Do you ever sort of cringe thinking of all that flour you’ll have to slop on your counters when it’s time to do gingerbread cookies with your kids? I know I do, I still don’t have a great way of cleaning flour off of my counters (btw, if you have a good trick, leave a comment below). So, lucky for me I have a wonderful mother who gave me the recipe she would do with my brothers when they were little-can you imagine trying to do gingerbread cookies+flour+FOUR boys under the age of FIVE? Yeah…you know she had to find a better way. Now I’m sharing it with you, all food storage style, so you can have a much easier Christmas and a better time making cookies with your kids this year! (This recipe is very similar to the Cookie Clay Dough, I’ve posted about before)

KID FRIENDLY GINGERBREAD COOKIES

1 Cup Butter
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
2/3 Cup Molasses
In a small saucepan, combine the above 3 ingredients. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Let stand 10 minutes.

1 Egg, large and beaten (1 T. dry egg powder + 2 T. water)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Beat together in a large mixing bowl and add the butter mixture. Mix together.

4 Cups Flour (2 Cups wheat and 2 Cups white)
1 1/2 tsp. ginger
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
Combine all of the above dry ingredients. Gradually add to wet mixture above and mix well.
Cover and chill for about two hours.

Form or mold into balls, ropes, or animals, etc.
This recipe can also be rolled out and cut out with cookie cutters. Usually no flour is needed on the counter or rolling pin. A spatula is all that is needed for the transfer to the cookie sheet. However, I do dip the cookie cutters in flour for easy removal from the cutters. This dough works especially well for cookie cutters that imprint a design as the design holds up well in baking.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool.

To make 8 Gingerbread Teddy Bears:
Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Have each of 8 children make from their piece of dough; one 2 inch ball for body, one one inch ball for head, four 1/2 inch balls for hands and feet, two 3/8 inch balls for ears. Place the 2 inch ball on a foil-lined baking sheets for the bear body; flatten to 1/2 inch thickness. Position the 1 inch balls for the head; flatten to 1/2 inch thickness. Attach four 1/2 inch balls to the bear for arms and legs. Attach two 3/8 inch balls for bear ears. Add chocolate chips for eyes, noses and buttons.

OR Shape dough into eight balls, 2 inches each; eight balls, 1 inch each; 32 balls 1/2 inch each; and 16 3/8 in each. Place the 2 inch balls on three foil-lined baking sheets for bodies of 8 bears; flatten to 1/2 inch thickness. Position the 1 inch balls for heads; flatten to 1/2 inch thickness. Attach four 1/2 inch balls to each bear for arms and legs. Attach two 3/8 inch balls for ears. Add chocolate chips for eyes, noses and buttons.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until set.
Cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely.
Frost bows on bear necks with red frosting/piping tubes.

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

ALL THE INFORMATION YOU NEED…IN A NUTSHELL!

1. My most popular items are on sale-giving you the chance to save BIG this weekend (Thanksgiving-Cyber Monday).
2. Stumped on a Christmas present for the person who has everything?  I’ve got you covered with my (drum roll, please….) NEW GRAB & GO BINDER DOWNLOAD!  The gift that EVERYONE needs and most likely doesn’t have.
3. ENTER TO WIN A FREE COPY OF MICHAEL BUBLE’S NEW CHRISTMAS CD! Simply, purchase one of my popular items (food storage magnets, measurement conversion magnets, Everyday Menu Planner, the Everyday Beans Cookbook) and/or the new Grab and Go Binder between NOW and MONDAY and you’ll be entered to win one of five copies of Michael Buble’s NEW Christmas cd.  FIVE winners will be chosen and announced on Tuesday on my blog.
4. Shelf Reliance is having their BIGGEST sale of the year this weekend (starting Friday and going through Monday).  To see the list of items on sale plus my top picks for you, click HERE.

EVERYDAY FOOD STORAGE BLACK FRIDAY SALE (well,  really it starts Thanksgiving

THE MUST-HAVE GIFT FOR CHRISTMAS!

Give a gift with REAL importance, BEING PREPARED, this Christmas. It doesn’t matter who you are or what station of life you are in-everyone should have a Grab and Go binder in case of emergency.

WHAT IS A GRAB AND GO BINDER?

It is an indispensable guide to your life should you ever go through an emergency. As you can imagine, in times of emergency it can be hard to think through the logistics of everything you’ll need or need to do, so think of this binder as your brain for that-it will remember everything for you and guide you through what you will need to do. There are two important things you’ll need to remember about a grab and go binder, 1) this will have very sensitive information specific to you and your family so you’ll want to make sure you keep it in a secure place out of sight and 2) make sure you grab it if you have to evacuate your house-this will have all of your important documentation, phone numbers, and contacts to survive and recover.

WHAT TYPES OF EMERGENCIES DOES THIS BINDER COVER?

• Evacuation/Natural Disaster
• Death of a Loved One
• Stolen/Missing Wallet
• Missing Person (covers more than just an abduction-think about it, most likely in an emergency your whole family won’t be sitting at home together and you’ll need to find each other)
• Basic CPR Instructions
• Basic Instructions for Turning of Water, Gas, and Electricity
• FEMA Instructions for creating a Family Emergency Plan

HOW DOES IT WORK?

This is a DOWNLOAD because this is an editable PDF file which means you can fill in the needed information right from your computer and print your final product OR you can print it and hand write in the information. Each page will guide you through what to fill out and which forms you’ll want to have copies (if not originals) of, pictures, etc. You’ll want to put the finished pages in page protectors and organize it into a binder that can be stored in a safe place and accessible in times of emergency.  You may want to have copies of this binder at more places than just your home (NOTE: You will not need to buy additional copies for this.)

BUY NOW DURING THE BLACK FRIDAY SALE!

…For only $7 and you’ll get the rights to give this to TWO of your friends or family for FREE.  (And of course, you’ll be entered to win a FREE copy of Michael Buble’s  NEW Christmas cd) Please note: You will receive ONE link but you will have permission to send that link to two additional people or to download the binder and send it to two additional people.

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Okay, so there are a couple different options for this gift.  You can either make the bread and deliver it…fresh from the oven for best results, or as a mix for them to make.  Either way I’ve got you covered with the recipe cards to print out and ideas for how to dress it up! If you haven’t heard of EZ BREAD click HERE to learn more about it

OPTION ONE: MAKING THE BREAD

Okay, this is what I did.  If you follow me on FACEBOOK, you know I was making many loaves of bread for my husband to take this year as his work gift.  In fact, I bought everything I needed yesterday at the DOLLAR STORE (Dollar Tree).  The beauty of it is I didn’t buy anything that was particularly Christmas like so they had plenty of everything.  So here is what I did.  I bought the following from the Dollar Tree: Bread Pans (not the flimsy ones), cellophane wrap, 3 packs of big  red swirly bows, little bottles of jam to include, and shiny red basket filling, and tags.  Then I went home and baked my little heart out.  I baked the bread in the pans (make sure you spray them really well with your non-stick cooking spray) and put the aluminum foil over the top of the bread (shiny side up) for the last 15 minutes of baking.  Then I took the bread out of the pans to cool.  To wrap the bread, I put the bread back in the pan (help it to not get squished and looks more impressive).  Then I cut a piece of cellophane a little longer then my stove top (put the roll at the back by your knobs and cut a little longer out than where you stove top stops).  Place the bread in the center.  Put some basket filling in front of the pan.  Place the jam in the center of the basket filling and a recipe card behind the jam.  (Download below.)   Pull all the corners up and tie with a piece of regular wrapping ribbon (TIP: You’ll want to have the poof on top not be in the center but inbetween the bread and jam-it helps distribute the weight better).  Attach big swirly bow and tag.  SUPER IMPRESSIVE LOOKING!  So if you want to do that download the recipe cards below.

OPTION TWO: GIVE IT AS A MIX

I fully understand that you’re probably busy (I know I am!) so if you don’t want to spend your afternoon baking your heart out.  Spend just an hour or so mixing your heart out!  This bread also makes a GREAT mix!  I found this jar at the Dollar Tree and it holds enough mix for ONE loaf of bread.  Just mix the ingredients together and put in a jar or bag and attach the recipe card (you can download below) and you’re done!  Get a big assembly line going and get your family to help!

MIX:

1/3 c. brown sugar
2 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. wheat gluten
1 t. salt
2 T. powdered milk
1/4 c. potato flakes

© 2010 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

So if you’ve tried Magic Mix…chances are you fallen in love with it and chances are so will your neighbors!  It makes white sauces easy, make incredible pudding, and allows you to make your own condensed soups…plus, it uses up powdered milk-which for most is VERY hard to do!  Just mix up the Magic Mix and put it any CLEAN jar you have.  Attach the recipe cards to the top (which of course I have already put together for you) and you’re done!  SO EASY!

If you need more instruction on how to mix your Magic Mix-I’ve included my video below.

The secret behind making MAGIC MIX: (Makes 5 Cups of Magic Mix)

2 1/3 c. dry non-instant powdered milk
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. butter, at room temperature and cubed

Combine dry milk, flour and butter into a large bowl. Mix with electric hand mixer until it resembles cornema. Keep mix tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to six months. Yield: 5 cups.

© 2010 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Alright, it’s my favorite time of the year!  Neighborhood gift ideas, featuring food storage.  What better way to sneak a little food storage into your neighbors diet than a cookie mix?  After all, cookies are the best way to start loving your food storage!  Below are two WONDERFUL cookie mix recipes that are easy, won’t create oodles of dishes to do, and won’t leave you baking in the kitchen all day!

Makes 1 (1-Quart) Jar
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 T. dry egg powder
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. butterscotch chips
1 c. dried apples, chopped

1. Pour flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and egg powder into quart jar. Mix together in jar (saves a dish-who wants to do this in a separate bowl? I’m all about assembly lines and no dishes to wash at the end) with a spoon. Then add the rest of the ingredients in the following order: brown sugar, chips and apples. Close jar.
2. Decorate jar and attach gift tag/recipe card. (Which of course, I designed for you and you can download below!)

3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 T. dry egg powder
1/3 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. oats

1/2 c. Craisins
1/3 c. white chocolate chips

1. Pour flour, baking soda, salt, and egg powder into quart jar. Mix together in jar (saves a dish-who wants to do this in a separate bowl? I’m all about assembly lines and no dishes to wash at the end) with a spoon. Then add the rest of the ingredients in the following order: oats, brown sugar, chips and craisins. Close jar.
2. Decorate jar and attach gift tag/recipe card. (Which of course, I designed for you and you can download below!)

© 2010 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

THE IDEA BEHIND IT ALL:

I hope you all know by now that I’m a big believer that one of the greatest blessings of having and using food storage is that it gives you a GREATER ability to give to those in need.  I’ve always dreamed of running a food drive on my blog but, let’s be honest, who wants to pay shipping on a bunch of heavy canned items? So, for now, that idea is on the back burner.   In the meantime, this Christmas, I’ve picked my three favorite causes (Feeding America, Believe International, and Hope Arising) to raise money for.  I know money may be tight and with so many great causes it can be hard to find money for all of them.  That is why I whipped up (and when I say whipped up-I mean stayed up late for a week working on them) these great gift ideas that will benefit YOU and the charity they are associated with.  They are great, meaningful gifts that can be given as neighborhood, family or friend gifts.

HOW IT WILL WORK:

Each gift is only $3. All of these gifts are DOWNLOADS. So, yes, you’ll have to do a couple minor things (mostly, just cut along the dotted line) to make them ready to give.  After you purchase the gift, you’ll be emailed a link to download the gift and then you’ll need to print the file (READ: these will not be shipped to you).  Because this is for charity and I want this to help you as well, you will have the rights to print these gifts as many times as you’d like.  Obviously, it would be highly inappropriate to distribute these to others to use for their gifts with out paying.  And ALL the proceeds go to the charity each gift is associated with.

I picked this as the gift because having your food storage helps you give more as canned donations to food banks…so why not give someone the gift of FOOD STORAGE while you make a contribution to FEEDING AMERICA.  These 3×5 recipe cards contain my most popular beginner recipes (some examples are EZ Whole Wheat Bread, Blender No Bake Cheesecake, Blender Pancakes, Magic Mix, Sweetened Condensed Milk, etc.) The only thing you’ll need to do is print them out on cardstock and cut along the dotted line.  There are 6 pages total to print.  This would make a great stocking stuffer, addition to a neighborhood gift, or along with your food storage gift-am I the only one who gives food storage to my siblings for presents?

I picked this gift because I felt the saying “Try a little HARDER to be a little BETTER” encompassed what BELIEVE INTERNATIONAL is trying to do.  Who can argue with giving children in a third world country the opportunity of education?  With each child they are trying a little harder to make the world and more specifically the Philippines a little better.  Simply, print this and cut along the solid black lines and put in a frame.  Did you know the Dollar Tree has 8×10 frames for only $1.00?  That’s a pretty cheap gift jam packed with meaning.

At this Christmas season, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the hope he brought to the world, I thought scriptures about his birth would be the perfect gift to represent this charity.  After all, HOPE ARISING is bringing hope and living water to people who have to walk 7 miles to get water.  Something we walk 7 feet to get right out of a faucet in our own comfy cozy homes.  There are two separate sets available for purchase.  One is a set of five King James Version Bible scriptures (mostly from Luke 2) and the other set is five Book of Mormon scriptures.  Each set is available for $3.  All you need for these is to purchase THESE FRAMES from the Dollar Tree (don’t worry, you can purchase them online), cut along the dotted lines and hot glue some ribbon on top.  Don’t worry there are instructions that come with each set.  Don’t worry if you’re not crafty-neither am I.  These are easy to make look VERY impressive!  Oh, yeah and did I mention that if you were to buy frame ornaments from-say Pottery Barn-they’d cost around $10 PER ornament?  This is an AWESOME gift.

© 2010 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

I thought I’d share with you a really fun idea for a St. Patricks Day Family Home Evening.  Tradition says that St. Patrick used the shamrock to teach people about the trinity.  Likewise we can teach our family that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are separate but one in purpose.  However, most of us don’t have shamrocks growing in our back yard (and if you do…you’re really lucky because that means you live in a WARM area!).  That is why I’m sharing this new recipe with you for Jell-O Cookies that you can shape shamrocks out of by forming 3 balls (while teaching that the God Head is three separate beings) and flattening them with a glass (while teaching they are one in purpose).  These cookies are also great for other holidays if you use different flavors of Jell-O to make different colors.

Fruit Jell-O Cookies
1/2 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup shortening (butter works well too)
1 3oz. pkg flavored Jell-O (lime or other green colored Jell-O)
2 eggs (2 T. Dry Powdered Eggs + 1/4 C. Water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 Cups flour (I used half white wheat, half all-purpose)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2-3 drops green food coloring

Mix first five ingredients. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and blend into first mixture. Roll into nickel sized balls, place three together and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten balls with flat cookie stamp or glass bottom. Bake 6 to 8 minutes at 400 degrees.

© 2010 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

If you’re like me, you agonize over what to cook for a group gathering or…your in-laws! With the holidays approaching, chances are you’ll be doing some entertaining or maybe even playing host to your in-laws and you’ll be wondering what fabulous holiday dish you can prepare with all you have going on. Well, last night I found just that dish! It highlights pomegranate, which is the new “in” food with all of it’s anti-oxidant powers and delicious taste, and is a PERFECT festive holiday food. This meal should be started in the morning (since it needs to marinate) which means less prep time for you in the evening when it all needs to be made. My suggestion is to get as much ready in the morning as you can while you’re getting the chicken marinating so when it’s time for dinner, you’ll look like super woman just tossing a few things together to make such a fabulous meal that will seem to your guests like you slaved in the kitchen all day for.  I’ve included the recipe and what to do in the morning and evening and how to put it together for presenation.  Here’s to very successful entertaining by YOU!  Good luck!

center>

Pomegranate Chicken

1 c. unsweetened pomegranate juice (from about 5 large pomegranates or from store bought juice)
3 T. soy sauce
1/2 t. dry rosemary (or about double for fresh)
1/2 t. fresh grated ginger (I don’t peel mine and you can freeze leftover whole ginger in your freezer, just grate what you need)
2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (really the richness of thigh meat is needed in this recipe)
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. pomegranate seeds (optional)
fresh rosemary or parsley sprigs

In a 9×13 baking dish, combine pomegranate juice, soy sauce, rosemary, ginger, and garlic. Coat chicen wit marinade. Cover, refrigerate 8 hours or over night.

Drain off and reserve marinade. Arrange chicken pieces slightly apart in baking dish. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven about 30-45 minutes, basting occasionally with marinade. (Your chicken will be dyed red due to the pomegranate juice so you’ll want to use a thememometer for doneness, it should be 165)

Transfer chicken to platter and keep warm. Then pour drippings into a 1 1/2-2 qt. pan, stir in cream. Bring to boil over high heat and boil rapidly until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup. Spoon sauce evenly over chicken. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and rosemary sprigs. Serve over Pomegranate Rice.

Pomegranate Rice

2 green onions, chopped with the tops (cut the white in half and shop horizontally)
1 T. butter
1 c. long grain rice
2 t. grated fresh ginger
1/8 t. ground cinnamon
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. roasted salted pistachio nuts, shelled (or you could sub in coarsely chopped cashews)
1 c. pomegranate seeds
lemon peel strips (optional)

In large saucepan cook green onions in hot butter over medium heat 3-5 minutes or just until tender, stirring occasionally. Add rice, ginger, and cinnamon. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until rice begins to brown.

Carefully add broth to rice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer covered, 14 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

Stir in nuts and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle with lemon peel.

Putting both recipes together:

In the morning do the following:

• grate 2 1/2 t. fresh ginger (using 1/2 t. for the marinade and reserving 2 t. for the rice)
• get chicken in marinade and soaking in your fridge for 8 hours
• open pomegranate and empty seeds (you’ll need 1 1/3 c.- 1 c. for the rice and 1/3 c. for the chicken)
• chop 2 green onions and place in the fridge for later
• check and make sure you’ve all the needed ingredients (running to the store in the morning is a lot easier than doing it while you’re making dinner)

In the evening:

• Get your chicken cooking
• Start your rice
• While the rice is cooking prepare side dishes (I did asparagus and artichokes- but you could do  nice salad, green beans, etc.)

Presentation:

On a large platter overlap chicken thighs around the edge.  Fill the center with rice.  Pour chicken sauce over chicken and garnish with pomegranate seeds.  Place sprigs of rosemary in between the chicken thighs and one in the center of the rice.  Place lemon strips on top of rice.

© 2009 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Don’t let your carved pumpkin go to waste!  You can actually cook it up and use it for your Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pies.  This is what my mom did when I was growing up and it makes even more sense since the pumpkins were so expensive this year (did anyone else notice?)  My favorite part of the idea of being self reliant is you don’t waste anything.  This recipe is DELICIOUS (I have pictures to prove it…including a picture of me when I was 3 having taken a bite and sometimes half the pie out of all 13 pies my mom had made…uh….we have large Thanksgiving dinners, if you couldn’t tell  Here are the directions, straight from my mom…

Cooking your Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin:

Wash and cut up Jack-O-Lanterns into 4-5 inch square pieces.  Pressure cook in 1 C. water for 10-12 minutes.  (If you don’t have a pressure cooker, see the NOTE:)You will not need to add any more water with the next batches since they seem to “grow”water.  Drain, scoop out of peeling, and blend in blender until smooth.  (I freeze in 7 C. packages which make 2 pies.)  This pumpkin is wetter than canned pumpkin it needs to have liquids cut down in regular pumpkin recipes.  (I use extra pumpkin in place of the liquid called for.)  Or it can be used in exact measurements with any apple sauce recipe.  

NOTE:  If you don’t have a pressure cooker, simmer in covered pan for 30-45 minutes or until soft and tender.

Jack-O-Lantern Pie

3 1/2 C. Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin
3/4 C. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. cloves
3 eggs (or 3 T. dry egg powder + 1/3 c. water)
1 C. dry non-instant milk
1 9-10 inch pie shell with edges crimped high-filling is generous

Thoroughly combine all of the above.  Pour into unbaked pie shell.  Bake at 400 for 50 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and outside comes out clean. Cool.

Want to learn more about the specifics of an electric pressure cooker? Click HERE.

© 2009 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

While this isn’t my 50th post (that was last year….my how the time flies!)…it is definitely one of my favorites!  If you can’t tell, I love doing themed things for holidays and this is our favorite breakfast for the 4th of July.  It’s as simple as the Blender Wheat Pancakes dressed up…so yes food storage recipes for ALL occassions!

(*Disclaimer* it has been brought to my attention that I say baking soda in the video and I mean baking POWDER…the recipe below is correct.

Blender Wheat Pancakes

1 Cup Milk (translation for powdered milk is 3 T. Milk and 1 C. Water)
1 Cup Wheat Kernels, whole & uncooked
2 Eggs (2 T. powdered eggs 1/4 C. Water)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1-1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbs. Oil
2 Tbs. Honey or Sugar

Put milk and wheat kernels in blender.Blend on highest speed for 4 or 5 minutes or until batter is smooth. Add eggs, oil, baking powder, salt and honey or sugar to above batter. Blend on low. Pour out batter into pancakes from the actual blender jar (only one thing to wash!) onto a hot greased or Pam prepared griddle or large frying pan.Cook; flipping pancakes when bubbles pop and create holes.

Berry Syrup

2 C. Mixed Berries (Raspberries, Blueberries, & Marionberries or any mix that are red and blue
3 T. Sugar

Mix together and let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.

For great tips on your 4th of July BBQ, click HERE to see my post that covers every aspect of the All American BBQ!

© 2009 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.