USING DRIED MILK

When I was 9 years old, my family made the move back to Utah from Colorado.  As my mom reorganized after the move, going through the food storage must have been on the list.  I remember when she gave me a big bag of powdered milk and told me I could use it to feed the cats.  For a really long time, I meticulously stirred that milk up for our cats, a little bit every day, and they drank it.  Looking back on that now, I think it is kind of funny that Mom had me do that.  I assume it was from the "don't waste" mentality I grew up with.  Apparently she did not want to use the milk, but she figured it could be used up by feeding it to our kitties.  

I personally have never had a problem using and rotating my dried milk (without feeding it to the pets).  It does have a shorter shelf life than other long-term-storage items, but with mindfulness, it can be done.  Most of my dried milk use comes with cooking.  

When a recipe calls for a cup of milk, I add 1 c of water and 1/4 c dried milk for a 2% milk ratio, or 1/3 c dried milk for a whole milk ratio.  

If a recipe calls for evaporated milk, use 1 1/4 c. water and 1 c dried milk to equal a 20 oz can.  

Make your own sweetened condensed milk using this recipe:

     1 c dry milk

     2 c sugar

     1/2 c boiling water

     1/4 c butter-melted

          Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 1 full minute.  Place in clean jar, cover and refrigerate overnight.  Give it a good stir just before use.  This is equal to the size of a store-bought can. 

A fun Powdered Milk recipe is:

Hot Cocoa Mix

     4 c powdered milk (I recommend instant)

     21.8 oz box Nestle Nesquik

     16 oz instant coffee creamer

     1 c powdered sugar

          Add all the ingredients to a big bowl and MIX WELL.  Pour into a storage jar or canister.  To make your Hot Cocoa, add 3-4 heaping tablespoons to 8 oz hot fresh milk or water.  Stir and enjoy!

Even a quick google search of how to use powdered milk comes up with so many options.  You can make your own Bisquick mix, cream of_____ soup, smoothies, the list is endless.

I challenge you to get some dried milk and learn to use it!  It is an essential part of your food storage and you will need to rotate it.