Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Blackberry Cinamon Rolls with Pineapple Buttercream Frosting


A few months ago I got a copy of the new Shelf Reliance Cookbook. The photo on the cover is a beautiful cinnamon roll with berries in it.  I have made the recipe a couple of times now and I like it. But since I can’t leave a recipe alone I have made a few changes and I love it now.  
What did I change?  I used my whole wheat bread dough instead of the dough in the book.  I love this bread recipe and I use it for everything.  I also changed the frosting.  I love cream cheese frosting but my family does not.  So I switched to my stand by butter cream frosting recipe, that my dear fried Ann gave me years ago (Thanks Ann!).  I had just used the end of a can of Freeze Dried Pineapple and there was all of this wonderful powder at the bottom of the can.  I had a roommate in college who  always to put pineapple concentrate on her cinnamon rolls, so I added it to the frosting and it turned out great. 




Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls with Pineapple Butter Cream Frosting

Printable Recipe

Rolls 
2 3/4 c Warm Water
2 T Olive/canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 T Dough Enhancer
1/4 cup Gluten
1 1/2 Tablespoon yeast
1 T Salt
7 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar
 2 cup FD Blackberries rehydrated and patted dry

Place warm water, oil, honey, yeast, enhancer, gluten, and 3 1/2 c flour in Kitchen aid and mix well, Let sit 10 min until bubbly.  Add salt and enough flour to clean sides of bowl. (about 4 cups) Knead dough on speed 2 for about 8 min.  Divide the dough into two equal portions.  Form each into a large rectangle.  Dividing butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and blackberries between the two rectangles.  Spread with butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle blackberries sparingly over the dough.  Roll up. Slice into fat cinnamon rolls.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with parchment.  Rolls should be close together almost touching. All the rolls should fit onto one baking sheet.  Bake 350 for 30-34 minutes.
Remove and cool on a rack.  Frost with Pineapple butter cream frosting.

 
Pineapple Butter Cream Frosting
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
¼ cup shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
2 tsp. milk
½ cup freeze dried pineapple powder * see note

Mix butter and shortening together with hand mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and pineapple powder. Beat until smooth. Add corn syrup and milk. Beat until smooth.

*Frosting Note:  When you use a can of freeze dried fruit there is often some powder at the end.  This is amazing stuff.  It is instant intense flavor that you can add to anything.  I love to add it to frosting.  I find that adding about ½ cup of the powder is perfect in this recipe.  If you don’t have any powder from the bottom of the can you can crush some freeze dried pineapple in the food processor or blender.  I also find that the pineapple flavor develops a little as you let this frosting sit. So if you have the time make the frosting first and then make the rolls.





Microwave Lemon Curd

This is one of my all time favorite recipes.  I love lemon curd on everything, scones, graham crackers, white cake, and pancakes.  This is a recipe with mostly fresh ingredients in it but I love it so I thought I would share.
I have made lemon curd with several different recipes and I like the microwave version the best for some reason in the microwave the eggs don't curdle like they do whenever I make it on the stove.   My sister Crystal shared this recipe with me.


Microwave Lemon Curd 
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Melt butter in the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.  Grate the lemon peel to get lemon zest.  In a separate bowl, combine sugar, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Blend with a wire whisk.  Slowly whisk in the hot melted butter.

Microwave mixture on high 3-4 minutes until thickened, whisking well after each minute.

Pour into a clean glass jar and allow to cool in refrigerator.  Will keep a week or more if kept refrigerated, and more if sealed in canning jars.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Dill Dip using Sour Cream Powder



Dill Dip
1 cup sour cream powder
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water
1 cup  mayo
2 teaspoons Dill weed
2 teaspoons dill pickle juice  (the brine that surrounds the dill pickles)
2 teaspoons Bon Appétit
2 teaspoon minced onions
Mix ingredient together and refrigerate. 

Shout Outs

There have been a lot of fabulous post this week using food storage ingredients.  
Sprouted Wheat Berry Bread from The Changeable Table

Red Beans with Rice from Safely Gathered In

Crock Pot Chcolate Fudge Brownie Pudding from Thrive Sisters


DIY Onion Soup Mix  from Pantry Eats

THRIVE 6 Grain Pancake Mix Tips from Your own home store

Cheesy Garlic-Herb Bread from Our Best Bites

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Spicy Fry Sauce


Fry sauce is a Utah thing.  Instead of dipping our fries in ketchup like the rest of the country, we dip our fries in fry sauce.  This fry sauce is a spicy version of the original.  I really like it this way, my Mom thinks it is way to hot, and my husband wants it even spicer.

Fry Sauce
In Utah fry sauce is a must with fries. This is a spicy twist to the standard ketchup mayo mixture.
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 squirt creamy  horseradish

Stir together mayonnaise and ketchup; season with cayenne, onion powder, pepper, horseradish and salt.

If you are interested in making the homemade fries in the photo, check out this post.  

Friday, May 20, 2011

Sour Cream and Brown Sugar Fruit Dip


Over the next few post I will share some of our favorite dips, dressings, and sauces.
I choose this sour cream and brown sugar dip because it is made completely from food storage ingredients and we love it.  The dip tastes like a creamy caramel, and it reminds me a little bit of cheese cake.

The two THRIVE products in this recipe are some of my favorite.  Sour Cream powder and brown sugar.  Now I know you are thinking what is the big deal with THRIVE brown sugar?   Well it is soft, and it stays soft.  It is flavorful with a hint of molasses.  The sour cream powder I love because it is just so easy to use.  I love it for baked goods and have just figured out how to make it into smooth sour cream good for dips, baked potatoes, or tacos.  

The trick to using sour cream powder is to use hot water and then stir until smooth.  I think the sour cream powder tastes better after it has been refrigerated, and I always stick mine in the fridge until it is time to serve it, even if that is only a few minutes.  The sour cream powder really thickens up when it is refrigerated. 

Sour Cream and Brown Sugar Fruit Dip
1 cup THRIVE sour cream powder
1/4 cups plus 2 Tablespoons hot water
2 tablespoons THRIVE brown sugar, plus a little extra for garnish
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix sour cream, brown sugar and vanilla extract together. Let stand in refrigerator for flavors to combine (at least an hour or two or even better overnight). Garnish with a sprinkling of brown sugar.  Serve with fresh fruit such as apples or strawberries. 

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Food Storage Salads: Tabouli Salad

(sorry no photo, I swear I have taken a ton of photos of this salad but I can't find them on my camera)
Tabouli is traditionally made with Bulgur wheat.  Bulgur is made by soaking cooked whole wheat kernels (berries) which are then dried and part of the bran is removed. The remaining pieces are cracked into small pieces. Bulgur can be cooked and served as a grain or used in breads, soups, and even desserts. I usually have a small amount of Bulgur on hand because I like it.  I don't store it in my long term storage because I have not found anywhere that sells it packaged for long term storage.  I have found that you can substitute cracked wheat, brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, barley, or couscous.  I like to substitute 9 grain cracked cereal in place of the Bulgur wheat. It gives the salad a similar taste, texture and appearance.  If I have it I like to add in a little feta cheese.  If you prefer you can use your own bottled Italian salad dressing.

Today's salad, tabouli, has tomatoes and cucumbers in it. But both are in small amounts and are grown in most people’s gardens.  I have made this salad substituting canned petite diced tomatoes and it is a okay substitute not as good as fresh but okay in a pinch.  If you are going to use canned tomatoes, use high quality tomatoes, which have been rinsed and very well drained prior to adding them to the salad.  Recently parsley has been tasting bitter to me (I know I am crazy but what can you do?)  Consequently I have been using very little when I make this salad. 

Tabouli Salad

1 ½ c. water, heated to boiling
1 ¼ c. THRIVE 9 grain cereal (or cracked wheat or if you have it bulgur wheat)

2 T. olive oil
1 tomato, diced
½ cucumber, diced
1 c. parsley, rough chop or tear into small pieces
¼ c. red onion, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ t. garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the boiling water and the 9 grain cereal and let sit 30 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredient and toss to mix. 

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Updated How Much Shelf Relaince Cosultants Make Post

I just updated the post about how much Shelf Reliance Consultants make.  If you are interested head on over to this post.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Prepare for flooding: What I have learned

This is not a great photo but it does show how much water was in our back yard. Notice the window we have sandbagged you can see the water has filled in the window well completely. 

It seems that ever new report, every conversation, and every face book post today is about flooding.  I hope that you are dry.  As I have been thinking about all of the flooding today I thought I would share what I have learned about flooding.  Two years ago our house flooded twice.  And hopefully it will never flood again.
What I have learned about flooding.
My daughter helping with the demolition. 

         
1. Everyone floods, don’t assume that you won’t assume that you will. Weather you have a rain gutter fail or a water heater break everyone floods.
2.       Prepare, for a small flood, caused by lots of fun off or a swollen creek.   There are a couple of simple things that you can do to help prevent flooding. Remember that your insurance will not cover any damage caused to your home or property caused by water coming into the house from outside.  Even if you have flood insurance and you probably don’t, flood insurance only covers structural damage not contents.
a.       Clean out the rain gutters, spring and fall. 
b.      Have high window wells.  Window wells in many older home (like mine) are flush with the ground.  If you window well is a couple of inches above ground level, you can prevent a lot of water from getting into your house.
c.       Use down spout extenders, and use them properly.  These are plastic tubes that hook onto the ends of your downspouts. They are direct the water away from your house and window wells.  Make sure they are extended and funneling the water well away from your house.
d.      Be aware of bodies of water near your home.
e.      Understand how your city/neighborhood deals with runoff water.  In my city the runoff water is funneled into the canals.  Not an optimal solution.  When the canals are full the overflow.   Does your city funnel to creeks? Rivers? What happens to runoff water when those areas are full?  Can the flood water in those rivers/creeks flow backwards and flood your neighborhood by coming up the drain? 
f.        Make sure the storm drains near your home are free of debris.  Yes I know the city should do this but they won’t.  2 minutes of removing sticks and leaves can save you from a flood. 
g.       If you are in any danger of flooding sand bag.  We sandbag a couple of feet out from the window wells. 
h.      Have an financial paperwork binder in a fire proof, water proof safe. That is locked (they are not water tight unless locked. 
One of the 3 bedrooms that flooded, after the Sheetrock, insulation, an carpet have been removed

3.        Prepare for a catastrophic flood
a.       Have a 72 hour kit ready and up to date, and easy to grab.
b.      Do NOT store irreplaceable items  in the basement .  Things like photos, wedding dresses, baby books, the quilt your grandma made you, need to be stored where they will not be exposed to water and mud in the event of a flood.  If you would be devastated if it was ruined by water do not store it in the basement  Even if it is in a Rubbermaid tote, on a top shelf.  When we flooded 2 years ago our neighbors flooded too. In about 5 minutes their basement filled with from floor to ceiling.  When you have that much water the lids to totes pop off.   It is a good idea to have a copy of any photo that is special to you stored in an of site location, such as an out of state family members.  This holds true for important documents as well.
c.       Decide in advance when you are going to evacuate.  Do you remember all of those people who did not evacuate from Katrina?  How about all of the people living near the nuclear power plant in Japan that did not get evacuated until they had been exposed to the radiation?   I do, and I don’t want to be one of them.  When there is an emergency in my neighborhood I am evacuating at the first possible sign to it might be necessary.  I can replace my possessions I cannot replace my family members.  The life of my husband and children is worth more to me that my stuff.  We are all evacuating if the authorities are even considering evacuating our area. 
d.        Be ready to evacuate:  If you are given ½ an hour to gather personal items and leave your home. What would you take?  Where is it at?  Most people in an evacuation don’t really take the things they will really need.  Here is what I am taking if I have a few minutes to grab stuff.
                                                               i.      Financial paper work binder
                                                             ii.      Our 72 hour kits
                                                            iii.      My kids comfort objects
                                                           iv.      Our emergency cash (in a lot of emergency the area reverts to a cash only economy)
                                                             v.      Extra clothes—we have some clothes in our 72 hour kits but not enough to last very long. 
                                                           vi.      Address book
                                                          vii.      Lap top  (only because as part of my husband's job, he is responsible for disaster recovery for the computer systems he works on, and if we are evacuating I am sure he will need to work on the disaster recovery computer systems)
                                                        viii.      Camera--I never have all of my photos backed up.  I have most of them but there are always some new ones I haven't gotten to yet.  If I have the camera I have those photos.

Food Storage Salads: Cranberry Walnut Wheat Berry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing


When I first started thinking about salads that could be made from food storage ingredients, the only salad I was familiar with was a salad made from Wheat berries that I tried at a food storage fair.  It was terrible.  I was reluctant to even try making one, but the idea of it was such a good one.  Wheat is the basis of most everyone’s food storage, and if I could come up with a good salad made from wheat berries it would be a great addition to my food storage repertoire.  So I tried a few and after a few yucky salads I have come up with one I really like.  I hope you like it to.  By the way this poppy seed dressing is a great recipe on any salad.   

Cranberry Walnut Wheat Berry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Salad Ingredients
1 1/2 cups hard wheat berries
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup freeze dried Celery, re-hydrated
1/3 cup freeze dried onion, re-hydrated
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Poppy Seed Dressing Ingredients
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 cups vegetable oil
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1 ½  tablespoon poppy seeds
Salad Directions:
In a large pot combine the wheat berries and enough water to come 2 inches over the wheat berries. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 1 hour, or until tender and plump. Drain and let cool.
Toast the walnuts in a medium dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, walnuts, celery, dried cranberries, celery, and onion and cheese.  Add salad dressing and enjoy.  Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.  
Salad Dressing Directions:
Combine all dressing ingredient in a blender an blend until smooth and creamy. Pour desired amount over salad

Monday, May 9, 2011

Food Storage Salads: Pea Salad


My family loves this salad.  It is easy and quick and in the summer much "cooler" to eat then cooked peas.  When using freeze dried peas, make sure the peas are completely re-hydrated before mixing the dressing in.

Pea Salad                       

2 cups freeze dried peas, re-hydrated (or 1 package frozen peas, run under hot water to defrost)
½ bottle ranch salad dressing
¼ cup vinegar
2 TBS dry dill

Mix everything together and serve.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Food Storage Salads: Frozen Fruit Cocktail


A few years ago I attended a church activity where the women all brought a recipe and a sample of their favorite way to "Preserve the Harvest."  The recipes included canning, drying, and freezing.  This recipe was shared by a wonderful woman who couldn't stay for the activity but wanted to share.  After tasting it I knew my family would love it.
The peaches I use are Early Alberta, or if I can find them Lemon Alberta.  They are my most favorite peach and are wonderful in this dish.  I have made it both with Marciano Cherries and without.  I love Marciano cherries but my family does not. 

Frozen Fruit cocktail
from Susan Nielson

6 ½ cups peaches, pealed and sliced
2 cups sugar
1 2/3 cup crushed pineapple with juice
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 Oranges

Add sugar to peaches and stir until juicy. Add pineapple and juices to peaches, Mix well. Put in freezer containers.  You can also add any fruit like Pears of Maraschino Cherries.  Freeze. 

Before you serve add sliced bananas.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Food Storage Salad: Astronaut Salad



I was recently talking to my sister about this series of salads I am posting about.  She said "you know Jell-O is not a salad it is a dessert."  And you know what.  She is right.  Jell-O defiantly falls in the dessert category but when I am asked to bring a salad to a pot luck Jell-O definitely counts.  The only thing that I don't have in my food storage that is in this recipe is the cottage cheese.  You can leave the cottage cheese if you don't have it or can't get it. 

This recipe is from my mother-in-law.  When my husband was growing up she would make this salad and the kids said it was "out of this world" and so it was named Astronaut Salad.  My mom-in-law usually makes this with orange Jell-O.  I LOVE it with red Jell-o. 

Astronaut Salad

1 small package cottage cheese
1 small container of cool whip  (or 1 recipe THRIVE Whipped Topping see below)
1 can mandarin oranges drained
1 can chunk pineapple drained
1 small box of jell-o (what ever is your favorite)

Mix together. Serve.

Thrive Whipped Topping
THRIVE Whipped Topping—made from THRIVE instant milk
   1 t vanilla extract
   1⁄2 c thrive powdered sugar
    1⁄2 c thrive instant milk, prepared and chilled
    1⁄2 c ice water
Combine ice water and powdered milk in bowl and beat for 10 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, continue to beat until thoroughly blended. Chill.

*This works best in a stand mixer with whip beaters. If mixture begins to fall, beat again.
 Notes:  MUST use THRIVE instant powdered milk and not the standard dry milk variety.

Blueberries and Cream Cookies



 These cookies are a wonderful mix of sweet and savory.  The freeze dried blueberries create a pop of flavor when you eat the cookies. The thing I love the most is the milk crumbles. I must admit that we have been eating them plain.  But they really are fabulous in the cookie. 

Blueberries and Cream Cookies
1 cup butter  (2 sticks)
½ c brown sugar
½ c sugar
1 egg
¼ tsp vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cups milk crumbles  (recipe below)
1 1/2 cups Freeze Dried Blueberries (do not reconstitute)

 Make milk crumbles (see recipe below) while the crumbles are baking cream together butter, sugars, and egg.  Add vanilla, flour, soda. Mix well.   At this stage the cookie dough seems very dry.  Do not add water, keep mixing until the dough forms a soft coherent mass.  Gently fold in milk crumbles and blueberries.  Drop by large round spoonfuls on un-greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes, until edges are light golden brown.  Let stand on cookies sheet for 2 minutes cool before removing.  Do not over bake.

 Milk Crumbles  (a variation on Christian Tosis recipe)


3/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup THRIVE butter powder
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Combine everything except the water in a medium bowl;  whisk to mix evenly.  Add water and stir with a fork until cluster from.  Spread mixture evenly on prepared sheet. Bake until crumbs are dry and crumbly but still pale, about 10 minutes.  Cool completely on sheet.  Crumbles can be made up to one week in advance. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Sunday, May 1, 2011

"Where to live to avoid a Natural Disaster"

This interactive map from the New York Times lets you see who is most at risk for Natural disasters and where is the safest to live. It shows separate maps for hurricane risk, tornado risk, and earthquake risk.  Take a minuet and see how your location ranks. 
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/05/01/weekinreview/01safe.html