage, you'll fare much better having a one month supply of a variety of items than a year's supply of two or three items. 6. Containers Always store your bulk foods in food storage containers. I have seen literally tons and tons of food thrown away because they were left in sacks, where they became highly susceptible to moisture, insects, and rodents. If you are using plastic buckets make sure they are lined with a food grade plastic liner available from companies that carry packaging supplies. Never use trash can liners as these are treated with pesticides. Don't stack them too high. In an earthquake they may topple, the lids pop open, or they may crack. A better container is the #10 tin can which most preparedness companies use when they package their foods. 7. Use your storage In all the years I've worked with preparedness one of the biggest problems I've seen is people storing food and not knowing what to do with it. It's vital that you and your family become familiar with the things you are storing. You need to know how to prepare these foods. This is not something you want to have to learn under stress. Your family needs to be used to eating these foods. A stressful period is not a good time to totally change your diet. Get a good food storage cookbook and learn to use these foods! It's better to find out the mistakes you'll make now while there's still time to make corrections.It's easy to take basic food storage and add the essentials that make it tasty, and it needs to be done. As I did the research for my cookbook, Cooking with Home Storage, I wanted to include recipes that gave help to families no matter what they had stored. As I put the material together it was fascinating to discover what the pioneers ate compared to the types of things we store. If you have stored only the basics, there's very little you can do with it. By adding even just a few things, it greatly increases your options, and the prospect of your family surviving on it. As I studied how the pioneers lived and ate, my whole feeling for food storage changed. I realized our storage is what most of the world has always lived on. If it's put together the right way we are returning to good basic food with a few goodies thrown in.