Food Storage Friday: Chicken Vegetable Chowder

There are six basic staples of long term food storage: rice, wheat, oats, pasta, beans, and potatoes. Potatoes are pretty darn easy to incorporate into your diet. To quote my friend Liesa "Mashed potatoes are the fast food of food storage." Anyone can add them as a side to a meal with very little effort. Mashed potato flakes can be stored for approximately 30 years. I am not a big potato person, however growing up my mom made this chicken vegetable chowder that I loved. Getting the recipe out of her is easier said than done, because she doesn't cook by recipe, more by taste and eyeballing it. So here is my version. To me, this is comfort food. :) If you wanted to, you could use fresh baked potatoes or even just mashed potato flakes. The point is to get your family used to eating these staples on a fairly regular basis.

Chicken Vegetable Chowder
Food Storage Ingredients:
1 (15oz) can of potatoes, drained
1/4 cup mashed potato flakes (or more if you need them)
3 cups chicken broth
1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk

Fresh Ingredients:
6 cups of finely chopped vegetables
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon prepared honey mustard
1 cup cooked chopped chicken (I've done this many times with canned chicken too)
1 cup shredded cheddar
pepper to taste

1. Put vegetables, canned potatoes, onion, garlic and chicken broth in crock pot. Simmer for 2-4 hours on low. 2. Mash everything with a potato masher until potato chunks pea sized or smaller. 3. Add evaporated milk. 4. Add potato flakes to thicken to desired consistency. 5. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low until heated through (30 minutes or so)

Notes: I served these in soup rolls, but you can do as you please. For vegetables I generally use carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, but this time I used parsnips instead of cauliflower because I had them from my Bountiful Basket and didn't have a clue what else to do with them. My mom always used half and half for this recipe. I don't like purchasing half and half. The remainder of the container always expires before I get around to using, besides you can get the same creaminess from evaporated milk with fewer calories and less saturated fat. She also uses bacon grease mixed with flour to thicken her soup instead of potato flakes. Yes, I know it taste better, but I detest working with bacon. Period. Yesterday when my husband heated some of these leftovers for lunch he accidentally put a dash of balsamic vinegar in it. It made it better. When I got home from work he fixed some for me that I way and I agreed. Give it a try.

CityDeals

Have you guys heard of or seen CityDeals before? It's kind of like Groupon in that you can get a really great discount, but instead have a 24 hour window to snag the deal, there are just a limited number of each deal to snag. I have seen discounts upwards of 80%. There are deals on restaurants, recreational activities, services, spas and more. Sometimes you snag multiples of the deal and other times they are limited to one per person. There are a whole range of deals, many for places to that are a little far to be convenient for me, but there are several that will save me quite a bit. Here are some of the deals that I have grabbed in the past couple months.

• Giftcard to Subway for 50% off
• Gift Certificates to Gandolfo's for 60% off and again for 70%
• Walmart giftcard at 20% off (that one went super-fast)

Gift cards and gift certificates make great Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers. Plus they're just a handy way to save money on traveling or otherwise eating out. I always like to put one or two in my husband's stocking. (Giving him a gift certificate is a simple way to guarantee me a date, and we both really like Gandolfo's sandwiches.) The deals available depend on what area you live and the deals are always changing, but it is definitely worth checking out.

Guest Post: The Mom Blog

Hey guys! I'm guest posting on The Mom Blog today. Same info that I put on my site last week, but with better pictures. I'm so excited that my soap-boxing is being heard, shared and maybe, just maybe helping someone somewhere. Go check it out.

What to do should you spill water on your laptop

So last weekend I was writing my book review post and the book wouldn't stay open. There was a glass of water handy on the table so I sat in on the page of my book that I wanted to see. (Yes, I know not my most brilliant move.) It wasn't long before said glass of water was knocked onto my laptop (and no I can't even blame the kids.) And my husband the computer genius wasn't even there at the moment to fix it. Once upon a time he taught me to build a PC from parts, and from this experience I learned that anything with any significant power is going to have at least one fan, sometimes multiple fans. So I wiped it off and let it continue running and twitching hoping that the fan would be able to dry it off. (This is not what I'm recommending that you do, it's just what I did first. I'm not claiming that I'm the computer genius.) My poor little netbook kept shutting itself off. Even after I pulled out my blow-dryer. Eventually my knight in shining armor did come home and without any promises showed me what to do.

1. Remove the battery. Don't even bother to shut it down, just remove the battery.
2. Wipe off any excess water. (Already done)
3. Using a cool setting blow dry the battery and the computer from all angles.
4. Leave it alone for awhile.

If the computer is running the water can cause it to make connections between circuits that should not be connected. And of course how successful this method is depends on how much water was spilled on your laptop in the first place. Even though it was several hours before he pulled the battery out and I blow-dried the inside of the computer, when I put it together the next day it worked just fine and I haven't had any problems since. That's a relief. This may not work in every case, but it is certainly worth a shot and can't make the situation any worse.

Book Review: Housekeeping Secrets My Mother Never Taught Me

 I wish I had discovered Housekeeping Secrets My Mother Never Taught Me by Joni Hilton when I was a newlywed. A clean house can save you time, money, improve your health and make you feel better about yourself. This book is a good guide to cleaning your house and is full of tips and pointers. (Although many of the decorating ideas are questionable or at least dated. But then I can't say that I'm a decorating expert either.) I also liked her statement "The easiest way to keep a house clean is to keep a clean house." So true! Here are some things that I learned from reading this book.

• To whiten grout make a paste of baking soda, water and a few drops of bleach.
• When moving nightstands, tables and other furniture, put orphan socks on the furniture legs to protects them and the floor from scratches.
• A good way to hang pictures and avoid hitting your thumb with a hammer is to hold the nail in place with an old fork.
• Most pillows can be washed on a gentle cycle.  Wash two at once, and put a clean tennis shoe with them in the dryer to help them stay fluffy.
• To keep colored clothes from fading, before wearing for the first time, soak in salt water overnight, wash as usual.
• When sewing a button onto white items use dental floss, it lasts much longer than regular thread.
• Dabbing clear nail polish over the threads on the top of the button will make it last even longer.
• Use ketchup to clean copper, or anything else with tomato acid in it.
• The easiest way to clean mini-blinds is to put on clean cotton work gloves, get them sudsy and then wipe the blinds with your hands.
• Used fabric softener sheets are great for shining chrome surfaces.
• To cut down on squeaking in hardwood floors, rub talcum powder into the cracks.
• Freezing candles before lighting makes the wicks last longer and the candle drip less.
• Stickers can be removed with vinegar.
• Shaving cream makes a great upholstery cleaner.

Food Storage Friday: Apple & Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes with Cider Sauce

I find that breakfast is the easiest meal to incorporate food storage into and it's a good way to use your food storage on a regular basis. Awhile ago I tried a recipe for Blender Wheat Pancakes that I found in I Dare You To Eat It. It was good, but I couldn't get my kids to try it. Recently I tried another recipe for Spicy Apple Pancakes with Cider Sauce from Skinny Bovine's Kitchen. My kids would eat them, but they left me thinking that there must be a healthier way to make these pancakes. Last week I had the epiphany to combine the recipes. Voila! A simple delicious food storage recipe that my family is willing to eat. I love that it's a way to use your wheat without any advance preparation. Enjoy.

Apple Wheat Pancakes
Food Storage Ingredients
1 cup raw wheat kernels
1 Tablespoon cornmeal
1 Tablespoon of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Fresh Ingredients
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups large apple chunks (cored, but not peeled)

1. Pour buttermilk and wheat into a blender. Blend until mixture smooth. (About 10 minutes.) 2. Add apple chunks and blend again. 3. Stir remaining ingredients into wheat mixture and make into pancakes over medium/ medium low heat. Makes about one dozen medium pancakes.

The cider sauce is the best part, and I love that everything except the butter are things that I keep in my food storage.

Cider Sauce

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

2 cups apple cider or apple juice

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons butter 

1.Put in dry ingredients then add lemon juice & apple cider/juice. 2 Stir on medium/hot, boiling for one minute while stirring. 3.Take off the stove and add butter. Stir until melted.

My kids actually don't like this syrup, they prefer the ordinary pancake variety. I think it is FANTASTIC. It also makes enough for two batches of pancakes.

Getting Ready for Christmas & October Giveaway

Yes, yes I know it is not even Halloween yet. However my kids' birthdays are in November and December and if I don't start planning for the holidays way in advance, the holidays aren't fun. They're busy, stressful and more expensive.
 Here are some of the things that I've been stowing away over the past few months:

• a couple Littlest Pet Shops from Target (used a B1G1 coupon combined with a sale) 
• eight books (including some activity books) gathered from various sales (I generally only spend $4 or less on children's books)
• a wooden alphabet abacus from GraveyardMall.com ($7)
• a few Tag reader books from Walmart clearance & LeapFrog.com (used my coupons and the LF.com sale is still going through the end October)
• a couple movies (great deals + coupons)
• a few Melissa and Doug puzzles from B&N.com (@ 70% off)
• a couple M&D magnifying glasses from B&N.com (same sale)
• coloring books and new crayons (at $1 each or less)
• a Toy Story Lego set from B&N.com (that sale is still going through 10/24)
• multiple small items for stocking stuffers and "shoe gifts" (In my husband's family they have a tradition that on the 12 Days of Christmas, an elf left a tiny present in one of their shoes. It's one that we continued.) 
• plus I found a really great idea to make for the extended family (I'd share here, but once in awhile my family does read my blog and that would ruin the surprise.)

And this is the one that I am really excited about.

 One day my super cute friend sent me a text asking if my daughter like Disney Princesses. Of course. She collected porcelain dolls when she was young, was getting rid of stuff and was wondering if I would be interested in taking them off her hands. There were these, plus two others that aren't in the boxes. It is going to make a fantastic set-up for Christmas morning. My husband  plans on making her a cabinet to keep them safe from her little brother. I'm so excited for how excited she's going to be! I'm done with my shopping for her and some for my son and I've spent about $120. I'm pretty happy thus far, some items they have requested, a few they wouldn't have thought of, and several 'learning toys'.

Now for the October giveaway: Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack plus Disney Princess soundtrack, to take one more item off your Christmas shopping list.  (Were you as excited as I was, to hear that this one was finally coming to DVD again?)

Here's how you can win it: 1. (Required) Be a follower and leave a comment stating your interest. 2. (Extra) Share one way you get ready for the holidays without losing your sanity. Be specific, not just 'I shop early', for example 'I hit x sale at y store', or 'I make z dish and freeze it' 3. (Extra) Share a deal you have found on one of your Christmas gifts for this year. 4. (Extra) 'Like' this post on Facebook (Button at bottom of post) and leave a comment here. 5. (Extra) Read one of these these posts Be A Hero, Be the Match or Folic Acid- A Key To Healthy Babies, share the info with someone and leave a comment here. (Because these are issues I care about, and I want people to be aware of how simple actions can make a huge difference.) Giveaway runs through October 31, 2010 at 23:59. The winner will be announced on November 1, 2010. The winner be selected using a random number generator. Only residents of the United States are eligible. Good Luck.