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Once the sugar rush of Halloween is over, we need to seriously start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas. That is when all of the sales start for all of the delicacies that we usually only buy at this time of year. I’m talking about whipping cream, cranberries, and sweetened condensed milk. I’ve got some tips so that you can load up, or as I like to say – build your food storage. Buy these items on sale so that you can use them all year round and save money doing it. I used to think that you couldn’t freeze whipping cream, but I was wrong. It all depends on what you want to use it for, and how you prepare it. If you freeze whipping cream in the carton (which you should do to protect its flavor) after it thaws out, it is kind of grainy, and it never gets that smooth texture that we normally associate with cream, even after whipping it. You can still use it though. My friend likes to make a lot of cream based soups that call for cream or half-and-half and when she adds the previously frozen cream the little fat particles melt just fine and you get a nice smooth texture (I’ve tasted her soup and it is true). But you don’t want to use all of your cream for soup. What if you want to branch out and have a dollop of whipped cream in your cocoa, or maybe make a banana cream pie? That’s okay, you can do that. The trick is, you need to whip the cream up just like you would to use it fresh, then put it in dollops on a cooking sheet with wax paper lining it. Then freeze them. After they are frozen, put them in an airtight container or plastic bag. This works really well. I experimented with thawing these little frozen dollops of cream out several different ways. I put one on a plate and let it thaw on the counter to see if it would “puddle”. I didn’t notice any problem. I made a chocolate pie and put the dollops right on top and let them thaw in the fridge. It didn’t take too long to thaw, and they looked beautiful. Even more important, they tasted really good. The cream dollops were creamy and not grainy at all. My favorite test was to put a frozen dollop in my hot chocolate – now that was good! I’ve never done a whole lot with fresh cranberries in the past until last year when I decided to try some different recipes. My family really liked them and asked me to make some more. When I went down to the store to get more, I found out that there is a very small window of time that you can buy fresh cranberries. I had never thought about freezing them, but a friend of mine that used to work on a cranberry farm said that it is the only way you can store them for later use, unless you want to bottle them. I’m going to stock up next season. Is there anything more frustrating than to get your heart set on a certain gotta’-have decadent dessert only to discover that you are out of sweetened condensed milk and have to settle for something more sensible, like an apple instead? No more. I will share this recipe and then you will be able to break your diet anytime you feel like it. Sweetened Condensed Milk 1 cup water 2 cups sugar ¼ cup butter or margarine 4 cups dry instant milk powder (*remember, quality powdered milk is key to it tasting good) Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture in a blender. Add butter or margarine. Blend on low, gradually adding dry milk powder. Blend on medium until smooth. Makes about 3 ½ cups, enough to replace two 14-oz. cans of sweetened condensed milk. It is instantly creamy and smooth if you use the instant powdered milk, but you can substitute the non-instant powdered milk. It is has a little grainier in texture the first day, but by the second day it has had the chance to totally dissolve and then it is just as good as the stuff out of the can. Believe me, you won’t be able to tell the difference. Dawn

Bad things keep happening to good people. West Java, in Indonesia, had an earthquake last week (2009). New York got hit by an early winter last year leaving thousands of people without power, 68 fires raged across the Western United States in July 2009 and, well, just listen to the news it goes on and on. Let’s go over something you know is important because it just is – HAVE YOU GOT YOUR WATER STORED?!!! This is so very important. Please take the time to get your water stored. Water is life, really. Two gallons of water, per person, per day, for a two week period. By getting your water stored you are helping your family have an easier time if something were to happen. Have you got a generator? How about an alternative fuel supply? I was involved with the disaster that happened in Provo, Utah, this last summer and what a mess. Provo City did a great job of getting things put back together very quickly, and letting people back in their homes, but there was still food that was lost because the families didn’t have a back-up electrical supply. Some neighbors were able to help others out, but they needed to make sure that they had enough fuel to run the generators. Also, keep in mind that this disaster happened in the summer. Have you thought about what would have happened if it were to happen in the wintertime? Would your pipes have frozen because your furnace couldn’t turn on because there wasn’t any electricity? What a mess that would have been. Have you considered buying a Generac generator that is directly hard wired into your home? There is something else that I have been thinking about for a while. I loved how there were so many people that volunteered their time and tools to help each other. The one concern that I have is that a lot of the people that were helping were not fully trained in safety procedures. After the initial disaster, I found out that I was in charge of all of the volunteer efforts for the city and gathering all of the data needed to turn in for insurance purposes. I needed to check out what happened and get a better idea of what types of volunteers I would need and where to send them. Another employee that lived in the affected area that was hit really hard took me on a tour of the area. It was a good thing that he did because we found his neighbor boy, who looked to be about 12 years old, trying to run a chain saw without supervision (except for all of the other little boys that were watching him). The boy had gotten the saw bound up in a tree that looked like it was under a lot of pressure and could have whipped up and done a lot of damage. It could have even snapped and killed him. On top of that, the young man didn’t have safety glasses on, no Kevlar chaps, or even long pants, and he wasn’t wearing gloves. The adults that were around weren’t paying attention to what the young boy was doing because they were so preoccupied with the other things that were going on. Fortunately, the guy I was driving around with got the saw unstuck and outlawed its use to the youngsters and told them to wait to work on the tree until he got off work and could show them how to properly dispose of the tree. That was just one danger that I saw. I don’t know how many other people that were not properly trained, that just by dumb luck, didn’t get hurt. Then again, I don’t know how many people got hurt and just didn’t report it because they were embarrassed. In a disaster, most people want to help; it is just human nature to want to help others, but please be safe when you do. If you have a chain saw, know how to use it. Buy the safety equipment that should go with it, the goggles, the protective Kevlar chaps, the gloves, and so forth. Make sure that you are trained to use it properly. Know how trees react when they fall, will it bind up and throw the chain saw into your leg or body? Just be aware of all of the safety issues. If you want your children to help, then make sure that they are fully trained to use whatever it is you want them to use – whether it is a hand tool, a power tool, or a larger piece of equipment. If you have a 4-wheeler, make sure that they get their 4-wheeler safety certificate that the state gives out upon completion of a class. It would be horrible if in the pressures and excitement of a disaster, you or a loved one became part of the disaster – after-the-fact. Dawn

As I write this, temperatures have been soaring up to 100+ degrees Fahrenheit. As hard as it is to believe, winter will soon be upon us. When it’s too hot to do anything outside, you might want to take a few moments to change your 72-hour kit clothing for warm winter wear. Make sure that you have alternative heating sources and all of the other stuff that comes with being prepared for the cold. One of my favorite ways to prepare for cold winter weather is to drink hot chocolate, and I try to practice that as often as I can. Now, if for some reason you happen to run out of hot cocoa mix (heaven forbid), I do have a homemade recipe that is really good. Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix 2 cups nonfat dry milk powder* ¾ cup sugar ½ cup powdered cocoa ½ cup powdered non-dairy creamer Dash of salt In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Blend well. Store in a tightly covered container. For the 3 ¾ cups that this recipe makes, it will make approximately 15 cups of delicious hot cocoa. To serve, add ¼ cup cocoa mix to ¾ cup hot water. Serve. It is suggested, by me, that you practice this form of staying warm multiple times a day. *Just a quick note here about using quality products. If you want to have a good tasting end product, you have to use good quality ingredients. Never use bad tasting products even if they are cheaper. More is not better if it is unpalatable. In this particular case, the powdered milk that you use will determine the quality of the hot cocoa mix. Find a powdered milk that you like and stick with it. A good resource for a good tasting, good priced powdered milk is at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Food Storage Center. There are locations all over the United States and you can also purchase items online. Visit the Provident Living page at https://providentliving.churchofjesuschrist.org/food-storage?lang=eng for more information. Dawn

I want to talk a little more about the importance of being CERT certified and how it will benefit you and your community. It is amazing how people react during an emergency, and whether you believe it or not, you really won’t know what you will do until an emergency happens. You hope that you will be at your best and that you will be able to keep a clear mind, but unless you have trained yourself to react in a certain way, there is a good chance that you could have a meltdown. If you train your brain as to how you should react in certain situations, most of the time your brain will take over until you can catch up. That is a good thing. First, I want to tell you why I feel that it is so important that we get our youth CERT certified. When I say youth, I mean 12 years and older. If an emergency were to happen while they are at school, or the mall, or just anywhere that isn’t home, we want to make sure that they are able and capable to act responsibly. We want to have the assurance that they will be the ones that are in control and helping others and NOT the ones that are hysterical without a clue as to what needs to be done, or how to do it safely. Wouldn’t it be comforting to know that most, if not all, of our youth were CERT trained if something happened at school? We wouldn’t have to rely on the hope that the teachers were okay and in control. When you get your CERT certification you will get a picture ID that you should carry with you at all times. In an emergency a 12-year-old that has the CERT ID legally has more power than does a 42-year-old adult that hasn’t been trained. Think about that. My son got his CERT certification when he was 12 years old and since that time, he has gathered together his own CERT pack of emergency equipment. I know that if my son is not physically hurt, he will not only be able to take care of himself, but he will also be able to help those around him. As a parent that makes me feel good. Wouldn’t this be great training to get prepared to go on a mission, or off to college? Look at all of the disasters around the world that our local missionaries or college students could help with – it would be nice if they knew what they were doing and could be of real help. Another reason we should all get our certification is because the more people that become CERT trained in your town or city, the more grants our community will be able to apply for from the Federal Government. That is free money to help prepare our community for a disaster, but the grants depend on the number of people who are CERT certified in each community. They want to make sure that the community is vested in the training and that they will know how to use the items most efficiently and effectively. If the other reasons didn’t catch your attention, I’m sure that this will. If you are CERT certified, you can get on to the states Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) site and register your name as a volunteer for the state. That means that if there were an emergency mass inoculation, like the Chicken Pox rumored scare a while back, registered CERT members get inoculated first if they choose to. The reasoning behind this is much like putting the air masks on you first, and your children second, in an airplane emergency. They want to make sure that the people who are trained to help in disasters are protected so that they can help with the remaining masses. Now, do you want you and your children protected first, or to be part of the remaining masses? Dawn

Have you ever heard of CERT? No, not the candy breath mints, but the volunteer emergency team. A lot of people get involved in our communities in a variety of ways. As a matter of fact, I sometimes think that our cities and towns would probably have to shut down a good share of their services if it weren’t for those that volunteer their precious time to make our communities a better place to live. The Community Emergency Response Team, CERT, is one of those programs that goes on quietly in the background, but is essential to the health of the community, especially in an emergency. CERT was started a few years back in California after one of their big earthquakes. There were a lot of people that were not hurt during the disaster that wanted to help the emergency personnel. The only problem was, people that were not hurt from the disaster would oftentimes get hurt while trying to help others. The good intentions and the heart of volunteerism were there, but the information and safety training was not. After the disaster was under control and life “got back to normal,” the emergency personnel got together and talked about how they had received “help” from well-meaning people, but how it had actually caused more problems for them. They either needed to train the public to be safe when helping, or to somehow make them stop helping. There were just too many people getting hurt, and in some cases dying, because they didn’t know what they were doing. They didn’t think that forcing volunteers to stop helping was the way to go, and so they developed a new program that would train people to help in an emergency, in such a way that would actually be helpful and not harmful. They devised a program that taught the volunteers how to evaluate a situation, and to make sure that all of the safety measures were in place before rescuing somebody or helping in some other way. They developed and coordinated their communications with volunteers so that the most desperate situations would get help the fastest and not waste precious time on something that could safely wait until later. Of course, because it was California, they had another earthquake, and of course it was a really bad one – BUT there was one big difference this time, the California emergency services had TRAINED volunteers helping them this time. After evaluating the performance of the volunteers, they were shocked at how effective the new volunteer program had been, and what was even better, was that the statistics backed up their observations. At that point in time they knew that this was a program that had to be fully developed and shared with the nation. AND that is a very simplistic background history of how CERT got started. CERT is now part of the Homeland Security program of the United States. It is a good program, and it needs your help to stay strong and useful in our communities. If you are interested in being CERT certified, call your local city offices to find out when the next training session will be held. Not only will being CERT trained help the community, but it will also benefit your family. Dawn

We have previously talked about gathering all of your important documents together. Now, I want you to take pictures of everything in your house. Okay, maybe not everything, but everything that is important to you. You want to be able to prove to the insurance company that you really did own the item you say is missing, or show to the police to help them know that the item they recovered really is yours. I remember last year when one of the Salt Lake City police departments found a whole house and storage unit full of stolen items. Their biggest concern, other than convicting the thieves, was how to return all of the stolen items to the correct owners. If the owners couldn’t show positive ownership, they couldn’t turn it over. Document what you own. Chief Brad James, Salem City’s Chief of Police, said that the biggest reason they can’t return recovered items is because the people who lost them can’t positively prove that it belonged to them. What he said people need to do to protect themselves in case of burglary, and yes it does happen here, is to take pictures of what you own. It is also vitally important that you write down the model numbers and serial numbers of anything that has a model number or serial number on it, and put it with its picture. I would suggest you use a digital camera and store this information on a thumb drive, or other storage device, and store a second back-up in a safe place like a safety deposit box, fireproof safe, or the cloud. You can make several copies and keep them in different places depending on what type of problem you encounter – burglary, flooding, earthquake, mass evacuation, or fire. My insurance company sent out an inventory list for us to use to do this very thing so that in case of disaster or robbery, they would be able to effectively help us. After all, you are paying them to help replace what you have lost – the least that you could do is to provide an effective and accurate list that they can work from. The suggestion that the insurance company made was that you inventory items by what room they are in, not by what the item is. For example, if you have a computer in your home office and another one in each of your kid’s bedrooms, and your laptop is in the family room, don’t make a list stating that you have four computers and listing their models and serial numbers. Although this does give accurate information that can be used, they would prefer to know where in the house it is supposed to be. What your insurance agent would really like is if you walked into each room of your house and took an overall picture of the room from a couple of different angles. Then go on to take pictures of each piece of furniture and the other items that you want to have cataloged. Make sure to open your closet and take a picture of your clothes so that they can see approximately how many articles of clothing you have. This is especially helpful in case of a fire. Also, document all of the CD’s, DVD’s (2006 reference) and computer programs and games that you have. They are very expensive items, easy to steal and would be hard to prove that you owned them if you hadn’t documented it. Don’t forget your garage or shop areas either. Tools and lawn mowers are very expensive, and you want to make sure that you can recover them if stolen After you have taken all of the pictures and have downloaded them on to your computer, go to each picture and type in any pertinent information like: what brand name the item is, how much you purchased it for, where you purchase it from, the date you purchased it, serial numbers, model numbers, and any other information that you feel is pertinent. If there is a warranty for the item, scan it in and save it with the picture. It is cheaper to go this route and better to transmit all of your information faster and more effectively. The police and your insurance agent will really appreciate this. If you want to, you could go even one step further – use this information for your estate for when you pass on. You could add historical or interesting information about each item (if applicable) and place it next to each picture and also state who you would like to receive the item. That would make dividing up the estate less complicated and feelings wouldn’t get out of sorts if your descendants knew that this is what you really wanted. Believe me, investing your time now can help you immensely in the future – no matter what the future brings. (Here’s a link to the follow up article Ready or Not #157: Documenting Our Treasures. Dawn

If somebody came to your door and said that you were on a radio spot competition and that if you could produce your youngest child’s social security card within 30 seconds you would win $100.00, could you? Or how about any of your children’s birth certificates for $50.00 bucks? I know, maybe you could find their shot papers – you know, the yellow ones that the County Health Department gives you of their entire immunization history? Or maybe not. Okay, okay, I know that scenario is pretty farfetched, and you certainly wouldn’t want to give people your important papers, but my point is, where are all of your family’s important papers? Are they scattered from one file to another with some of it in the kid’s scrapbooks? Think about it. Okay, enough thinking. I’ll bet that you don’t have everything together where you can find it in a moment’s notice, but don’t worry – I have a solution to what I have just pointed out as a problem. I bought three 3” notebooks, a box of sheet protectors and a couple of packets of divider tabs. I then took one afternoon and gathered ALL of our important papers together and separated them out. The first notebook was for each of our personal papers such as: birth certificates, social security cards, baptismal records, priesthood and young women advancements, patriarchal blessings, passports, immunization records, and such. Anything that is important, and the original document would be difficult to replace. I then put each document into its own protective sleeve. I separated each person by using the divider tabs. This is NOT a scrapbook. Put the pictures back into the photo album. This is an Important Personal Document (IPD) file. If you want little Johnny’s birth certificate in his photo album, fine, go down to a color copier and copy it off, but put the original in with the IPD file. We only have four people in our family and so that only took about half the book up. The other half of the book I put any car titles, boat titles and trailer titles. This is also a good place to put water shares, large and expensive furniture paid-in-full receipts, or stocks and bonds. The second book I used for insurance paperwork. I set it up the same way – each document had its own sleeve and I put a divider between each section. The types of insurance I included are: house insurance, car and vehicle insurance, health and life insurance, and any special riders. This is also a good place to put a Trust or last will and testament and any other type of instruction and legal paperwork concerning your health. The third book I used for credit card storage and credit information. I set up a sheet protector for each card and all of the information that they came with including what their interest rates are, any special offers and when they expire, numbers that I call for information or help with the credit card, etc. This is also a good place to keep track of any loan papers. I also made a list of all of the credit cards that I have, their account numbers and emergency numbers to call, and printed it out for the front of the book – just in case. You can store all of this in a safety deposit box or buy a gun safe and keep it safe at home; either way, you will know where everything is, and you won’t lose any of it. You might also consider scanning all of the information that you gathered and save it on a thumb drive just as a second back-up. I know that it isn’t the original document, but it still gives you the information you need. I know that it might seem a little overwhelming, but it really did only take one afternoon (a long one, yes) to gather this all together, but when you get it done, it will make you feel very accomplished. This is the information that you will want to have available to grab-and-go in an emergency or just be able to access the next time you fill out a scout or school medical information sheet. And the next time you open the door to a radio station willing to pay you to see your birth certificate – you will know exactly where it is! Dawn

Winter is officially here. Okay, not really, but I did see snow on the mountains this morning and it made me think about whether or not I was ready for winter. Let’s go through a quick checklist of things we want to get in order before winter really is here – officially. First, this is a good time of year to check and change the batteries in our smoke detectors and our carbon monoxide detectors. A lot of people do it during the weekend of General Conference, or Easter and Halloween, but if you want to get a jump on it, do it a week early. Second, do you remember the power outage in Salt Lake City, Utah, last year? (2005) Probably not because it didn’t really affect us, but I’ll bet that our neighbors to the north are thinking about what they need to do to get prepared to be able to “weather the storm” so-to-speak. Do you have a generator to run the blower on your furnace, or your fridge, or your freezer, or your hair dryer? Just kidding about the hair dryer (sort of), but how long can you, or your appliances, go without electricity before you have to move in with someone else. Okay, you have the generator, but do you have enough fuel to run it for more than fifteen minutes (this does not count the gas in your car – you will need it for, well, your car.) How about your propane bottles? Have you refilled them after all of the summer’s barbecues? Do you have a heater that can run off propane that would keep your family safe and warm? Or do you have a kerosene heater and enough kerosene to keep your family warm? If you have a fireplace or stove in your house? If yes, do you have enough wood to carry you through a disaster? Remember that it took almost a month to restore that power to everyone in SLC. Brrrrrrr. Now, how about those who commute to work every day? I’m not to worried about the construction guys who are traveling in their 4x4’s to work every day with their rugged boots, heavy duty coats, warm hats, and sturdy gloves. No, I’m worried about the rest of us who drive to work in cute shoes with a stylish, but not terribly heavy (but remember really cute) coats, with maybe some comfortable light driving gloves. I saw a lot of people off to the side of the roads last year that looked like they belonged in an office and not stuck on the side of a snowy, slushy, cold road. Now would be a good time to look at updating your car’s emergency kit. Keep the first aid kit - and then add some sturdy, warm hiking boots, or winter boots with a couple of warm pairs of socks. Put in a warm blanket and a poncho, and a really big warm coat (cute is optional – warm is not.) I also carry around two umbrellas (so I can share one – you can buy inexpensive ones for only $1.99 or so), windshield wash (very important for winter driving), and a heavy coat (I mentioned that before, but really - it is important.) Up front, in my little between the seat catchall drawer, I have a couple of warm winter beanie hats and some more gloves just in case the ones that I am wearing get wet. Another really convenient item to keep in the car is the hand warmer packs. You know, the little packages that you either expose to air or you break a seal and mix the chemicals, either way they will help you to keep your extremities warm - and I like warm extremities. Now is also a good time to go through your 72-hour kit (remember the one that we talked about assembling last spring?) and change out food that might have gotten old and change out the summer gear for warmer winter ware. Just remember: Those that don’t plan for the future have to live though it anyway. I know I talk to you about being prepared, but unless you are actually doing something about it, this article is nothing more than possible entertainment, but ultimately nothing more than wasted ink. Please, please, prepare for the unexpected and when it happens you at least have a chance of coming through it somewhat unscathed. Dawn

Waffles, eggs, and sausage were made specially for Christmas morning. How do I know this? Because that is what my family has eaten every Christmas morning for the last 40 some-odd years that I can remember. I would classify that as a tradition, and it is not one that I plan to change any time soon. I asked my dad why that was such a special breakfast and he said: “Because your grandma always made it!” I think that she was just a smart mother and was filling her family full of protein (double-up the sausage!) to try and counteract the Christmas morning sugar rush. Dad doesn’t think that is the reason. He thinks that it was just because it was tasty. We’ll just let him keep thinking that. We moms know better (even if we’re the daughters). Everyday Waffles 1 ¾ cups flour 3 teaspoons baking powder ½ tsp. salt 2 beaten egg yolks 1 ¾ cups milk ½ cup oil 2 stiffly beaten egg whites Combine yolks, milk, and oil; stir in dry ingredients just until moist. Gently fold in medium stiff whites, leaving a few fluffs. Cook on a hot waffle iron and serve hot. Double or triple this recipe – trust me you will use it. Homemade Sausage 1 lb. lean hamburger (or pork, or venison, if you prefer) 1 ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground sage ½ teaspoon black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves Mix together, preferably the night before so that the flavors are more developed. I fry these little patties of heavenly sausage on a medium low heat. Because I use leaner meat, I cook it slower so that it doesn’t get too tough. If you use a fattier meat, like ground pork, you won’t have that problem. I usually use hamburger because that is what I have stored. Try your own different types meats that you have in the freezer. My dad taught me that the only way to eat waffles, eggs and sausage is to put a pat of butter between the two or three layers of waffles, put the soft-yolk easy-over egg on top of the waffle and then pour the syrup over the egg and the waffle. Serve the sausage on the side. I about forgot the syrup. Check out the syrup recipe in article #41: Syrup. Pour the syrup over your eggs and waffles, or pancakes – or whatever. Just make sure you enjoy yourself around the table with your family and friends. And don't forget the #31 Hot Chocolate recipe! Merry Christmas. Dawn

I was so unfair to you last week. I gave you a list of all of those wonderful cookbooks and not one recipe! I will remedy this. In fact, I will give you one of my favorite recipes (I actually have a lot of favorite recipes) – Mile High Biscuits. I got this recipe from a Relief Society Cookbook that my college roommate, from 25 years ago, gave me for Christmas (yes, I was into food storage even back then). All cooks that live anywhere near a city named Salem must be good cooks because this cookbook was from the West Salem Ward Relief Society – not Salem, Utah, but Salem, Oregon. My niece borrowed this particular recipe when she entered the 4H competition at the Utah State Fair and won first place! They really are that good. Mile High Biscuits 3 cups sifted flour 2 tablespoons sugar 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar ¾ teaspoon salt ¾ cup shortening 1 egg, beaten 1 cup milk Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt into bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until mixture resembles course meal. Combine egg and milk and beat with fork. Add to flour mixture all at once, stirring just enough with fork to make a soft dough that sticks together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 15 times (and NOT ONE KNEAD MORE – really, it will make it tough). Roll to 1-inch thickness. Cut with floured 2-inch cutter and place about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450° Farenheit for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 16. These biscuits make the ultimate biscuits and gravy, or better yet, they go really good with homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. Who says that eating food storage is yucky? I’m thinking that it is nothing but yummmmmy! Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup 2 chicken breasts 2 cans concentrated cream of chicken soup 12-16 cups of water Dehydrated onion, or powdered onion to taste Garlic to taste Salt and pepper to taste Rubbed sage to taste (optional) Fry up a couple of chicken breasts, or chicken pieces, in the bottom of a large soup pot. If you can or bottle your own chicken, you can use it instead and it tastes just as good, and you don't have to brown it. After the chicken is good and brown take it out and add water to fill ¾ of the pan (about 16 cups). Add two cans of cream of chicken soup and spice it up with a little bit of garlic granules, dehydrated onions, salt, and pepper (and any other spices you think sounds good, possibly a sprinkle of sage, and no, I don’t add vegetables to this Chicken Noodle Soup recipe.) Cut the browned chicken pieces up and add back into the soup. Now you make the really good part – the homemade noodles. They are so easy to make that it would be a shame not to try it because it will become one of your family favorites. Homemade Noodles 2 eggs beaten 4 tablepoons milk 1 teaspoon salt 1 ½ to 2 cups of flour Combine all of the ingredients to make a semi-stiff dough. Roll out VERY thin on a well-floured surface and cut into ½ inch by 1-inch noodles with a pizza cutter. It doesn’t really matter if you leave them out to dry, just add them to the boiling soup, uncovered, and cook for about 10 minutes, and then serve. By adding the noodles to the soup, it will thicken the soup up a bit. I love this soup because it is so easy and SO TASTY! If you don’t cook these recipes today, make sure to set them aside for a cold miserable day when you need to warm up inside. You will be glad you did. Dawn

Don’t you just love gift cards? I know I do. It’s the perfect size, the perfect color, and nobody ever wants to re-gift them. So, when I received an e-mail cautioning me about buying gift cards this season, I was a little sad. The email stated that there were several large chain stores that were either closing all, or at least some of their stores after the Christmas season. The author of the email said that depending on the store’s situation, the gift card money might be lost. When I looked at the list of stores that were on the watch list, the only concern I had was for all of the people that would be losing their jobs because most of the stores were ones that I couldn’t afford to visit anyway. But it got me thinking. It is quite obvious that I think that it is important to build up a good food storage and to be prepared – so why not use a grocery store gift card for Christmas gifts to help a loved one build their food storage this year? If you decide to do that, I want to be on your gift list! I’ve told you in the past that my in-laws give my husband and me each 10 pounds of hamburger every year (20 lbs. total) and I look forward to it – each and every year. If you don’t want to give a grocery gift card and you want to wrap something, then how about a case of tuna, or tomato soup, or cream of chicken soup, or even a couple of cases of macaroni and cheese. I even heard once about some parents that gave each of their married kids a processed and wrapped pork each year. Wouldn’t that be a great gift? I want to be able to do that for my kids someday. You don’t have to give food if you don’t want to. There are lots of safe gift cards and certificates that gift receivers would be happy to get. What a thrill to get a gift card to a gas station, or how about a gift certificate to a preparedness store to build a better 72-hr kit? How about a roll of stamps? Use your imagination. The more that I listen to the news and read the newspaper and listen to my friends and coworkers, the more I see people’s tastes, wants, and needs change. I don’t hear as much talk about extravagant vacations as I do about the really good deal they found at the grocery store last week and how they were able to stock up. A neighbor admitted that whenever she starts to get nervous about the economy, she goes down and buys something for her food storage. If you like to spend money when you’re nervous, that is certainly a better solution than going out and buying another pair of shoes that you really don’t need. The one thing that I loved about the email that warned me about buying the gift cards – and I’m not making this up — is that the author said that you would be better off buying food storage instead of gift cards! I was so happy! Food storage is the new fad! I was cool before it was cool to be cool! Now go buy something edible and storable. *Quick note. Now that my kids are raised and have their own families, I give each family a case of toilet paper in addition to their regular gift. They love it! We also have a Christmas Bingo game with prizes and the grand prize is a case of toilet paper! That last round of Bingo gets pretty intense! Dawn

Last week I listed my favorite emergency books. This week I’m sharing my favorite food storage friendly cookbooks. These are books that are really helpful when it comes to knowing how to incorporate our food storage into our daily eating schedules. The books that I have listed below have helped me, through the years, to exteeeend my budget and give us a lot of variety of taste, textures and flavors. First, on the top of my list, ANY Relief Society or women’s church organization cookbooks are golden, especially if you live in an area with really good cooks like I do! Anybody who submits their recipe for their local cookbook is only going to give their best recipes. Better Homes and Gardens Just because it was my first cookbook and because it has a lot of information. I got it for Christmas when I was nine years old. I baked my first cherry pie from this book. It has a really good pie dough recipe, among others. Make-A-Mix - Authors: Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward and Madeline Westover Publisher: Fisher Books, ISBN 1-55561-073-0 (paperback), ISBN 1-55561-107-9 (hardback) Reason that it is my favorite: Too numerous to mention, but my absolute favorite is the taco meat mix. Wait, maybe the “Our Best Brownie” recipe is my favorite. They are the crispy on the corners, yet gooey type brownies. And yet, maybe it is the..., OK you get the idea. No kitchen should be without this book. This is an especially good book to teach children to cook from because you can help them mix the basic mix and then they can choose what recipe they want to cook, whenever they want to. This cookbook will help you fix meals faster, cheaper, and tastier than any pre-manufactured mix that you can buy - really! It is a gotta-have-book for busy mothers with busy families. The NEW - COOKIN’ with Home Storage - Author: Vicki Tate The reason that I like this book is because it is just so basic. If you can’t cook several things without going to the store, then your cupboards are like Mother Hubbard’s, completely devoid of anything! You can have as little as two or three ingredients and still make a delicious meal. This also has some pretty far out food information: how to make Blackbird pie, how to prepare and eat a raccoon and my favorite - the best time to gather Locust and how to prepare them so that they don’t spoil. All fun aside, this is a very good recipe, no frills, information cookbook. I wouldn’t be without it. As a bonus it also has recipes for cosmetics, homemade medicines, and household cleaning supplies. Food Storage For The Clueless - Author: Clark L. and Kathryn H. Kidd Publisher: Bookcraft, ISBN 1-57008-680-X This is one of the “cannot be without” books if you want to start your food storage - big or small. First of all, their style of writing is very funny and it is a quick read (I know that it looks big, but that is because they also have a lot of really good recipes in it.) The authors will help you to figure out what kind of food storage personality you have and how to work around it to get a complete food storage - that you will use. What a concept! They tell of all of the pitfalls and things that simply don’t work. I can’t imagine not having this book in my house, I refer to it all of the time. Please, get a hold of this book and read it, it will help you to understand how to start your food storage without being overwhelmed and most important, how to continue building it, rotating it, and enjoying it. Butchering, Processing and Preservation of Meat / A Manual for the Home and Farm Author: Frank G. Ashbrook - Fish and Wildlife Service / United States Department of the Interior Publisher: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, ISBN 0-442-20377-2 This book will tell you how, from start to finish, to kill, dress out, and butcher anything that walks on four legs (domestic or wild), swims, hops, or flies. Even if you don’t intend to do all that and all you want to do is go to the butcher, it will still give you the information about what part of the animal you are buying and how to properly take care of it. It will teach you how to dry, smoke, or do a variety of other things to different meats that you probably have never even considered. It has one of the best sausage recipes that I have ever tasted. We don’t even buy sausage anymore because we prefer the taste of our homemade sausage more than anything we buy (It’s a snap to make.) Actually, this book has a lot of recipes, and I can’t wait until I can try them all. Now, go forth and cook up a storm – with your kids. They will love learning to prepare their own food and feed themselves - deliciously. Dawn