EVERYDAY FOOD STORAGE » Make Ahead Meal

Ode to Pizza-Hot Pockets (aka Pizza Pockets): Whole Wheat Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:32:00 +0000

I’m so happy so many of you remember this recipe! With all this talk of pizza, I’ve had a lot of people asking for this post so I’ll put it up again, either to introduce you to pizza pockets or to jog your memory! This recipe is SO great & suprisingly EASY (so easy I made a video to prove it)! There is so much for your kids to help with in this recipe. They can knead the dough, help you roll it out, help fill them (I love giving kids options of what they put inside the pockets), and of course EAT them! You can do Hot Pocket flavors like Pepperoni Pizza, Ham & Cheese, Broccoli Cheese and others or you can make up your own! These also freeze great and re-heat in the microwave well. (So great for lunches on the go or for your hubbie to take to work) Or you can make them for a dinner party and let everyone choose what they put inside. It’s so fun!

Hot Pocket Dough- makes six 6 inch pockets

1 C. Luke Warm Water
2 T. Olive Oil or Canola Oil

1 t. Sugar

1/2 t. Salt

3 C. Flour (I usually do Half all-purpose and half whole wheat or all whole wheat flour)

1 1/2 t. Yeast

Dough by Hand:

Dissolve Yeast in warm water. Add Oil, Sugar, and salt. Slowly mix in flour and knead. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

Dough in Bread Machine: (this is my favorite because you can throw all the ingredients in and set the dough cycle and get some other things done while it’s doing the work for you!)

Add ingredients in order your bread machine specifys (for example: for mine I need to add the liquid first, then dry ingredients, and then form a well and pour my yeast in). You don’t want your dough to raise for more than one hour. Most bread machine dough cycles will “beat” down the dough and you’ll want to take the dough out before it does that. Consult your users manual for timing and instructions on how to put the ingredients in.

1. Pre-heat oven to 375

2. When dough is ready, separate it in to 6 portions. If you want to be really exact, you can weigh the dough. I usually just eye ball it.

3. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick circles.

4. Let dough rest for 5 minutes.

5. Put 1/4-1/2 cup worth of filling. If you’re making all the same kind of hot pockets mix all your filling items together and use a scoop to fill the pockets.

6. Fold dough in half over the filling and clamp edges with fork.

7. You can brush the tops with an egg white wash (1 egg white beaten with 1-2 T. water) if you want them to look really professional! (I usually don’t because I think they look delicious with out the hassle. Besides I can’t ever figure out anything to use that one egg yolk in and I hate to waste it!)

8. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375.

Make Ahead Milk Shakes: Powdered Milk Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:00:01 +0000

If you’ve every tried to serve milk shakes as a fun treat with dinner then you know the problem with them. You have a SERIOUS timing issue because they need to be served RIGHT AWAY or they get soupie and then the whole experience is ruined! So why not make the shakes ahead of time? Sounds good to you? Well it sounded good to me. This recipe was delicious and LOW-CALORIE! Since it is made out of pudding and not ice cream! This milk shake is actually kind of healthy! It just takes pudding (which can be the of the sugar-free variety), milk (powdered milk to make it a food storage recipes), and fruit. EXCELLENT!

Make Ahead Milk Shake

3-1/2 cups milk (1/2 C. + 2- 1/2 T. Dry Powdered Milk + 3-1/2 C. Water)

1 pkg. (4-serving size) Vanilla Instant Pudding (can be sugar-free)

1 medium ripe banana, cut into chunks

1/2 cup strawberries

Place all ingredients in blender and blend for 1 minute. Refridgerate until ready to serve.

(If you’re wondering why mine is orange, it’s because I drained a can of peaches and made ours a peach shake. That way it all comes from food storage….AWESOME!!!)

Thai Peanut Chicken Noodle Salad-Pasta Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:00:02 +0000

If you think spaghetti noodles are only for spaghetti…think again! This is honestly my new favorite summer “salad” recipe and I plan on bringing it to potlucks, family events, friend events…well you get my drift. It is so different (and by different I don’t mean disgusting, I mean different as in not the same old thing you see at family get togethers). It is good warm or cold…so you know, perfect for leftovers. You’ve got to give this try it’s one of my favorite food storage recipes! It has a little zip, a little zang, and a lot of taste!

Thai Peanut Chicken Noodle Salad

1 C. Asian Sesame Dressing (I use Ken’s Steakhouse light version)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp. crunchy peanut butter
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 pkg. (1 lb.) thin spaghetti
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

Cook spaghetti as directed on package. Toss cooked chicken chunks with 1/4 c. Asian Sesame Dressing. Mix remaining dressing mixture, peanut butter, honey and crushed red pepper.

Drain spaghetti. Add to chicken mixture with peanut butter mixture and all remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Serve warm or chill in fridge for 4 hours before serving.

Live From the Request Line: Slow Cooker Pot Roast (One of my Favorite Food Storage Recipes!)

Crystal — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:00:00 +0000

This is the pot roast my mom made growing up. To me there is NOTHING BETTER than walking into my house and smelling the smells of my childhood, not to mention this food storage recipe is EASY and has LITTLE mess! It didn’t always include as much food storage but you know me…I think almost any recipe can become a food storage recipe! Try it for yourself…

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

1 Pot Roast, thawed (remember you can’t put frozen meat in a slow cooker)
1 Potato for EACH person, cut into quarters
1-2 Onions, cut into eighths
1/4 C. Carrots for EACH person, cut into chunks (or use baby carrots)
1 packet Dry Onion Soup Mix
1-2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup (which I of course made with my magic mix…so delicious! Click HERE for the recipe)
1 bag frozen peas

Directions:
Place meat in bottom center of slow cooker. Place cut potatoes, onions, and carrots around meat and along edges. Combine soup and dry onion soup mix and pour over meat and vegetables. (Make sure that your potatoes are covered or they’ll be purple!) Cook on low heat 6-8 hours. During last hour of cooking pour frozen peas on top (if you do it before the last hour they tend to get mushy). After it is finished cooking and depending on how thick you like your gravy you can empty the meat and vegetables and thicken the gravy with more magic mix (pretty great, huh?), corn starch, or flour in a pan/pot over the stove.

Are you a Fanatic?

Share your successes! E-mail me at everydayfoodstorage@gmail.com with a picture (don’t we all eat with our eyes first?) and recipe of your food storage successes to be highlighted on Fanatic Fridays!

Or…proclaim it to the world that you are an Everyday Food Storage fanatic! Simple copy the entire text in the box below and place it in a text widget on your blog.

For more tips and tricks for using your food storage in everyday ways, please visit www.everydayfoodstorage.NET

Ultimate Visiting Teacher Gift & Final Neighborhood Gift Idea

Crystal — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:22:25 +0000

Now to the Ultimate Visiting Teacher gift! I was sent this idea by Jenn (and what a great idea it is!).

*I forgot to mention the splash of vanilla that you put in at the end*

Here is the mug wrapped for drop off.

Here is the mug for immediate drop off, not wrapped. See how it looks like hot chocolate?! I love it!

Here is the recipe:
Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

1 coffee mug
4 T. flour
4 T. Sugar
2 T. baking cocoa
1 egg (1 T. dry egg powder and 2 T. of water)
3 T. milk (1/2 T. Dry Powdered Milk + 3 T. Water)
3 T. oil (or applesauce)
3 T. chocolate chips
small splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the eff and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla. Mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug but don’t be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT!

Love Soup & Breadsticks

Now you can all thank Teresa for the last Neighborhood Gift Idea. She sent this in for a Fanatic Friday and even included the label for you! (click HERE to download it) She told me…

I love this soup recipe! In fact, my oldest son (age 16) was disappointed he had to miss this meal because of an over-night school activity! I’m giving the bean mixture with seasonings to the ladies I visit teach and to the families my husband home teaches. It’s inexpensive, tastes great, and encourages others to use their food storage in a tasty, nutritious way! I’ve included the publisher file I used to make post-card size labels to attach to gift bags. Feel free to save as a PDF file and share with your readers.

Love Soup (because it makes enough to share with friends and neighbors!)

Bean Mixture: Mix the following ingredients together. Divide into 1-cup portions. (I got 11 portions out of this.)

1 pkg. (14 oz.) green split peas

1 pkg. (14 oz.) pearled barley (I had a hard time finding barley this year; I finally found it at Albertson’s; it should be in the same section as the lentils, peas, and beans)

1 pkgs. (14 oz.) lentils

2 cups brown rice

Seasoning Mixture (for each cup of beans): Place the following ingredients in a re-sealable snack-size baggie.

½ package Onion Soup Mix, which is about 2 ½ T. (I used the generic that you can get at Wal-Mart or Macey’s for 3/$1 or 4/$1 if on sale)

3 beef bouillon cubes

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. garlic powder

¾ tsp. chili powder

Packaging Options: Layer the following in a pint-size bottle or in a cellophane gift bag (less expensive option):

1. Bean Mixture

2. Baggie of Seasonings

3. Baggie of ¼ cup alphabet or small shell pasta (or leave this out since it is an optional ingredient and allow recipient to add own pasta)

For more tips and tricks for using food storage in your everyday recipes, please visit www.everydayfoodstorage.NET

Easy and Delicous Black Bean Soup: Bean Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:00:00 +0000

I love an easy delicious soup, especially one like this that uses so many food storage ingredients! It is delicious, cheap to make and great for a crisp fall day. Plus, you all know I LOVE Mexican food.

Black Bean Soup

1-1/2 C. Onion, Chopped (or 1/3 C. dehydrated onion)
1 T. Olive Oil
1 C. Red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz. can Diced Tomatoes, undrained
1 4 oz. can Diced Green Chiles
¾ C. Dehydrated Carrots
1-1/2 t. Ground cumin
3 C. Chicken Broth
6 C. Cooked Black Beans, drained (or 4 15 oz. cans, drained and rinsed)
¼ C. Red Wine Vinegar

Heat oil in large, deep saucepan. Sauté onion (if using fresh), bell pepper and garlic until tender. Add remaining ingredients (including dehydrated onions) and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve garnished with sour cream and tortilla chips or corn chips.

For more tips and tricks for using food storage in your everyday recipes, please visit www.everydayfoodstorage.NET

Spaghetti: Pasta Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:14:00 +0000

Okay, we’re getting personal and one of the things my husband and I always…um…discuss? is what to eat on Halloween. I grew up eating spaghetti. Come on, I have FOUR brothers and and doesn’t it look a little like blood and guts and something a boy would love if marketed correctly on Halloween? Plus, it was easy for my mom to make and get us out the door trick or treating. I know, because I remember, how hard it is to get kids to eat their dinner before trick or treating so this week I’ll make my case why it should be spaghetti, I share with you my husband’s favorite dinner for Halloween, and a new one that just might be tie breaker!

Remember if you have a busy Halloween you can make it in a slow cooker and have it simmering all day (and smelling good all day) Sauces always taste better the longer they can simmer. It’s fast, easy, and delicious…not to mention you can use some of those cannery noodles.

Spaghetti Sauce

2 T olive or vegetable oil
1 C fresh or 1/4 C dry onion chopped (1 med to large onion)
2 small green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 C)
2 large cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
2 cans (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
3-4 cans (8 oz.) tomato sauce
2 T chopped fresh or 2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 T chopped fresh or 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper

Saucepan on the Stove Directions:
Heat oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, bell pepper and garlic in oil 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in remaining ingredients, . Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 45 minutes
Use sauce immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 1 year.

Slow Cooker Directions:
Omit the oil (unless you are using olive oil for flavor)
Mix the remaining ingredients together in 3 ½-6 quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook 6-8 hours.

Serving with:
1 lb. cooked ground beef, Meatballs, or Italian Sausage
1 to 1-1/2 lb Spaghetti pasta, cooked
Tossed salad

Time saving Tip: When you buy hamburger or ground italian sausage cook it before you put it 1 lb. packages in the freezer. That way it’s one mess but you’ve cooked the hamburger for multiple meals in advance. No need to thaw before you add it to the spaghetti sauce, if you let it simmer, it thaws in the sauce. EASY!!!

For more tips and tricks for using food storage in your everyday recipes, please visit www.everydayfoodstorage.NET

The Skookie!: Whole Wheat Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Like I said before, traditions can come from almost anywhere! I’ve shared one from my family, one from my husbands, and now for the newest tradition from a stranger. This is so new, it’s never been done before but it is all planned out for Saturday. One of the funnest traditions of conference is having a treat ready for the boys when they get home from Priesthood session Saturday night. However, if you hit the local ice cream joint closest to your stake center, chances are that the lines will be out the door! (Not to mention it’s so much more expensive!) Well after seeing the Suzanne Eliason’s (The winner of the Utah’s Down Home Cook off) recipe for the skookie. I knew it would be good. I mean what part of a HUGE cookie topped with ice cream, hot fudge and caramel sauce doesn’t sound good?

Please note that this is just an average recipe and I just substituted food storage in where I could….and so can you with ANY recipe!

If you don’t have a real Skookie pan, no fear! Check your kitchen cupboards for some little Corningware dishes (you probably use the larger dishes for casseroles) or anything little that says “Oven safe” on the bottom. IT HAS TO SAY OVEN SAFE! The Corningware dishes are the white dish in my pictures. I actually like using them more than the Skookie pan since it gives better portion control. The dough needs to be refrigerated so make it in the morning and have it ready for the evening to pop in about 15 minutes before the boys will be home. It makes a lot so you’ll definitely have enough for your family! I’d say it makes 4 skookie sized cookies and 8-10 corningware dishes, depending on the size you found.

Outrageous Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Skookie
Suzanne Eliason-Utah’s Down Home Cook Off Winner!

2 C. oats
1 ¼ C. Whole Wheat flour (originally, called for all purpose)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 C. butter
1 C. peanut butter
1 C. sugar
1 C. light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 Lg. eggs (2 T. Dehydrated Egg +1/4 C. Water)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. (or 2 bars) milk chocolate bar (broken into chip sized pieces)…I used chocolate chips

Instructions: In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the sugar(s) until blended. Add eggs and vanilla then add flour mixture until combined. Stir in chocolate pieces. Refrigerate dough 1 hour or more.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray Camp Chef Skookie pan (or the dish you found) with cooking spray. Add hand full of dough to skookie. Press onto Skookie pan ½ in. thick, leaving dough ½ in. from outside of pan. (Okay, she’s not kidding when she says this! The first time I made this my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I filled it too full. I didn’t realize it until I smelled something burning…it was on fire in my oven! So I started putting it on a baking sheet just to make sure that didn’t happen again Bake for 10-15 min. or until top of cookie becomes light golden brown.

Top with ice cream, caramel sauce and hot fudge/chocolate sauce.

Before the oven.
And after…see how much it spreads! If you’re using a dish with higher edges like the Corningware, you don’t need to leave the 1/2 inch around the edges because it will climb up the sides instead of spilling out. Anyway, it’s a new favorite at our house and I’m positive it will be at your too.

For more tips and tricks for using food storage in your everyday recipes, please visit www.everydayfoodstorage.NET

On a side note: Jenni emailed me with a great raffle for a VERY CUTE nativity that her mom makes from river rocks. (Can you believe it?) Anyway, all the proceeds benefit the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation (a foundation for a disease her daughter had). If you want to check it out, click HERE.

White Bean Chili: Bean Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 03:32:00 +0000

Okay, this next tradition comes from my husband’s side of the family. It’s important to incorporate traditions from both sides of the family since both are equally important! My mother-in-law always makes chili and corn bread on Saturday to eat inbetween Saturday Afternoon session and Priesthood session. It simmers all day and you can smell it all through out the house. Not to mention it’s easy and doesn’t take much time to throw together with the short amount of time the men have before their next meeting (and the time you have to go to Ladies Night at Deseret Book).

This chili I made during April Conference and it was DELICIOUS and a great twist on an old classic. I love the green chilis and southwestern flavor and the fact that it’s done in a slow cooker! Make sure you serve it with some great corn bread. I’ve included my Mother-in-law’s famous recipe below…

Southwestern White Chili

1 C. Chopped Onion (1/4 C. dehydrated onions)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. ground cumin

1 t. dried oregano, crushed

1/4 t. ground red pepper

3 15 1/2-ounce cans great northern (white) beans, drained and rinsed (1 lb. (2-1/2 C.) dried white beans, cooked and rinsed)

2 4-ounce cans diced green chile peppers

4 C. chicken broth

3 C. chopped cooked chicken (3 10 oz. cans of chicken-you can also use the water from the can as part of your chicken broth)

2 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8ounces)

Sour Cream

1. In a 3 1/2 to 6-quart slow cooker place the onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, red pepper, beans 2 cns chile peppers, broth and cooked chicken. Stire to combine.

2. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Sitr in the cheese until melted.

3. Ladle the chili into 8 bowls. If desired, top with sour cream and sprinkle with additional chile peppers or chives.

Anell’s Famous Corn Bread

½ c. butter/margarine
1 c. buttermilk (3 T. dry powdered milk + 1 C. Water and 1 T. lemon juice or vinegar, let sit for 5-10 minutes before adding to the recipe)
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1 c. flour (half and half or all-purpose)
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs (2 T. Dehydrated egg powder + 1/4 C. Water)
½ tsp. soda
½ tsp. salt

Melt butter; add to the sugar and stir well. Add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk and soda and stir into sugar-egg-butter mixture. Add cornmeal, flour, and salt and stir until just blended. Pour into greased 8-inch square pan. Bake at 375 degrees about 30 minutes or until it begins to pull away from sides of pan. Serve piping hot with butter and honey.

Note: For glass pan, reduce heat to 350 degrees.

For more tips and tricks for using food storage in your everyday recipes, please visit www.everydayfoodstorage.NET

2 for 1-Breadsticks OR Pizza in under 30 minutes from ONE easy recipe: Whole Wheat Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:13:00 +0000

Sorry for the non post on Friday, things got a little hectic around here. But to make it up to you I’m giving you a 2 for 1 post! This is my ABSOLUTE favorite recipe and ever since I fot it from my sister-in-law we haven’t bought pizza (contrary to what my husband says on the video . The other great thing about making this as pizza is that you can make the crust in the morning and then top it with your toppings in the evening and have dinner ready in under 10 minutes! I love meals you can make most of earlier in the day when life isn’t so busy. It is so easy, makes NO mess (okay well, just a little mess), and is DELICIOUS. Everytime I make these breadsticks for company it is a HUGE hit and they always ask for the recipe, so who better to share it with than all of you!!

30 Minute Breadsticks OR No-Fail Deep Dish Pizza Crust

(If it is too thick for your family, you can either half the recipe or put one full recipe onto two cookie sheets)

2 1/2 C. Medium Hot Water
5 tsp. SAF Instant Yeast*
2 Tbsp. Sugar
3 Tbsp. Oil
1 tsp. Salt
6 C. Flour (you can do half all-purpose and half white wheat or 100% whole wheat)
1 to 2 Cubes of Butter

Directions:
1. Pour medium hot water in mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to dissolve.
2. Add sugar, salt, and oil. Gradually add approximately 6 cups of flour.
3. Melt 1-2 cubes butter on cookie sheet in oven as it is heating to 400 degrees and melt in oven. 4. Place dough on cookie sheet and press to fill pan, make sure butter gets on top of the dough.
5. Allow to double in size (About 10-15 minutes)
6. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until desired browning is accomplished.
7. Cut into strips or top with favorite pizza toppings.

* When using regular yeast change amount to 2 Tbsp.

For more tips and tricks for using food storage in your everyday recipes, please visit www.everydayfoodstorage.NET