Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition [Survival Today

Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.

To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.

How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)

Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)

Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)

Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)

40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)

Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)

5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)

* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance

http://www.justpeace.org/funfoods.htm

FUN FOODS

Scones and Donuts

1 can store biscuits, or Best Biscuit recipe -—— cinnamon sugar or Quick White Icing -—— Oil or shortening

Make biscuit dough and roll into biscuits or open can of biscuits. Pinch a hole in the middle. Drop into hot oil, fry until brown on both sides. Drain grease, dust liberally with cinnamon sugar or ice with Quick White Icing. For Scones, press biscuits flat in your hand, drop into hot oil, fry.

Hot Cocoa

For each cup of cocoa, mix ½ to 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp cocoa, and 1/4 cup water. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cupo milk. Heat, but do not boil. For an added touch, add a drop of vanilla and beat just before serving. Pour over a marshmallow in each cup.

Potato Chips

Cut potatoes in half, slice very thin. Soak in cold water for about 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel. Deep fry in hot oil (375 degrees) until tender, crisp, and golden brown. Sprinkle with salt, cheese, or other favorites.

Onion Ring Batter

3/4 cup flour -—— 1/4 tsp soda -—— 1/4 cup cornstarch -—— 1-1/2 tsp baking powder -—— 1 cup water -—— 1 egg

Combine ingredients and mix well. Slice onion into rings, dip into batter, deep fry in hot oil. Variation: (1) dip thinly sliced potatoes in batter and deep fry. (2) Use milk instead of water for a creamier batter. (3) Dip other vegetables (sliced zucchini, carrots, whatever) and deep fry.

Hot Peanuts

2 tbspn red pepper -—— 4 garlic cloves -—— 1 tsp chili powder -—— 3 tbspn oil -—— dry unsalted shelled peanuts.

Heat crushed red pepper in oil for one minute. Crush garlic and add to oil, add peanuts. Cover over medium heat for five minutes. Remove from heat, add salt and chili powder. Drain on paper towels.

Caramel Popcorn

2 quarts popped corn -—— 2 sticks margarine -—— ½ cup karo syrup -—— 1-1/3 cup sugar -—— 1 tsp vanilla -—— nuts (optional)

Mix syrup, sugar, margarine, and vanilla. Cook until it is a light caramel color. Pour over popcorn and nut mixture. Press into large pan. Cool and break into pieces.

Oklahoma Peanuts

1-1/2 cup nuts -—— ½ cup sugar -—— ½ tsp vanilla -—— 2 tbspn margarine

Line a baking sheet with greased foil. In a heavy skillet, combine nuts, sugar, margarine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for eight minutes or until sugar melts and turns a rich brown color. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Spread onto prepared baking sheet. Cool, break into small clusters, store tightly covered.

Beer Nuts

1 cup sugar -—— 1/4 tsp maple flavoring -—— ½ cup water -—— shelled raw peanuts (about a pound)

Combine all ingredient in saucepan. Cook until liquid is gone (about 10 to 15 minutes). Spread on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Bread Pudding

2 cups dry bread -—— 2 cups milk -—— 2 eggs -—— ½ cup sugar -—— dash salt -—— raisins, vanilla

Beat eggs, milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla together. Crumble bread and add to the milk mixture, add raisins. Mix together. Bake in dish set in a larger pan of water for one hour at 300 degrees.

Yummy Fritter Batter

1 cup flour -—— 1 tsp baking powder -—— dash of salt -—— 1 tbspn melted margarine -—— 1 egg -—— ½ cup milk

Combine flour, baking powder and salt, stir to blend, add unbeaten egg and melted margarine, stir until well blended. Add milk, mix well. Let stand 30 minutes. Ham fritters: add 1 cup minced ham, drop by spoonfuls into hot oil and deep fry. Banana Fritters: peel and quarter six bananas, use fruit juice instead of milk (optional), dip bananas in batter and saute in margarine until golden on all sides. Apple Fritters: use fruit juice as liquid, peel, core, and dice two cups of apples, add the apples to the batter, drop by spoonfuls into hot oil, deep fry. For peach or apricot fritters, use the canned fruit syrup for the liquid, chop peaches or apricots and mix with batter, fry as with the apple fritters. For beer batter, use beer instead of milk, use 2 eggs.

Corn Dogs

2 cups flour —— 2 cups corn meal -—— 2 tbsp baking powder -—— 2 tbspn sugar -—— 1 egg, beaten -—— 2 cups milk -—— 2 tsp salt -—— wieners

Mix dry ingredients, add egg and milk, mix well. Let b batter stand for 30 minutes. Dip wieners into batter, deep fry in hot oil. When done on one side, they should turn over by themselves. Variation: add 1/4 cup melted margarine to batter, and instead of frying, bake coated wieners in 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes until batter is done.

Pigs in a Blanket

Roll unbaked biscuits into flat rectangles and wrap around wieners. Bake in 375 degree oven until biscuits are done, about 10 minutes. Melt a little cheese into some hot dog chili sauce or chili. Pour over wieners and biscuits. Vegetarian variation: roll biscuit dough around whole baked carrots, brushed with melted margarine and sprinkled with brown sugar.

Pizza Dough

1 tbsp yeast -—— 3 to 3-1/2 cups flour -—— 2 tbsp oil -—— 1 cp warm water -—— 1 tsp salt -—— 1 tbsp sugar

Mix sugar and warm (not hot) water, sprinkle yeast on the water, let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until yeast bubbles up. Add salt, oil, flour (in that order). Knead until smooth and let rise one hour. Punch the dough and roll to desired size of pizza (makes 1 thick, or 2 thin crusts). Top with tomato sauce (or spaghetti sauce), add cheese, fried hamburger or sausage, or whatever else you like on a pizza. Bake at 350 degrees until done (about 20 minutes).

Pizza Sauce

Parmesan Cheese -—— tomato sauce -—— chopped onion -—— dash salt and pepper —— ½ tsp oregano -—— shredded cheese.

Layer ingredients onto pizza crust in this order. Can also add fried hamburger, sausage, or other meats.

Beef Jerky

2 tsp onion powder —— 1 tsp salt -—— 3 lb roast -—— ½ cup Worcestershire sauce -—— 2 tsp pepper -—— ½ cup soy sauce —— 2 tsp garlic powder.

Trim all fat from roast and slice very thin. Combine all ingredients except meat, mix well. Add meat and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator (cover tightly). Arrange strips of marinated meat over oven rack, directly on the rack (line the bottom of the oven with foil to catch drips). Bake at 200 degrees with the oven door slightly open for six to eight hours. Store in tightly covered container. Variation: add pepper and/or chili powder for hot jerky.

Salted Biscuits

2 cups flour — 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper — pinch of cayenne — 2 tbsp. butter, chilled — 1 cup grated dry cheese like Parmesan or Romano — ice water

Sift the dry ingredients together and cut in the butter with a pastry cutter. Stir in cheese. Add sufficient water, 1 - 2 tbsp at a time, to make a stiff dough. Mix with a fork — but don’t overmix or the biscuits will be tough. Roll out very thin on a floured board and cut into shapes. Prick each biscuit with a fork. Bake on a buttered baking sheet at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes.

Nachos Deluxe

tortilla chips — refried beans — salsa — Cheese — cilantro, olives, green onions, tomatoes

Layer tortilla chips, beans, cheese, salsa. Place under broiler until the cheese is melted and the beans are hot. Sprinkle on the rest of the items, eat hearty. You can make your own tortilla chips by deep frying corn tortillas.

Enchilada sauce

Dried whole chilies — water — beef broth or bouillon garlic powder, salt, pepper to taste — flour

Wash the dried whole chilies, place in pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until falling apart. Add water if necessary. Pour this chili mixture through a sieve, using a wooden mallet, crush the pulp through the sieve. Discard the skins left in the sieve. If you aren’t making the enchilada sauce right away, you can freeze this pulp. To make into enchilada sauce, add 1 part beef broth to 1 part chili pulp, plus garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste. The mixture will be quite thin. Add a little flour and mix vigorously (do this until it is the typical consistency of canned enchilada sauce).

Sopa de Tortilla

Corn tortillas, torn to chip size chopped green onions — half a bunch of fresh cilantro crushed garlic to taste — 1 or 2 chopped fresh tomatoes salt and pepper to taste — Monterey jack or longhorn cheese

Saute tortillas in a little oil until they are a bit crisp (but not as completely crisp as corn chips). Add chopped green onions (or regular onions), cilantro, crushed garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir for a minute or two, then add chunks or slices of cheese and just enough water so that it isn’t dry, but not so much that it doesn’t absorb quickly. Simmer until water is absorbed and serve.

Refried Beans

Cooked beans and bacon fat

Put some bacon fat in a skillet, add cooked beans, and mash them. If they are too dry, add some of the bean liquid. You can add spices (cumin, garlic, crushed red pepper). To make a bean dip, add some salsa.

http://www.justpeace.org/breakfast.htm

Not everyone agrees, I suppose, but this is what my grandmother told me. Breakfast doesn’t have to be an expensive meal, it can be one of the most thrifty — and yet, the most tasty — of all your meals. I’m not fond of expensive packaged cereal products; seems to me all too often to be another case of paying big bucks for snob appeal. (I want my designed cereal!) I’d much rather munch on these fine foods first thing in the morning. Somehow, they make the world seem to be a better place.
Sausage Gravy
1/8 - 1/4 pound sausage — 2 tbspn flour — 1 cup skim milk

Crumble sausage and fry until done, draining all the grease except one to two tablespoons. Add flour, fry for about 1 minute. Add milk, stir until it thickens, salt and pepper as desired. This recipe serves one adult or two children, for each additional person, add an additional cup of milk, 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of sausage grease. Increase sausage if desired. Bacon variation: fry bacon, mix flour with bacon grease, add milk. You can also make this with half milk, half water.

Rise and Shine Casserole
6 slices dry bread — 1/4 cup margarine, melted — salt — 2 cups milk — shredded cheese — ½ tsp dry mustard — 3 eggs, beaten

Tear bread into small pieces. Layer 1/4 of the bread and 1/4 of your cheese 4 times in a casserole dish. Pour melted margarine on top. Combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix well. Pour mixture onto casserole. Refrigerate overnight. First thing in the morning, bake for 1 hour in 350 degree oven. Variations: add crumbled fried sausage or bacon, ham, cooked beans, jalapenos, shredded cheese. Smother casserole with chili, chili sauce, cooked beans, or gravy.

Home Made Hashbrowns
Slice potatoes in half and boil for ten minutes. Cover with cold water and refrigerate overnight. Shred (peeling the potatoes is optional) and fry in oil in skillet until brown on both sides. Note: if you go directly from the boiling to the shredding, there are a bit mushy.

Saturday Morning Breakfast
Large biscuit buns — 2 eggs, boiled — two potatoes, hash browned — 2 cups cheese sauce — 1/8 pound sausage, or some bacon

Make 4 biscuit buns using biscuit recipe and bake until done. Slice in half, layer on each biscuit half: fried hashbrowns, 1/4 boiled egg, fried sausage or crumbled bacon, top with cheese sauce.

Potato Pancakes
3 medium potatoes, shredded — 2 eggs, beaten — ½ cup flour — ½ cup shredded carrot (optional) — salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste — 1/4 cup onion, shredded

Put shredded potatoes in cold water for about 15 minutes, drain and pat dry. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well. Drop potato mixture by the spoon fulls onto hot skillet greased with melted margarine. Turn when golden brown, brown on other side, serve with applesauce.

Creamed Eggs
Add 2 to 4 hard cooked eggs, cut into quarters, to 1 cup medium white sauce. Serve hot over toast or biscuits or rice. You can sprinkle with paprika and parsley, crisp bacon bits, etc. Variation, add small amount of fried sausage to the white sauce.

Oatmeal Pancakes
1 cup oats — 1 cup flour — 1 tsp baking powder — 1-1/2 cups milk with 1 tbsp of vinegar in it (or use buttermilk) — ½ tsp baking soda — 1 egg, beaten — 2 tbsp melted margarine

Soak oats in one cup milk for five minutes. Add other ingredients, mix well. Heat griddle (test for hotness by sprinkling some water on it, if the bubbles “skitter” around the pan, it’s ready). Make small pancakes, turn when brown. If you don’t have vinegar or buttermilk, use regular skim milk and increase baking powder to 1-1/2 tsp and omit baking soda. To make the pancakes extra fluffy, separate the egg yolk and white, beat separately, add egg yolk and milk, then add stiffly beaten egg whites.

Favorite Best Pancakes
1-1/4 cups buttermilk — 2 tbsp margarine — 1-1/4 cups flour — 1 egg, beaten — 1 tsp baking powder — ½ tsp soda — dash of salt

Mix ingredients, cook as described in Oatmeal Pancakes. If you use plain milk rather than buttermilk, adjust baking powder as described in Oatmeal Pancakes.

Breakfast Tacos
1 cup cooked rice — 1/8 - 1/4 lb sausage — chopped onion — corn or flour tortillas — 2 eggs, beaten — chopped jalapenos — hot sauce/salsa

Fry sausage (or bacon, or ham) with the onion and drain the grease. Add rice, jalapenos, and beaten eggs, scramble together with the sausage. Meanwhile, heat the tortillas on a griddle or directly over a low flame. Divide sausage/rice mixture among the tortillas, add hot sauce/salsa, and/or cheese as desired. Makes 6-8 tacos. Variations: (1) use fried potatoes instead of cooked rice. (2) Add a can of hot dog chili sauce to the mat mixture. (3) Add fresh chopped tomatoes, and/or chopped black olives, and/or chopped green onion.

Breakfast Pizza
1 recipe pizza dough — 4 eggs — 1 cup hash brown potatoes — grated cheese — ½ lb sausage — 1/4 cup milk — salt and pepper

Cook sausage until browned, drain fat. Place pizza dough in an ungreased pan, spread melted margarine on the dough. Spoon sausage over dough, sprinkle with potatoes, top with grated cheese. Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour onto crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Variation: sprinkle eggs with Parmesan cheese.

http://www.justpeace.org/cakes.htm

Don’t buy that old frozen pie that costs big bucks and don’t waste your money on that expensive birthday cake from the bakery that was probably made with a mix. Make your own pies, cakes, and desserts and save big bucks. Here’s a selection fo fun and easy sweet things. Get in the habit of making these items, and everybody will swear you are a cook that is touched by heavenly flavor.

Sugar Cookies
½ cup margarine — 1 cup sugar — 1 egg — 1/3 cup milk — 1/4 tsp salt — 1 tsp vanilla — 2-1/2 cups flour — ½ tsp cream of tartar — 1 tsp soda

Blend margarine, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla. Stir. Add the rest of the dry ingredients. Roll out on a floured board 1/8 inches thick and cut into cookies. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes.

Sweet Potato Pie
Sweet potatoes — 2 eggs — ½ stick margarine — ½ cup brown sugar — pie crust

Boil sweet potatoes until done, peel the skins off (after boiling). Mash with beaten eggs, amrgarine, and brown sugar. Add pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger), pour in unbaked pie crust and bake at 350 degrees until a knife in the center comes out clean (about 45 minutes).

Pie Crust
2 cups flour — ice water (about 3 tbsp) — ½ cup oil, margarine, or shortening

Mix flour, salt, and shortening. Add enough ice water so it holds together. Knead for several minutes, roll out and place in pan. Tip: place dough between two sheets of wax paper when rolling it out. If you don’t roll it out between two sheets of wax paper, fold it in half, and then again in quarters (after rolling!), to place dough in pie so it doesn’t tear. Then unfold and arrange in pan. If the dough tears, dip your fingers in water and press it back into place, or “patch” with extra pieces of dough, moistening the fingers first. Note: there are as many different recipes for pie crust as there are cooks. This recipe is among the less complicated possibilities, but there is no doubt that pie crust is challenging. Practice makes perfect, though, so keep working on it.

Miracle Pie
1 cup sugar — 1/4 cup margarine — 4 eggs — ½ cup flour — 2 cups milk — 1 cup coconut — 1/4 tsp salt — ½ tsp baking powder — 1tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together (you can dump them all in a blender and spin). Mix thoroughly. Pour into a ten inch pie plate that has been greased and florued. Bkae at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. This pie makes its own crust and a coconut topping.

Peach Pie
1 cup sugar — 2 eggs — pinch of salt — peaches — 2 tbsp flour — 2 tbsp margarine — unbaked pie crust

Line unbaked pie crust with sliced peaches (fresh or drained canned). Mix other ingredients gogether and pour over the peaches. Let stand for five minutes before baking. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until filling is set.

Better-than-a-Bakery White Cake
2 cups sugar — 3/4 cup margarine — 1 cup milk — 5 egg whites, beaten — 3 cups flour — 3 tsp baking powder — 1 tsp lemon flavoring — 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix the flour and baking powder together. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and margarine together and then mix in the flour and baking powder mixture. Add the milk, mix well. Add the beaten egg whites. Mix well. Makes two 8 inch layers or one 13 x 9 inch cake. Bake layers 30 to 35 minutes, sheet cake 35 to 40 minutes, at 350 degrees.

Easy Very Tasty Cobbler
1 cup flour — 1 cup sugar — 1 stick of margarine — 2 tsp baking powder — 1 cup skim milk — 1 or 2 cans pie filling or canned fruit

Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add milk and melted margarine, mix well. Pour batter into baking pan (use a casserole dish). Pour pie filing on top of the batter, or pour the drained can of peaches or other fruit on top. Use one or two cans, as budget and taste allow. The batter rises up and covers the fruit as it bakes. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes (or until golden brown on top).

Easy Very Tasty Brownies
1 cup flour — 1 cup sugar — 1/3 cup cocoa — 1 stick margarine — 2 eggs — 1 cup nuts (optional)

Mix dry ingredients. Add melted margarine, then add beaten eggs. Mix well. Bake at 350 degrees in 9 inch square pan for about 15 minutes. Icing: Mix 1/3 cup milk, 1 stick oleo and 4 tbsp of cocoa, bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add 2 cups powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Spread on brownies.

Easy Very Tasty Brownie Mix
Mix 6 cups flour, 6 cups sugar, 2 cups cocoa. Use two cups mix in place of dry ingredients in Easy Very Tasty Brownie Recipe

Biscuit Mix Cake
1-1/3 cups biscuit mix — 3 tbsp soft softerning — 3/4 cup milk — 3/4 cup sugar — 1 egg — 1 tsp vanilla

Mix biscuit mix, sugar, shortening, egg, and 1/4 cup milk. Beat vigorously for 1 minute. Add vanilla to remaining milk, stir in gradually the ½ cup milk. Beat 30 seconds. Pour into 8 inch square pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, top with favorite icing.

Chocolate, Banana, or Pineapple Pudding
2/3 cup sugar — 2 eggs — 1 tsp vanilla (optional) — 3 tbsp flour — 2 cups milk — 2 tbsp margarine (optional) — vanilla wafers (optional)

Mix flour and sugar together, add milk and beaten eggs, mix very well, so there are no lumps. Add margarine and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Add sliced bananas and vanilla. Put a layer of vanilla wafers in a dish. Pour pudding over wafers. Chill and serve. Variations: use crushed pineapple in place of bananas. Use 1/4 cup cocoa instead of bananas for chocolate pudding.

Fruit Cocktail Bars
2 eggs — 1-1/2 cup sugar — 1 can fruit cocktail — 2-1/4 cups flour — ½ cup chopped nuts (optional) — 1-1/2 tsp soda — ½ tsp salt — 1 tsp vanilla — 1-1/2 cup coconut

Beat eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add fruit cocktail (with syrup) and beat again. Mix dry ingredients together and add to fruit cocktail mixture, mix well. Add vanilla, mix. Spread in a 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan that has been greased and floured. Sprinkle cocounut and nuts over the otp (optional), abke at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Glaze while warm with the following: mix 3/4 cup sugar, ½ cup margarine, 1/4 cup milk in pan and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, add ½ tsp vanilla and cool. Drizzle on bars.

Standard Cookie Recipe
1 cup shortening — ½ cup brown sugar — ½ cup white sugar — 1 egg — ½ tsp salt — 2 cups sifted flour — 3/4 tsp soda — 3/4 tsp cream of tartar — 1 tbsp vinegar — 1 tsp vanilla

Cream sugar and shortening (or margarine) together. Mix dry ingredients, add to sugar mixture. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. To this basic cookied, you can add: chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, lemon juice, etc. You can also substitute one ucp oats for one cup of the lfour. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Yellow Cake
2 cups flour — 1-1/3 cups sugar — 1/3 cup shortening — 4 egg yolks — 1 cup milk — ½ tsp lemon flavoring — ½ tsp vanilla — 3 tsp baking powder

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, dahs of salt. Add shortening, milk, lemon and vanilla. Beat for two minutes. Add unbeaten egg yolks, beat for two more iminutes. Pour into two 8” pans (greased and floured) or one 13 x 9 pan. Bake in 350 degree oven. Layers: 30 to 35 minutes, large cake, 35 to 40 minutes.

Your Basic Very Easy Cake
sugar — flour — 2 tsp baking powder — 2 eggs — milk

ake a cup, any reasonable size, from the cupboard. Fill it with sugar. Put it into a bowl. Take the same cup, fill it with flour, put it into bowl and add baking powder. Break eggs into the cup and beat with fork. Add milk to fill the cup, pour over sugar and flour, beat. Put into a cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Twinkies
1 recipe white cake — 1 cup milk — 4 tbsp flour — 1 cup sugar — ½ cup shortening — ½ cup margarine — 1 tsp vanilla

Pie Custard
4 eggs — 2/3 cup sugar — ½ tsp salt — 1/4 tsp nutmeg — 2-2/3 cups hot milk — 1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Beat eggs slightly, add rest of ingredients. Pour into pie pan lined with unbaked pie crust. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until a knife inserted one inch from the side o the pie comes out clean. The center may stil look soft, but it will set. If you bake it too long, the custard becomes watery. You can make this pie with three eggs, if so, reduce milk to 2 cups.

Easy Very Tasty Fruit Cocktail Cake
2 cups flour — 2 tsp soda — 1 egg — 1-1/2 cup sugar — ½ tsp salt — 1 can fruit cocktail and syrup

Mix all ingredients together well. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. (For richer cake, use 2 eggs. For icing: cook 1 stick margarine, 1 cup sugar, ½ cup milk, for 3 minutes (boiling). Remove from heat and add 1 cup nuts (optional), 1 cup coconut, 1 tsp vanilla, spread on cake.

Easy Very Tasty Chocolate Cake
2 cups flour — 1-1/2 cups sugar — 1-1/4 tsp baking soda — 1 tsp salt — ½ cup cocoa — ½ cup margarine — 1 cup milk — 1 tsp vanilla — 2 eggs beaten

Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the melted margarine, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Preheat oven to 350 degrees asnd bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Makes two 8” layers or a 9 x 13” pan or a cast iron skillet-full. Icing: combine in a pan one stick of margarine, 6 tbsp of milk, and 4 tbsp of cocoa. Bring to a boil, add 2-3 cups of powdered sugar, vanilla, and nuts (optional). Mix horoughly, spread on cake while hot. Variation: add ½ cup mayonnaise to the batter for extra richness.

Cream Filling for Cakes.
Mix in saucepan 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1/4 tsp salt, gradually stir in 1 cup milk (or these items into a jar, shake well, pour into saucepan). Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Put 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten into another bowl. Add about half of the milk and sugar mixture to the egg yolk, mix, then pour back into the remaining milk mixture in saucepan. Boil one minute more, remove from heat, add 1 tbsp butter or margarine and 1 tsp vanilla. Stir well and cool, stirring occasionally. For Chocolate Cream Filing, add 1/4 cup cocoa with the dry ingredients.

Chocolate Cake Mix
6 cups flour — 4-1/2 cups sugar — 3-3/4 tsp baking soda — 1 cup powdered milk — 1-1/2 cup cocoa — 3 tsp salt

Use four cups mix for one cake. To this mix add ½ cup melted margarine, 1 cup water, 2 beaten eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla.

Fast and Quick Short Cake
1 cup sugar — 1 cup flour — ½ tsp salt — 2 eggs beaten — 1 tsp baking powder — 1 tsp vanilla — 1 cup milk with 1/3 cup powdered milk added

Mix dry ingredients, add milk, vanilla, and eggs, mix well until smooth. Bake in a 9 x 9 inch pan at 350 degrees until brown and the top springs back when you touch it. Serve with strawberries and ice cream, or other favorite topping. For small shortcakes, fill muffin tins about 2/3 full and bake.

Apple Dumplings
2 cups flour — ½ tsp salt — 4 tsp baking powder — 1/3 cup margarine or shortening — 2/3 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients, add melted margarine and mix until it is the consistency of coarse corn meal. Add milk and stir. Turn out onto floured board and knead for a minute or two. Roll the dough out so it is 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 8 squares. Place some sliced apples into the center of each square and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, dot with margarine (apple pie filling can be used in place of apples and sugar). Fold in the corners over the apples and pinch together. Place foled side down in a 10 x 13 baking dish and cover with sauce. Sauce: mix together 2 cups sugar, 2/3 cup melted margarine, 3 tbsp flour, 1 tsp vanilla. Add 3 cups boiling water. Continue to boil until the sauce thickens, so it is like a think white sauce (it will thicken more while baking. After covering with sauce, bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm: variation: use prunes or cherries or apricots instead of apples.

Pudding Mix
1-1/2 cup sugar — 2-3/4 cup dry milk — 3/4 cup cornstarh — 1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and stir until well blended. Store in tightly covered container. Makes about 24 servings of pudding. Keep mix on hand and you’ll always be able to fix a good dessert or snack fast.

Vanilla or Chocolate Pudding from Mix
1-1/4 cup pudding mix — 2-1/2 cups water — 1 egg, beaten — 1-1/2 tsp vanilla — 1 tbsp margarine (optional)

Combine pudding mix and water in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add margarine and remove from heat. Stir some of the hot mixture into the beaten egg, then blend this mixture into the pudding and cook one minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla, pour into dessert dish. Serve warm or chilled. Makes six servings. For chocolate pudding, add 1/4 cup cocoa.

Cake Icings and Frostings
Fluffy White Frosting Blend 1/4 cup flour and 1 cup milk, cook over medium heat until thick, cool. Cream together ½ cup margarine, 1/3 cup shortening, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup sugar. Add the cooked milk mixture, whip until it looks like whipped cream. Frosts 2 layers or a 9 x 13 inch cake. Variation: add cocoa for chocolate fluffy frosting.

Quick White Icing Put a cup or two of powdered sugar ina bowl, add a little (say two tbsp) milk until it is to spreading consistency. Add flavorings if desired (such as powdered cocoa, for chocolate icing, or lemon extract, for lemon icing). Color with food coloring, if desired.

Cocoa Icing Mix 2-2/3 cups powdered sugar and 1/3 cup cocoa, add 1/3 cup margarine (room temperature) and 3 to 4 tbsp milk. Stir until well blended.

Creamy White Melt ½ cup shortening in saucepan, remove from heat, add 2-1/2 tbsp flour and 1/4 tsp salt, stir until blended, slowly add ½ cup milk, stir well. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, remove from heat, stir in abotu 3 cups powdered sugar and ½ tsp vanilla. Stir until thick enough to spread.

Butter Icing Blend together 5 tbsp butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, add about 3 tbsp milk and 1-1/2 tsp vanilla and stir until smooth. Makes enough frosting for two 8 inch layers or one 13 x 9 cake. Can substitute margarine.

Orange or Lemon Icing Make butter icing, only omit the vanilla and use orange or lemon juice instead of the milk. You can add a little grated orange or lemon rind for extra flavor.

[LINKS ARE OLD AND NOT CHECKED BY ME TONIGHT...GRANNY]

http://www.justpeace.org/nuggets7.htm#OUTDOOR%20BREAD%20OVENS

FOOD STORAGE FAQS TOP

Misc. Survivalism’s Food Storage FAQ is at:

http://waltonfeed.com/grain/faqs

http://www.providenceco-op.com/house1.htm

OUTDOOR BREAD OVENS TOP

For excellent on-line reading about bread ovens, from the construction of to the actually baking of the bread, check out

http://www.tomifobia.com/oven.html . My husband and I are combining the info we received via this article and plans we obtained today to create a custom built oven using local materials, thus substantially reducing the cost of building and improving aesthetics.

A site which will eventually have free plans for an adobe bread oven can be found at http://www.boyd-crick.com/plan.jpg The site currently houses great plans for an adobe grill/roasting oven.

For those with a larger budget and time to participate in an apprenticeship, there is Alan Scott, the guru of the brick bread oven. His site is located at http://www.nbn.com/~ovncraft/ His experience and plan selection are amazing (so are the prices!)

Also, as mentioned in several other posts, http://www.earthovens.com . At this site you can order a book detailing the building of an outdoor clay oven and you can also sign up for a workshop and experience what it is like to bake bread in a clay oven. Lehman’s catalog also offers a book. The Bread Book offers instructions for making a woodfired bread oven and instructions for making bread - from the seed to the loaf.

Comment: Ruth had posted an interesting note regarding marketable skills. This is definitely worth considering when building a bread oven. If constructed large enough, you have the capability of baking multiple loaves at a time, which many friends and neighbors might possibly be willing to trade goods or services for. Regardless of the outcome of y2k, the outdoor oven has many advantages for those with large families or for those of us who truly love to bake. Oh - you would definitely want to keep additional wheat on hand if you re considering the “marketable skill” aspect of outdoor baking.

DUTCH OVEN COOKING. TOP

A Dutch Oven with legs is used with coals beneath it and then for certain items, bread/biscuits/, the coals are also piled on top. An aluminum kettle, etc. will possibility burn out with intense use. Someone left a website from the Scouts and there was description there .

As far as baking without power, one can do some things in a Dutch Oven (the #1 thing for any family to have, IMHO) or a cardboard oven. We’ve baked cakes on trips before with these things. It’s basically a cardboard box with some metal skewers in the side (to hold the item in the middle). Then, cover the hole inside with foil. Put a pie tin on the top and bottom with a few pieces of charcoal (or other fuel). It bakes like an oven (remember that it has to have a lid that goes over the whole top (which is now the front).

Also, I don’t know if they make them anymore, but we have something called a Zip Stove. It looks like a small camping stove, but instead of propane or white gas it takes whatever you put into it (leaves, etc.) The web for Dutch Oven cooking is

http://www.macscouter.com/Cooking/DutchOven.html

It is provided by the Boy Scouts and offers all the information regarding the preparation of your Dutch Oven, how to cook with as well as recipes (I believe there is even a bread recipe there)

CHARCOAL FOR DUTCH OVENS- TOP

If you have a 6 qt. capacity Dutch oven, this would probably be considered to be the 12 inch size (Lodge Manufacturing). This will typically feed 12-14 people at capacity.

On average, a typical meal will require about 25 briquette coals to do the job of cooking the meal (some less, some more), but use this figure for calculations. 25 coals weighs app.. 1-1/2 lbs. Therefore, you can now plan on how much coal to buy and store.

I know that my local Home Depot here is now selling two (2) twenty pound bags (total of 40 lbs) for about $10.00. Therefore, this 40 lbs would cook about 27 meals in the Dutch Oven, costing about .37 cents each time.

HERBS AND SPICES - SAM’S TOP

Our family loves herbs and spices and generally buys them in large quantities and the savings are substantial. Much of what we have purchased comes from Sam’s Warehouse (mostly spices, as we grow several herbs and dry them) Here’s a sample of some prices as of Saturday:

Cinnamon (1 pound) - $3.99

Chili powder (1 lb 4 oz.) - $3.99

Cajun seasoning (1 lb 3 oz.) - $5.29

Pepper Corns (1 lb 2 oz) - $5.69

There were several other spices that we were in need of that Sam’s does not carry, but I have located an excellent site with prices only a few cents more than what Sam’s charges (they also sell in lesser quantities for smaller families!). Try http://www.HerbalAdvantage.com for anoutstanding selection of herb and spices!

FRESHLY GROUND DRIED CORN TOP

(You can also use ground popcorn) IN honor of freshly ground dried corn, a Y2k recipe:

Hoe Cakes

1-1/2 cups cornmeal

3 tablespoons self-rising flour (or 3 tablespoons regular flour and a half

teaspoon of baking powder)

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

hot water

oil

Combine the salt, flour, and cornmeal in a bowl, add enough hot water to make a batter. Pour a little oil on the griddle. When it sizzles, add half the batter. Allow the cake to brown on one side. then flip to the other side (adding a little more oil first. An easy way to flip the cake is to put a plate on top of it, then lift the griddle and turn it upside down, holding the plate with the other hand. Slide the hoe cake, uncooked side down, back onto the re-oiled griddle. When done, repeat with the other half of the batter.

Traditionally, you’re not supposed to cut this, rather, just break it off in pieces. Best cooked on a cast iron griddle that is quite black from use.

COOKING WITH A THERMOS TOP

As a substitute crockpot, a good thermos bottle will actually work. E.g., you can put oats and hot water in its overnight and it will be oatmeal in the morning. Beans supposedly also can be cooked this way, although I haven’t tried it personally. The idea is to bring the mixture to a boil, then pour immediately into the thermos bottle (the source I read said that a steel lined thermos was necessary, the glass lined don’t work as well).

http://www.justpeace.org/nuggets17.htm#A%20THREAD%20ON%20CRACKED%20FEED%20CORN

MAKE YOUR OWN RANCH DRESSING MIX TOP

From the weekly email newsletter of the Frugal Living at About.com site (which has tremendous links on frugal, prudent, and simple living. Http://frugalliving.about.com .

I bought a small package, 0.4 oz, of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix at the grocers today for $1.09. It was about 1 tablespoonful. I looked at their list of ingredients and looked at several recipes I had and came up with the following mix recipe which I think is very close to the original taste. I made up 5 tablespoons of the mix for about $0.25 total cost. Since I make my own buttermilk and mayonnaise the pint of Ranch Dressing costs less than $0.30 to make and I know exactly what’s in it. Here is my recipe: Ranch Dressing Mix ——MIX INGREDIENTS—— 1-1/2 tablespoons salt 2 teaspoons monosodium glutamate; MSG, Accent 2 teaspoon garlic powder 2 teaspoon onion powder 3 teaspoon parsley flakes 1/2 teaspoon pepper, white fine ground ——DRESSING—— 1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup mayonnaise To make the mix add all ingredients together and thoroughly blend in a spice/coffee grinder.Put in an air tight container and use as needed. To make the dressing blend buttermilk, mayonnaise and mix until smooth. Allow to chill for 30 minutes. Keeps well for about 30 days. *

Comment about Richard’s recipe for Ranch Dressing dry mix. (From Frugal Living Newsletter-041299) Add powdered buttermilk to the base dressing then use water and mayonnaise to mix it. I don’t keep buttermilk on hand as I don’t use it a lot so it would spoil. With the powdered, it is excellent and no spoiling. Or if the amounts can’t be calculated correctly for the mix, use the powdered buttermilk and water instead of fresh.

RECIPES FOR MAKING YOUR OWN PEST DETERRENTS TOP

AN EFFECTIVE INSECTICIDE The most effective natural insecticide for flying and crawling insects, the least harmful to mammals or birds it is made from the dried and crushed flowers of the Dalmatian Pyrethrum. The brown powder will kill or stun the insects the moment it touches them. Safest pesticide to use on pets, sprinkled on their coats. This member of the daisy family is a beautiful ornamental and will compliment any garden or flower bed. While very effective, the dried powder only lasts for a few days. You can prolong its use throughout the year by freezing fresh flower heads in zip-lock bags and drying and crushing them as needed. Although this is the safest natural pesticide, please use common sense when handling.

———————————— A SAFE MOSQUITO REPELLENT Mosquitoes are very sensitive to certain scents, Chamomile and Eucalyptus especially. Both are easy to grow and both are used in dry flower arrangements and potpourri. To make the mosquito repellent take one oz. of green leaves from both plants and boil in a gallon of water. Strain and place in the refrigerator. Before going outside, splash the mixture liberally over your face and exposed parts of your body. You will enjoy the fresh, citrus smell but the mosquitoes will stay far away.

-———————————— SNAIL DETERRENT: Place crushed egg shells around the base of plants in the garden if you are having a problem with snails or slugs. They don’t like crawling over the sharp edges. The shells are good for the soil too. Don’t use sprays to kill bugs in your home. Decrease the number of insects getting into your home by repairing holes in screens and doors and destroying nests of vermin in your yard. Powdered boric acid mixed with bit of sugar can become an effective and less dangerous ant and roach control. Choose organic fruits and vegetables. If organic is not an option, ask for produce that is locally grown it will thereby be treated with fewer chemicals to help it survive transport to market. Many other countries don’t have restrictions on pesticides Shop at farmer’s markets and food co-ops, try to buy produce grown in the U.S., the supermarket usually notes the origins on the price cards. Practice organic gardening. Avoid chemical lawn services; plant native plants that do well in your region without a lot of chemical intervention, and increase your tolerance for weeds and bugs just a little bit! Synthetic pesticides are more of a threat to man than the insects. As each generation of insects become more immune to the pesticides, stronger and more potent chemicals are developed. Meanwhile we are absorbing these chemicals as they permeate our homes, gardens and lawns. We are also depleting the quality of our lives and poisoning the world around us. We hope that most American gardeners will help reverse this trend by utilizing natural pest deterrents that have been used successfully for generations.

NATURAL INSECT REPELLING PLANTS: TOP

(P)=Perennial, (A)=Annual, (B)=Biennial

———————— DALMATIAN PYRETHRUM. Chrysanthemum cinerarifolium. (P) A beautiful daisy that is hardy and blooms throughout the spring and summer. The flowerheads are used to make one of the best natural pesticides available. Will bloom in the summer of its second year.

-——————— ENGLISH PENNYROYAL. Mentha pulegium. (P) A small leafed herb that has spikes of lavender, fragrant flowers. Ground pennyroyal is one of the most effective tick deterrents available. Dust powder made from the leaves around areas where the pet sleeps and plays. Grows well in hanging baskets. Zones 6-10.

-————— EPAZOTE Chenopodium Ambrosiodes (A) Whole plant can be used to make a strong “tea” used for washing floors and porches to repel insects and larvae.

-———————— EUCALYPTUS CITRIODORA Beautiful, shiny, round silvery-gray leaves. Must be container grown north of zone 9. Mature height of 50’ in the south. Zones 9-10.

-———————— FEVERFEW Chrysanthemum parthenium (B,P) A beautiful daisy that blooms midsummer through fall. The flowerheads are used to make one of the best natural pesticides available. Long used to relieve migraine headaches and pain from arthritis, fevers and menstrual cramps. Only 3-4 of the tiny leaves may be used daily mixed in with other foods or made into a tea. Take after consulting with a physician.

-—————— LAVENDER Lavandula angustifolia (P) A beautiful aromatic herb that is hardy to zone 5 and can be raised indoors in colder climates. Beautiful flowers on long stems and narrow green leaves. Sow in fall or spring. When planted in the garden, it will deter pests with its fragrance. When dried and placed in closets and drawers with clothes, it will deter moths and lend its wonderful fragrance to the clothes. Usually flowers in its second year.

———————— LEMON BASIL. Ocimum basilicum v. citriodorum.. (A) An aromatic herb with small pretty flowers and lemony fragrance. An attractive plant that is easy to grow. When planted in the garden close to tomatoes, it not only improves the taste of the tomatoes but deters white flies as well. Can also be used in salads, as seasoning, and in potpourri.

-—————— MOUNTAIN TOBACCO. Attenuata ORGANICALLY GROWN (A) A graceful and ornamental species with white 1” flowers flushed pink outside. Very popular tobacco with the Navajo Indians. An all purpose plant, it can be used as an ornamental, filler and pesticide base. To make the perfect garden pesticide, mix 1 teaspoon of powdered dried leaves with one teaspoon of dish washing detergent in one gallon of water. Apply with a sprayer.

-———————— MUGWORT. Artemisia vulgaris. (P) Leaves are used to repel moths. An excellent women’s herb used for menstrual and menopausal problems. An infusion made from dried roots at a rate of 1 ounce of herb to one pint of water makes a stimulating tonic. Doses should be 1/2 teaspoon while still warm. The infusion provides healing energy and improves memory.

———————— OSAGE ORANGE. Maclura pomifera. A fast growing shrub often grown as a hedge. Pretty foliage with greenish flowers. The crushed fruits of this plant are said to attract and kill cockroaches. Can be raised as container plant in northern states. Both male and female plants must be present to produce fruits. Zones 5-9.

-——————— PEPPERMINT. Mentha piperita (P) Helps to repel ants, aphids, cabbage loopers, flea beetles, cabbage worms, squash bugs and white flies. Can be invasive so keep trimmed. Planted near others for protection or use a tea made from the crushed leaves. Zones 4-10.

-———————— ROSEMARY. Rosmarinus officinalis. (P)Evergreen aromatic shrubs from the Mediterranean. Grows 2-6’ with pale blue 1/2” flowers and attractive foliage. Powdered Rosemary leaves are used as a flea and tick repellent. Simply dust the powder onto the pet or areas where the pet sleeps. A very effective and safe repellent. Zones 7-10.

———————— SHOO-FLY PLANT. Nicandra physalodes. (A) 2-5’ tall with sky-blue flowers, followed by unusual, papery wing pods that are excellent for dried arrangements. A beautiful ornamental often raised around greenhouses for its possible fly repelling properties. Said to attract and kill white flies. Zones 8-10.

-—————— SAGE. Salvia officinalis Its use as a food seasoning, and its medicinal values have been known for centuries. In the garden, it should be planted next to cabbage, it will improve the taste of the plant and repel cabbage worms and moths.

-——————— TANSY. Tanacetum vulgare (P) Leaves are used to repel ants and moths. Can be used in sachets or strewn about. Small yellow button-like flowers are used in potpourri or dried for everlastings. Zones 4-9.

—————— WORMWOOD. Artemisia absinithium. (P)3-5’ tall with gray, silky foliage and spikes of small flowers. Hardy throughout the US. Easy to grow from seed. Has many uses as a food seasoning and medicinal plant. Powdered dust made from the leaves when sprinkled on plants and soil will deter many insects. Not because it is toxic, but simply because they do not like its fragrance. Zones 4-6.

COFFEE SUBSTITUTES TOP

From Plants Around Us.

The American Beech Tree’s nuts when taken out of the husks, roasted until dark and brittle, then ground, will make a fine coffee. Store this in an airtight container. They are best collected after the first hard frost when they normally drop to the ground. Once stored, they can be used all year round. You might have to fight the squirrels for them. Prepare normally.

Chicory coffee - remember that blue flower with almost leafless stalks that grow just about everywhere there’s a road. They look like daisy’s, but their petals are blue and are squared off at the ends. The white fleshy roots, roasted until dark brown and brittle, then ground, make an excellent coffee. Prepare like coffee. Use 1-1/2 tsp. per cup of water. Store in an airtight container. Use all year round.

ACCESS TO LOW TECH SUSTAINABLE LIVING INFORMATION TOP

http://bagelhole.hypermart.net/

This website is an experiment in global collaboration thru the internet to mine the ingeniousness of humanity. To make neighborhoods globally self-sustainable before 2000. Not only as the most responsible and intelligent answer to Y2K and any and all future possible disasters, but to lay the groundwork for a non-polluting, non-toxic, mutually co-operative network of self-sustainable, non-sovereign/inclusive communities throughout the world. We are hoping that those who “pass through the bagelhole” will come out self-sustainable as well as their communities before 2000. We are hoping that individuals that have ideas to give will give and those who need to learn will take. Volunteers (which we all are) are needed to cull the links we have, check the ideas,constantly honing and improving the current list.Internet access is all that is necessary. We are also hoping that great new ideas for sustainable projects will be born, fostered, and designed here to be implemented there (wherever you are). That is what the projects section is for. Hope you enjoy and leave with some sense of fulfillment and realize that the human family does not have to be dysfunctional but thru our common interconnectedness can create a world with which we can, in all humility, be proud of. They say,” When the entire Universe passes thru the bagelhole, that’s when the Transformation will begin.” I believe that time is now. Tom O (bagelhole1)

http://www.justpeace.org/nuggets17.htm#A%20THREAD%20ON%20CRACKED%20FEED%20CORN

DEHYDRATING SPINACH PLUS SOME RECIPES TOP

From Bernadette at CatholiCity year 2000: Today I decided it was time to start drying the spinach. We have been having fresh spinach and spinach salads everyday for about 3 weeks. The results are as follows:

I picked enough spinach to heap onto the dryer trays (I have five very large trays) and started my spinach to dry at about 10 AM. Right now it is 6:24 PM and I have processed it all and have gotten 12 ounces of my spinach flour.

When you dehydrate the spinach you start with your fresh spinach leaves. Wash them and destem. Place the spinach leaves on your dehydrator trays and dry until crisp and brittle. At this point, since we have electricity, I use a food processor and process into flour (a blender works too). If you don’t have a food processor, use a ziploc bag, insert the dried spinach, take out the air, zip and use a rolling pin to make into a powder. Takes a little longer this way, but it does work. Your dried spinach may have little flecks of dried spinach in it and this is fine. It does not all have to be a fine grind like flour.

I then pour the spinach flour into a jar and screw on the lid tightly. I use old pasta jars (any jar with a screw on lid will work fine). I place the jars on a shelf in the dark basement where it is cool all year long. These jars last a very long time. My test was I put items in these jars in 1982 and checked and used them this year.

Here are some recipes for using dried spinach.

Pasta Recipe - makes approximately 1 pound

> > 2 3/4 cups semolina or unbleached all purpose flour

> 1/2 teaspoon salt

> 3 eggs, extra large

> 1 tablespoon olive oil

> > In a bowl mix together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs. Gently blend with a fork or your fingers, drawing the flour from the sides toward the center. Add the olive oil and mix until dough cleans the sides of the bowl. (IF YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE SPINACH PASTA FROM THE DRIED SPINACH FLOUR NOW IS THE TIME TO ADD 2 OR 3 TABLESPOONS).

Place the dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough 5 minutes until it is smooth and does not stick to your hands. It should be one color. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces with a pasta scraper and let it rest for 5 minutes covered with a piece of plastic wrap. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, kneading gently and flatten with the heel of your hand. Feed the flattened dough through the rollers of a pasta machine, gradually decreasing the space between the rollers by adjusting the notches. I start at 1 and finish at 5 or 6. Roll to desired thickness.

Insert cutting roller heads into the machine and cut the pasta, being careful not to feed it through the cutters at an angle. It is easier to feed the dough through the cutter if the ends are squared off. Dry the pasta until it is dry but not brittle. For longer keeping twice the moist strands into loose loops to dry. They willkeep this way a few days in the refrigerator or up to a few months in the freezer. Cook the pasta until it is al dente or tooth tender in 7 quarts of rapidly boiling water to which 2 Tablespoons of salt have been added. Stir with a wooden fork to separate the strands. Test every 2 to 3 minutes for doneness since fresh pasta cooks faster than boxed. Drain pasta in a colander or lift it from the pot with a fork, shaking off the excess water.

================================================= Creamy Spinach Soup Make a thin white sauce (if you need a recipe let me know) add 3-4 tablespoons of spinach flour and stir Stir well, then let set 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes reheat and eat OR 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (can be purchased whole at herb shop or any good grocery store) 2 chicken bouillon cubes 1 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cups half and half 1/4 cup dried powdered spinach Melt butter in saucepan. Add onion powder, nutmeg and bouillon cubes. Crush and dissolve bouillon cubes adding a little milk if necessary. Add remaining milk and half and half. Heat to 185 degrees (just below boiling). Place spinach power in bowl or blender. Pour hot milk mixture over spinach. Blend well. Serve at once. Yield: 3 small cups of soup as an appetizer or 1 large bowl (2 cups) as a main entree.

=============================================== Spinach Squares 4 tbsp. butter 3 eggs 1 c. flour 1 1/2 cups milk 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder 1 lb. grated cheddar 1/4 cup spinach flour 1 tbsp. chopped onion Seasoned salt (opt.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in 9 x 13 inch baking dish in oven. Remove dish. Beat eggs then add flour, milk, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Add cheese, spinach flour, onion and mix well. Spoon into dish and level off. Sprinkle with seasoned salt if desired. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and cut into squares.

================================================ Spinach Feta Bread

3/4 cup spinach flour — 2-1/4 teaspoons yeast — 3 cups bread flour — 1/3 cup wheat bran — 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar — 1/2 tablespoon salt — 1/2 tablespoon nutmeg — 1/2 teaspoon black pepper — 3 tablespoons oil — 2 eggs — 1/3 cup feta cheese — 1/2 cup water Bring all ingredients to room temperature and add to machine. Select white bread cycle.

—————————————— Spinach Casserole 1 pint cottage cheese 4 eggs, beaten 3 tablespoons flour 1/4 lb. cheddar cheese cubed 1/2 cup spinach flour 3 - 4 tablespoons of butter dash of salt Mix together cottage cheese, eggs and flour. Add cheese. Cut butter into pieces and combined with mixture. Add salt. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

-——————————————————— -—— Spinach and Mushroom Quiche 2 medium onions, white or yellow, chopped 1/2-1” size 8 ounces mushrooms washed ond sliced 1/2 to 2/3 cup spinach flour 2 or more cloves garlic, minced 3 or 4 eggs beaten with about 1/2 cup milk 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese 1 nine-inch deep dish pie crust 1-2 tbs butter Herb for garnish and flavor, such as Rosemary, Summer Savory, Marjoram Salt and pepper to taste

Bake at 350 F for one hour or until no longer juicy inside. Melt the butter over medium heat, saute onions and add garlic in a skillet. When onions are translucent add the mushrooms and cook out the juice. Then add the spinach flour and extra milk if needed and mix together. Add your salt and pepper. Place the pie crust on a cookie sheet or something similar. Transfer vegetable mixture to the pie crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top, then sprinkle on the cheddar cheese. Separately gently beat the eggs adding the milk. Salt and pepper can be added to the eggs, add the herb 1/2 tsp. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the cheese and veggies. Sometimes its too full so don’t use all the egg. Clean any spilled egg off the cookie sheet and put the quiche back on the pan, sprinkle with additional herbs. Place pan in the lower part of the oven for the first 30 minutes and then transfer to the upper half to finish baking.

—————————————————————————————— -—— SOLAR VEGETABLE SOUP which serves about 6 3 medium chopped tomatoes 1 chopped red onion 1 chopped leek 1 chopped celery stalk 2 small chopped zucchini or other squash 1/3 cup spinach flour 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour basil to taste which is optional dill to taste which is optional, but good Combine vegetables in a bowl. Mix in water, basil and dill. Pour into your dutch oven and leave in the sun 4 to 6 hours before serving.

====================================== Cheese Tomato Omelet 1 Tablespoon dried parmesan cheese 1 Tablespoon chopped dried spinach 1 tablespoon dried broken tomato slices 1/8 teaspoon dried powdered onion To make the omlet use 1/2 cup powdered eggs 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup water and add 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, apricot oil or soy oil Mix together first four ingredients. Melt butter or oil in a 6 or 7 inch frying pan. Pour in egg mixture. Now sprinkle the above dry ingredients over egg mixture as it is browning in the frying pan.

=============================================== Carrot Salad 2 cups grated dried carrots, soaked about five minutes in 2 cups warm water 1 cup drained, crushed, unsweetened pineapple 1 cup raisins 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1/4 cup salad dressing or mayonnaise 2 tablelspoons unsweetened pineapple juice 12 to 16 lettuce cups, if desired 1 tablespoon chopped dried spinach leaves Mix carrots, pineapple, raisins and walnuts. Chill. Blend salad dressing or mayonnaise and pineapple juice; pour over carrot mixture. Toss and arrange in lettuce cups. Sprinkle with spinach leaves. 12-14 servings.

========================================== Creamed Spinach 4 cups chopped dried spinach 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground whole wheat flour 1 cup milk 1 1/2 cups half and half 1 teaspoon dried powdered onion 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Pour hot water through spinach in a colander; set aside. Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour, stirring constantly; gradually add milk. Cook until thickened. Add remaining ingredients and spinach. Heat through. 4 servings.

============================================= Spinach-Cheese Pie 6 cups chopped dried spinach 2 cans (10 1/2 ounces) cream of mushroom soup, undiluted 4 eggs beaten Soy oil or apricot oil (any health food store) 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese To reconstitute spinach, pour hot water through spinach in a colander. Mix together spinach, soup, and eggs. Oil a 10-inch pie plate well: sprinkle oiled plate with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Pour in spinach mixture; sprinkle top of spinach mixture with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake 375 degrees about 1 1/4 hours or until sharp knife inserted in custard comes out clean. (if using a dutch oven the time will be about 1 1/2 hour if your coals are hot enough). Cut into wedges to serve. 10 - 12 servings.

============================== Texas Yellow Neck Squash 2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons chopped fresh onion 1 1/2 cups sliced dried yellow neck squash reconstituted in 1 1/2 cups hot water for 10 to 15 minutes, drained 2/3 cups grated cheddar cheese 1/3 cup cooked crumbled bacon 1 tablespoon dried crushed spinach, if desired Cook onions in butter in frying pan slightly. Turn off heat. Arrange squash in a layer. Sprinkle with cheese, bacon, and spinach. Cover tightly. Heat 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese melts and dish is hot. 4 servings

DEHYDRATING SWISS CHARD TOP

Try dehydrating swiss chard for adding to chicken soup in the winter. I wash the whole leaves and take the stems out then lay the leaves on the tray. The stems can be chopped and dried also. Then crumble the dry leaves into the jars. A lot sure fits into a jar!

CORONA GRAIN MILL TOP

Note from the webservant: I’ve had one of this inexpensive mills for many years, works fine, great aerobic exercise!

They come in either steel burr or stone burr, or with both. They are made all over the world...ours were made in Brazil. Cost, if I remember right, was about $40 for the steel burr, $60 for the stone burr, and $80 for both (Two bolts to exchange grinding wheels on each side). I’ve got the steel burr model packed in the motor home for emergency use...it grinds flour, but not as fine as the stone burr I keep in the house, but it is exceptionally rugged. They take a lot of work to grind nice flour, about 3 passes through the grinder on progressively tighter settings, but they do work, and are certainly better than not having a grinder.

For normal use we use a Magic Mill stone burr model, but it is strictly electric (1 hp continuous duty motor!), and may be useless in a few months unless I want to waste gasoline on the generator. Don’t know of a web site...never looked...hope someone can tell you that. Pax, Miles Stair

A THREAD ON CRACKED FEED CORN TOP

Another idea is to pick up cracked corn at the feed stores. When I was a bird breeder, I soaked this stuff daily, mixed it with vitimins and wheat bread along with millet and calcium for over 500 breeding prs of exotic birds. Cracked corn isn’t considered the greatest but it could be ground a bit easier.

> >Feed corn can be stored using the same techniques as with wheat, and is > perfectly acceptable for human use, feeding chickens, etc. I always have > a 55 gallon drum of feed corn in reserve, and rotate it with another drum > of corn to mix with wheat for my fresh-ground chicken feed. And, of > course, there is always some for us to use too! > -

>> Feed stores also sell “corn fines” which is finely ground corn. We used this to mix into a porridge for our pigs. It is exactly like corn meal. They will grind it for you if you request it and they don’t have it regularly available. The only barrier I see for feed corn being used for human consumption is you may have to sift it as sometimes there are inedible pieces of husk, dried cob etc mixed in.

TOBACCO BASED INSECT CONTROL TOP

Raymond asked for the tobacco based insect control. Here is one from Jerry Baker: 1cup shampoo 1cup antiseptic mouthwash 1cup chewing tobacco juice. These are the proportions to be put in a 20 gal hose end sprayer. (use @ 1T each for a single gallon.) A couple of other Jerry Baker tips: For ants - mix equal parts of borax and confectionery sugar with enough water to make a syrup. Put this mixutre in flat pans and place them in the area where they are crawling. One ant will eat the syrup and die. Another will the dead ant and die. For spiders - put cedar chips in the toes of old panty hose. Hang the hose from areas where spiders build their webs. To discourage spiders, spray rubbing alcohol on windowsills or leave perfumed soap chips scattered about. 1 tsp of vinegar for each quart bowl of drinking water keeps your pet free of fleas and ticks. The ratio of 1 tsp per quart of water is for a 40 lb animal.

CLEANING WHEAT TOP

“The man at the store told me the wheat was not as clean as the wheat that I would get in a health food store. I would like to know, is there any way to clean it?” When the feed store guy told you the wheat was not “clean,” he did not mean that it was dirty. “Cleaned” in the vernacular of grains means that the screening process was not particularly efficient, and there may be some stray weed seeds, bits of chaff, a small rock, etc, mixed in with the grain. Some lots of feed wheat that are only single-screened, or “cleaned,” have a lot of foreign matter included. Triple-screening usually results in the removal of virtually all debris — and a price at least four times higher! The last three lots of “white wheat” I purchased were absolutely beautiful, and went into storage for us rather than the chickens, but the batch just before that looked like floor sweepings. It is common to purchase one bag of a particular “lot” or batch of grain, examine it, and if it is really clean, get as much of the rest of that lot as possible.

When it come down to cleaning your own grain next year, or grain for which you can barter, it is possible to employ third-world cleaning methods and do it yourself. While standing on a step ladder, pour the grain from a bucket into a larger bucket set on the ground. A slight breeze will blow away the chaff as the grain falls through the air. Some people make this process a group effort, with one person on each corner of a sheet, and the grain is bounced up in the air so the wind can blow away the chaff. The grain can then be poured into thin trays, such as cookie sheets, and heavier debris removed manually. Pax, Miles Stair

INSTANT REFRIED BEAN MIX TOP

1-1/2 cup pinto or black bean flour

1-1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (opt)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1-1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dehydrated minced onions (opt)

Mix and store in an airtight container. To prepare: Whisk 3/4 cup above mixture into 2 1/2 cup BOILING water. Cook while stirring over medium heat for 1 minute, until mixture thickens. Don’t worry about the lumps - they taste great too! Reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook for 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup salsa or picante sauce (or to taste) if desired. Mixture thickens as it cools and will stay thick even after heating.

ORGANIZING YOUR FOOD STORAGE AS MEALS TOP

Say you decide you want a 30 day supply of food, (not just MRE meals, but canned and dried goods,) etc. That means 30 days x 3 meals per day = 90 meals! (You can exclude breakfast, but might be better to figure it in so you have extra food for unexpected guests, etc.! First strategy is to plan these 90 meals and what ingredients you need to make each. Number the meals— say, 1-90 and use sticker labels to identify what cans go with what meals, etc.

Example, If I wanted Dinty Moore Beef Stew as a meal, I would stick a #1 label on it, and if I wanted canned peaches with it, I’d stick a #1 on it also. It really is amazing when you try this (or even figure amounts/ look at your supply) and see how long it will REALLY last.

Our pantry looks really full, but often we can’t think of what to eat for dinner... and we come up short ingredients for what we decide we are hungry for! I think this idea is also a good one to have ahead of time to keep track of your supply and help you function when shock of disaster sets in— helps ease the feeling of being overwhelmed, and provides a little sense of control.

MOM’S FAMOUS OLD RUSSIAN SOURDOUGH STARTER TOP

When I was a kid, Mom kept a crock of this starter behind the coal stove she had in the kitchen. She made bread twice a week, and, of course, as she used the starter, she replenished it by adding flour and water..... Try the same around your place.... It’s hard to imagine a better midnight snack than some fresh-baked sourdough bread smothered in melted butter, and sprinkled with garlick salt and grated Parmesano or Romano..............

First, get yourself a large earthenware crock with an earthenware cover..............

THEN, INGREDIENTS: 1 tbsp. sugar 2-1/2 cups *warm* water a 1/4 oz. package active dry yeast 2 cups *unbleached* all-purpose flour You need UNbleached flour because bleached flour has taken out of the mix the stuff that makes the starter *really* “sour”dough.........

You can do it without the active dry yeast and simply exposing the stuff to the air, but you sometimes wind up with godawful taste, depending on the garbage in your air, and sometimes it just turns squishy......... It’s easier this way, and a LOT faster...+

INSTRUCTIONS: Stir the sugar into a 1/2 cup of warm water (just above body temperature) and add the yeast. Let it set until it starts to get foamy on top - “proofing” the yeast. Then stir in the rest of the water and the flour and stir it until it’s smooth. Loosely cover the bowl with several layers of cheesecloth, then drap a layer of Saran wrap over the top...but don’t seal it. You need to let the gasses escape. Now this is the important part: LET THE MIXTURE STAND AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, STIRRING THREE OR FOUR TIMES A DAY, UNTIL IT’S BUBBLY AND HAS DEVELOPED A STRONG ODOR. Don’t worry if the odor isn’t pleasant...some folks don’t like the smell.....it just shouldn’t smell *rotten*. Do this until it’s all bubbly and has a strong “sour” odor. That should be in five to ten days.

You can keep the starter indefinitely, if you “feed” it regularly. Otherwise, it will keep for about a month if kept covered and refrigerated. You should have about a cup and a half of starter. Use half of it to make your first loaf, then double the recipe for the next batch and stir in the remaining yeast and let it cook again, until you have enough that each time you bake you can use HALF the yeast, and feed the other half to replenish for the next loaf. There are superb “strains” of sourdough, in fact, which are cultured and kept unique unto themselves for generations. There is a San Francisco sourdough which you can make by buying some fresh San Francisco sourdough bread (or having a friend ship you some overnight) and adding some of the bread to the mixture and breeding that strain into yours............. You can then share with your neighbors. Fr. Hal at CIN, who has two great cooking/recipe lists there.

WARNING LABEL TO BE PLACED ON ALL THOSE WHO THINK FOR THEMSELVES

CAUTION: Proper use of the brain is not endorsed by governments nor huge corporations involved in serious financial profit from a brainwashed and enslaved population. Mild discomfort may occur as confusing independent thought challenges popular views of the world.

http://www.bulgarbugle.com/

Lamb Kabobs
January 19th, 2010

No bulgar in this recipe, but pretty good. Also, this is a recipe “without the skewer or the grill”, but it could be easily made on a skewer with a charcoal or gas grill.

* 1 lb ground lamb
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
* About 2 teaspoons of dried Italian herbs (I used my own mix of dried oregano, dried basil, dried rosemary, dried thyme, dried parsley, dried sage)

Put the meat in a bowl, add spices and mix thoroughly with your hands. Then add the beaten egg, mix again.

Form into small balls, and place on a rack on a baking pan. Place under broiler on high for about 8 minutes. This will make a lot of grease, so make sure the rack you place the meatball on fits entirely within the baking pan.

Serve on flatbread with a yogurt sauce, chopped onions, and (in the winter), some pickled vegetables like shredded carrot sticks and daikon radishes. In the summer, you could garnish with chopped lettuces and tomatoes.

This makes a pretty spicy lamb kabob. If you don’t like it so spicy, reduce the amount of crushed red pepper, black pepper, and chili powder.

If you use skewers, made from metal or wood, oil them first.

Kitchen Permaculture Online Workshop
January 19th, 2010

Kitchen Permaculture Online Workshop
Using permaculture design to create ecological, economical, resilient, and socially just household food systems.

Starts February 28, 2010 and runs for ten weeks thereafter, with a 2 week break at Easter.

Study permaculture design and apply it to your household situation in the comfort and convenience of your own home, with an online learning community dedicated to “better times” going forward.

Enroll by January 31, 2010 for a significant tuition discount.

More details at Kitchen Permaculture Online Workshop. Taught by Bob Waldrop.

Tags: frugality, kitchen, permaculture, resilience, slow food, social justice, sustainability

He shoots! He scores! It’s BULGARONI!
April 22nd, 2009

This is an OKLAHOMA CITY Treat.

So there I was yesterday, thinking about dinner. Bulgar was on the menu, but it was time for something new. The coop’s May order is approaching and I need a new recipe for my producer notes this month.

Back when I bought a lot of supermarket foods, one of the staples of my shopping cart was “Rice-a-Roni: the San Francisco Treat!” Something brought that memory up from the depths of my long-term brain archive, and I thought, “That’s it — I’ll make ‘bulgaroni’”

So I sauteed some onions and shitaake mushrooms and shredded carrots in olive oil in a cast iron skillet. I added two cups uncooked unsifted bulgar, and 1/2 cup vermicelli broken into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces and sauteed the vegetable/bulgar/pasta mixture a few minutes. Then I added 5 cups beef broth from the freezer, 2 teaspoons of my infamously Hotter than Hades Habanero Sauce, and brought the mixture to a boil.

I put the cover on the skillet (it’s actually a “dutch oven skillet” and popped it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Voila, a brand new dish was born – bulgaroni, and it was quite tasty as a side dish with ham and baked carrots. It would be quite tasty as a main dish. I can imagine adding some fried hamburger, or cooked turkey or chicken (with turkey or chicken broth instead of the beef), or more assorted vegetables and a vegetable stock for my friends who are vegans or vegetarians.

The next time I do this I am going to increase the amount of pasta. The original Rice-a-roni version is equal parts rice and pasta. In my recipe, just as you add twice the amount of broth as you do bulgar, I added twice the amount of broth as I did pasta, so 2 cups unsifted bulgar and 1/2 cup pasta called for 5 cups broth. I also think it is important to saute the bulgar and pasta.

Perhaps I should call this bulgarcelli, since I used vermicelli pasta.

Yesterday’s soup makes today’s fritters.
March 28th, 2009

Turkey - potato - carrot - onion - cabbage — bulgar - whole wheat

So I took a cup of whole wheat flour, added a teaspoon of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, then 3/4 cup of yesterday’s soup (it was a thick, not a thin soup), plus 1/4 cup yogurt. 1 egg, and let it sit for about 20 minutes. I heated up the deep fryer (bought for $2 at a garage sale) and dropped the mixture by spoonfuls into the batter and fried them until they were done. Very tasty, kind of like a hush puppie.

Since the first batch was a success, I added some diced turkey (a farmer gave me a turkey recently, which I cooked last week). Voila! Turkey - potato - carrot - onion - cabbage — bulgar - whole wheat fritters! If you fix these, people will write home to your mother and thank her for raising such a wonderful person.

The consistency of the batter, by the way, is thicker than a thick pancake batter, but it is not like a biscuit dough.

I suppose if I added more yogurt, and made a runny batter, it would make “turkey - potato - carrot - onion - cabbage — bulgar - whole wheat” funnel cakes, but that will be an experiment for another evening.

Tonight’s bulgar, potato, carrot, cabbage, and cheese soup
March 27th, 2009

It’s been a cold and damp day. I helped deliver food parcels at 5 public housing locations today. Got home tonight, no particular plans for supper. It’s a Friday in Lent, so let’s see what I have. Potatoes, carrots, cabbage. . . and bulgar of course. So I shredded two carrots and chopped half an onion, and put them in the electric skillet with a dab of olive oil. I put some water on to boil, added 1 cup bulgar, 4 finely chopped potatoes (unpeeled), and about half a head of finely chopped cabbage. About then the onions and carrots were done, so I put them in along with some black pepper and garlic powder and once it was boiling, I turned it down to a slow simmer and read email and worked on the delivery lists for Saturday’s food deliveries to the poor. After about an hour, I checked the soup, it seemed ready, so I took the mixer and blended it up a bit, added some milk and shredded cheese, warmed it back up, and had a very satisfying and simple evening meal with some rye bread toast.

I’m thinking that Saturday the leftovers will make a nice sauce for a casserole. The bulgar added a very tasty texture to the soup.

Bulgar and Brisket II
February 4th, 2009

I already have a bulgar and brisket recipe here, but this is another variation on the theme.

* 3 cups uncooked bulgar
* 3 cups beef stock
* 3 cups water
* 1 chopped onion
* 1 teaspoon cumin seed
* 1 teaspoon caraway seed
* chopped mushrooms
* left over brisket, chopped in chunks
* Small can of tomato sauce

Put the onion, mushroom, caraway and cumin seeds in a skillet in 2 tablespoons of olive, saute until the onions are starting to clear, then add the uncooked bulgar. Continue to cook until the bulgar has started to change color (a little darker) and it smells a bit like roasted nuts. Put the stock and water into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Put the bulgar/onion/mushroom mixture into a baking pan, add the chunked brisket and the boiling hot broth. Add a small can of tomato sauce. Cook in a 350 oven for 30-45 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed. Voila, bulgar and brisket!

Turnip Cakes
January 9th, 2009

It’s winter, and one of the staple winter veggies is the Turnip. For some reason, many Americans seem to have a prejudice against turnips. I don’t know why, because the turnip is nutritious, tasty, and fun to cook with. This morning I made turnip cakes for breakfast, using some left-over mashed turnips from last night’s dinner.

* 1 cup mashed turnips (serve mashed turnips for dinner the night before you plan to make this breakfast, be sure to make enough so that you have left-overs for breakfast).
* 1 cup whole wheat flour
* 1/3 cup yogurt cheese (or yogurt, or buttermilk, or milk with a teaspoon of vinegar)
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 egg, beaten

Mix the ingredients, fry in oil in medium hot skillet. This makes a fairly thick pancake, if you like a thinner pancake, add a bit more liquid. I did not add any oil to the recipe, only to the pan for frying, because I had mashed the turnips last night with butter.

Serve with just a bit of jam on top. I used raspberry, made by a local farmer, that I got through the Oklahoma Food Coop.

This makes about 12 dollar size pancakes. It would make more if you make a less thick batter.

This was a very bon appetitin’ breakfast.

Bulgar and Black-eyed Peas for New Years Day!
December 28th, 2008

Anyone of a culture that derives from the American South knows the absolute importance of eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. Here’s an easy and very tasty way to start the New Year out right that is a bulgarish twist on the traditional “Hoppin’ John recipe.

Before you go out to party on New Year’s Eve, take out your crock pot, and fill it with:

* 1 lb dried black-eyed peas
* 1 cup uncooked bulgar
* Ham bone or chunks of ham or a hamhock or two or some bacon and/or enough broth or stock to fill the pot
* Seasonings to taste — I always add sauteed garlic and onions and my infamous Habanero sauce.

Turn the crockpot on low, cover, and leave it on overnight. In the morning you wil have wonderfully seasoned, tender, black-eyed peas and bulgar. If you have some frozen cooked greens in your freezer, heat them up and stir them in with the cooked peas and bulgar and you will double your abundance in 2009, since greens are another Southern tradition for New Year’s eatin’.

Stove-top Bulgar Pudding
December 23rd, 2008

This possibly could be the ultimate comfort food for a cold winter night.

* 1-1/2 cups cooked salad bulgar (bulgar that has been cooked in fruit juice),
* 2 cups milk, divided 1-1/2 cups, and 1/2 cup
* 1/4 cup honey
* 2/3 cup dried fruit (I used raisins and cranberries, if you use a larger fruit like apricots, chop into small pieces)
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla exrtact
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon butter

Put the cooked bulgar in a saucepan with 1-1/2 cups milk. Add the dried fruit and honey. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes. The fruit will plump and the mixture will become a bit creamy. In a cup or bowl, beat the eggs with 1/2 cup milk. Add to the rest of the ingredients, stir well. Heat until it starts to bubble, then for 2-3 more minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat, add the butter, vanilla, and cinnamon. Serve hot or cold.

A soup for a cold winter day
December 22nd, 2008

I pulled the ingredients for this soup out of my freezer and pantry and it has simmered to the point delectibility.

* 1 pint beef broth
* 1 pintcabbage broth
* 1 pint bean soup
* 1 quart package of cooked stew meat (left-over from the last stock-making day)
* 1 cup bulgar
* 1 can rotel
* 2 cans diced tomatoes

I add the frozen ingredients to the pot while still frozen, poured in the rotel and diced tomatoes, and turned the burner on low. I added some garlic and onion powder. A couple of hours later. . . Voila, cheap, easy, nutritious, and oh-so-tasty soup.

http://www.bulgarbugle.com/?paged=2

Bulgar Custard Pudding
December 5th, 2008

This is a great tasting and nutritious dessert that is based on a traditional baked rice and custard pudding. Use “Salad Bulgar” — which is bulgar that has been cooked in fruit juice (like orange or apple juice instead of a meat or vegetable stock).

* 4 eggs, beaten
* 3 c. milk
* 4 tablespoons honey
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 2 tsp. vanilla extract
* 2 tsp. lemon juice
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 2 c. cooked bulgar
* 1/2 c. raisins (dried cranberries are nice too)

Combine all ingredients. Pour into a 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Set this baking dish in a larger pan of water in the oven. Bake at 300 degrees for about 1 hour. After first 30 minutes, insert spoon at edge of pudding and stir from bottom. Bake until knife inserted near center of pudding comes out clean. Don’t overbake, the over-baked custard yields a bit of water when spooned into a serving dish. Serve hot, warm or cold. Serves about 6 to 8.

Speaking of turnip greens. . . a convenience tip for the busy frugal cook
November 29th, 2008

In my post on Chicken Fried Turkey, I mentioned frozen turnip greens.

I bought a lot of turnip and mustard greens on the November coop order, and cooked them all in a big pot, portioning them into six meal-sized packages in the freezer. I just pulled one out, popped the frozen mass of greens into a pot, set it on low, and went about the business of the rest of dinner, and when it was ready, so were the greens.

How did I cook them? First I washed and chopped them, and ripped out some of the stalks that seemed particularly woody. I then put them in a large pot, with a bit of oil, 8 chopped cloves of garlic, one chopped onion, and some shaved ham from Colpitts Pine Ridge Ranch in eastern Oklahoma. I sauteed them until they were wilted, then I added some chicken stock, 1/8 cup brown sugar, and some habanero sauce, brought the pot to a boil, turned it down to a simmer, and let it simmer a couple of hours. That’s the way I like my greens, served with a dash of vinegar.

To freeze them, I simply scooped meal-size portions into freezer containers, and poured some of the pot likker over that, sealed them and popped them in the freezer.

Chicken Fried Turkey
November 29th, 2008

It is Day the Third of the Turkey. Yesterday we simply had warmed over Thanksgiving Dinner. Twice. Plus pumpkin pie for breakfast.

On the way home from the Saturday Mass, I was thinking, “OK, what to do with turkey.” And out came — “Chicken fried turkey”. So when I got home, I put some oil in the deep fryer, poured a little milk in a bowl, and 2 cups of flour in a second bowl. To the two cups of flour I added salt and pepper, maybe 1 teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of black pepper. I cut some strips and chunks from the turkey, dipped them in the milk, then in the flour, and then repeated that process for a double-dip. Into the deep fryer for about 3 minutes until they were golden brown. We ate them with the last of the green bean casserole and bulgar/broccoli stuffing, and cooked turnip greens from the freezer.

Thanksgiving 2008: Whole Wheat Bread Rolls
November 28th, 2008

Ingredients:

* Whole wheat flour — freshly ground is best
* 1 cup water
* 1 cup yogurt
* 1 tablespoon instant yeast
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup oil

Mix the liquid ingredients, add the yeast. Combine thoroughly. Add one cup flour, mix thoroughly. I use a mixer for the first few cups. add the salt. Continue adding flour and using the mixer until you can’t use the mixer anymore. Continue to add flour until the dough is where you want it. I like the dough of whole wheat breads to be a little sticky. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Because I like a sticky/tacky dough, I coat it with a little oil before I start kneading. Usually it gets more sticky as I go along, so I sprinkle it with a little flour, but the end product remains just a bit sticky. I know this is hard to convey in words, but just experiment.

Let rise for 2 hours, pat the dough so it deflates a bit, then let it rise for another hour. Then roll out into rolls (about the size of a golf ball) and place separated by about 1/2 inch on a baking pan. Bake at 425 degrees F for 12 minutes or so until nicely done.

Sean’s Should Be Famous Onion Ring Method
November 28th, 2008

* 1 can beer
* 2 eggs
* flour (3 cups of flour makes a lot of onion rings)
* Habanero Salsa
* baking powder (1.5 tsp per cup of flour)
* Spices and Herbs to taste (garlic powder, cayenne, whatever you like, experiment!)
* oil for frying

Cut the onions into rings. Mix the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs with the beer and the habanero salsa but don’t mix with the dry ingredients. Dip the rings into the beer/egg mixture, then into the dry mixture so they are thoroughly covered with flour. Dip again in beer/egg and again in dry mixture. If you don’t have habanero salsa, use cayenne pepper in the dry ingredients. Fry in hot oil until done. If you are using some of these for green bean casserole, fry the onion rings for that dish a little more crispy than the others for just snackin’.

Thanksgiving 2008 Part the Third: Green Bean Casserole
November 28th, 2008

This year’s Green Bean Casserole was a local food delight:

* Frozen green beans from a local farmer.
* Shitaake mushrooms, also local
* 2 cups milk (or 1 cup milk and 1 cup stock)
* Fried onion rings (home-made of course)
* 4 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 tablespoons flour

Make the onion rings. See “Sean’s Should Be Famous Onion Ring Recipe” at this site. Cook the green beans in water (about 10 minutes). Put the oil and flour in a skillet and make a roux. Slice the mushrooms and add them and cook until the flour starts to darken a bit. Add the liquid and thicken. Mix the onion rings with the green beans, and pour the mushroom sauce over the top. Add some more onion rings to the top. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Yummm. Very good.

Thanksgiving 2008 Part the Second: Pumpkin pie made with a real pumpkin
November 28th, 2008

This doesn’t have any bulgar in it, but it is a great recipe. If you have never made a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin, you are missing out on a great taste treat.

First, roast the pumpkin. I cut the pumpkin in half, cleaned out the seeds and “strings” (save the seeds and roast them for a snack). then I cut it in slices, and placed them on their sides in a baking dish. I added 2 cups water to the baking dish. Then I baked them at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half. Bake them until the pumpkin is soft.

Peel or cut the rind away from the pumpkin. Then puree it using a blender, food processor, or mixer. I used a mixer. You need about 3 cups of this cooked, mashed pumpkin to make 2 nine-inch pies.

Here’s my recipe, as adapted from Pumpkins and More .

* 3 cups cooked mashed pumpkin
* 1 cup sugar (I used brown sugar, you can also use honey)
* 4 eggs
* 1-1/4 cups yogurt
* pumpkin pie seasonings — 1 teaspoon each of ground cloves and allspice, 1-1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into 2 nine-inch pie shells. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook for another 45 minutes. It’s done when a blunt knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.

PS. Make your own pie crust. Pumpkins and More has great illustrated instructions. The only way to learn to make great pie crust is to make a lot of pies. Many years ago I complained to my grandmother Dovie Waldrop that I couldn’t make a good pie crust. She replied, “Bobby Max, the reason you can’t make a good pie crust is that you haven’t made enough pies. When you have made 100 pies, I bet you make a great pie crust.” And she was right!

Thanksgiving 2008 Part the First: Dressing with bulgar
November 28th, 2008

First the terminology. Stuffing is what you get when you stuff stuffing ingredients inside the bird. That’s never been a tradition in my family, and some recommend strongly against it. Dressing is the same type of dish as stuffing, only cooked separately from the bird as a side-dish. That’s what this recipe is about.

Ingredients

* 9-10 slices of dry whole wheat bread, cubed.
* 2 cups of leftover bulgar (I used 2 cups of left-over cream of broccoli/bulgar soup that I made.
* 2 eggs, beaten
* Finely chopped fresh sage and some thyme, to your personal taste.
* 1 chopped onion
* 2 stalks of celery, sliced
* 2 cups stock

Saute the onions and celery, and for the last minute or so, add the fresh herbs (or dried herbs if you don’t have fresh growing in your yard). In a bowl, combine the cooked veggies with the bread cubes, left-over bulgar, and eggs. Add 2 cups stock. I used juices from the turkey and a bit of broth from simmering the turkey’s neck, giblets, heart, and liver. Bake for one-half hour at 350 degrees.

Posted in Great Uses for Left-over Bulgar | No Comments »
Tricia’s Cream of Bulgar Lunch
November 18th, 2008

Tricia Dameron, blogstress at oklavore.com , has a new recipe for a Cream of Bulgar lunch. It looks like it was invented the way most great recipes are developed — “let’s see, what’s around that I could make into a lunch?”. She cooked cream of bulgar in equal parts milk and beef broth, and then added chunks of white cheddar cheese. That was then topped with a generous helping of cooked greens. Read the original here.

Bulgar in chili
October 20th, 2008

I made a great chili today –

* 1 lb grassfed ground beef
* 1 lb local ground pork
* 4 cups beans (soaked overnight in water)
* 4 small cans tomato sauce (8 ounce cans)
* 1 cup uncooked bulgar
* Chopped garlic, onions
* Cumin, chili powder, cayenne, plus 1 tablespoon of Bob’s Hotter Than Hades Habanero Sauce

I browned the pork and ground beef with the garlic and onions, added the spices and poured it into a large crockpot. Then I added the bulgar, beans, tomato sauce, and filled it the rest of the way with water. I turned it on high for the first hour, then down to low. . . 8 hours later, hotter than hades chili with bulgar.

Bulgar is turning out to be a great meat extender. I could probably have made this with one pound (or less) of meat and doubled the uncooked bulgar.

Preview of Tomorrow’s Attraction — cream of bulgar with Bob’s Hotter than Hades Habanero Sauce. I can’t believe I haven’t tried this yet! Plus hmmm. . . a dash of honey and of course yogurt. That’s a breakfast that will break a sweat and stick to your ribs.

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