Rice - Not just plain white and boring!!!

Below are some easy rice recipes. Rice is a great grain to store in our food storage and right now is a good time to buy it. My local Sam's club has a 50 lb bag of rice for just $16.89. That’s less than $35 for 100 lbs of a great and versatile grain. We are counseled to store at least 400 lbs of grains per adult as part of our year’s supply. A lot of people will store tons of wheat – which is great – but variety is the spice of life. So may I humbly suggest that you add rice to your food storage. Stock up and store brown or wild rice when you find a good store special. Rice is simple and satisfying on many levels. Rice can be mixed with beans or canned meats to make it a protein rich casserole meal. It can be flavored with a variety of seasonings, sauces and broths. Add milk, sugar and cinnamon to make a pudding for dessert. Add almonds and Parmesan to perk up your plain white rice. Make stews and casseroles from that left over roast or turkey. Hot buttered brown rice sprinkled with a little cinnamon sugar is a yummy breakfast treat. For a refreshing summer drink, make the Mexican rice drink called Horchata. Enjoy Rice! It's doesn't just have to be a plain white boring side dish.

California Seasoned Rice Mix
3 cups uncooked regular white rice
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
2 Tbsp. instant chicken flavor bouillon
2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tablespoons dried, minced onions
1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves

Stir ingredients together and place in an air tight container until ready to use. To cook: Bring two cups of water to boil. Add two tablespoon butter or margarine and one cup of the mix. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

Homemade Rice-a-Roni
1 cup rice
4 tbsp. butter
4 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp. fresh parsley
1/2 cup spaghetti (broken in 1/2 inch pieces)

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and then add the rice and broken spaghetti. Brown well and then slowly add the chicken broth, reducing the heat to a simmer. After 10 minutes, add fresh parsley and continue cooking until rice is tender. Fluff with a fork.
Kay’s make-it-a-meal Variation:
Add 1 can chicken (10 oz) at the beginning when adding the broth to the pot. Then add ¼ cup sliced almonds and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese at the end with the parsley. YUM!!!!!!

Chinese Fried Rice
1 cup rice
3 Tbs. oil
2 eggs
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 can chicken (10oz.)
1 cup frozen peas and carrots

Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil and cook rice as normal. Rinse rice with cold tap water until cooled. Spread rice onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate 20 minutes. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Break eggs into oil and scramble with a spatula. Add the chilled rice and soy sauce. Drain chicken and add. Stir until rice is heated through. Add peas and carrots. Cook 1 minute to heat the vegetables. Serve hot.

Spanish Fired Rice
2 Tbs. Oil
1 cup chopped onion (or dry equivalent)
2 cups raw rice
4 cups water
2 Tbs. Chili powder
2 cups tomato sauce

Put the oil in a large frying pan; heat to very hot. Add rice and chopped onion; stir until rice starts to brown. Slowly add water and chili powder. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add tomato sauce. Cook 5 minutes more. Stir and serve. Add 1 lb. cooked and seasoned ground beef or left over Sunday roast for a delicious meal.

Horchata
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 quart water
¼ cup slivered almonds
2 sticks cinnamon
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla

Grind rice to a coarse meal in a blender. Mix together rice, cinnamon, almonds and water. Cover loosely and let stand overnight. Puree the rice mixture, then strain through several layers of dampened cheesecloth. Mix in sugar and vanilla extract. Serve over ice.

Plain Horchata: Omit cinnamon and almonds. Continue as directed.

Chocolate Horchata: Omit cinnamon and almonds from basic recipe. Add 2 ounces grated chocolate to rice. Continue as directed.

Strawberry Horchata: Omit cinnamon and almonds. Add one 10 ounce package of frozen strawberries with the sugar and vanilla extract. Continue as directed.

Mexicali Bean and Rice Casserole
This is one of my own recipe creations. I was wanting Mexican food one night and had no money to go out. I was short on ingredients for one of my other favorite Mexican casseroles - so I started dumping things in a skillet that sounded good to me at the time and this simple casserole is what I got. My family loved it. I hope you enjoy it too.

1 lb ground beef (cooked and drained)
1 cup white rice
2 cans (8oz each) tomato sauce
1 envelop fajita or taco seasoning
1 tsp. chili powder
1 can (15 oz) red, black or kidney beans
4 oz. grated Colby jack or jalapeno Cheddar cheese (I like to mix 2oz of each)

Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Drain grease from beef on paper towel covered plate when done. Put rice on to boil as for plain white rice in 2 cups salted water. Turn down heat when it begins to boil. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, while rice is cooking, return browned ground beef to skillet with the rest of the ingredients. Stir well over medium low heat until cheese is melted. Turn heat to low and let simmer, stirring occasionally, while rice is cooking. After rice is done, add to ground beef mixture and stir together well. Remove from heat and serve with fry bread and salad for a great meal.

Chicken Stew
This is an old Southern comfort food recipe. It was one of my favorites when I was a child. In this recipe the preferred ingredients are listed first but the substitutes work just as well. I have made this recipe using all combinations of the ingredients listed below depending on what I had in the pantry at the time.

1 cup rice
2 chicken breast (boiled and shredded) or 2 cans chicken (10 oz. each)
1 can cream of chicken soup (10 oz)
6 cups water from your boiled chicken or 4 ½ cups water plus broth from the canned chicken
4 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 cup frozen or canned peas
1 cup frozen or canned corn
1 carrot (sliced) or use dehydrated equivalent
2 stalks celery (sliced) or use 1 tsp celery seeds for flavor
1 small onion (chopped) or 3 TBS dried onions or 1 tsp onion salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. black pepper

Cook rice in 1½ cups water. It will not quite be done. Leaving it a little underdone will make sure it doesn’t go mushy in the last cooking stages. In a separate large pot, boil chicken breasts until completely done. They should be done at the same time as the rice or shortly after. Shred cooked chicken with forks so you don’t burn your fingers. Measure out 6 cups broth from boiling the chicken and freeze the rest for later use in casseroles. Replace the 6 cups broth to the large pot with the shredded chicken, rice and the rest of the ingredients. Stir together well and bring to a boil. Then turn heat to medium. Continue boiling over medium heat for 15 minutes until carrots and celery are tender. This makes 6 generous bowlfuls. Serve with homemade sunflower wheat bread and sliced cheese for a delicious and comforting winter meal.

All around Preparedness

This is just a short list of things that I have found helpful to do to be prepared in the event of an emergency on the road or in a 72 hour situation. We are encouraged by church, government and Red Cross leaders to keep a 72 hour kit handy in the event of an emergency that forces us to leave our home. Here are some tips:

• The weekend that we set our clocks for daylight savings time is a great time to check your 72 hour kits, car kits, and smoke detector baterries. If you did not do it then – DO IT NOW! Change your batteries in your flashlight in your 72 hour kits and your smoke detectors every time whether you think they are fine or not. You’re better off safe than sorry.
• You should have a ziplock bag with a change of clothing (at least a fresh work shirt or T-shirt and change of undies and 3 pair of socks. Check the sizes in your kids packs to make sure they have what they need. Keeping feet and privates clean and dry during these situations is very important for your health.
• Speaking of dry feet - store a pair of good sneakers for each family member near your kits. The coat closet in the hall is a great place so that you can grab everything as you go out the door.
• Check your food for expiration dates. Change out any food that will expire before the next daylight savings time. Below is a list of handy foods that can easily be stored a 2 gallon ziplock within your 72 hour kits. You should be able to fill your kit with variety, decent nutrition and caloric intake for around $10 per person. Remember to pack as light as you can. Canned foods are good – but weigh down a pack. They also require and opener. Your pack should be easily portable.
• Place a laminated photo of each family member on a lanyard and attach it to their 72-hour kit. Write all pertinent information on the back of the photo including the name of the person, cell numbers for the parents or spouse, allergies to drugs, ect. In the event of an emergency – each family member should remove the lanyard from the pack and wear it around their neck. That way- if you are separated from your children – they can be identified and you can be more easily located. You and your medical issues can also be identified with this information if you are found unconscious.

72 Hour Kit Foods List

Breakfast Items: pop-tarts, carnation instant breakfast bars or slim-fast bars; tang, apple cider or cocoa packets;
Lunch & Dinner Items: canned tuna, Vienna sausages, chicken or deviled ham; jerky and cheese sticks; canned chili, raviolis, or soups; freeze-dried veggies; individual cans of tomato or V-8 juice, Capri sun drink pouches
Snacks: gum, hard candy, peanuts, granola, cracker packs, fruit leather, apple sauce, pudding cups & fruit cups
WATER: You should have at least a 2 one liter water bottles for everyone stored right next to your packs or in pockets on your packs in case you have to evacuate.
Don’t forget to put plastic spoons & forks, napkins and individually packaged wet wipes, small bottle hand sanitizer, toothbrush and trial sized toothpaste in each pack. I put these items into a small Rubbermaid sandwich box container with lid so that I have the container to eat from if needed.

Car Safety checklist

cell phone and charger
kitty litter for traction or to clean up oil leaks
small can of lock antifreeze
small basic first aid kit
rope or twine to tie down trunk
umbrella and rain poncho
wipes & sanitizer to clean hands
roll of paper towels for spills
plastic trash bags in case of wet clothing
flares, triangles and safety matches
jumper cables and flashlight
thermal blanket (s)
small hand shovel
packs of dried fruit, granola bars, or nuts
spare tire and work gloves
tow chain or strap
pen, paper, and emergency contact numbers
at least $20 CASH (you just never know)

Organize smaller items into a duffle and keep secured under or behind your seat, in a closed compartment or in a trunk. In the event of an accident – you don’t want loose abjects flying around to hit you in the head.

Sunshine ~ Coladas

I was talking to a family from my church the other day when the subject of food storage came up. In the course of the conversation, I relayed how our family was grateful that we had food storage last winter when my husband was unemployed for 3 1/2 months.

The father of the family said - something to the effect of 'oh- yes. Lots of beans and rice for your family during that time I bet.'

To which I replied, "No - We had great meals including desserts and my favorite pina-colada type drinks."

He looked surprised and then I explained to him how food storage was more to my family than just wheat, rice, beans, oil and honey. It was having a great deal of shelf stable everyday foods and a freezer full of meat, cheese and butter.

In rethinking that conversation, it occurred to me that I had not shared my favorite mixed-drink recipe with you all. So here it is. I created this concoction myself through trial and error. It is much better with the Coco-Real brand coconut cream, but the coconut powder is a good substitute if you don't have the Coco-Real, which can be difficult to find (it is only in one grocer around here that I have found) and it is a bit pricey to store a large amount in your food storage. I like to make this stuff up in little zip-lock type packets, store the packets in a Tupperware, and just add the water and ice when I'm ready for a treat.

For those of you from Utah, I found the Coco-Real at Smith's grocery store in the mixed drinks section. It is $2.80 per bottle. I believe it is a 20 oz. size. The Strawberry Tang, I found at Reams grocery store. I keep a large supply of that on hand at all times. It comes in a pouch that makes 6 liquid quarts. I stock up on it when it is put on sale @ 2 for $5.

Sunshine~Coladas
2 Tbs. strawberry powdered drink mix (Tang-type)
1 Tbs. orange powdered drink mix (Tang-type)
1 once Coco-Real or 1 Tbs. coconut syrup (recipe below)
2 Tbs. powdered milk
1 cup water
1 ¼ cups crushed ice

Mix with water in mini-blender mug (Magic Bullet brand type of blender) and then add crushed ice. Blend for 30 seconds until smooth.


Coconut syrup for Sunshine~Coladas
¼ cup coconut
2 Tbs. powdered milk
2 Tbs. powdered sugar

Blend together in a mini-blender approximately 30 seconds or until coconut is pulverized. mix with a few teaspoons of water at a time until it is thick like sweetened condensed milk.

Make this treat with caution, because it is so refreshing during the summer - you will want one everyday.

5 Minute Chocolate Cake

A recipe from my dear 'old' Dad~

Many of you who know my father will also know that he is not a particularly fabulous cook. He gets by and does a decent job considering he is all alone and has not always had to cook for himself. He has learned alot over the years since his and my mother's divorce. Much like a fine wine, he has gotten better with the passing of time. My father and I are alot alike. We both love the internet for all it's resources and we both love to learn. My father recently sent me a recipe that he got from the internet and I loved it so much that I had to share it. It's called 5 Minute Chocolate Cake - and yes - it really does only take 5 minutes from beginning to end. I love this recipe because I am often alone with the girls while my dear husband is on the road with his job. Making a big chocolate cake for dessert will only lead to me becoming fat because I have no self control around chocolate. This recipe is wonderful because it only serves 2 people and is super fast. I have made it several times since receiving my father's email last month and my college-aged duaghter has made it for late night snacks as well when she had a friend over to watch a movie. It is the perfect way to be a good hostess without all the time and mess of a traditional cake. Here's the recipe and directions:

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg

3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee mug (microwave safe), a tablespoon measure & a fork to mix it all.


Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

(This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

Frugality Cubed

~Creative ways with ice cube trays~
In a recent article from MSN, the writer said that a friend of hers pours leftover coffee into ice-cube trays. The caffeinated cubes make first-rate iced coffee because they chill the beverage without diluting it. That got me thinking about other creative ways to use ice cube trays. I have used trays for multiple purposes in the past, but had not thought of using them to freeze those ‘little bit of leftovers.’ Here are a few suggestions to help you save some money with the oft overlooked and lowly ice cube tray.

1. You can save a lot of money by making your own baby food. Steam and puree vegetables (which you can mix with meat and/or rice or other grains if you like), or puree soft fresh fruits. Frankly – I just used to put the leftovers from the dinner table into a bullet blender and make Ashley’s baby food. As your baby gets older you can chop things a little more coarsely with just a fork. If necessary, thin these foods with a little of the cooking water from vegetables. That way there are even move vitamins being utilized instead of being tossed down the drain. Freeze this mashed goodness in ice cube trays and store in Ziploc style freezer bags. To save more money – you can re-use your zip-loc style bags. Unless the bags are greasy with meat residue, they're easy to wash and reuse.
2. Speaking of that veggie cooking water: Even people without babies should save those nutrients. Freeze the liquid for use in homemade soups. If you have younger kids, freeze some of the cubes extra-small and add one or two to a toddler's soup to cool the soup without diluting it.
3. Freeze herbal teas, lemonade or fruit juices for use in summertime drinks. Then, when you need an ice cube for a drink – it doesn’t get that watered down taste.
4. When a recipe calls for just a partial can of tomato paste, or sauce or juice don't leave the rest of the can in the fridge to grow fuzz. Freeze it for future meals.
5. If you can’t finish the milk or yogurt before it goes bad, freeze it. Then thaw a couple of cubes at a time for cooling morning oatmeal or coffee. It also makes great smoothies. My own version of a Strawberry Colada smoothie is made by tossing the following into a blender: 6 oz. milk, 1 ½ TBS. strawberry flavored Tang and a splash of Coco-Real. I then fill the magic bullet blender mug the rest of the way with crushed ice and give it a whirl. It’s VERY GOOD STUFF!!!
6. Bananas, strawberries or other fresh fruit getting too ripe? Puree and freeze them. Then add the cubes to your smoothies (or thaw them for baby's dessert).
7. Freeze homemade pesto: It's easy to pull out just a couple of cubes for appetizers or to brighten up a jar of store-bought spaghetti sauce.
8. Freeze white vinegar in ice cubes and put them in a large zip lock bag in freezer. Once a week, grab 2-3 vinegar cubes and put down garbage disposal to clean and freshen it.
9. Freeze leftover chicken stock. Each cube is about a tablespoon. When sautéing meats or veggies, throw a couple of cubes in the pan. You can then use less oil and it adds a little flavor.
10. Soda that has gone flat can be frozen into cubes and then used either as a mini-popsicle or to cool down other soda drinks. Ginger ale frozen into cubes is good added to iced tea.
11. The ice cube trick also works for fresh herbs. Cut them up into water and freeze in the ice cube trays. Use for soups etc.
12. Another great idea to use those little bits of leftover dinner (like the last of the gravy, a few bits of roast, a few peas or a little corn) is to put one of those large empty ice cream containers in your freezer. When your meal is over, put the leftovers into the container. When it's full, get out the crock pot, add a can of tomatoes and get yourself the best soup you've had in a long time.
13. It's more efficient to keep one's freezer full than it is to keep it half-empty anyway, so those bags of frozen cubes may help save on the electric bill, as long as you allow space for proper circulation. The more your freezer is filled with frozen goods (such as ice), the less energy it takes to keep cool.
14. Don't rule out non-food uses. Crafters have always known that ice cube trays are good for organizing beads and small hardware. You can use them to hold small amounts of paint for crafts and even mix some of the colors in an empty compartment. Use in the bedroom to sort small pieces of jewelry: pins, rings, earrings.

Store what you Use & Use what you store. Never throw away useable food or other non-food products! If you have something usable but don’t think you personally are going to use it – give it away or donate it to a local charity. Someone will be thankful to have what you don’t want. One man’s trash really is another man’s treasure.