Hot Sheet @ Cash & Carry

I was in Cash & Carry today and there were several items on their Hot Sheet worth looking at.  

I have not seen bananas at 39 cents a pound in a long time.  If you don't mind getting them quite green it is a real bargain.  I bought a bunch to dry as my grandchildren love them and I think I will make some banana bread too.  
You can check out the rest of their hot sheet specials if you google Cash & Carry Twin Falls, Idaho.

This week Ridleys has 3 cases of 24 water bottles for $5.  Great for storage.(Who ever dreamed we would be buying water!) 

If you are willing to comment below, please share great specials you find with the rest of us as you come upon them.  Also this will be a great venue to share extra garden produce this summer.

I would love to hear your experiences making bread, and using herbs and chicken after our activity last week.  Keep connected!

Shanna

PS
Thanks to Janae, I also learned that 5 dozen eggs at Winco is $3.16, down by about $5.  So great to see the price of eggs come down again! 
I think I worked out the comment issue some of you have been experiencing.  Just click on the word "comment" at the bottom of this post  to add a comment.  Thanks everyone!

Maple Honey Butter

We had such a great time at our Relief Society on Tuesday night!  We learned so many things that will help us become more self sufficient, and great ways to feed our families as well.  Some of you requested the recipe below for Maple Honey Butter we sampled that night, so I have posted it below. 

Comment below of call me if you have any questions.               

                                                                                                 Printable Recipe

       

               1/2 cup (1 stick) real butter                           

2 tablespoons honey

2 1/2 tablespoons 100% real maple syrup

             1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

             1/4 teaspoon maple extract (optional)

         Place butter and 2 T honey in a mixing bowl and beat (with a hand mixer, or the whisk attachment of your stand mixer) until combined and smooth. Add maple syrup, cinnamon, pie spice, and extract. Beat slowly until combined and then whip for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy. Serve at room temperature.

 If you're making ahead of time, store in fridge, but allow time to bring to room temperature before serving. For best results, stir or re-whip before serving. Lasts for about a week or so in the fridge, several months in the freezer.

Simple, Versatile French Bread

French Bread is quick and easy to make, and is so versatile.  Try it for the recipes below, and let your imagination create new ways to use it.  It is great for calzones, pizza dough, scones, french bread pizza, garlic bread,  cinnamon bread, breadsticks, etc.  This is the French Bread I used for the recipes below. 

            Simple French Bread    Recipe Printable

2 ½ cups warm water

2 T Instant yeast

2-3 T sugar

1 T salt

5-6 cups flour (good quality, makes a huge difference)

Combine water, yeast, 5 cups flour, salt and sugar.  Mix well.  Cover with warm towel and let sit 5 minutes.  Pour onto well floured surface, and mix in ½ to 1 cup more flour,  kneading 5-7 minutes until smooth.  Place in greased bowl and cover to raise until double.  

When doubled in size, preheat oven to 425 and divide into 2 equal portions, shape into long loaves, and place on greased cookie sheet (or parchment paper) covered with cornmeal.  Make 4 slashes, diagonally on top.  Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.  Let rise to double, bake 25 minutes.  If tops get too brown, Place a sheet of foil on top the last 10 minutes of baking so it won't burn.    

Stromboli     Recipe Printable

• Stromboli Dough

• 1 3/4 - 2 1/4 cups of flour

• 1 envelope Fleischmann’s® Pizza Yeast

• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup of very warm water (120° to 130° F)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• Toppings (all or a combo of the following)*

• 1/2 cup marinara sauce

• 3/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese

• 3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/4 pound Hot Italian sausage, cooked

• 9-12 slices pepperoni

• 6 slices deli honey ham

• 1/2 small green bell pepper, very thinly sliced, sauteed 3 minutes

• 1/2 small onion, very thinly sliced, sauteed 3 minutes

• 1 cup very thinly sliced mushrooms, uncooked

• 1/4 cup sliced black olives

• Garnish

• 1 egg, beaten

• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• garlic salt

• extra pizza sauce for dipping (optional)

Instructions

1 Stromboli Dough: Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add water and oil and mix together until well blended (you can do this by hand or with your mixer). Gradually add flour, mixing in 1/2 cup at a time, until dough forms a ball. Add additional flour, if needed to handle but dough should be slightly sticky. Spoon dough out of bowl onto floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic; about 4 minutes.

2 Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll stromboli dough out into a large rectangle, about 10 by 14 inches on the parchment paper.

3 Stromboli:Lightly spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce over the dough, leaving a 2 inch plain dough border along the edges. Top sauce with half the grated cheeses, followed by meats, then vegetables followed by remaining cheese.

4 Brush the plain border of dough with the egg wash. Roll up the Stromboli lengthwise like a jelly roll and pinch edges to seal. Brush the entire Stromboli with egg wash and gently cut slats in the top of the dough every 1-2 inches. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan and lightly sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake for 15-25 minutes*** at 425F or until golden, covering with foil at the end of baking if necessary to prevent excess cheese browning.

5 Let cool 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with extra marinara sauce if desired.

Notes

*Adjust the amounts of toppings to meet your personal taste except for the marinara. Using more than 1/2 cup could mean soggy stromboli.

**Add to marinara sauce only if you aren't using Hot Italian Sausage or it could be too spicy.

***Baking time can vary widely depending on the amount of toppings and content moisture of toppings/vegetables. The more toppings, the longer the baking time. I baked my very stuffed stromboli for a total of 25 minutes but when I just use sauce, cheese and pepperoni, my stromboli is done in 15 minutes.

Recipe by Carlsbad Cravings at http://www.carlsbadcravings.com

BACON RANCH PEPPER JACK PULL APART BREAD         Recipe Printable

 INGREDIENTS

• 1 large loaf of sourdough, Italian or ciabatta bread (I used garlic ciabatta), not sliced

• 1/2 cup  (1 stick) butter, melted

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1 ½ tablespoons ranch dressing seasoning mix (1/2 packet)

• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

• 1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

• 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Slice loaf diagonally into 1 inch slices but DO NOT slice all the way to the bottom of the bread. Turn bread 90 degrees and repeat diagonal slices to create a cross-hatch pattern.

2 Mix cheeses together, set aside.

3 Add butter, cream cheese, ranch seasoning, and garlic salt to a stand or hand mixer and beat until well combined. There will still be some lumps.

4 Using a knife, “butter” in between all of the slices of bread with the cream cheese/ranch/butter mixture – it does not have to be neat. I find it helpful to hold one end of the bread up so it bends like an accordion, making it easier to butter in between the sections. I work from one end and butter to the other, then flip the bread and do the same with the other perpendicular slices.

5 Using the same accordion method, push bacon evenly in between all of the slices, followed by the cheese.

6 Wrap bread in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350F degrees for 20 minutes. Unwrap and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Best served hot.

NOTES

This bread can be prepared beforehand up to the point of baking. When ready, simply bake!

Recipe by Carlsbad Cravings at http://www.carlsbadcravings.com

Hello!

I have always loved this quote:

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do it has increased.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

You know how some people make it seem so easy to play the piano, or make a pie, or anything else, they can do it because they are persistent!  They practiced and practiced, until it became easier.

Some things take time to learn, others......it is just about taking the first step, and then you realize it really isn't that hard!

Preparedness is that way.  It can seem so very overwhelming, but if you just begin... you have the hardest part over with.

Preparedness is not just about creating a food supply to draw from, it is about learning basic skills that can bless your life and the life of your family.  It is:
*Learning how to be frugal.
*Learning how to make wholesome foods for your family from
  scratch rather than buying them. 
*Learning how to plant and raise a garden
*Keeping ourselves physically fit so we can care for   
 ourselves and others.
*Learning how to stretch your budget.
*Preparing your family how to react in an emergency 
  situation
*Preparing yourself for the unexpected.
*Preparing your family temporally as well as 
  spiritually for the challenges in your future.

Just begin.  Each skill you work on brings you one step closer, and you have the added blessing of the satisfaction that comes with another skill learned.

Now for the fun!  Miracle Pan Release  This gal is on top of things!

This is the greatest thing in the kitchen.  Next time you are tempted to reach for the non-stick spray, mix this up instead.  I use it frequently, and it works like a charm, and is so much cheaper than the spray stuff.  Another great thing about it is that it doesn't leave that baked-on brown stuff on your pans.  

Ingredients

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup vegetable shortening
• ½ cup vegetable oil

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients with a hand mixer until the mixture slightly increases in volume and the mixture looks smooth and creamy.

2. Place in a covered container and store on counter top or in the pantry.

To use: Use a pastry brush, clean paper towel or clean fingers to coat the inside of baking pans before baking. Use within 3-4 months or store in refrigerator for longer use.

If you are a fan of coconut oil like me, you can make it by replacing both the shortening and the vegetable oil with coconut oil that has been very slightly softened.  

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