Strawberry Syrup
1 1/2 c. freeze dried strawberries
2 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. lemon juice

Mix ingredients together in blender until smooth. Serve over pancakes, cheesecake, ice cream, angel food cake etc.

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Blueberry Syrup
1 1/2 c. freeze dried blueberries
2 c. water
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. lemon juice

Mix ingredients together in blender until smooth. Serve over pancakes, cheesecake, ice cream, angel food cake etc.

© 2010, Everyday Food Storage Recipes-Food Storage & Recipe Blog. All rights reserved.

I have to say that this is my NEW favorite topping on almost everything and that I’m drooling just writing this post!  It is so easy to make (just blend it all in the blender…and you know how I LOVE my blender), is entirely delicious and tastes FRESH.  In the bleak of the winter it’s nice to have a slight taste of heaven.  Especially, if you’re like me and your all time favorite dessert is vanilla ice cream with fruit (or fruit sauce, as the case may be) you will love having this around!  But remember, it tastes good on so many other items: cheesecake, french toast, trifle, and the list goes on and on!   

Raspberry Syrup
(makes about 2 cups)

1 1/2 C. freeze dried raspberries
2 C. water
1/2 C. sugar
1 T. lemon juice

Blend ingredients in blender.  If you want it warm, make sure to transfer it to a microwave safe container and heat until warmed through.

© 2010, Everyday Food Storage Recipes-Food Storage & Recipe Blog. All rights reserved.

We’re moving up in the world! My good friend sent me this recipe, it was like it was meant to be! Not only have I tried a MILLION (okay, maybe a slight exaggeration) muffin recipes trying to find one that is light and fluffy but I was also in the middle of all my freeze dried berry experiments. With a couple of modifications this recipe became PERFECT for food storage….AND delicious (as in the BEST homemade muffins I’ve ever made/eaten). I even brought these to a luncheon and they were devoured-whole wheat, oats, beans, freeze dried berries and all!  p.s. I’m pushing you guys and only listing the beans for the recipe, if you haven’t tried it by now-you’re entirely missing out! If you’re still nervous, you can watch a video of how I cook my beans and store them in smaller amounts for baking by clicking HERE.  And remember, using beans in place of oil and butter doesn’t change the taste and it actually IMPROVES the texture, making it very moist, light, and fluffy!

Low-Fat Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs (1/4 c. dry egg powder + 1/2 c. water)
2 cups sour cream
1/2 c. + 2 T. bean puree
2 cups light brown sugar
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups blueberries (1-1/2 c. freeze dried blueberries, hydrated and drained)
2 tbsp. sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners. (This recipe won’t work without them.) In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sour cream until thoroughly combined. Add bean puree and brown sugar. Stir in the oats. Fold in the flour mixture and then, very gently, fold in the berries. Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full. Drop a generous pinch of sugar onto the top of each muffin.

Bake the muffins for 25 to 28 minutes, or until the edges are medium brown and the tops are firm. Cool for 5 minutes; then remove muffins (in their papers) and finish cooling them on a rack. Makes 2 dozen muffins.

© 2010, Everyday Food Storage Recipes-Food Storage & Recipe Blog. All rights reserved.

Alright, so if you didn’t have the time to try the blueberry pancakes, you’ll definitely have time to try this one! Freeze dried berries are a perfect compliment to almost any cereal. My personal favorite is the corn flakes with freeze dried raspberries. It reminds of my summer trips to visit my brother in Portland where we would just go out to his backyard and pick raspberries and add them to our cornflakes. The best thing is that you don’t need to rehydrate them first because your milk will do it for you and the flavor is so fresh! If this sounds like a weird concept, just walk down the cereal aisle because this idea isn’t new. But you’ll notice that those cereals with the freeze dried fruit (which usually tastes bland) costs a whole LOT more! These berries are full of flavor and taste great!

Here are some of my family’s favorite combinations:
Cream of Wheat with freeze dried Blueberries (we call this purple cereal, since my 2 year old is obsessed with colors)
Cheerios with freeze dried Strawberries and fresh banana slices
Frosted Mini Wheats with any of the freeze dried berries
Special K with Blueberries (they actually have a version of this with little (and I mean little) blueberries specs on the flakes…this is soooo much better!)

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Okay, I figured we’d start out easy and this is definitely one of the easiest ways to start using those freeze dried berries…especially since you already make my blender wheat pancakes, right? I had assumed these freeze dried berries would taste different from fresh (probably, because dehydrated vegetables taste a little different). So-long story short I left them sitting on my shelf until one day I had a HUGE craving for blueberry pancakes (probably, because I had a sample at Costco the day before with whole wheat blueberry waffles) and had no fresh blueberries. I remembered I had some freeze dried so I gave it a try (well you know me, I had my husband try it first and then I tried it once he said it was good…I know, I’m such a chicken Anyway, I was amazed when I tried the blueberry pancakes and it tasted EXACTLY (not exaggerating here) the same as if I had used fresh. I was sold from that point on and since them have been enjoying the taste of fresh berries in the dead of winter. SO DIVINE!

Blender Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

1 Cup Milk (translation for powdered milk is 3 T. Dry Milk Powder + 1 C. Water)
1 Cup Wheat Kernels, whole & uncooked
2 Eggs (2 T. dry egg powder+ 1/4 C. Water)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbs. Oil
2 Tbs. Honey or Sugar
1/2 -3/4 Cup Freeze Dried Blueberries
1 -1 1/2 Cup Water (for hydrating berries)

Hydrate your freeze dried blueberries in warm water and allow to sit while you’re making the pancake batter (you’ll want twice as much water as you have blueberries, i.e. if you are using a 1/2 C. blueberries then you’ll hydrate them in 1 C. warm water) 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 and top with desired amount of blueberries. Cook; flipping pancakes when bubbles pop and create holes.

© 2010, Everyday Food Storage Recipes-Food Storage & Recipe Blog. All rights reserved.

I’m so excited, I just couldn’t hold off on this post any longer! I’m going on vacation (and while I’m very excited for that, I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m equally excited about what I’ll be talking about for the next couple weeks) and when I get back I’m going to share a lot of ways to use freeze dried berries. This may not be exciting to you, but it is to me. I’ve had these sitting on my shelf (again…embarrassed to admit it) because I haven’t known what to do with them. But in the bleak mid winter, I’ve gotten tired of eating apples and oranges and have been craving more summer type fruit. Thus, my sudden inspiration to use my dehydrated berries. Let me tell you that they tasted much better than I thought (just like the real thing in recipes!) and have saved me from the lack of variation in fruits during the winter here in Utah. So check back on Monday, February 23 to start learning WHY and HOW you should be using your dehydrated berries!

© 2010, Everyday Food Storage Recipes-Food Storage & Recipe Blog. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:
2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. oil
3 eggs (3 T. Dehydrated Eggs + 1/3 c. water…if you want a really fun trick use your left over carrot or raisin water to add to the egg powder.)
2 c. carrots, finely grated (1c. dehydrated carrots. Pulse in blender before re-hydrating to make them smaller pieces. They take 20 minutes in cold water to rehydrate so if you need them sooner, simply put them in warmer water.)
1 c. crushed pineapple, drained (If you have orange juice you’ll be serving, drain the pineapple juice into your orange juice for a fun topical blend orange juice.)
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. salt
1 T. soda
1 t. cinnamon
2 t. vanilla
1 c. raisins
1 c. walnuts, broken

Method:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 bread pans, 1 Bundt pan, or 2 muffin pans (12 each) with vegetable cooking spray. Beat together brown sugar, oil and eggs (no need to reconstitute eggs before adding to this mix). Stir in carrots and pineapple. Blend together dry ingredients; stir into batter thoroughly. Add vanilla, raisins, and nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Bake bread pans for 40-45 minutes, muffins for 20 minutes, and Bundt pan 1 hour or until done.
Makes 1 Bundt pan, 2 bread pans, or 24 muffins.

Adding the nuts on top of the muffins not only gives it a great look and flavor (it lightly toasts the nuts) but it is also a great way to serve nut lovers and non-nut lovers alike since it becomes obvious which have nuts and which don’t.

© 2010, Everyday Food Storage Recipes-Food Storage & Recipe Blog. All rights reserved.

If you go to www.diapers.com and use this referral code (CRYS9404) at check out to receive get $10 off your purchase (if it’s your first purchase there).  Plus, you’ll get free shipping on orders of $49 or more (which, let’s be honest, is very easy to do when you’re talking diapers.)  PLUS, depending on what state you are in, you don’t have to pay sales tax.  AND FINALLY-you can also get a $15 rebate by going HERE on your first purchase from www.diapers.com  (make sure you follow the instructions on the last paragraph to opt for the money and not the magazine subscription).  

So basically, I’m stocked for the first two months of my baby’s life and I did it all for cheap without leaving my home (an even better advantage with a toddler running around!)  They carry all brands of diapers (including CLOTH) and in all sizes.  You’ve got to check it out…and tell a friend!!

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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.

© 2010, Everyday Food Storage Recipes-Food Storage & Recipe Blog. All rights reserved.