Friday, November 24, 2017

THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS

Thanksgiving is an amazing day.  I love not being expected to be anywhere or to do anything, except cook all morning and visit with friends and family.  Yesterday was a day like this.  Jeff's parents and a nephew were in town and we had our new-member friend Mike over also.  After dinner, I surveyed the food...there was a TON left, it hardly looked like we put a dent in anything!  I then realized that I subconsciously cooked for our former neighbors--that amazing family of 14 that just moved.  We have had Thanksgiving with them for so many years now, that I guess it was just ingrained.

Thanksgiving dinner is great, but after a couple of days it feels like it is time to mix things up a bit.  Here are a few recipes and ideas to use up those Turkey Day leftovers.

Turkey Pot Pie: 
 3 Cups Chopped Turkey
 Leftover Gravy
 Leftover Veggies
 Leftover Stuffing or Potatoes
 Combine Turkey, Gravy and veggies and put in a 9x13 pan, top with stuffing or potatoes.  Bake at 350* until bubbly (about 30-45 minutes).
 
Turkey Noodle Soup:
  In a stockpot, boil the turkey carcas or neck for about an hour.  remove meat and skim fat.  Add 1 chopped onion, 2-3 chopped potatoes, 4-5 chopped carrots and 2-3 cups of cooked turkey.  20 minutes before serving add noodles of your choice.

Smashed Potato Soup
1/2 c. coarsely chopped carrot
1/2 c. coarsely chopped celery
3-4 cups mashed potatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1/2 c. milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 c. sour cream
2 T fresh snipped parsley
Optional toppings: sliced green onions, cheese, bacon
1.  Place potatoes in medium saucepan.  Gradually add broth and milk, whisking until mixture is smooth.  Stir in carrot, celery, garlic, salt and black pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.
2.  Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and parsley.  Serve, top with desired toppings.
Yield:  4 servings.

Use the Freezer:  Debone your turkey and bag meat into portion-sized freezer bags.  Use as a substitute for chicken in recipes.

Thursday, November 16, 2017

THE GIFT OF PREPAREDNESS

I think my dad is one of the hardest people to shop for.  And if that isn't bad enough, he always tries to guess what the gift is before he opens it...and he is right 99% of the time!  One year for his birthday, I came up with a great idea while I was at a field trip with my kids at the Denver Mint.  I got him the never-been-touched-by-human-hands collector's edition coins for that year.  It was all packaged up so nicely and just a fun unique gift that I knew he would love.  I wrapped it up and told my kids that they absolutely could not tell grandpa what was in the package.  The day of gift-giving came and after inspecting the present, he looked up and said, "I have absolutely no idea what is in here."  YES! I was so excited to finally see a surprised look his face when he opened a gift!  But before he could unwrap it, a little voice said, "Grandpa, I can't tell you what it is, but we got it at the Denver Mint!"

If you have a hard-to-shop for person on your list this Christmas, why not give them the gift of preparedness?  There are so many items in any price range that would come in useful for everyday use or in case of an emergency.  Here are a few ideas:
FOOD STORAGE:  ldscatalog.com sells cases of food in #10 cans.  You can get anything from wheat to spaghetti all packaged up and ready to go.  Beready.com also sells a myriad of food, from freeze dried to whole year packages.  And, if you are a super generous giver, Costco also has full year supply pallets.
72 HOUR KITS:  So many places have pre-packaged kits, there are several different kits (and prices!).  I have always thought the backpack kits would be great gifts.  I found kits at Costco, be prepared.com, and Amazon.
WATER:  Whether it is a filtration bottle, 55-gallon drum, accessories, or packaged water, do not leave this out of your emergency kits!  Check out Emergency Essentials, our local Be Ready Store and Costco.
KITS:  A car kit, first aid kit, or even a basic tool kit can come in handy for everyone!
GEAR:  Sleeping Bags are always useful and a flashlight can make the difference between getting where you need to go, or being left in the dark.
GREAT TOOLS TO AID IN EVERYDAY PREPAREDNESS:  Some great items to help your loved ones become more self-reliant can include a steam canner, wheat grinder, applesaucer, or dehydrator.
GIVE A CUSTOM GIFT:  These buckets from Costco are a pretty good deal (the Gamma lids are amazing!).  You could fill them with your own 72 hour kit items or choose a single food storage item you know they will use.
OTHER EMERGENCY OR FOOD SUPPLIES:  Some of the best places I have found to buy all kinds of useful things are Emergency Essentials, Lehmans, and Walton Feed.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully enough to get your mind working to check off that Christmas List!

Thursday, November 9, 2017

FREEZER FOLLOW UP

On Saturday, I spent 4 hours attending a regional preparedness conference.  My mind is swimming.  I have so many ideas, but (as always) the limitation is time and resources.  I have been thinking a lot about my "job" to help you all become prepared--not only with preparedness items and food you have in your home in case of an emergency, but also to help you gain the skills to function if you and your family are truly on your own.

I will continue my weekly Grapevine snippet (and as a reminder, past snippets can be found at www.byesboos.blogspot.com).  But as we head into this new year, I really want to know what YOU want!!  Do you want to learn how to make jam, can fruit/veggies/meat, or start a garden?  Do you want to do group food storage orders, and make 72 hour and first aid kits?  Would you like to have classes in finance, spiritual preparedness, gardening, breadmaking etc?  Would you like me to include in my weekly snippet what to buy to build a 3-month storage, would you like recipes and tips to use your food storage?  I would love to hear from YOU!  I do not want to send out a survey...I figure if there is something you want help with, you will let me know! Please email me at raelynstoddard@gmail.com to tell me what you want.  Because, when one person speaks out, it usually means there are 5 more that wanted to, but didn't.   May the emails pour in!

2 weeks ago, I gave the challenge to get me a freezer meal by November 4.  Sister Shari Kooyman wins the prize as she was the only one to get me not only a meal, but also some freezer-friendly tips!  I will share these with you!  Thanks Shari!

Herbs in the Freezer
When there is a sale buy these and chop up and put in freezer.  Then break off a chunk to add to Denver scrambled eggs, meat loaf, casserole, stews, etc.
Chop up bell peppers and/or onions.  Put in ziplock bags.  Sunset freezer cookbook says do not blanch.
Freezer PARSLEY LOGS which is simply tightly rolled parsley foliage you can slice a wedge off anytime:  Rinse, put in salad spinner to dry thoroughly.  Wet foliage does not freeze nicely.  Start compressing the mess into log shape at bottom of ziplock bag and gradually squeeze out the air as you go.  The log should be firm.  You can really pack a lot in.  Secure with elastic band or bull clip and freeze.  Packing densely means that even one slice will yield a lot of parsley.  Rewrap tightly, moving elastic band in from edge to eliminate air pocket and return to freezer.  (more hints on freezing Basil-Rosemary-Thyme-Oregano-Cilantro:  genius kitchen.com/basil-3157)
Too Many Tomatoes
No need to can!  Chop up slightly (enough to allow to lay flat in ziplock bags.  Fill bags with the amount you might use in a recipe that calls for canned tomatoes.  You could even add bell peppers or onion at this time.  Date, Label, lay the bags flat and stack up in the freezer.

Chile Relleno Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:
2 14.5 oz cans whole mild green chiles or fresh green chiles roasted and skinned.
1 lb monterrey jack cheese, whole brick cut into finger-sized long strips
1 lb cheddar Colby cheese shredded
5 large eggs
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. powdered dry mustard
cooking spray
Instructions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350* and spray a large rectangular glass baking dish (9x13) with baking spray
2.  Open and drain each can of chiles.  Stuff each chili with finger sized pieces of Monterey Jack cheese and arrange in the bottom of the baking dish.
3.  Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar colby jack over chilis
4.  In a separate medium sized bowl combine eggs, flour, milk, salt, and dry mustard and whisk until most of the clumps are gone (some may remain)
5.  Pour egg mixture over chiles.
6.  Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.  Add remaining cheese to the top of the casserole and return to 350 * oven for an additional 5 minutes or until firm.
7.  Remove and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes:
You can order Hatch Green Chiles and other varieties from chilemonster.com.  It is the only site I trust for fresh and flavorful chiles.  Canned chillies will give you anywhere from 8-12.  If you prefer to use cream of tarter to fluff up the eggs instead of four, use 1 tsp.