Make Your Own Saltine Crackers

These are pretty easy to make and soo good, they taste just like store bought, but with out all the added extra stuff. Plus one more thing you don’t have to worry about storing. You can use a mixer or food processor to make these.After you make these you will never want store bought again.


Start by putting

2 cups Flour
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons shortening or lard

in a mixing bowl (or food processor)

 

Mix until the shortening is well blended in. Add 2/3 cup hot water (120 to 130 degrees) add water a little at a time until

you have a workable dough. Knead about 4 minutes with the dough hook.

 

 

Put dough on a lightly floured surface form into a ball

 

 

place in a lightly greased bowl cover and let rest for about 30 minutes

 

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times then make a ball and cut into quarters 

Roll dough out, I use a pasta maker to roll mine out but I have used a rolling pin.

 

 

It need to be pretty thin 1/16 of an inch.

 

I put the rolled out dough on the counter and sprinkle salt on them pat the salt down so it stays on the dough.

 

 

I put the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet before I cut it makes it easier. A pizza cutter is great to cut them with. After you cut take a fork and prick the crackers. You can make them what ever size you want.

 

 

Put in a 375 oven for about 7 minutes until golden brown.

 

 

This makes a lot of crackers. Just put into a ziplock bag to keep fresh.

Week 12 Food Storage Challenge

 

 

6 lbs of Shortening, lard or Oil / gelatin and pudding mixes.

I use lard to cook with since it is better for you then the hydrogenated shortenings but I do keep a little shortening and oil on hand. I use the oil in a spray bottle to spray the bottom of pans. The shortening I use in soap. As with everything be sure to rotate. If you plan to make your own soaps you might want to try and get a little extra.

Gelatin and pudding mixes. If you maker your own then get gelatin and cornstarch. You can go here to see how to make your own gelatin with either kool-aid or fruit juice. I buy my gelatin in bulk from bulk foods.co We don’t have the large warehouse stores here to by in bulk from so I have to order a lot of things like that. I will get a pudding recipe up soon.

Keep putting water up.

Add a little more to your cash reserves.

You might want to start picking up a few extra jars for canning season.

　

Make your own Washing Soda

Did you know you could turn your baking soda into washing soda? It is so easy. And it is so much cheaper then buying washing soda.

 

 

All you need is baking soda,a pan, and an oven set at 400  degrees

 

 

 

Pour your baking soda in a pan.

put into a 400 degree oven.

 

 

 

 

 

Sir occasionally.

 

It will take about an hour to an hour and a half.

When you make it you will be able to see the difference. Washing soda looks and feels different then baking soda. Washing Soda is grainy, dull , opaque and is separate grains where as baking soda is powdery and crystallized and reflects light and clumps together.

The washing soda you make will look a little different then what you buy. When I first started doing this I had to put some baking soda on a plate and put the homemade washing soda next to it so I could tell the difference but after you do it you will be able to see the difference.

 

 

 

I put baking soda on the top left and store bought washing soda on the top right and the homemade in the middle it is kind of hard to see in the picture but there is a difference.

 

Make Your Own Jello with Kool-Aid

OK I know a lot of people make their own jello using fruit juice. We don’t always have a lot of extra juice and it is to expensive to buy just to make jello out of so I use Kool-Aid as I have mentioned before I buy a lot of kool-Aid when it on sale. If you use Kool-Aid to make jello with then you can have a large variety of flavors. I buy my gelatin in bulk ( At bulkfoods.com) so it is a lot cheaper then in the grocery store.


Jello with Kool-aid
2 Tablespoons gelatin
1 cup sugar
1 pack kool-Aid
4 cups water

 

 

Start with the kool-aid of choice, sugar, and gelatin. 

Add 1 cup of sugar 2 Tablespoons of gelatin and 1 pack of kool-aid in a medium size bowl.

 

Mix together well

 

 

Add 2 cups of boiling water and stir well until  everything is dissolved.

 

Add two cups cold water, I put ice in my water to help the jello set up faster.

 

 

 

stir until the ice is all melted.

 

 

put in the fridge to set up, takes about 2 hours.

If you want to make your own jello cups just pour into small reusable containers with lids then put into the fridge to set up.

 

and you have  yummy jello.

 

If you want a little softer jello just don't add as much gelatin.

 

 

If you are going to use fruit juice just remember 4 cups liquid to 2 Tablespoons of gelatin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 11 Food Storage Challenge

10 pounds powder milk / Baking soda, and Baking powder or Cream of Tarter,

10 pounds powder milk

Baking soda ( Sodium Bicarbonate ) as I have mentioned before you can get a 50 pound bag of sodium bicarbonate at your local feed store for about ten dollars it is the same thing you buy in the store just a lot cheaper. So many uses for it cleaning supplies, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, make washing soda out of it, there are many more, not to mention to cook with.
I would suggest cream of tarter instead of baking powder with this you can use you baking soda to make your own baking powder.

1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
Use right away. If you are not going to use right away add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch.

Keep putting up water.

Add some more to you money stash.

It is getting to be yard sale time. Look for things you need and always be on the look out for canning jars.

Depending on where you live start your gardens or get your plants started inside. Remember to use non hybrid when ever possible so you can save your seeds for next year.

Go to SHTF Plan and read this. It’s Coming: “A Pan-Global Collapse Is Inevitable” *Must Watch Video* 
　

I was Nominated for the Liebster Award

My First Award.  I was nominated for a Liebster Award from Missy at http://www.magnoliaholler.blogspot.com

I wasn’t sure what this was so I looked around a little. This is what I found. In the blogging world it is an award for new bloggers who are just starting out. This award gets passed around by other bloggers who were nominated and they nominate other new bloggers. This helps getting the new blogs noticed. Basically, the purpose of the Liebster Award is to get blogs with less than 200 followers noticed. Sopphey's Blog did a whole post on the origin of the award.

Thank you Missy for the nomanation.
　

Here are the rules
1. Thank your Liebster Award presenter on your blog and link back to their blog.

2. Answer the 5 questions from the nominator, list 5 random facts about yourself and create 5 questions for your nominees.

3. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less whom you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have been chosen.

4. Copy and paste the blog award on to your blog. It is an award so show it off.


Blogs I'm Nominating. This was not easy I have some great followers.

1. Monsoon Matriach at http://frugalprep.blogspot.com

2. K at http://planningandforesight.blogspot.com/

3. Bonnie at http://birdsbeesberriesblooms.blogspot.com/

4. Kelsey at http://kelseyhomolka-keepingupwithkelsey.blogspot.com/

5. Roxy at http://livingfromglorytoglory.blogspot.com/

5 Random Facts About Me

1. I am the oldest of ten there are three of us girls and seven boys.

2. I love being outside from camping , riding horses, 4 wheeling just about anything that involves being outside.

3. I am terrified of water I almost drowned when I was younger so when we go out on the boat I have my life jacket and am hugging the side all the time and I am very overprotective with the girls about water (drives them crazy lol)

4. I have ran a small day care for a little over ten years. I started it when the girls were little so I could be home with them.

5. 6 years ago I married the most wonderful man he is my best friend and soul mate.

5 Questions From Missy at Magnolia Holler
1. What is your favorite family tradition? My whole family goes camping and 4 wheeling in Silverton on the fourth of July so much fun. Although since I married Andy I don’t get to do it every year as his family has a music festival every year on the 4^th so we have to compromise.

2. What is your fondest childhood memory? Spending time at my Grandmas.


3. If you could travel in time, would you go into the future or back in time? I would go back I love history so it would be hard to pick what time period though.


4. What do you do to relax? I read when ever I can get the chance which isn’t as often as I would like.

5. What is your favorite fruit or vegetable, and why? Pineapple It wasn’t till I was an adult that I tasted pineapple and loved it. When it comes in season and on sale I buy lots and lots then can it and eat it I will eat so much when I am canning I just about make my self sick .

5 Questions For Nominees.
1. What is your favorite holiday?

2. What would your ultimate vacation be?

3. What’s one thing you couldn’t live without?

4. If you won a million dollars, what is the first thing you would buy?

5. What is your least favorite thing to do?


　

WARSHING CLOTHES

My brother sent this to me, I will never whine about laundry again.

WARSHING CLOTHES

"Warshing Clothes Recipe" -- imagine having a recipe for this!
Years ago, an Alabama grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe exactly as written and found in an old scrapbook with spelling errors and all.

Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water.
Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert.
Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water.

Sort things, make 3 piles -- 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile work britches and rags.

To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water.

Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and boil, then rub colored don't boil just wrench and starch.

Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench, and starch.

Hang old rags on fence.

Spread tea towels on grass.

Pore wrench water in flower bed.
Scrub porch with hot soapy water.

Turn tubs upside down.

Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs.

Brew cup of tea, sit, rock a spell, and count yore blessings.

Week 12 & 13 Self Sustaining Pantry

With my kitchen all tore up I haven’t be able to do much in the kitchen.

Have to admit it has been a little challenging trying to cook in a kitchen with no sink or water.

I have been doing some long needed mending.

We found out our bees will be here the 3^rd week of April so we have been gathering up some of the things that we are going to need. A friend has bees and we are trading some hay for bee boxes and a few other things that he has.

We started calving so we are having to check the cows pretty often. There are five down so far. Hope the weather stays half way nice for the babies.

Made some toothpaste.

Almost didn’t want to post this since I really haven’t got very much done this last couple weeks. Hopefully the next week will be a little more productive.

We are wanting to start getting the garden ready.

We are changing out the window in the kitchen this weekend seems like it takes so long when you only have weekend to work on it along with all the regular chores that have to be done.

My milk cow should calve this week sometime, and we do not have her area ready for her here at the house so we are needing to get that done.

And the Ag expo is this week-end and we are wanting to go to that so not to sure what we will get done. Guess there is always next week lol

Hope you all have a great week.

Week 10 food Storage Challenge

 

 

50 pounds wheat or flour/ Condiments eg. Mustard, mayo ketchup, hot sauce, salad dressing, ect.


Are you using your flour and wheat? Buy extra and start using it now make your bread and pasta . If you are buying wheat, grind it and use it. This way you know how to do these things so if you have problems you have time to work them out before you are dependant on these items. Plus your family gets use to eating this way and it will not be such a great shock to them if you have to start using your food storage not to mention so much better for them.


If money and /or space are an issue you can make most of your own condiments from stuff you probably already have, you can go Here to see how to make your own mustard . I will soon do a post on some of the others ( as soon as my kitchen gets put back together, we are about half way done.) The more we can make from scratch the less money we have to spend.

Keep putting back water

Don’t forget to add to the stash of money.

Time to start working on those gardens. Plant as much as you can it will come in handy and it will help lower your grocery bill.
How are the car kits coming along?

Any time you have a chance to pick up something extra do so. I think we are running out of time to have things put together, the stock market is at all time highs, every time in history that it has done that it eventually falls way back down. From what I can see we are following the same path as they did right before the great depression. So the more prepared you are the better you will be able to deal with things.
　

Make Your Own Mustard

 

I have two recipes that I use depending on what I am going to use it for the first one is very easy but a little more spicy. Andy does not like spicy mustard's but I love them, so this is the one I like to use on sandwiches.

 

4 Tablespoons dry mustard powder

2 Tablespoons vinegar ( I use cider vinegar)

1 ½ teaspoon turmeric

2 Tablespoons water

Optional 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, paprika, salt

 

 

 

 

 

Put all the dry ingredients in a small bowl

 

Whisk all together.

 

add the water a 1/2 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency. Let the mixture sit at least 20 minutes before serving. will last up to two weeks in the fridge.

 

 

 

 

The second one isn’t as spicy and is what I like to use in my macaroni and potato salads or where ever I need mustard in a recipe. This one does require a little more work but not much.

½ cup dry mustard powder
½ cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup water
2 eggs
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon softened margarine

 

 

 

Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium sauce pan.

 

 

add the vinegar and water and mix well

 

beat the eggs and add

 

place on low heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens (it will thicken very fast) and begins sticking to the pan it may be lumpy.

 

remove from heat and add margarine.

 

mix with an electric mixer or stick blender on low until it is a  smooth consistency. You can add more margarine to make it thinner and creamier.

 

Put in a jar and store in the fridge

 

Dry mustard powder is a lot easier to store then prepared mustard. And you will always have mustard.

Snow Again and having babies

Well it is snowing we were hoping for rain but I guess we will get what we can get.

We have stared calving we have four so far, seems like weather like this makes them start calving so we gathered up some of the heifers that are due soon and stating to look like they might do something and got them in the corrals so we can keep an eye on them.

One of Kayla’s cows had twins the mother would only take one of them so Kayla having to bottle feed. When my milk cow calves we will probably put it on the milk cow to raise (She raised 3 calves last year).

I will try to get some better baby pictures as we have more calves.

Week 9 Food Storage Challenge

8 Cans Tuna/ Dry soups and Crackers

8 Cans of Tuna, If your family doesn’t care for tuna then get another type of canned meat.

Dry soups and crackers, I have a lot of Ramen noodles they are cheap and most people like them (except my Husband lol ). Or you could get something like the Lipton noodles or cup a soups.

Crackers you can make your own.Go here to see how. But if you do store crackers make sure they do not get to warm I had some in the outside shed in the summer and when we went to eat them they tasted like plastic from the wrapping on them. You can make your own with things you already have I will try to get that posted here in the near future.

Don’t forget to keep putting back water and money

This months item challenge is to get an alterative cooking source. There are a lot of instructions on the web for making your own solar oven one even uses a car window shade. If you have a solar cooker you are not dependant on fuels as you would be with a BBQ grill or some other cooker.

This months action challenge is Car kits. If you are stranded in your vehicle for any length of time you will be so glad you have this.

A few years ago we went to get our Christmas tree up in the mountains there was a lot of snow (which never deters my Husband) we got up high found a great tree and started back well we got stuck. We were in my pickup which didn’t have much of anything in it not even a shovel (we are usually in Andy’s truck when we do this stuff and his has everything). About 45 minutes of trying to get out someone came by and helped get us out . They were the only other people we saw up there. I keep thinking what if they had not come by. Andy had his hunting pack with him (he never leaves without it) but the girls and I didn’t have ours with us. I got to thinking what if those people had not come by I had no extra food Andy had trail mix but it has peanuts and I am very allergic to peanuts. And to make it even better nobody knew where we were we had not told anybody. So I learned two important lessons always tell someone where you are going and have a car kit in your vehicle with some necessary items and food. Oh and to always bring our packs with us Andy wasn’t to happy when we told him we didn’t have them with us.

Dehydrating Potatoes.

 

 

 

As I have said before we get potatoes once a year ( we tried to grow some but the prairie dogs ate the all) They will keep for quite a while but not all year. So I dry a bunch of them to use in stew, scalloped and to mash. I also freeze a few for frying. I am going to try and rehydrate some this year to fry and see how that works.

 

 

The first thing is get your potatoes these potatoes were so big, I

love them for doing things like this. Peel and wash them.

 

 

 

Slice into about 1/8 inch slices I use my mandolin which I love.

 

Put them in cold water after you slice to keep from turning brown.

 

After you get all them sliced put in to boiling water for about 5 to 6 minutes.

 

After you blanch them put straight into cold water.

I add some ice to help keep the water cold so they will not keep cooking.

Drain well, I drain mine then put on a towel to help dry them off a little better. I forgot to take a picture of that.

 

 

 Then put on your trays and dehydrate at 120 for 18 to 20 hours until brittle and semi transparent.

 

 

 

 

Make sure they are dry any little bit of moister will cause them to mold.

1 cup of dried potatoes will equal 1 to 1 ½ cups cooked potatoes.