Food Storage for the Insanely Busy

(especially those working 9 to 5)

One common complaint about traditional food storage foods is "They take so long to cook!" Everyone's busy, and sometimes it's hard to find time to cook from scratch -- especially if you're away all day and get home exhausted, in search of a quick, easy dinner. If this sounds like familiar, this newsletter's especially for you. It focuses on

• Foods you can prepare ahead of time
• Foods you can prepare in just a few minutes
• Foods you can prepare from make-ahead mixes

All of these recipes are geared to fit a schedule where you only have a few minutes to cook -- in the evening, the morning, or right before dinner.

The Crockpot is Your Best Friend

 

If you have no time to cook, but you'd like dinner to be ready the moment you walk in the door, the crockpot is your best friend! The crockpot is wonderfully well-suited to preparing whole grains and legumes that require long, slow cooking. It's perfect for dishes like soups and stews, too. These taste great on a cool autumn afternoon! Here are some easy make-ahead meals for the crockpot that you can prepare the night before, let cook on low all day, and have ready for dinner the minute you walk in the door. Notice that all of these recipes follow a common pattern: the night before, you start the ingredient(s) that require long cooking (like beans or tough stew meat). Before you go to bed, you add the other ingredients and turn the crockpot to low. Your dinner cooks all night and the next day, and is ready when you are. Once you understand this pattern, you can adapt similar recipes to the basic method, making it easy to fix dinner ahead, with only minimal effort.

Baked Beans with Ham. About 6 or 7 pm the night before, put ingredients 1 C dry white beans and 3 C water in crockpot and turn to high. Before you go to bed, drain the beans, set to low, and add 3/4 C catsup, 1/4 C molasses, and 1 tsp dry mustard. In the morning, check and add water if necessary. Let cook on low all day.
Chili. About 6 or 7 pm the night before, put ingredients 1 C dry pinto or kidney beans and 3 C water in crockpot and turn to high. Before you go to bed, drain the beans, set to low, and add 1 large can stewed tomatoes, 1 lb cooked, crumbled hamburger, and chili powder, cumin, and garlic to taste.
Beef Barley Stew. The night before you want to serve the stew, put 1-2 lbs stew meat,1 can mixed vegetables,1/3 C dry barley, beef bouillon to taste, and 1 quart water in the crockpot on low. In the morning, add 1/2 T cornstarch that's been mixed with a little water. Let cook on low all day.

"Dumping" Dinner

This section offers recipes for dinners you can prepare in minutes, using canned, frozen, and dried foods that are easy to keep in your food storage. You just "dump" in the ingredients, then let them marinate or cook in the same pot, making for fast, easy cleanup. (All canned goods are drained before use.)

Colorful Summer Bean Salad

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C oil

1/2 C vinegar

1/2 C water

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp Worcestershire

3 cans beans, your choice (try garbanzo, kidney, & black)

1 can green beans

1 can corn

1/2 of a chopped onion

Combine ingredients and marinate.

Minestrone Soup (makes lots!)

1 can green beans

1 can corn

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can kidney beans

1 small pkg macaroni

1 lb hamburger, cooked & drained

handful of chopped carrots (optional)

1 quart water

1 Tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp beef bouillon

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Combine ingredients in large soup pan and cook until macaroni and carrots are done.

Turkey-Noodle Casserole (serves 4)

1 can turkey, drained

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 can peas (save the rest for soup)

1 cup dry noodles (or small shells or macaroni)

1/8 C dried or 1/2 fresh onion, diced

1/8 tsp salt

Combine ingredients in covered casserole and microwave for 25 minutes on high.

Make-Ahead Mixes

Another way to use your food storage is to prepare dry mixes ahead of time, especially for things you like to bake (bread, muffins, cakes, pancakes, etc.). Just combine all of the dry ingredients for a recipe in a Zip-Loc bag. For even more convenience, add a label that tells the remaining ingredients and gives instructions. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Flatbread

This recipe for Italian flat bread (focaccia) is remarkably versatile and easy to make.

Mix:

1 1/2 C flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp of rosemary, basil, red pepper, or any seasoning you like -- or combine seasonings!

To make the flatbread:

Combine the mix with 1/2 C water & 1/8 C oil. Mix til it forms a ball. Pat it out on a small cookie sheet or pizza pan and let rise 1/2 hr. Bake in 425 oven for 15 minutes.

Variations: This is good with parmesan or grated cheddar cheese on top. Try tomato sauce and cheese, and you've got pizza. You can try other toppings, too.

Add an additional 3 T sugar (1/4 C total) & omit savory spices for sweet bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon, raisins, dates, icing, anything you like.

Basic Muffins (1 dozen)

Mix:

1 1/2 C flour (preferably whole wheat)

1/4 C sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

2 Tbsp powdered milk

To make the muffins:

Combine the mix with 1/4 C oil, 1 egg, and 3/4 C water. Bake at 375 for 10-14 minutes, til done.

Variations: The variations are infinite. Try about 1/2 C of almost any fruit; 1/2 C nuts; and/or abt 1 tsp of any sweet spices you like.

Healthy Holiday Feasting

 http://www.hashworks.com/foodstorage. 
 
Holidays are hectic. Between presents, decorating, crafts, holiday performances, entertaining, and snacking on all kinds of treats, it's no wonder we're tired -- and no coincidence that everyone's getting sick in January and February. But it doesn't have to be this way. Here are quick tips and good recipes for healthy holiday feasting. They'll help you save time and money. They'll also help you avoid the cycle of being tired during the holidays and sick afterwards. And many of them use traditional food storage foods.

Don't think of cutting out -- think of adding in!

If you think in terms of not eating holiday treats, you set yourself up for a struggle right when temptation is greatest. Instead of thinking in terms of cutting out treats and traditional holiday foods, think of adding in lots of good, healthy food. Then go ahead and have some goodies without feeling guilty. Concentrate on eating well, with a focus on eating these things:

• Foods that are high in fiber
• Lots of fresh vegetables and fruits (5-8 servings a day)
• Whole-grain cereals, breads, muffins

Make it convenient to eat good food

With tempting goodies so readily available, you have to make it convenient to eat healthy food. This isn't as hard as it may seem at first. First commit to do it, then prepare in advance:

• Include at least one fruit and one vegetable with every meal, and snack on fruits and vegetables during the day.
• Prepare fruits and vegetables in advance so they're easy to snack on (peel and section oranges, cut melons up into chunks, wash grapes and take them off the stems, peel and cut up carrots or get baby carrots).
• To encourage nibbling, put fruits and vegetables where you can see them in the fridge; set a bowl of them out where they're easy to snack on.
• If you're going to be baking sweets, set out a bowl of finger fruits/veggies right where you're working. Then, when you're tempted to dig into the dough or the batter, eat the fruits or vegetables instead.
• For easy whole-grain cereals, put whole or cracked grains in the crockpot the night before and cook overnight on low. Then the cereal is ready in the morning; all you have to do is dish it out. Cereals like oatmeal and germade only take a few minutes to cook in the microwave. Put them on before you step into the shower, and they'll be ready when you get out.
• Bake big batches of whole wheat bread, muffins, pancakes, waffles, etc. Then freeze and take out as needed.
• When you bake goodies, try to put sneak in fiber by using ingredients such as whole wheat flour, rolled oats, and all kinds of nuts. That way, you can get away with some sugar, candy, etc.

Simplify

Holidays are fun, but busy. Here are ideas for simplifying:
Plan quick meals. For everyday meals, plan things that take 30 minutes or less to prepare. The key to doing this is to plan ahead, stock your house with things your family likes and will eat, and make meal plans so you can combine tasks.
Do the day's cooking all at once. Instead of fixing breakfast, lunch, and dinner at different times during the day, do everything at once: Cook the breakfast cereal or whatever, make lunch sandwiches, and start a dinner stew in the crockpot, all at the same time. Then you only have to clean up the kitchen once. Plus, you enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing dinner will be ready at the end of a busy day.
Do a bunch at once. Make enough salad to last three days, then store a day's worth in a ziploc bag to keep it crisp and fresh. Prepare fruits and vegetables for snacking this way, too. When you bake, double or triple the batch, then freeze the extras.

Festive Fresh Fruit Salad

Cut up any fresh fruit you wish -- such as apples, oranges, bananas, kiwi, pineapple, grapes. Stir in a cup of lemon yogurt, then sprinkle coconut on top. To make it "Christmas-y," slice kiwis and place on top, along with a sprinkling of dried cranberries. This is really easy and pretty, perfect for entertaining.

Easy, Nutritious Suppers

For easy nutritious suppers, follow this formula:
1) Fix a soup in the crockpot (start it in the morning - try beef stew with stew meat, barley, potatoes, onions, carrots; chicken soup with chicken, onions, carrots, potatoes; chili with canned tomatoes, pre-fried hamburger, and kidney beans, seasoned with chili powder; broccoli soup; potato soup; clam chowder, etc.)
2) Have a fresh salad (prepare 3 days' worth at once, as explained earlier)
3) Have a slice of good whole-wheat bread
4) If you wish, have a whole-grain cookie or some whole-grain cake
Vegetable Bags for Easy Soup
Preparing and freezing "vegetable bags" ahead of time makes it easy to fix a quick batch of crockpot soup. In the morning, just throw in the vegetable bag, water, meat, and seasonings. Cook on low all day, and it's ready for dinner when you are.
To prepare vegetable bags, buy carrots, onions, and celery in quantity (2 lbs carrots, 6 onions, and a large bunch of celery make 4-6 vegetable bags). Run the carrots through the food processor, and chop the celery and onions.
Then combine 1 cup of each vegetable in ziploc bags (3 cups total) and freeze. This is a good basic combination that lends itself to lots of variations. When you make your soup, you can add anything else you want -- potatoes, rice, noodles, canned peas, corn, beans, and so on.

Learn to Make Cheese. . . more from the Survival Mom blog

 http://thesurvivalmom.com/2012/04/20/april-skill-of-the-month-make-your-own-cheese/

Learn how to make your own cheese!

 
A couple of  years ago I was teaching a food storage class to a group of women.  I emphasized storage-friendly foods and mentioned a few that weren’t exactly shelf stable, such as most cheeses.  One woman asked, “Does this mean I have to say good-bye to cheese enchiladas?”  I thought she was going to cry!
Cheese can be stored in various forms, such as freeze-dried cheese (very good!) and cheese powder (okay for certain recipes), but learning how to make fresh, homemade cheese is entirely possible.
I wrote about Teddi Johnson in my book.  She’s a mom from West Virginia who has taught herself how to make all sorts of cheeses.  According to her, cream cheese is the easiest cheese to make.  So, here is the recipe she uses, and I challenge you to make a batch this week!  I’ll post additional tips and recipes in the coming days.
To make homemade cream cheese, let the milk mixture stand at 85 degrees until it’s the consistency of soft yogurt.
3 cups half-and-half
3/4 cup whipping cream
1-1/2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
Combine half-and-half and whipping cream in a heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat until mixture is 90 degrees. Stir in buttermilk. Pour mixture into a large glass or ceramic bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Wrap a large towel around entire bowl, and place bowl in an oven with light on or in a warm place, about 85 degrees, for 28 hours or until mixture is consistency of soft yogurt.
Cut several thicknesses of cheesecloth large enough to line a large colander and extend 4 inches over edges. Rinse cheesecloth, and squeeze out excess moisture; line colander with cheesecloth. Place colander in sink. Pour cream mixture into colander, and let drain 20 minutes. Place colander in a container to drain completely. Cover colander and container tightly with enough plastic wrap to make an airtight seal. Refrigerate 12 hours or until well drained. Spoon cheese mixture into a bowl, and stir in salt. If the cheese is to be flavored and molded according to the following recipes, then do so at this point.
If cheese is to be molded unflavored, cut 4 (8-inch-square) pieces of cheesecloth; rinse cheesecloth, and squeeze out excess moisture. Smooth out wrinkles of cheesecloth, and stack layers on top of each other. Spoon cheese mixture in center of cheesecloth. Wrap cheesecloth around cheese mixture, and tie ends securely. Pat cheesecloth wrapped cheese into an oval or round shape. (Cheese can also be shaped in desired mold. Line mold with cheesecloth, and spoon in cheese mixture, pressing with the back of a spoon to smoothly and firmly pack mixture.) Place
cheesecloth wrapped cheese (or invert mold) over a wire rack in a shallow pan. Cover pan with enough plastic wrap to make an airtight seal.
Refrigerate 1 to 2 days or until firm and well drained. Unmold cheese, and remove cheesecloth just before serving. Cheese will keep in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Yield: about 2 cups.

I haven't tried this yet, but it is worth trying if you like cheese...

Whole Wheat Bread Class

Provident Living Food Class

March 27th - Tuesday

7:00 pm 

at the Scott's house 

 

Learn to make 
Whole Wheat Bread

start-to-finish

Beans and Brown Bread

Provident Living Food Class

February 28th - Tuesday

7:00 pm 

at the Scott's house 

 

Learn to Cook Beans and 

make Brown Bread

 

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coming in March - 

Whole Wheat Bread - Start to finish!

taught by  Melinda Radmacher

The Amazing and Versatile Pumpkin!

Grow a Pumpkin

Split it in half to bake it

Here's how to cook the pumpkin:

Pumpkin Chili

It is important to carefully cut a full size pumpkin in half-- top to bottom-- and with a sharp knife in preparation for cooking it to make pumpkin puree. The same technique works for all pumpkins, whether you have a fairy tale pumpkin or a regular jack-o-lantern type pumpkin. The skin of a fairy tale pumpkin is much thicker than a regular jack-o-lantern pumpkin, so you will get more puree from that kind even if the pumpkin looks shorter.

Next - Scoop out all the seeds and strings and then put the cut side down on a cookie sheet - add 1/2 to 1 cup of water and bake at 300 degrees for several hours. Baking time depends on the size of the pumpkin. You will know it is done when you can poke a sharp knife easily into the skin.

Take it out of the oven and let it cool to touch, then scoop all the soft pumpkin flesh into a bowl. Mash with a potato masher or hand mixer. Scoop 2 cups of pumpkin puree into ziplock bags. (most recipes call for 2 cups of pumpkin). Make with date and a "P" (pumpkin), then freeze.

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Bundt

Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Cake

Make pies from scratch

Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin Soup

When you need pumpkin for a recipe thaw and use this puree.

Gardening, Zucchini & Salsa

Come to 
the Park Ward Relief Society Activity
Tuesday, May 24th
6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Childcare is provided

Learn how to garden

Learn how to make salsa (and sample some salsa)

Learn the wonders of Zucchini- the easiest vegetable to grow!

 Check out this link if you are new to using zucchini-
How-to: Zucchini

Black Bean Recipes

We are so lucky to have the LDS Sacramento Cannery close by so that we can take advantage of canning fruits and vegetables as they become available.

Last week we canned "Black Beans"- here are a few recipes to help you with ideas for using those black beans...

Best Ever Black Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans 
• 1 small onion, chopped 
• 1 clove garlic, chopped 
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine beans, onion, and garlic, and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Season with cilantro, cayenne, and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, and serve. 

Mango Tango Black Bean Salsa 

Ingredients:

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,191,139163-224203,00.html
Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 ounces) mango slices, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 can (7 ounces) corn with peppers, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup coarsely chopped, fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:

1.       Combine beans, mango, corn, onion and cilantro in a medium bowl.

2.       Stir in lime juice, garlic salt and cumin.

 

Black Bean Breakfast Burrito

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs 
• 2 tablespoons milk 
• salt and pepper, to taste 
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, rinsed and chopped 
• 1 – 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
•  3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled 
• 1 avocado, diced 
• salsa, your choice of heat 
• 6 soft taco sized flour tortillas, warmed

Directions:

1.       In a large bowl combine the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper.

2.       Hand beat the eggs using a whisk or fork until yolk and white are evenly mixed and the eggs are frothy, about 1-2 minutes. (or use an electric hand mixer)

3.       Grease a nonstick sauté pan and set it over medium-high heat.

4.       Add eggs to the pan. After the eggs begin to set, gently move them around in the pan with a spatula or wooded spoon.

5.       Move the eggs to the center while tilting your pan to redistribute the unset parts.

6.       Break apart large pieces with your spoon or spatula. Turn the eggs as needed until they are cooked through. Stir in the chopped cilantro.

7.       To assemble the burrito: divide the egg and black bean evenly among the tortillas.

8.       Garnish each burrito with feta, avocado, and salsa.

Top with additional cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately.

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, thoroughly rinsed, and drained (or 1 1/2 cup of freshly cooked black beans) 
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, defrosted (or fresh corn, parboiled, drained and cooled) 
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions   
• 2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced, or 1 whole pickled jalapeño pepper, minced (not seeded) 
• 3 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped 
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks 
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro 
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil 
• 2 Tbsp lime juice (about the amount of juice from one lime) 
• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar (to taste) 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.       Make sure to rinse and drain the beans

2.       In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, onions, jalapeno chili peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, basil, lime juice and olive oil.

3.       Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. (The sugar will help balance the acidity from the tomatoes and lime juice.)

4.       Chill before serving

Black Bean Dip 

Ingredients:

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1615,134180-246193,00.html
Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.

1 can black beans
1 med ripe tomato, diced
1/4 cup jalapeno slices (pickled are best for this dip)
1/3 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 bunch green onion - diced
sour cream
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
salt

Directions:

1.  Heat beans over the stove; add cumin, chili powder, and just a pinch of salt.
2. Once the beans are heated through, move to an oven-safe bowl.
3. Top with cheese.
4. Use broiler setting in the oven to melt the cheese.
5. Once the cheese has melted, top with salsa, fresh tomatoes, jalapeno, and sour cream.
6. Garnish with diced green onions.

Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

Mango Tango Black Bean Salsa 

Ingredients:

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,191,139163-224203,00.html
Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 ounces) mango slices, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 can (7 ounces) corn with peppers, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup coarsely chopped, fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:

1.       Combine beans, mango, corn, onion and cilantro in a medium bowl.

2.       Stir in lime juice, garlic salt and cumin.

Santa Fe Black Bean Salad 

Ingredients:

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1743,152163-245207,00.html
Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1 lg. tomato, finely chopped
1 c. dry extra-fine pasta, crumbled (Ramen noodles)
1/2 c. cilantro leaves, torn
1/2 c. fresh hot salsa
Dollop of plain yogurt (garnish)
Black olive to top the yogurt
Tortilla chips to serve alongside

Directions:

1. Open can and rinse the beans under cold, running water. Drain
2. In a medium bowl combine the beans, chopped onion and tomato.
3. Crumble dry noodles into this mixture, and toss to mix.
4. Add cilantro and salsa and toss again.
5. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
6. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt topped with a black olives and a sprig of cilantro.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Shelf Stable Recipe Book

SHELF-STABLE-RECIPE-BOOK.pdf

This recipe e-book is from Food Storage Made Easy. This 58 page book is full of recipes that only use supplies that you could easily have in your pantry or food storage.  There is a picture with most of the recipes and they all look so yummy.

It is definitely worth printing and keeping close at hand in the kitchen. Try out the recipes that appeal to you and then stock up on the cans, boxes, mixes that you would need. 

You will also want to check out the entire link to Food Storage Made Easy. It is an awesome site with many tips, recipes and other information.

Food Storage Made Easy

THE CAN PLAN

Here is another plan that you could use to build your 90 day supply.

Plan meals entirely from cans and other dried stored foods.

Decide how many meals a week you think you’ll want a break from your stored bulk wheat, rice and beans and make a meal for each day. Example: I want three dinners a week that won’t be just wheat, rice or beans and I want them all to be different. This means that I have to find 12 recipes that my family likes and purchase the ingredients for each meal 3 times. This will give you 36 meals or 12 meals a month for 3 months. You could increase or decrease according to your families likes and dislikes.

Why:

It takes time to plan and learn to use the traditional food storage items. This way you can start storing usable items now to supplement the basics.

You don’t have a hand or electric grinder YET!

All wheat, rice and beans could be boring.

You’re more apt to rotate this food.

You may feel better with a little comfort food in emergencies.

Some Ideas:

12 jars of spaghetti sauce, 12 boxes of noodles.

12 cans of a great soup or stew, etc.

12 packaged dinners, add canned meat

Improvise your recipes to be made entirely from cans or dry packed foods.

Can Plan Recipes:

Taco soup

2 cans kidney beans or chili beans

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 packet (or ¼ cup) taco seasoning

Place contents of cans, including liquid and taco seasoning into sauce pan. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

You could add cheese, crushed corn chips or tortilla chips and /or sour cream.

Great served with cornbread (from a package)

Potato Casserole

2 cans small white potatoes

parsley

pepper

dill seed

oregano

1 can mushroom soup

1 soup can of milk

garlic powder

paprika

Drain potatoes and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle generously with parsley. Season with salt, pepper, pinch of dill, 2 pinches of oregano. Mix soup and milk and add 1/8^th tsp garlic powder. Pour over potatoes and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Chinese Casserole

2 cans Tuna

1 can mushroom soup

¼ cup water

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 cup whole cashews

1-4oz. can mushrooms

2 cups canned Chinese Chow Mien noodles

¼ cup minced onions (or equivalent in dried)

2 cans water chestnuts

Drain the tuna. Mix with the soup, water, soy sauce, and all other ingredients except 1 Cup of the noodles. Place in casserole. Can be refrigerated at this point or bakes at 375 for 40 minutes.

Quick Tamale Casserole

1 large can or 2 small cans tamales

1 can corn

1 can chili con carne

1 can chopped olives, drained

1/3 cup grated cheese (optional under extreme conditions)

Mix all canned foods, cover with cheese or corn chips, bake for 40 minutes.

Chicken Deluxe

4 cups Pepperidge Farms herb Stuffing Mix (1/2 bag)

1 cup margarine melted (sub. broth or pwd butter)

Mix this and press ½ mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Mix together:

2 cans cream of celery soup

1 can milk

Pour over crumbs

Scatter on top:

3 cans of chicken

2 Tbsp dried onion

dash of pepper

1 can peas or water chestnuts

Top with the rest of the crumb mixture. Bake at 375 for 60 minutes. Cool slightly to cut into squares.

Fettuccini Alfredo:

1 package fettuccini noodles

1 jar alfredo sauce

1 can chicken or turkey

Cook noodles and drain.  Heat sauce and chicken together and pour over noodles.

Crab Bisque

3 cans crabmeat

4 Tbsp butter (sub with pwd butter)

¼ cup chicken stock

2 15oz cans tomato sauce

2 6oz cans tomato paste

3 Tbsp Old Bay Seafood seasoning

6 cups milk, (can use pwd or canned)½ tsp Tabasco sauce (opt)

Mix all ingredients except crab and stir till smooth over medium heat. Add crab meat and heat through.

Tuna Shortcake

1 can cream of mushroom soup

¼ cup milk

1 7oz can tuna, drained and flaked

1 cup cooked/canned peas, drained

1 Tbsp chopped pimento

In saucepan, combine ingredients. Heat,  stirring often.

Serve over biscuits

Spanish Rice

3 Tbsp oil

1 cup uncooked rice

1 can 11.5oz tomato juice

1 pint salsa

Toast rice in oil until most of the rice changes color and begins to brown slightly. Add tomato juice and salsa. Stir. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Peanut Butter Spread

1 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky

3 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

¼ cup honey

Mix together all ingredients and spread on bread or fruit. Makes about 1 ¼ cups.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup peanut butter

½ cup oil

1 egg or egg substitute

2 Tbsp water

Mix all ingredients well. Form 1 1/2” balls and criss-cross with fork on a non-stick pan. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Don’t forget to store all the water necessary to cook your foods. Add some canned veggies with any of the meals and don’t forget to convert more of your favorite desserts so you have a treat.