It’s a SCAVENGER HUNT!…an EASY Scavenger Hunt!
How to Enter:

I’ve hidden my logo girl on one of my food storage cooking pages (click on “cooking secrets”).  All you need to do is find it and then email me at efsgiveaways@gmail.com with which page she is on.  Simple, right?!  You have until September 7th to enter.  Then I’ll randomly choose FOUR winners (one for my book and three others for the sets of magnets).  I’ll ship the prizes anywhere in the US and Canada!  Good luck and I hope you win!

Hint: This may not be an instant clue, but if you mix it up and let it chill, you just might get it!

Know someone who could benefit from these prizes? Make sure and let them know about this awesome giveaway!

© 2010, Crystal. All rights reserved.

As we come to a close on the Food Storage Back to Basics Series, learn my top secret tips for getting (and finding time) to get dinner on the table!

More great food storage recipes!

© 2010, Crystal. All rights reserved.

See how easy it is to add beans to your brownies-or really anything with oil! It’s the same idea as subbing in applesauce except with beans you’re not adding in a bunch of sugar but instead a lot of fiber and protein…so you’ll actually be full after one serving! A food storage diet in the making!

Adding bean puree to brownies or cake (or really anything calling for oil!): Simply use the same amount of bean puree that your recipe calls for oil. For example, if your brownie recipe calls for 1/3 c. oil, you would instead use 1/3 c. bean puree. Try to pick a color that will match what you are doing (so, you could do white beans and black beans in a chocolate cake but I wouldn’t do black beans in a white cake=make sense? Good!)

Bean Puree

This is really easy to make.

Home Cooked Beans: Take cooked beans (reserve the cooking water) and blend in your blender with enough water to create a thick paste. (Basically enough water to make all the beans turn into a puree. If you need to see how to cook beans, read below.

Canned Beans: Dump entire contents of can (beans and water) into a blender and blend until it is a thick paste.

Learn my top secret tips for finding time and getting dinner on the table!

© 2010, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Tired of beans being, literally, an all day process? Well see how FAST and EASY it is to cook them-with out soaking- in a pressure cooker in under ONE HOUR!

© 2010, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Learn more about the basics of beans and some of the great things you can do with them!

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.

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. Stir 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.

Tired of beans being, literally, an all day process? Well see how FAST and EASY it is to cook them-with out soaking- in a pressure cooker in under ONE HOUR!

© 2010, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Learn why powdered eggs are a must in your food storage and why it means you can have your kids in the kitchen with you again!

I thought this was such a unique way to serve eggs plus it is really, really easy and delicious! I just love the recipes that have the gourmet flare and taste that make no mess and are easy to make!!! The other fun thing about these is that you can eat them with your hands! How fun!

Baked Egg Roll

6 Eggs (1/3 C. Dehydrated Eggs +2/3 C. Water)
1 C. Milk (3 T. Powdered Milk + 1 C. Water)
1/2 C. All Purpose Flour
1/2 t. Slat
1/4 t. Pepper
1 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

1) Place eggs and milk in a blender. Add the flour, salt and pepper; cover and process until smooth. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until eggs are set.

2) Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up in pan, starteng with a short side. Place with seam side down on a serving platter. Cut into 3/4 inch slices.
Serves: 6

TIP: If yours puffs up, don’t worry. Just poke holes in the “bubbles” and it will still roll up fine.

Switching topics again! Get the basics on beans and learn how to use them to make your favorite desserts low-fat!

© 2010, Crystal. All rights reserved.

See how EASY it is to make your own condensed soups with magic mix! If your pantry is full of condensed soups…use them up and then start making your own. Now you’ll have more room for long term food storage. Plus, these really do taste so much better than what you buy in the store plus they don’t have all the sodium, msg, etc. that the store bought brands have.

Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup

1 C. Magic Mix
3/4 C. Chicken Broth (either from a can, bouillion, or liquid from canned chicken)
1 t. Dry Parsley
Dash of Onion Salt

Mix together with wire whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

Condensed Cream of Celery Soup

1 C. Magic Mix
¾ C. Water from Cooking Celery
1 C. Chopped Celery, cooked and drained (I use dehydrated celery and use the water left over from hydrating the celery as my water)
Pinch of Celery Seed
1 t. Dry Parsley Flakes (optional)

Combine magic mix and water from cooking celery. Stir constantly over medium-high heat until it thickens. Add in celery, celery salt and parsley. Use in any recipe calling for canned Cream of Celery soup.

Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 C. Magic Mix
1 4.5 oz. can Mushroom pieces and stems (SAVE THE WATER!)
1/4 C. Water
Dash of Onion Salt

1-2 drops Kitchen Bouqet,optional (check the previous video to see what this is)
Combine all ingredients over medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Remove from heat immediately.

Switching topics again! Get the basics on powdered eggs and why it means your kids can be in the kitchen cooking with you again!

© 2010, Crystal. All rights reserved.

See how EASY it is to make white sauces from magic mix! This is my favorite way to use magic mix because you can make your own condensed soups…because after all-condensed soups are flavored white sauces! It once was said that every woman should know how to make a good white sauce…well now you will!

McDonald’s Cheeseburger Macaroni and Cheese

No joke! It tastes just like a McDonald’s cheeseburger, what kid can resist? Not to mention it’s a complete meal in one and is just as easy and fast as the stuff in the blue box plus it sneaks in vegetables. Try it! Your family will eat powdered milk!

Ingredients:

2 C. White Sauce from Magic Mix (See Below)
2 C. Uncooked Macaroni (from food storage
2 C. Cheese
1-2 tsp. salt or garlic salt (optional)
1/2 C. Ketchup
1 T. Yellow Mustard
1 lb. Cooked Ground Beef (I cook all my ground beef when I buy it and separate it into 1 lb. bags which makes a meal like this SOO easy!)
1/4 C. Dehydrated Onion hydrated in 1/2 C. Warm Water, drained (optional)
1 Bag Frozen Mixed Vegetables

Directions:

Cook Macaroni in boiling water until tender. Cook hamburger while macaroni cooks. Drain macaroni and make white sauce in empty pot. Combine all ingredients and heat through. (I garnished mine with fresh tomatoes.)

Magic Mix White Sauce-makes 1 C.

2/3 C. Magic Mix
1 C. Water

In saucepan combine Magic Mix and water. Stir rapidly (I use a wire wisk) over medium heat until it starts to bubble. (Use Magic Mix White Sauce for all recipes calling for a white or cream sauce.)

See how easy it is to make condensed soups with magic mix! You’ll save TONS of money…plus, they taste SO much BETTER!

© 2010, Crystal. All rights reserved.

See how EASY it is to make magic mix! Trust me, you’ll always want to have this on hand! I’ve heard about this “Magic Mix” from the USU Extension Service which is made from powdered milk and knew I had to give it a try when it claimed to make very easy white sauces. All I have to say is that I have a new MUST HAVE in my fridge! White sauces can be hard to make. If you don’t do it just right then you have this thick clumpy mess, we all know what I’m talking about right? Well say “goodbye” to that and say “hello” to Magic Mix and perfect white sauces. It is AWESOME!!! Not only does it use powdered milk it saves TONS of time & money and is super EASY to use!!

I used to think that I didn’t like pudding…and then I realized it was just because Jell-O instant pudding has nothing on old-fashioned pudding! See for yourself with this AMAZING recipe that will have your family begging for more!

Magic Mix Pudding

1/2 C. Sugar
1 C. Magic Mix
2-3 T. Cocoa (optional)
2 C. Water
1 t. Vanilla
Combine Magic Mix, sugar and cocoa in saucepan and mix well. Add water, stir over medium heat until pudding bubbles. Add vanilla and beat. Cover and Cool.

See how easy it is to make white sauces with magic mix…perfect every time in just minutes!

© 2010, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Make sweetened condensed milk for CHEAP (talking like 60 cents). So if you’re saving room in your pantry for storing sweetened condensed milk you can now transfer that space over to some long term items!

When I got an email from Tammy R. in Huntington Beach describing her cheesecake that she made all in her blender using sweetened condensed milk (if you haven’t watched my tutorial video on how to make your own sweetened condensed milk from food storage, click HERE
), I knew I had to try it! It was fabulous, and trust me I’m a cheesecake snob! Not to mention you can make the ENTIRE thing in your blender. There is no mess, no fuss, and just one thing to clean! Just how we like it.

Tammy also said, “One of the best things about using the powdered milk sweetened condensed milk for this recipe is….you get a little more volume in the cheesecake then with the canned versions….and the best part is….it really sets up firm! When you used the canned stuff, most of the time it is a little (or a lot) runny, and never seems to set up completely, or stay that way. But not with this stuff. It was the best! Once it was “set” it could be out at room temperature for a potluck or whatever, and you never had to worry about it turning into a soupy runny mess.”
So try it. You’ll love it!

Easy No Bake Cheesecake

1 recipe (or 1 can) sweetened condensed milk
1 8 oz philadelphia cream cheese or equivalent
1/3 cup lemon juice (fresh or reconstituted)
1 tsp vanilla1 premade
9″ graham cracker pie crust (or the equivalent made from scratch)
1 can pie filling (whatever flavor you like–cherry seemed to be the most popular)

Blend the ingredients for the sweetened condensed milk in the blender. Turn blender to low and add the vanilla, lemon juice and cream cheese. Gradually increase the blender speed, until smooth and creamy. (you may have to stop the blender once or twice to scrape down the sides). Pour into prepared crust. You will see it start to thicken, even as you spread it into the pie crust! Chill 2 hours. (If you are in a hurry, you can put it in the freezer for half the time, without changing the properties of the cheesecake at all). Top with premade pie filling and serve. Yum!

Cook’s note: Recipe does not set up as well if you use the lower fat versions of cream cheese. Also, if you are making the homemade pie filling, the filling must be cooled to room temperature before you put it on the cheesecake. It then needs to chill an additional 2 hours to set up the pie filling completely.

Bargain Tip: Buy a lot of cream cheese at Thanksgiving/Christmas time or at Easter time when it is a really good deal here (the expiration dates are long) and then use your supply from the fridge for many recipes until the next 6 months rolls around and then buy more.

Learn the magic behind magic mix! It’s revolutionary and will help you make perfect white sauces every time!

© 2010, Crystal. All rights reserved.