Preppers Tips -- Weekly Goal March 25, 2012

Spice is the Variety of Life!

You may only be able to store certain foods, and may have family who only eat certain foods (read kiddos!), but using the right spices makes all the difference in the world and can change a simple piece of chicken (or canned chicken) into something so savory.  You do not need to be a gourmet with recipes a mile long to make a dish everyone will love.  It all comes down to using the right spices and herbs.

Beautiful color and variety of spices

And that is what our goal is this week -- storing herbs and spices you use on a regular basis.  Never, ever store things that you haven't tried or won't use regularly.  Just doesn't make sense!  For us, besides regular salt and pepper, it's seasoned salt, garlic salt/powder, onion salt/powder and dried onions, Italian spices, etc.  Look at your shopping list and see what you use all the time.

What about storing?  What's the shelf life?  Google search provided many good sites full of information.  I found the below at FareShare Home:  Spice Rack Shelf Life...

GENERAL SHELF LIFE GUIDELINES

• SPICES:
  • Ground Spices 1 - 3 years.
  • Whole Spices 4 years.
    
• HERBS: Green Leafy 1 - 3 years.
• SEEDS: 3 - 4 years.
• EXTRACTS: 4 years.
• SEASONING BLENDS: 1 - 2 years.
• FOIL PRODUCTS: 12 - 24 months.

They also say to NEVER store vanilla or vanilla beans in the refrigerator, but DO store members of the red pepper (capsicums) like paprika and chilli powder in the frig to keep color and prevent infestation.

Store air tight and out of sight!  If you have wonderful spice racks that sit on the counter, be sure they are never in direct sunlight.

The only spices that come in cans anymore is black pepper.  If you have cans of spices in your cabinet just know that their potency is most likely compromised (they haven't been using cans for spices in years).  I ended up pitching a few that my JH had when we got married.  Never know how long a bachelor has had anything like that on the shelf!  :)

As always, thanks so much to Karon Carlson for providing this weekly plan and setting up the display at church each week.  She and Desi Ellis have great information regarding storage, gardening, canning, food sources so please don't hesitate to contact them for more information...

Bon appetit!

General Conference Countdown

The Semi-Annual General Conference for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in just a week away.  This year the two day event is scheduled for March 31 & April 1.  There are four "general " sessions, each two hours long, over the two days:  (All times here are Eastern US) 12pm-2pm and 4pm-6pm both Saturday and Sunday.  A priesthood session is held Saturday evening at 8pm.  If you have BYU TV or the internet, or have a friend who does, all sessions will be televised and you may watch from the comfort of your couch in your jammies, if you'd like.  All church buildings will also be showing all sessions; please remember you will be in the chapel so plan appropriately.  

There are great resources shared out there to heighten our conference experience.  One blogger said that when she was a girl her mother would take her aside the week before conference and ask her to write down a few things that concerned her or prayers she wanted answers for.  Her mother counseled her to look for those answers during conference.  She is now doing the same with her sons.  I love that idea!

Here are but a few and the many resources out there, most of which have free printables and work for all ages. 

Sugardoodle.net has an incredible number of General Conference Helps for each auxiliary.  She even has a "2012 General Conference Knowledge Value Project" packet.  Amazing....

VisitingTeaching.net has fun stuff for grownups (or groan-ups!).  There is a great General Conference Journal Page that is like a mind-map and provides spaces for quotes, scriptures, inspirations, notes, and goals.  And a topic "cloud" for the page. 

PreparedNotScared.blogspot.com went all out and provides very nice printable composition book covers and divider pages for boys (blue) and girls (pink).  Print them out and glue/tape it to an inexpensive composition book.  She also has a "Mother's Conference Journal" she created last year that uses a 3 ring binder.  Very fun, colorful, and useful tools.  Making it pretty AND useful!

Don't forget you can find more ideas for children on lds.org and access the Friend Magazine. 

The key here is to prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually, and help our families and friends do the same.

Do you have any tips to share on making Conference weekend special 

for yourself and your family?  Please share! 

Preppers Tips -- Goal for the Week, March 18, 2012

     BAKING MIXES! 

Cake, pancake, muffin... you get the picture.  What self-respecting food storage would be without?  Not only can you buy them (look for sales and coupons!), but there are great websites that show you how you can make your own.  Remember these can get buggy, so store them correctly in cool, dry areas.  I actually put mine (box and all) in a plastic zip lock bag.  Which I continually reuse. 

Do you want to make your own?  Check out this site -- "Fake-It Frugal" -- she has recipes such as:

Fake Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips

Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag. Write instructions on the bag to add: 1 Stick Softened Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract. Mix & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes


How about another reason to store cake mixes?  You can make "1-2-3 Cake" -- this one has several versions, but this one is compliments of thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com   Mix ONE box Angel Food Cake Mix, ONE box of another favorite cake mix (she shows Devil's Food -- get it?) in a ziplock bag or storage bowl.  When you want a single serving of this yummy cake, add 3 tablespoons of this mixture with 2 tablespoons of water in a small cup or mug and cook for 1 minute in the microwave...  Hence "3-2-1!"

Enjoy!

Preppers Tips -- Goal for the Week

This is a great one. Actually, all that KC puts together for us are easy and doable.  Really, REALLY appreciate the displays that are set up each week.  I don't remember the little signs, but I do remember (have a visual) of the items to center on.

This week work on your FIRST AID kits. There are any number of sites on the internet that will give you lists of what should be in your kits.  I got the below from  The Mayo Clinic site.  Awesome information and very complete

Also remember to periodically check your kits and restock what's been used and what is past the expiration.  If you use it frequently, of course, restock it frequently.  Mayo Clinic recommends every three months. 

How many kits?  Start with one in your home.  Add kits in each car.  Definitely one go into your 72 Hour Kit. Gather what you have in your home already and compare it to the list of needs.  Then add to your grocery list what is needed and check it off.

If you want more information let us know.  We have a terrific Emergency Prep team of experts in the Perry Ward.

Basic supplies

• Adhesive tape
• Antibiotic ointment
• Antiseptic solution or towelettes
• Bandages, including a roll of elastic wrap (Ace, Coban, others) and bandage strips (Band-Aid, Curad, others) in assorted sizes
• Instant cold packs
• Cotton balls and cotton-tipped swabs
• Disposable latex or synthetic gloves, at least two pairs
• Duct tape
• Gauze pads and roller gauze in assorted sizes
• Eye goggles
• First-aid manual
• Petroleum jelly or other lubricant
• Plastic bags for the disposal of contaminated materials
• Safety pins in assorted sizes
• Tooth preservation kit consisting of salt solution and a sealable travel case
• Scissors, tweezers and a needle
• Soap or instant hand sanitizer
• Sterile eyewash, such as a saline solution
• Thermometer
• Triangular bandage
• Turkey baster or other bulb suction device for flushing out wounds

Medications

• Activated charcoal (use only if instructed by your poison control center)
• Aloe vera gel
• Anti-diarrhea medication
• Over-the-counter oral antihistamine (Benadryl, others)
• Aspirin and nonaspirin pain relievers (never give aspirin to children)
• Calamine lotion
• Over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream
• Personal medications that don't need refrigeration
• If prescribed by your doctor, drugs to treat an allergic attack, such as an auto-injector of epinephrine (EpiPen)
• Syringe, medicine cup or spoon

Emergency items

• Cell phone and recharger that uses the accessory plug in your car dash
• Emergency phone numbers, including contact information for your family doctor and pediatrician, local emergency services, emergency road service providers and the regional poison control center
• Medical consent forms for each family member
• Medical history forms for each family member
• Small, waterproof flashlight and extra batteries
• Candles and matches for cold climates
• Sunscreen
• Mylar emergency blanket
• First-aid instruction manual

Preppers Tips -- Solid Shortening Tips...

A couple weeks ago our food storage goal for the week was solid shortening.  Like Crisco.  Found out that it will keep for 25-30 years on the shelf (shocker!) if stored correctly (cool, dry, unopened) and do get the kind in the plastic and not cardboard/paper container.  Oh, and NOT the butter flavored kind.

Another thing I just found out...  you can use it as a light source!  Yup, stick a wick in the can and it will burn for 45 days.  Go figure!  How about sticking a candle down in the can?  Would that work, too?  I have several half burned candles that would fit perfectly.

Being prepared is all manageable taken a step at a time, but we have to take the step!