EVERYDAY FOOD STORAGE-Food Storage with YOU in mind! » Kids

Just for Kids Gingerbread (or whatever they’d like them to be) cookies!

Crystal — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:01:05 +0000

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.

Blender Impossible Pumpkin Pie: Powdered Milk Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 07:58:34 +0000

So I can’t figure out why this is called “Impossible Pumpkin Pie” because in fact it is the EASIEST pumpkin pie you’ll ever make. Maybe it’s called impossible because you’d think to yourself “This pie can’t be this easy, it’s impossible” Okay, maybe the real reason is because it is CRUSTLESS. So, for all of you that really don’t like crust or you’re tired of seeing everyone throw away the crust-this is the pumpkin pie for you! It is also perfect if you have a young child that you would like to start involving in Thanksgiving because they could do this pie entirely by themselves (maybe minus putting in and taking out of the oven). You basically put all the ingredients in a blender, press blend, pour into a greased pie plate and bake. You don’t even need to bake at a certain temperature and wait around for 15 minutes to decrease the temperature like most pumpkin pies. So enough talk…here’s the recipe…

Impossible Pumpkin Pie

3/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. Bisquick
2 T. butter
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk (1/2 C. + 1 T. dry non-instant milk powder + 1 1/2 C. water)
2 eggs (2 T. dry egg powder + 1/4 c. water)
1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
2 t. vanilla

Heat oven to 350. Grease 9″ pie plate. Combine ingredients in blender and blend 1 minute (or until blended). Pour into pie plate. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes.

Don’t forget about the AWESOME GIVEAWAY! Click HERE for more information!

Teaching Kids how to Cook…and use food storage recipes!

Crystal — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:09:41 +0000

I’m assuming most of you have kids home from school today, so it’s a perfect time to post my first “Teaching kids to cook” lesson! Most of you have already downloaded my “Kids in the Kitchen” handout (and if you haven’t, I would by clicking HERE). It gives good basic information on WHY you would want kids in the kitchen, kid recipes, and a guide for knowing which kitchen tasks are appropriate for your different aged children. As you know, I feel very strongly that you should get your kids in the kitchen with YOU. It is a great time for talking, bonding, and teaching. The kitchen is the center of nourishing in the home. Not only for our physical bodies but for our souls as well. Cooking with kids involves all of their senses (smell, taste, touch, hearing, and seeing) which provides more ways for the brain to recall the memory; creating memories that will last a life time. In fact, my mother (who comes from a family of 12) including all of her siblings AND their friends warmest memories growing up is when they were helping my grandmother bake bread. I can honestly say, that my favorite times are spent cooking with my mom and I’m not the only one! Rachel Ray also gained her love of cooking from her mother and I can tell you from experience that it isn’t all about the food. It’s great one-on-one time where you can talk about the day and bond. Trust me, it doesn’t have to be torture for either of you!

In this lesson, you’ll learn great ways to teach your child how to follow a recipe and measure ingredients (along with some fun math and science activities to prove both are vital in every day life…just in case you have a child like me, who never thought I would use math or science past school-boy, was I wrong!) Please use what you can from it and target it towards what your child can do at their age level.

(or a recipe of your choosing, I chose this one because it covers all of the “special” measuring items.)

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVE FUN!

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.

Banana Pineapple Freeze: Food Storage Recipes for kids!

Crystal — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:00:38 +0000

This is not only a fun way to sneak some powdered milk into your kids but also a great way to use up the pineapple juice you drain off from your canned pineapple. Let kids cut the banana (age appropriate) with a plastic knife or a butter knife and add ingredients to the blender and watch it do it’s magic. The real treat is drinking it at the end! What a great idea for a hot summer day. If your kids start school today, whip this up with them when they get home and have a great conversation about their first day! Also, if you’ve ever wondered what the cooking abilities of your young children are (and I think you’ll be surprised at what they can do!) make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of this post. If you can’t tell…I love a cold treat during the summer! I hope you’ve enjoyed all the different kinds of smoothies/milk shakes that are all food storage recipes!

Banana-Pineapple Freeze

1 C. Unsweetened Pineapple Juice (you can use pineapple juice that you drain from using canned pineappe just double check that the juice you drained off is unsweetened – you could also just use crushed pineapple)
1/2 of a Medium Banana, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 T. Dry Powdered Milk (non-instant)
1 C. Ice Cubes
Place ingredients in blender jar in order listed. Place cover on blender jar. Turn blender on and use the “Crushed Ice” setting.

For a nice variation: Omit ice cubes and use 1 C. frozen strawberries.
Makes two 8-ounce servings.

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!!!)

Chili Dogs: Bean Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:11:09 +0000

My family LOVES watching baseball games (especially when they involve the Angels and we love to eat chili dogs (one of those great food storage recipes!) To save money, we make our own chili dogs and watch baseball on TV while we pretend we’re at the game. It’s also much cheaper than traveling to watch a game, buying tickets, buying six dollar chili dogs…and my favorite part…no line at the bathrooms! It is always a perfect night. Try it at your home for a cheap, entertaining evening with good food and good fun!

Chili Dogs

Hot Dog Buns
Hot Dogs
Chili*
Cheese
Chopped Onions (or hydrated onions)-optional

Layer cheese on top of bun. Place hot dog inside bun on top of cheese, top with chili and chopped onions.

*This is a great way to use chili from your 3 mos. supply or if you have a large crowd over make some chili up in your crock pot and let it cook all day. If you need a good chili recipe, I like to use this one (Kids love it and it is more sweet than hot).

Homemade Chili

3 C. Dry Red Beans*
6 C. Water

In a large pot, combine and soak overnight. Cook 1 ½ hours, adding more water as needed to cover beans. Drain beans and combine with:
1 Can (16 oz.) Tomato Sauce
1 Can (16 oz.) Stewed Tomatoes
1 ½ C. Ketchup
¼ C. Lemon Juice
¼ C. Brown Sugar
1 C. Coarsely Chopped Celery
1 C. Coarsely Chopped Onion
1 Small Bay Leaf
1 T. Chili Powder
1 ½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Dry Mustard
2 T. Worcestershire Sauce

Brown and drain 2 lbs. lean ground hamburger. Add to chili. Cover on low in a crockpot. ( The longer it cooks, the thicker it becomes and the better it tastes – add water as needed.)…and please, for the love of Pete, use a Reynolds Crock pot liner…they are worth the money!

*2-15 ¼ oz. cans red kidney beans may be substituted for the dry beans. Remember to drain these beans.

Grilled Pineapple
If you ever need an easy side dish, go to your 3 mos. supply and pull out pineapple slices. Throw them on your grill until you get the grill lines and serve warm. DELICIOUS!!!

*Also, I just found out that Costcos in Utah are also carrying my book (more than just on the days I’m there in addition to Seagull Book, Deseret Book, and Amazon.com. You can find my book with the other books in the middle of the store near the cookbooks. The price can NOT be beat (only $10.99…a savings of almost $6.00!). This is a great time to stock up for gifts for Christmas or birthdays or if you don’t live in Utah, a great time to find a friend or relative who can pick you up a copy (or two)! And don’t forget, I’d love to meet you! Click HERE to find out when I’ll be at a Costco near you!

Graham Crackers-Whole Wheat Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:00:11 +0000

Who knew you could make such amazing graham crackers right at home? Karen from ID sent me a GREAT recipe (it tastes like a mix between graham crackers and Teddy Grahams). It’s easy to make and uses food storage so you know I’d love it! I went ahead and made a how-to video on how to make them so…enjoy!

Graham Crackers-from Karen in Chubbuck, ID
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup plus 1 T. sugar (I use brown sugar)
3 T. honey, warmed
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup plus 2 T. water
I add in 1-2 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine shortening, sugar, honey and vanilla.
Blend until smooth. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and then
add dry mixture to the wet ingredients and blend well with electric mixer.
Slowly add water to the mixture while beating. You may have to mix by hand
until the mixture forms a large ball of dough.

Divide the dough in thirds and roll one third out on waxed paper till at
least 1/16″ thick. It should be very thin. Use a knife to trim into a
rectangle slightly smaller than the sheet pan you will be using. Grease
the baking pan with a light coating of shortening. Turn the dough over
onto the baking sheet and remove the wax paper.

Use a knife to score the dough into smaller crackers. Use a toothpick (or
fork) to poke holes over the entire surface of the dough. Bake for 22 to
24 minutes, or until the dough begins to turn light brown around the
edges. Turn the baking sheet around halfway through baking time for even
browning. Cool the crackers before breaking them apart along the scored
lines. Repeat process for remaining dough. If desired, you can sprinkle a
cinnamon/sugar mixture over the dough before baking to make cinnamon
grahams.

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

Neighborhood Gift Idea #7: Magic Fudge Sauce (let’s be honest…this may be just the perfect gift to give yourself!)

Crystal — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:44:00 +0000

With a sundae that looks this good…you might just need to keep this gift for yourself! My mom sent me a recipe (you might say she is my ultimate everyday food storage fanatic ) where you can make your OWN Magic Shell…you know that really delicious chocolate sauce that hardens on your ice cream. Except this is better…it’s like a mix between hot fudge and magic shell and takes only minutes to make. And of course….it uses food storage; powdered milk to be exact. And you really can’t get much better than that. For a gift I fill a frosting canister 3/4 the way full (about one recipe’s worth) and use my really cute Magic Fudge Sauce label. And, as always, because I love you all so much I’m sharing it with all of you! So if you want to download the label to print on your own computer, click HERE. (The recipe is below the packaged product picture)

Magic Fudge Sauce

1 Cup (6 ounces) Semisweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Butter, cubed
3 Tbs. Evaporated Milk (1 Tbs. Dry Powdered Milk + 3 Tbs. Water)

Vanilla Ice Cream
1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds (opt.)

In a heavy saucepan, combine chocolate chips, butter and milk. Cook and stir over low heat until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Serve warm over ice Cream (Sauce will harden.) Sprinkle with almonds. Refrigerate any leftovers. Sauce can be reheated in the microwave. Yield: about 1 Cup.