EVERYDAY FOOD STORAGE » General Food Storage Information

How to make your bread LOOK like store bought bread

Crystal — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:19:24 +0000

Okay, ever since my EZ Wheat bread recipe hit the blog (you know my famous whole wheat bread recipe that TASTES more like store bought bread) I’ve received the question “How do I make my bread look more like store bought bread?” I can see why people may ask this because if your bread looks like mine, it’s not uniform at all. It rises so much over the pan that I get a nice balloon effect on the top, which can make it kind of hard to make sandwiches out of and fit in sandwich baggies. One of the greatest things about store bought bread is it’s nice uniform square shape…and I’m going to show you the secret for getting your bread into those long beautiful uniform shapes!

THE SECRET FOR MAKING YOUR BREAD LOOK LIKE STORE BOUGHT BREAD

It’s actually very simple! I discovered this loaf pan a couple of months ago and it is honestly my new best friend in the kitchen. It’s amazing and one of the coolest things I’ve cooked with in a long time! One of my favorite things about it is that it’s entirely versatile. It has feet on it for making angel food cake in it (just imagine a perfect loaf that you can cut into slices-very gourmet). You can also make regular cakes, pound cakes, AND BREAD! Imagine a nice slice of chocolate cake on a plate with drizzled chocolate sauce, raspberries, and ice cream. Can you see how this just upped the game of all your desserts? Not to mention that it really makes bread look like store bought bread. In fact, I texted my friend (who I gave one to for her birthday) a picture of the bread after I experimented with it and she couldn’t figure out why I would send her a picture of store bought bread!

TIPS FOR USING THE WILTON ANGEL FOOD LOAF PAN

If you’re making an angel food cake in it-one regular recipe will fit in the pan.
If you’re making WHEAT bread in it-you will double your recipe (get my favorite HERE)
If you’re making WHITE bread in it-you will one and a half your recipe
If you’re making a cake or pound cake in it-one regular recipe will fit in the pan.
Bake times should be about the same for anything you do-but with anything new, you’ll want to keep your eye on it.
When rolling out your bread, I do it the same as I would for a regular loaf pan (catch the trick on my bread video) but I just make it longer-the length of the pan.

WHERE CAN I GET THIS PAN?

Unfortunately, this isn’t something you can just pick up at Wal-Mart. It’s a little more gourmet of an item than that. I found mine at a kitchen store in an Outlet Mall, but you can also very easily find it on AMAZON. Oh yeah, and if you decide to make loaves this large…you’re also going to want to invest in larger bread bags-found HERE.

HUGE SUN OVEN SALE!

Don’t forget about the HUGE Global Sun Oven sale going on right now! If you don’t have one-this is the time to get it along with all of the accessories for FREE! Get more information HERE.

Tips Making (Delicious!) Bread Machine Bread for Sandwiches

Crystal — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Everyone knows that a bread machine can be THE TICKET to have bread in a hurry, with no mess, and while you are off having fun. However, if you ate bread machine bread growing up, you probably know that it can be dry, hard to cut with a thick crust, and a mess to make. Well it can be that way or it can be the most DELICIOUS bread you’ve ever eaten and take no time at all to do. Making bread is definitely more nutritious and MUCH, MUCH cheaper then buying the equivalent bread at a super market. If you don’t have a bread machine, check your local second hand store. I know mine had at least 4 today when I went. You can always do a Google search for instructions on a particular machine.

SAVE TIME: Make Bread Mixes! This is the same idea behind making a lot of sandwiches at once. If you make your own bread mixes and store them in the fridge, then it is one mess and takes about 1 minute to make a loaf of bread. Nice, right? (To make a bread mix, combine all dry ingredients from your favorite recipe (except for yeast) in a ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator)

This is a whole loaf.

As you can see it is thinly sliced.

In fact it looks so good (and tastes so great with butter & honey) you could serve it at a brunch!

It also makes the most delicious sandwiches!

My tips for making DELICIOUS homemade bread in your bread machine.

1) Use white wheat (it’s taste is more subtle) and always use the wheat setting (whole wheat needs to rise longer than bleached white flour).

2) Add potato flakes to your bread machine recipe to add the soft texture of a store bought bread. I add 1/2 C. to mine. This is extra great since the cannery just started carrying potato flakes! (This trick has been used since the olden days when women would use the water used from cooking potatoes in their bread to make it soft. )

3) Allow bread to cool in a closed Ziploc bag (or towel) to make the crust soft. Somehow, and I’m not sure of the science behind it, the moisture goes back into the bread and makes the crust VERY soft. My bread doesn’t get moldie or dry out as quickly as before. A softer crust makes the bread much easier to cut. CAUTION: I was told me that before store bought bread a crunchy crust was the way to tell the bread was fresh…so I guess if you like the fresh crunch to your bread continue to air cool.

4) Experiment with Gluten. I add 1 T. of gluten to my bread. Gluten makes the bubbles in your bread strong so that your bread doesn’t sink from the bubbles popping too early.

5) High Altitude dwellers should cut down the amount of yeast called for in the recipe because bread rises faster in high altitude areas and since the bread machine is a timed process it doesn’t know to bake when the dough has doubled in size. For reference, I halfed my yeast from what it called for in my recipe.

5) Make the process easy by filling Ziploc bags with all dry ingredients minus the yeast and placing in your fridge. This way you always have fresh homemade bread ready and waiting to begin for you with no mess!

Just as a side note, I’ve tried using other people’s very delicious whole wheat bread machine recipes in my bread maker and they never turn out (because of the high altitude problem) so don’t be discouraged if this happens to you! Just try to make your bread machine’s recipe to how you like it.

Here are a few of my favorite bread machines!

The Cuisinart Programmable Bread Maker-It does EVERYTHING including quick breads…you know like banana bread, pumpkin bread. VERY COOL!

Zojirushi Breach Machine: This is the Cadillac of bread machines! It actually makes the loaf like a store bought loaf of bread and the baking is unparalleled! My mom has a Zojirushi and when I made my EZ Wheat bread in it, it tasted exactly the same as if I had made it myself the old fashioned way. VERY IMPRESSIVE!

HUGE SUN OVEN SALE!

Don’t forget about the HUGE Global Sun Oven sale going on right now! If you don’t have one-this is the time to get it along with all of the accessories for FREE! Get more information HERE.

2 for 1-Breadsticks OR Pizza in under 30 minutes from ONE easy recipe: Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:13:00 +0000

This is my ABSOLUTE favorite recipe and ever since I got it from my sister-in-law we haven’t bought pizza (contrary to what my husband says on the video . The other great thing about making this as pizza is that you can make the crust in the morning and then top it with your toppings in the evening and have dinner ready in under 10 minutes! I love meals you can make most of earlier in the day when life isn’t so busy. It is so easy, makes NO mess (okay well, just a little mess), and is DELICIOUS. Kids love it (especially when you let them pick the toppings and add them to the pizza)! Everytime I make these breadsticks for company it is a HUGE hit and they always ask for the recipe, so who better to share it with than all of you!!

30 Minute Breadsticks OR No-Fail Deep Dish Pizza Crust

(If it is too thick for your family, you can either half the recipe or put one full recipe onto two cookie sheets)

2 1/2 C. Medium Hot Water
5 tsp. SAF Instant Yeast*
2 Tbsp. Sugar
3 Tbsp. Oil
1 tsp. Salt
6 C. Flour (you can do half all-purpose and half white wheat or 100% whole wheat)
1 to 2 Cubes of Butter

Directions:
1. Pour medium hot water in mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to dissolve.
2. Add sugar, salt, and oil. Gradually add approximately 6 cups of flour.
3. Melt 1-2 cubes butter on cookie sheet in oven as it is heating to 400 degrees and melt in oven. 4. Place dough on cookie sheet and press to fill pan, make sure butter gets on top of the dough.
5. Allow to double in size (About 10-15 minutes)
6. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until desired browning is accomplished.
7. Cut into strips or top with favorite pizza toppings.

* When using regular yeast change amount to 2 Tbsp.

For more tips and tricks for using food storage in your everyday recipes, please visit www.everydayfoodstorage.NET

Banana Caramel Lava Cake

Crystal — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:09:33 +0000

Okay, I realize the cake month is over. But I’ve been thinking about this cake all week and just HAD to share it (mostly because I’m wishing I had some brown bananas to make it again myself!). It’s kind of hard to imagine that banana bread to be any better than it already it is…but this cake tops it all! It is the best mix of flavors ever…banana bread, warm caramel sauce, and a little ice cream. Best of all, it’s so easy to make! Anyone you serve it to will be so impressed that you made your own caramel sauce and you’ll be so happy it was SO easy! Plus, it is incredible unique-so if you’re looking for the next new and different thing to hit the baking scene…I’d like to suggest this is IT! Oh yeah, and you won’t want to miss me on Studio 5 on Monday. I’ll be sharing something BRAND NEW!

BANANA CARAMEL LAVA CAKE

Banana Caramel Lava Cake

Recipe type: Dessert

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 8-10

This delicious cake is so unique and will impress anyone you serve it to! Plus, no one will suspect you used food storage!

Ingredients

2/3 cups dark brown sugar, packed
2 tsp all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup bananas, mashed (about 1 banana)
1/2 cup low-fat milk (1 1/2 T. non instant milk powder or 3 T. instant milk powder + 1/2 C. water)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (or 2 T. bean puree)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup(s) water, boiling
ice cream for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine brown sugar and 2 teaspoons flour; set aside.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
Combine 11⁄3 cups flour and next seven ingredients in a medium bowl; stir with a wire whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine banana and next three ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
Spoon batter into an 8-inch square baking pan; sprinkle with brown sugar mixture.
Pour 11⁄2 cups boiling water over batter (do not stir). Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes or until pudding is bubbly and cake springs back when lightly touched in center. Serve warm. Divide onto individual serving dishes and top with ice cream.

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HUGE SUN OVEN SALE!

Don’t forget about the HUGE Global Sun Oven sale going on right now! If you don’t have one-this is the time to get it along with all of the accessories for FREE! Get more information HERE.

Graham Crackers-Whole Wheat Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:30:11 +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.

Happy Easter!….And BUNNY BUNS!

Crystal — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:34:42 +0000

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter this weekend! I hope you have a marvelous time with your families and that it isn’t snowing (like it is here!) More Square Foot Gardening classes will be up on Monday!

As another update: Make sure and check me on Studio 5 on Monday and I’ll be teaching two classes at the Utah Prepare Conference Expo NEXT SATURDAY! The class is titled “Three easy ways to use your food storage TODAY using only a blender!”

Utah Prepare Conference and Expo open to the public and sponsored by Be Ready Utah, the Utah State University Extension and BYU on Saturday, April 14th, 2012, at the Davis Conference Center, 1651 N. 700 W., Layton.

Workshop topics include using food storage, food storage shelf life, earthquake preparedness, containers and oxygen absorbers, raised bed gardening, water and filtration, fuel sources, mock root cellars, grab and go boxes, and much more. Vendors will be on hand with their products, and door prizes will be given out.

Keynote speakers are Utah Lt. Gov. Greg Bell and Barbara Salsbury, preparedness expert. Author Crystal Godfrey, Joy Bossi, and Karen Bastow are also a guest presenters.

Cost of the conference is $7 and registration is available online at utahprepare.org. Doors open at 7:30am a.m., with keynote speakers at 8:15 a.m. and workshops that run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For further information, contact Hunsaker at teresa.hunsaker@usu.edu or visit www.utahprepare.org.

EASTER BUNNY BUNS

AND! Don’t forget about these adorable and delicious rolls for Easter Morning. I even have tips on how you can turn them into brown and serve rolls so you can actually enjoy your Easter morning!

Square Foot Gardening 101: The Soil-Mel’s Mix

Crystal — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:39:56 +0000

It’s finally here! The week long class dedicated to Square Foot Gardening! Because I am no expert on gardening, I’ve enlisted the help of Belinda Jensen the Square Foot Gardening pro from Home Gardens To Go to teach us all how to have successful, virtually weed-free gardens this year! Belinda was trained under Mel Bartholomew (Mr. Square Foot Gardening, himself), teaches square foot gardening classes in Utah, and trains anyone who wants to become Square Foot Gardening certified! If you haven’t met Belinda yet, make sure you check out the first day of the class posted Monday which introduces Belinda and goes over the basics and benefits of Square Foot Gardening. Remember, I’ve decided to dedicate all of this month to gardening and specifically this week long class with Belinda…because this is MY year and YOUR year to have a thriving hassle-free garden!

SQUARE FOOT GARDENING 101 DAY FOUR: The Soil-Mel’s Mix!

Did you know that most beginners to Square Foot Gardening make some major mistakes when mixing their own Mel’s Mix? That is why Belinda and I dedicated an entire video to help you do it CORRECTLY! Learn the three parts of Mel’s Mix, why they are so important, the roles they play in this perfect soil blend and how to mix it correctly. Trust me, this video is a MUST-SEE for you and anyone else looking to Square Foot Garden!

TOMORROWS VIDEO: All about how to cultivate your own compost at home! Making your garden completely self-sufficient!

DID YOU MISS A DAY OF THE SQUARE FOOT GARDENING CLASS?

No problem! Click one of the links below to see what you’ve missed!

Day One: Basics of Square Foot Gardening
Day Two: Secrets for Planning a Successful Garden
Day Three: The Boxes! Learn how to make them, buy them, and some secret benefits!

GET PRO HELP FOR YOUR GARDEN!

Need more help with your garden? (Like me!) Belinda would love to help! Check out all she has to offer to help you set up your garden correctly. I personally had her come set up all of my boxes since I a) wanted to make sure it was done correctly and b) my husband works a lot of nights and Saturdays and didn’t have the time to dedicate to building and setting up boxes.

Local (Utah) Square Foot Garden Packages
Shipped Square Foot Garden Packages
Square Foot Gardening Accessories (Mel’s Mix Soil, Drip Irrigation Systems, Grids, etc.)

She is also offering all of you a FREE copy of Mel’s book The All NEW Square Foot Gardening with a garden package purchase-use the code “Q44I63MPGWH9Q” at check out.

Square Foot Gardening 101: The Boxes

Crystal — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:29:33 +0000

It’s finally here! The week long class dedicated to Square Foot Gardening! Because I am no expert on gardening, I’ve enlisted the help of Belinda Jensen the Square Foot Gardening pro from Home Gardens To Go to teach us all how to have successful, virtually weed-free gardens this year! Belinda was trained under Mel Bartholomew (Mr. Square Foot Gardening, himself), teaches square foot gardening classes in Utah, and trains anyone who wants to become Square Foot Gardening certified! If you haven’t met Belinda yet, make sure you check out the first day of the class posted yesterday which introduces Belinda and goes over the basics and benefits of Square Foot Gardening. Remember, I’ve decided to dedicate all of this month to gardening and specifically this week long class with Belinda…because this is MY year and YOUR year to have a thriving hassle-free garden!

SQUARE FOOT GARDENING 101 DAY THREE: The Boxes!

Alright, today is all about boxes. What you can use to make square foot gardening boxes, tips for making your own, information on how you can buy them, box accessories that will help protect and extend your garden, and the boxes NUMBER ONE benefit!

Tomorrow’s video will be all about how to CORRECTLY mix the soil (Mel’s Mix). If you’ve had marginal success with your Square Foot Garden-you NEED to watch this video. Most people make their mistakes in mixing the soil and tomorrow Belinda will show us how to do it CORRECTLY.

DID YOU MISS A DAY OF THE SQUARE FOOT GARDENING CLASS?

No problem! Click one of the links below to see what you’ve missed!

Day One: Basics of Square Foot Gardening
Day Two: Secrets for Planning a Successful Garden

GET PRO HELP FOR YOUR GARDEN!

Local (Utah) Square Foot Garden Packages
Shipped Square Foot Garden Packages
Square Foot Gardening Accessories (Mel’s Mix Soil, Drip Irrigation Systems, Grids, etc.)

She is also offering all of you a FREE copy of Mel’s book The All NEW Square Foot Gardening with a garden package purchase-use the code “Q44I63MPGWH9Q” at check out.

SOS Mix: Gluten-Free Soup or Sauce Mix

Crystal — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:57:39 +0000

Okay, so you may have noticed in yesterday’s post about the Quick Mix (just like Bisquick) recipes that some of them called for a SOS mix. So let me explain that mix…it’s a lot like Magic Mix except it doesn’t use flour or butter. Yes, you’re right-that means it is fat-free, gluten-free, and completely shelf stable. Yeah, it’s pretty great. Just like the Quick Mix, this mix is made famous by the Utah State Extension Service (so now it’s 12 reasons I love that place!) and of course they have also put out a pamphlet with some great recipes. Not only do their recipes include how to make your own cream soups, it also has a lot of skillet recipes (you know….like making your own Hamburger Helper Recipes….yes, very awesome!) and most of the recipes are Gluten-FREE! The recipe shown above was one of their Hamburger Helper-like recipes and it was delish!

NEXT MONTH IS GARDENING MONTH-INCLUDING A WEEK LONG HOW-TO SQUARE FOOT GARDEN CLASS!

Yeah, I knew you’d be excited for it which is why I saved the best for last. Yes, sadly, mixes are coming to a close but that means next week starts gardening month! Make sure you stay tuned for my week long gardening class starting next week with Belinda Jensen from Home Gardens To Go. She is a Square Foot Gardening expert! She was trained under Mel Bartholomew (Mr. Square Foot Gardening himself!) and is responsible for teaching people in Utah and around the world who want to become certified in Square Foot Gardening. She was kind enough to agree to let me film her as she teaches me AND YOU how to be a successful gardener! I promise you won’t want to miss a day, whether you already square foot garden or are ready to get to business in your garden you will pick up some great tips and secrets of the trade.

DOWNLOAD THE SOS RECIPE PAMPHLET!

Now to make sure you download the pamphlet with information on how to make SOS Mix and recipes you’ll love, click HERE.

Homemade Bisquick Mix Recipe

Crystal — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:14:55 +0000

Okay, here is the beautiful thing about this homemade Bisquick Mix vs. other online recipes….there is an entire recipe booklet to go with it! Thanks to the Utah State Extension Service, I’m pretty sure I have dinner for the next couple of weeks! (Maybe I need to add one more reason to My Top 10 Reasons Why I Love the Utah State Extension Service!) I found this recipe in doing all of my research about which of all the recipes online for a homemade “Quick Mix” and I just love that it comes with a load of recipes on how to use it! Recipes like the usual muffins, pancakes, bisquits AND Taco Pizza, Cheese Sticks (those breaded string cheeses), Cinnamon Spins, and even chocolate chip cookies (!)-just to name a few. Plus, the biscuits were good and I, of course, added whole wheat flour to my mix-another great reason to make your own mix! (Note: You may see on the download that it calls for a SOS mix…yeah that will be my next post-it will blow your mind!)

Why Should you Make your own Quick Mix (like Bisquick)?

I like the Utah State Extension answer for that…Using Utah Quick Mix when preparing biscuits, muffins, pancakes, desserts, and main dishes is guaranteed to save you time, money, and give you peace of mind.

• Saves time. The measuring and sifting of standard dry ingredients, the addition of non-fat dry milk, and the blending of fat for dozens of recipes is done ahead of time. Clean-up time is shortened because fewer dishes are used when making recipes.
• Saves money. Mix made at home is less expensive than mixes bought at the store. Utah Quick Mix is made from standard pantry ingredients and someone else isn’t paid to mix them together.
• Peace of mind. The guesswork is taken out of ingredients lists because you know all of the ingredients used in Utah Quick Mix.
• Easy preparation. Children and beginning cooks will find cooking with Utah Quick Mix is fun and easy.
• Utah Quick Mix will keep on the shelf for at least 6 weeks. Store in metal, plastic or glass canisters with a tight fitting lid. To make using Utah Quick Mix even more convenient, pre-measured portions can be stored in self-closing plastic bags to cut out one more measuring step.

Click HERE to download the Quick Mix Recipe/Instruction booklet for using shortening and click HERE for the Quick Mix Recipe/Instruction booklet for using canola oil.