This past week I made up a dozen batches of my dry soup mix, using vegetables that I had canned some years back and now have dehydrated them. If someone wants to use dehydrated foods they already have in stock, here is the recipe.
Soup Mix
1/3 Cup each of dehydrated corn, green beans, carrots and diced potatoes
3 bouillon cubes (may add more dry bouillon to taste)
1 tsp. garlic powder and 2 tsp. dry parsley
1/4 Cup dry onions
I added a couple of Tablespoons of dry, shredded cabbage just because I like it.
This soup can be made in a crock pot. Add 2 quarts of water - a little more depending on how much broth you like in your soup or if you add additional dry veggies. I just let it simmer all day. An hour before serving, I add a pint of canned meat - usualy beef or chicken. The meat may be eliminitated if just a good veggie soup is desired.
My grocery order arrives tomorrow. My bill is outrageous for the amount of food I am getting. I am incredibly thankful that I started stocking up years ago when prices were at a more reasonable rate.
As a result of prices at the grocery store rising nearly to the completely unaffordable rates, I am going through the recipes I have collected over the years, looking for home made substitutes for some of the products I normally buy. I have stocked ingredients. I can make a variety of mixes to replace some of the convenience foods I have been using.
I am not hurting financially - yet. But I probably will be if I don't change the way I do some things. I am also looking through my mother's recipe box. She cooked before convenience foods or microwaves. I really need to remember how she stretched meals.
I doubt this inflation will end any time soon. We can either pretend everything is alright or we can adjust the way we do things accordingly - in the real world. Nobody - at least nobody connected with the government - is coming to save us.
As always - pray and prepare.
Thanks for this recipe, Vickie. Sounds great.
ReplyDeleteYou all be safe and God bless.
LindaG...Seems there is plenty of fodder for a righteous rant, but I am so very tired of politics and politicians that a recipe was the better choice. You and yours keep safe as well and may God truly bless.
DeleteVicki~ we make Pate' Chinoise aka Chinese Pot Pie aka Sheppard's Pie. Cooked ground beef or turkey, mashed potatoes and corn, whole or creamed. Mix them together, bake in oven and serve. Red
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DeleteRed...I have seen recipes for Sheppard's Pie, but have never tried to make it. I have the ingredients. Maybe over the weekend. Thanks.
I don't think this inflation will end anytime soon either, Vicki. Even if it dropped back to the Fed's magic 2% tomorrow, it would take a few years for wages to compensate for the "new normal" prices. Don't worry though. Rep Sean Mahoney (D, of course) and Biden say that if we all just eat Chef Boyardee Spaghetti-O's and generic raisin bran, we'll be fine... Don't fret about not being able to afford the meat you could afford last year... Don't worry about that man behind the curtain... Toto, I don't think we're in America anymore...
ReplyDeleteWell, Pete...
ReplyDeleteAs far as I am concerned, they all can go pound sand.
I am not fond of Spaghetti-O's nor am I a fan of generic raisin bran. Tomorrow I am canning 10 lbs. of boneless ham just so my family will not be stuck with Spaghetti-O's! And I have asked one of my kids to pick up 10 lbs. of boneless chicken thighs to can as well.
They want us to go meatless? NO! They think we should be happy eating crickets? NO!
Pete, I have lived all of my 76 years the way I saw fit. Damned if I am going to change at this late date just to please some idiotic politician. Or anyone else, for that matter.
Pinball at "Pinball Preparedness" had a good video today. It was about how to slow down those who want to control us by basically saying, "No" to their mandates and orders. I think perhaps "I will not comply" is my answer to them all.
Is all well in your neck of the woods, Vicki? Haven't heard from you in a while. Horrifying images of an old lady running down the road in her jammies, dragging an oxygen tank, and being chased by the Yeti keep filling my mind! ZOUNDS!
DeleteOh, Pete...The picture you paint makes me giggle like a school girl. :)
DeleteAll is well here in the snow covered north. Just been busy. Will likely post soon.
Glad to hear that, Vicki! Us old farts gotta look out for each other! God bless you and yours!
DeleteVicki- I need to purchase a dehydrator. What do you suggest? My freezers are full with veggies that need to take up less space!!! Thank goodness my family of adult children/grands like soup!! You are an endless inspiration to this 1948 YiaYia! Stay well & God Bless us all.
ReplyDeleteThere are those who say the Excalibur dehydrator is the best and maybe it is, but the price is prohibitive for me. I have two Nesco brand mid-price dehydrators that work well for me. When I first began dehydrating I had a dehydrator with the heating element and fan in the bottom. And before long a piece of dry food slid down into the fan and broke it. I went with Nesco because the heating element and fan are in the lid. I have been using these for several years now with no problems at all. You just need to rotate the trays about halfway through the drying process so the bottom trays are close to the heat and fan as long as the upper trays and the food will dry evenly. I would suggest investing in the plastic mesh inserts. Most of what I dry would fall right through the trays without the inserts. Happy dehydrating! And may God bless you all as well.
DeleteI have to make bread with scant yeast and make bread crumbs with that to stretch the meat for hamburgers and meatballs. I add an egg because I have chickens who lay well. I stretch soups with barley and dumplings. Cooked rice is combined with the burger mix to stuff peppers and cabbage rolls.
DeleteI have my faith in God and I trust the feelings he gave me to let me know when to go along and when not to. As I told my friend, the great thing about being a Christian, is that you are a winner coming or going. There has been a bit of a challenge in our community lately, the feed store has closed, the nearest one is so far away, that the gas cost (more than even Californians pay) on top of the feed, and the horrible winter driving conditions here, make it a difficult choice to keep livestock. I am not worried for myself, but the young families with children, yeah, that's sad.
I think many of us who keep track of what is happening are either learning new ways to stretch our food or are remembering what our mothers and grandmothers did. My mother favored using rice in many dishes and I always teased her about being the Queen of anything on toast. Creamed asparagus from the garden was my favorite.
DeleteI believe it is God who is showing us what we need to do for our families. I don't worry about me either, for I am now in the 'home stretch.' My children are old enough to fend for themselves. But the grands and great-grands weigh on my heart. So I keep doing what I can to see that at least they have enough to eat, should the time come when they need it. God please help us all.
My first dehydrator was like Vicki's first one with the heating element on the bottom. But I found my in new condition at the thrift store and if I remember it was $5. Looked like it had been a gift no one used. I used it until it kicked the bucket and then when I couldn't find one in the thrift store, bought one like Vicki described with the heating element on top.
DeleteMy favorite way to stretch hamburger is to add cooked lentils - making sure they're not over cooked. I started out with 3 parts hamburger to one part lentils and then got the family used to a 50-50 mix. Great for taco filling, spagetti or meatloaf. I never used the 50-50 mix for just burgers - probably because I rarely served those when I had to stretch the meat.
I also got the family used to 50-50 milk where half the milk was reconstituted powdered milk. I found it best to mix it up the night before so it had overnight to chill. And also used the powdered milk any time I baked.
SJ Now in California
Vickie, pretty soon it won't be the cost of food that is the problem, it will be if foods are available at all to purchase.
ReplyDeleteMamaJ
MamaJ...I keep seeing reports from various parts of the country of shortages or bare store shelves. My personal opinion is that this is by design to bring us to the point where we will comply just to be able to eat. Keep on stacking it to the rafters. We will need every crumb.
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