Emergency Prepardness in the News

 Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marktee/

There have been some great articles about emergency preparedness in the news lately.  I thought I would share the best of them.
 
7/4/2011   The Key To Disaster Survival? Friends and Neighbors
I loved this article. It made me want to be more involved in my community.  I love the idea of neighbors helping neighbors in an emergency. 

7/3/2011  Raising Children to Be Ready for Life
This very extensive article discusses how the author has taught her children to be ready for emergencies and for life.  I found the article insightful with a lot of suggestions I am going to implement.

7/15/2011 Hurricane Preparedness: Before, During and After a Flood
If you live in a hurricane prone area (and even if you don't) this is a great read on preparing for a flood.

7/13/2011 Waffle House Index helps to weather disasters
I think that this idea is groundbreaking.  For a business to have a disaster preparedness plan in place and functioning is very progressive.

Can I make chewy chocolate chip cookies with butter powder?

I"m a cookie person.  I  think most deserts are fine, but cookies are my desert.  I am particularly found of chocolate chip cookies.  I like them chewy.  But I have found that is not what every one wants.   I have found that most people like their cookies one of three ways.
Chewy
Puffy
Thin

Which is your favorite?  My husband is also a chewy, my son prefers puffy (him and the old ladies I know), and my daughter prefers thin.

When I started baking with powdered butter chewy chocolate chip cookies were my top priority. Don't worry if you are in one of the other camps stay tuned puffy and thin cookies are coming.

When using butter powder to make cookies there are two things that really make a difference.

1.  Creaming the butter and sugar together takes a LOT longer than you think it should.  Keep creaming until the butter sugar mixture really is creamed not just mixed.

2.  I like to add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.  I think it improves the texture of the cookies.

Recipe:  Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Made with Powdered Butter

1 cup butter powder plus 2 Tablespoons water (or 2 sticks butter)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 2/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1/1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg (1 Tablespoon powdered eggs plus 2 tablespoons water)
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter and sugars in mixing bowl (this will take longer then you expect but it is a vital step, don't stop until it really is creamed) Add egg, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour, salt, and baking soda until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Chill the dough, then scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 14 minutes.  Do not over bake. Check cookies ever 5 minutes.  Rotate pans for even browning.  Cool completely and store in an air tight container.

DIY Dough Enhancer

 Image Source: lindsaydeebunny

Many of my bread recipes contain dough enhancer.  Yet in many places in the country it is impossible to find.  If you have never heard of dough enhancer and are thinking "why do I even want dough enhancer?"   The answer is dough enhancer makes wheat bread, light and wonderful.  Your loafs will rise higher and your bread will be more delicious.

If you are wondering "How do I make my own dough enhancer"   then you have come to the right place.   Note: When I use this dough enhancer I also often add one egg (1 Tablespoon egg powder plus 2 tablespoons water) but you don't have to.

There are are several dough enhancer recipes floating around. Most include vinegar.  I personally don't like using vinegar as a dough enhancer.  So you might notice that my recipe does not include vinegar. 

This awesome recipe came from my awesome sister in law Christi.  Thanks for sharing! 

Do It Yourself Dough Enhancer

Printable Recipe

3 cups potato flakes
1 cup gluten
1 package unflavored gelatin  (just one envelope not the entire box)

1 box of pectin (found by the canning supplies usually on the baking isle)

Mix well.  Store in a cool dry place. 

To use:  Add DIY dough enhancer to bread dough at the same time you add the flour.  If the bread recipe does not state how much dough enhancer to use a good rule of thumb is to add 1 tablespoon DIY dough enhancer for every 3 cup of flour in the recipe.


My bread recipes that use dough enhancer
Whole Wheat Bread
Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls with Pineapple Butter Cream Frosting


What are other people saying about dough enhancer?

Chickens in the Road:  How to make homemade dough enhancer

Shout Outs: Food Storage Recipes From Around the Web

There are lots of wonderful recipes being  posted on blogs – here’s 5 that caught my eye over the last couple of days.

A Whole New World – Powdered Dairy  by Self – Reliance by Jamie

She makes Chocolate Chip cookies using ½ butter powder and ½ regular butter.  Good idea.

Strawberry –White chocolate chip cookies by Café Johnsonia

Super Yum!  Made using all food storage ingredients. 

Cold Summer Oatmeal by The Mother Huddle

I hate cold cereal but I have to admit that hot oatmeal in the summer is gross.  This recipe is a great way to keep the cold cereal out of my house and still have a cold (yet healthy) breakfast.

Crockpot Refried Beans by Real Mom Kitchen

Simple, easy, and something my kids will eat. 

Creamy Crockpot Risotto by A Year of Slow cooking

A great idea.  I would never have thought the rice would turn out in the Crockpot.   But it is beautiful. 

Subscribers: New Poll on the blog

I know many of you get all your blog new through a subscription service like Google reader.  If you do you might have missed the new poll on the side of the blog. So hop on over and cast your vote for what ingredients you would like to see more recipes for. 

Can I Make Sugar Cookies and Buttercream Frosting From Butter Powder?

Powdered Butter is one of the THRIVE products that I get the most questions about.  Both consultants and customers and interested in it but sometimes have problems.  I think that powdered butter is a good product.  It is one that I personally store in my food storage and I think that it can be a great product for most everyone who is building their food storage.  

Price Comparison:  Fresh Butter to Powdered Butter

Sum Up:  Buying powdered butter is significantly cheaper than buying fresh butter.

Form	Average retail price
Fresh Butter	1$3.854 per pound ( 2cups)
2THRIVE Powdered Butter	$2.1156 for 2 cups

¹  Source:  The Bureau of Labor Statistics The US Consumer Price Index http://www.bls.gov/ro3/apmw.htm  May 2011 Midwest Prices

 ²Source: http://www.shelfreliance.com  June 2011 Home Party Price List

What do I need to know about Powdered Butter? 

source: http://flic.kr/p/8HZ5rP

• Butter Powder Shelf Life:  5 years sealed in the can, once it is open you have 9 months to use it.  Once open  butter powder does NOT need to be refrigerated.
•  To use Butter Powder to make spreadable butter for your toast:    For 1 stick of butter (½ cup) :  Mix ½ cup powdered butter with 2 Tablespoons water. Stir well.
• Try adding a pinch of salt or sugar to enhance the flavor.
• When baking:  It takes longer for butter powder to “cream” (think about when you are making cookies and you cream the butter and sugar together)  Don’t give up it will cream, just keep mixing.
•  When using butter powder to bake cookies:  I find that it is easier to get my cookies (or other baked goods) to have the correct texture if I add 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil to the dough.  It is not necessary but I prefer it that way.
• If the recipe calls for butter to be “cut in” as it does in many biscuit recipes. Just stir the butter powder into the dry ingredients with a whisk then add the water to rehydrate with the wet ingredients.

• To replace fresh butter in cooking follow this chart (not the instructions on the can) 

Amount of butter needed	Amount of Butter powder	Amount of water
½ c.	½ c.	1 T.
1 cup	1 cup	2 T cup
2 cups	2 cups	4 T cup

Recipe: Sugar Cookies 

Made from Butter Powder

                 
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter powder plus 2 tablespoons water
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. nutmeg (optional)
3 to 4 flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rehydrate butter powder by mixing butter powder and water together until it is creamy.  Cream  butter and sugar.  This will take longer than usual.  Keep creaming until the sugar and butter are well mixed and creamy, almost fluffy. 
Add eggs, milk, and vanilla, mix well. Add salt, soda, baking powder, and nutmeg, mixing well.  Add flour to make a soft dough.
 Spray work surface with cooking spray. Roll out and cut into shapes.  Bake on a cookies sheet lined with parchment.  Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 min. Do not over bake. Remove promptly from oven and cool.

Recipe: Butter Cream Frosting 

Made from Butter Powder

Yup Looks like frosting

½ cup butter powder plus 1 Tablespoon Water
¼ cup shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoon corn syrup
2 teaspoon milk

Beat butter, water and shortening  with hand mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Add corn syrup and milk. Beat until smooth.

Other Recipes Using Powdered Butter: 

Biscuits and Honey Butter made with Butter Powder

Easy Cake Mix using Butter Powder

Magic Mix using Butter Powder

Scary Roommate Microwave Meatballs

 

While I was in college I had a scary roommate.  But she made awesome meatballs. The first time I watched her I was totally weirder out because she cooked them in the microwave. 

I thought “What you can’t cook meat in the microwave. That is totally ridiculous.”

The only meat I had ever cooked in the microwave was the accidental chicken breast that I was trying to defrost and defrosted a little too long.  Yuck. 

But then I tried these meatballs, and I was hooked.  They are fast easy, tasty and best of all during the hot summer you can make them without heating up your house. 

Scary Roommate Microwave Meatballs

1 lb Ground Beef (or Turkey)

4 eggs beaten

2 cups bread crumbs

½ c onion

1 T salt

¼ tsp pepper

2 T Worcestershire sauce

Mix and form into meatballs. Place in a greased baking dish.  Round works best. Microwave 4 minutes, gently stir.  Microwave 4 more minutes, gently stir. Pour sauce over meatballs. Microwave 2 minutes.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Sauce:

2 Can tomato soup  (do not add the water)

1/4 cup T Brown sugar

3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 T prepared mustard (we use French's Yellow Hot dog mustard but use what you have)

1 T vinegar

Mix and pour over meatballs. Serve with rice or potatoes