Chili Dogs: Bean Food Storage Recipes
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
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
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!)
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.
