Chili Dogs in a Blanket-Food Storage Recipe
Okay, so if you’re a FAN on Facebook, you know I was experimenting last week when I got a craving for Chili Dogs. Except the only problem with chili dogs is that they are SO messy! (And anyone who knows me knows I have a problem with messy foods…in that I tend to make them messier!) So I thought, how perfect to encase the chili like a pig in a blanket type idea….and it worked out wonderfully! I think this is a PERFECT dish for any football parties you may be having this weekend…or any basketball games you may be watching (c’mon…the BYU cougars are GREAT this year!) plus it uses food storage!
It would be easily served with Tator Tots or potato chips and then a vegetable tray where they can pick their own veggies. (Notice I filled half my plate with them to try and make up for my chili dog creation! 
Chili Dogs in a Blanket
1 can Chili (or homemade chili)
2 T. dehydrated onion
1/2 C. Shredded Cheese (optional)
2 oz. Cream Cheese (optional)
4-6 Hot Dogs (cut into thirds-lenth wise)
EZ Bread Dough (Click HERE for the recipe)
Mix bread dough according to directions and let rise until doubled. In the mean time, combine chili, dehydrated onion, and cream cheese and heat until the cream cheese is melted. Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick and using something circular (about 5 inches in diameter), cut out circles from dough. Keep rolling dough out and cutting until dough is gone (like you would for biscuits). Put a thin layer of chili mixture on dough circles, followed by cheese, and a hot dog piece. Fold side pieces together and pinch all edges together. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Emergency Cooking with Shelf Stable Items:Food Storage Recipes
You know me, I like to EASE my way into things and I think the best way to start emergency cooking is to see what you ALREADY have that can be made with shelf stable items in case of emergency. (Keep in mind that I only see this as a FIRST step, we’ll be covering other things like dutch ovens and solar ovens….but let’s just EASE into this! Now, please keep in mind that the first few days of a natural disaster you will be busily cooking and using the food in your fridge and freezer before it goes bad. But, of course, after your fresh and frozen food as been used up you’ll want to have shelf stable food (meaning the food that doesn’t need to be refrigerated) to eat. As I was thinking about this I realized that a lot of people spend a lot of money on food like this, but if you don’t have the money you can buy shelf stable meals at any grocery store (and when it’s on sale some times it’s as cheap as 88 cents!). Chicken helper is one of the easiest to make from shelf stable items because it even says on the box that you can substitute a can of chicken in place of the fresh chicken. (Which also, if you think about it is a good idea because you’d use less fuel cooking the meal if you don’t need to first cook the chicken.) Obviously, the milk you can use powdered milk but you may be perplexed about what to do about the margarine. This may not be the best thing to try putting beans in. However, I did discover that olive oil (or any oil) works just as well and that you don’t have to use as much oil as it calls for margarine. So not only are these meals great to keep on hand for an “everyday emergency” or when a baby-sitter or husband who doesn’t like to cook needs to cook but also for a natural disaster. I love it!
Here is what I did to make it work:
The recipe originally calls for:
1 lb. uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 T. margarine or butter
1/2 c. hot water
2 c. milk
Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Melt margarine in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until outsides turn white.
Stir in hot water, milk, Sauce Mix and uncooked pasta. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender. Remove from heat and uncover (sauce will thicken as it stands)
Here is what I did:
1 12.5 oz. can cooked chicken, undrained (undrained there will be about a 1/2 c. of broth)
1 1/2 t. olive oil
1/2 c. of broth (from the can-why throw it out? It just adds more flavor)
2 c. milk (2 c. water + 1/3 c. powdered milk)
Combine chicken, broth, oil, water, dry milk powder, and sauce mix in skillet (you’ll need to use a whisk to combine everything). Add in uncooked pasta and stir. Heat until boiling, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender. Remove from heat and uncover (sauce will thicken as it stands).
*You could also use a can of peas for some color or add in other spices (garlic, lemon pepper, etc.) to flavor it differently.
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu: Magic Mix Food Storage Recipe
I found this recipe from one of my favorite people in my ward cookbook. Don’t you just love ward cookbooks?! They are so condensed with wonderful tried and true recipes. I, personally, love Chicken Cordon Bleu (calories aside…so sorry if this is tempting your New Year’s diet but I just couldn’t resist) but it can be really time consuming and intimidating to make! So you can guess how happy I was to make this in no time at all and have it taste just the same! Plus, you can make exactly 1 1/2 cans of Condensed chicken soup from magic mix, with out any waste while using your food storage, so easy! I even made this for some friends and they couldn’t stop raving about how wonderful it tasted.
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
8 boneless chicken breasts
8 thin slices of ham
8 thin slices Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cans cream of chicken soup (1 1/2 C. Magic Mix, 1 1/8 C. Chicken Broth (either from a can, bouillion, or liquid from canned chicken), 1 1/2 t. Dry Parsley, Dash of Onion Salt-Bring together over high heat, stirring constantly until thick)
1/2 c. water
1 box Stove Top for Chicken Stuffing
Layer chicken, cheese, and ham in a baking dish. Mix soup with water and pour over chicken. Melt 1 cube of butter in saucepan. Add stove top stuffing with seasoning. Sprinkle over top. Bake covered at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.
Noodle Making: Advanced Food Storage Recipes
Well ring in the new year with a challenge! I’m starting a new series with “advanced” or as I like to think of it as “next step” food storage. In this post, I’ll cover pasta making. It’s actually quite fun, tasty, and exciting to experiment with noodle making (think of the possibilities-spinach noodles, tomato noodles, etc.) Not to mention you can add wheat flour to them for a fraction of what you’ll pay in the store for “whole grain pasta,” be rotating through your food storage, and becoming more self reliant. But, the best part is, kids LOVE to help! I did this video at my parent’s house and my nieces and nephews (though not in the video) were fighting over who got to roll the next noodles. So give it a try, you’ll be pleasantly surprised-and using more of that food storage of yours!
Pasta Making: Part One (making the dough)
Pasta Making: Part Two (rolling and cooking with the dough)
Basic Pasta Making Recipe
1 egg (2 T. dry egg powder + 2 T. water)
2 T. milk (scant 1/2 t. dry milk powder + 2 T. water)
1/2 c. white wheat flour
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
Stir ingredients together in bowl. Using hands, knead dough until a hard ball of dough forms. (If dough is too dry slowly add water in SMALL amounts-a couple drops at a time.) Allow dough to rest, covered with a damp paper towel for 10 minutes. Roll in pasta maker according to pasta maker directions.
