An experiment in being off grid, that was fun, once it was over

I realize its been awhile. I have lots of reasons, but none are all that exciting. Sorry. Ive been debating whether or not to keep this going. I wonder how many people see this little blog. But, I really do like writing about this stuff so I might keep on and see how it goes.
So lets make up for some lost time, shall we?

So... Winter. Its everywhere, even where it shouldnt be right now. We lost power a few days ago for a couple of hours. Luckily it was in the afternoon. Apparently a transformer blew and knocked out power to our whole county and parts of a couple others. Also, we were very fortunate that the temps were in the low 30's. For the previous 3 days it had been hovering, and dipping below 0. Our house did get a little colder for those 2 or 3 hours as the furnace didn't work. We don't have a wood stove, or any other way to heat the house except for a portable propane heater.

Here's what I did to prepare for what could have been a long, dark, cold evening and night...

1. Gathered all the oil lanterns and our 1 oil lamp. Filled them all with oil and set them out on the kitchen table. ( I didn't realize how bad lamp oil smells!)

2. Added extra blankets on all the kids beds topped with a sleeping bag. Also laid out a couple layers of warm pjs for each of the kids.

3. Set out stuff for dinner ( a bag of store bought soup) and set the Sterno Stove and some matches so we could have a warm dinner, even if it was on the small side. I bought two of these stoves online for just such purposes. Always a good idea to have a backup plan for cooking food. We could have grilled out or used out cast iron pans on the grill or fire pit, if it were lighter out, and warmer.

Even in a couple of hours, I learned a few things about being in that kind of situation.

- I need more lamp oil. And probably more wicks. And definitely more glass chimneys. I read somewhere that the number of chimneys you need is directly proportionate to the number of small children you have.(good advice!)

- It would be way more convenient to have flashlights that all used the same kind of batteries.

- Having food that doesn't require cooking is nice. Having an alternative way to cook food is even nicer. I have been looking into getting a Volcano Stove for awhile. You can get a hood that lets you use it as a convection oven so you can bake!


Also,the day before the electricity went out,  with the weather being so cold, our washing machine was not working.In fact, all our hot water pipes were frozen. Of course I had to be washing diapers when the thing stopped, full of dirty water. Since it was hot, I let them soak for awhile, then pulled out all the covers ( found here, if you are interested) and washed them by hand with a little dishsoap, then hung them up to dry. I always hang them because they will wear out in the dryer. They dry super fast.
Then, I fished out the prefolds and homemade wipes with a hanger a few at a time. Threw them in a canner full of water and a teensy amount of soap and plunged them good with my handy Mobile Washer that I originally got for camping, but it works just as well anywhere. Once they were nice and sudsy and clean, I let them soak in a different bucket with water and vinegar. Then I rinsed them out in a sink full of cold water. And threw them in the dryer. Fun times.

What I learned from that experience:

- Its good to have a bit of water stored in case there is a water line break, your pipes freeze up, (or your water gets contaminated by a massive chemical spill). That way you can drink clean water, do your laundry, give the kids a bath ( thinking about getting one of these only bigger, for just such an occasion)

- Get some rubber dish gloves.

- It doesnt take a lot of soap to wash something in a canner. A little dab will do ya.

- If I didnt have my Mobile Washer, a (clean) plunger with some holes cut in the rubber would have worked the same.

Bulk Pancake Mix

Here is something really simple and quick to make that will provide you with a lot of breakfasts in a jiffy- your own homemade bulk pancake mix. And its so good too!

{From areal-lifehousewife.com}

Homemade Pancake Mix in Bulk

Author: Joy of Cooking

 

Ingredients

• 9 cups flour
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ cup plus 2½ tablespoons baking powder
• 6 teaspoons salt
• 1½ cups milk
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl and store in an airtight container.
2. For a batch of 10-12 pancakes, combine milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Add a heaping 1¾ cup of pancake mix and stir just until combined.
3. Pour onto a greased hot griddle, using about ¼ cup for each pancake. Let cook on each side until lightly browned.

Make Your Own Brown Sugar!

             Have you ever seen the ingredient list on the package of brown sugar? Its just sugar and molasses- how did I not know that? Unfortunately I needed brown sugar in two recipes this week and had no brown sugar. Fortunately I did have a bottle of molasses in the pantry for some strange reason.  

                    Add molasses a little at a time to the sugar until you get the right color and consistency. 

 

Store in an airtight container.

Homemade Yellow Cake and Chocolate Frosting

Mmmmm. This is my favorite kind of cake. This week we celebrated my mom's birthday and I offered to make her whatever kind of cake she wanted, and she chose this kind. I love the kind in the box, but I didn't have any and I'm so glad I found this recipe because I will never make buy another one. The frosting is a little sweeter than the tub kind, it reminds me of the kind on doughnuts. Yum! I accidentally ate about 1/4th of a cup before I knew what was happening. The cake is a bit more dense but richer tasting than the box mix.

The Cake: ( Mix the following in a quart size bag and freeze up to 2 months, or leave out the butter and vanilla and store in your pantry.)

From: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Note: the recipe calls for cake flour, which I never have on hand so I substituted 2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour and 3 tablespoons cornstarch for the three cups of flour called for in the recipe. It worked beautifully.

Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 16 tablespoons butter (2 sticks), cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Process sugar, flours (or flour and cornstarch if making the substitution for the cake flour), milk powder, baking powder, and salt in a food processor for 15 seconds to combine. Add butter and vanilla and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal (you want this much finer than, say, a pie crust). Freeze the dry mixture in a zipper-lock bag for up to 2 months or use immediately.
2. To make the cake, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your pan of choice (see the note above the recipe).
3. With an electric mixer, beat the prepared cake mix, 1 1/4 cups warm water and 2 large room-temperature eggs until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan(s) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-27 minutes for two 9-inch layer cakes. See the note above the recipe for alternate cooking times with other baking pans. Cool the cake(s) in pan(s) for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely

The Frosting: Chocolate Buttercream Frosting from Food.com

6 tablespoons butter, softened

2 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Place butter in a bowl and beat until creamy.
2. Add sugar and cocoa, mixing well.
3. Stir in milk in portions, stirring each time.
4. Add vanilla.
5. Spread on cooled cake or other items needing frosting

I also added a bit of flour to help it stand up a little more- it was very soft and creamy. I probably could have let it cool in the fridge and gotten the same results.

Homemade Poptarts

For real.
My kids like pop tarts but I'm not a fan. I think they look and taste like cardboard, but hey,they have sprinkles, so they love them. But they can get pricey and there aren't many in the box and split between 3 kids is about one box per breakfast.
There are a few different recipes for homemade poptarts, without the ingredients I can't pronounce ( and with sprinkles!) floating around Pinterest, but I found this one on Smitten Kitchen and we tried it tonight. I ended up cooking ours for longer than the recipe says to- about 20-25 minutes. We did half cinnamon-sugar and half (homemade) strawberry jam and they we so good! We also made them mini just for fun. The kids ate a few for a snack and we are saving the rest for breakfast. Next time I will try drizzling them with icing.Yum!

Go here for the recipe ( it's long, but these are so easy and quick to make.) I bet you could even freeze some and toast them later.

Homemade Frozen Pizza

I never would have thought of making frozen pizza at home. I usually just make it to eat right then. Tonight I doubled the Pizza Dough recipe and made 2 medium-ish pizzas for the freezer. Here's how I did it:

1. After the dough has risen, punch down and dump out on a floured surface. Knead to bring it together, until it is soft and elastic and easiily forms a ball. Transfer to a circular pizza pan (or whatever pan you intend to bake it on) and press with your fingers or use a rolling pin to stretch the dough out to fully cover your pan.
2. Sprinkle your dough with garlic salt and italian seasonings if you want to
3. Bake at 400 for about 8-12 minutes until firm and dry but not too dark brown.
4. Let it cool, then add sauce, cheese, and toppings. Freeze on the baking sheet until completely frozen, then take off the pan and wrap in plastic wrap

Flour Tortillas

Today I went to make tacos for lunch and all we had were the crunchy taco shells-no tortillas. I think I'm the only one here who likes the shells, so I pulled out this recipe for tortillas I've been meaning to make. They take a bit of work- it's really a chore to roll them out because they are so elastic and want to keep snapping back into a smaller ball but in the end it was really worth it. They are so much better than store bought tortillas.  The Handsome Husband even said "Hey these look like real tortillas!"

Real Tortillas?

"Yeah like the ones at the store..."

Hmmm.

Flour Tortillas

2 cups All purpose flour
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tea Baking powder
2 tsp Vegetable oil
3/4 cWarm milk

Mix dry and wet separately, then together. Mix together well, then knead about 2-3 minutes. Form dough into a ball,  cover with a towel and let rest 20 minutes. Cut ball into 8 pieces (like a pizza) and roll each piece into a ball. Roll each ball out into a big circle. Spray a cast iron skillet with cooking spray and fry each tortilla about 45 seconds on each side or until dry and brown spots appear.

French Baguettes {and Sausage Bread}

This blog originated with my desire to learn how to make bread myself. I love bread of all kinds. So when I (used to) go grocery shopping, I would of course stop by the bakery and pick up a loaf or two of french bread.Its so versatile. But they always seemed to be very tough or stale and not very appetizing at all. And the price continued to rise for what appeared to be a smaller portion than before.

So this blog was started as a way to keep all these recipes I wanted to teach myself safe and also share them with anyone else who might like to learn some new tricks. In uncertain times, its always good to know how to do things yourself. Not that we are destitute mind you, but a penny saved is a penny earned, right?

Today I had no idea what to make for lunch. No. Clue. That hasn't happened since I started my Homemade Resolution at the beginning of this month. I finally decided on Sausage Bread because we had some leftover cooked sausage and a tiny bit of cheddar and pretty much nothing else in the fridge. Sausage Bread is The Handsome Husbands' family's favorite treat. They only eat it at Christmas and it's very, very good. But, they make it with Pillsbury French Loaf dough you get in the can. Which was certainly not in my fridge this morning.

So I used this recipe for crusty french baguettes I found the other day. This is actually the second time I've tried it and this time I nailed it. Crusty on the outside, soft  and not doughy on the inside. I made 2 smallish baguettes and one large loaf of Sausage Bread with this recipe, which didn't last long at all.

Quick & Crusty French Baguettes

• 2 cups very warm water
• 1 packet yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast, and sugar.  Set the bowl on top of your preheating oven for ten minutes.  Stir in the salt and add the flour a half-cup at a time, until the dough becomes soft but not sticky.  Knead the dough until elastic.
Cut the dough into four even pieces.  Roll each of them into four long, thin ropes.  Twist together two of the ropes to form one loaf.  Twist the other two ropes together to form a second loaf.  Transfer both onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
You can now bake the loaf right away (if you’re in a hurry) or allow it to rise for an additional 15-30 minutes on top of your warm oven.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until bread is golden brown on top and sounds hollow when you tap it.

I also did an egg wash to help it brown up a little and to make it a little more crunchy on top.

And here is the recipe for Sausage Bread:

Divide the dough in two parts. You will only need one for this, it makes a large loaf. Cut the dough in half.for the top and bottom.

 Spread the bottom part out on a cookie sheet and press with fingers until about 3 or so inches wide, and as long as your sheet. Spread out cooked sausage ( regular pork sausage, bacon and pork, or half and half) over dough and press lightly into dough to keep it from falling out. Sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top, then some more sausage. Lay the top dough over and pinch sides to seal.

Bake as directed above.

Brownie Mix

I've never made homemade brownies, I think the idea always intimidated me for some reason. It seemed like alot of work for not being sure how they would turn out. But this recipe from Fake-It-Frugal for "Fake Betty Crocker Brownies" seemed so easy I had to try it, given my new "Make-Do Challenge."
Some days we all just need a little chocolate, and brownies are the perfect pick-me-up.
I used 2 of my remaining 5 eggs on these, and I'd say it was definitely worth it. These taste just like the real thing. Next time however , I will try them with applesauce and baking powder as a substitute for the eggs, or maybe some flaxseed.

Fake-It-Frugal's Fake Betty Crocker Brownies

1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 eggs
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

mix all together and bake at 350 about 20-25 minutes

These are very easy to make a few mixes for your pantry- just pour the dry ingredients in a ziploc bag and label.

The "Make-Do" Challenge

Some of my goals for this blog, besides just being a placeholder for all the recipes and tutorials I need to keep track of, are to chronicle a year of learning how to make everyday things from scratch, how to use what we have at home instead of running out to the store, and how to save money on what we do buy.

Today I'm challenging myself to make do with what we have at home for...hm...lets say 2 weeks just to start. I usually go grocery shopping every two weeks and I went last Saturday, so that pushes me an extra week out. This will really force encourage me to learn to make some things I would normally buy.

Times like these are when it's a good idea to have a stocked pantry. We'll talk more about that later.



 *I'm not sure what to do about milk. We have one gallon now, and the husband doesn"t like powdered milk. 3 weeks seems a long time to stretch a gallon. Oh well, we will see. It's part of the fun, right?

Don't Waste It

source

This poster from 1917 is just as relevant today.

In the midst of economic uncertainty, it is important to conserve our hard earned money, and to learn to spend it wisely. The recent governmental regulations have made a bit of a dent in our single-income paycheck, as is true for many ,many Americans. One of my hopes for this blog is to give other families a sense of peace in tough economic times. There is much we can do to alleviate the pinch of tightening home budgets.

This month I want to focus on home-made alternatives to common store bought items, as well as stocking up the pantry, something that seems to almost be a thing of the past in a society where we can get nearly anything we want, right up the street at the store.

But for now, some timeless tips on how to live frugally with food:

1. Buy it with thought

A great home-cooked meal doesn't have to be a fancy four-course feast. But it does take some planning. Making a meal plan a few days before you go to the store is a good start to feeding your family well on a budget. Make a note of what you have already at home. Also, think about where the things on your list are coming from, what is in them, and if you could possibly make them yourself. And see if you could buy it in bulk, or at least a few at a time-that way you can start building up a supply and have it on hand the next time you need it.

2. Cook it with care

My husband hunts and we have been able to supplement our meat supply with deer. I was skeptical at first, but I have found that deer meat ( or rather 2/3 deer, 1/3 beef for fat) does not taste any different at all than ground beef. I use deer meat for all our meat dishes except for burgers and meatloaf because those things need a little more fat to hold together. Each package of deer meat is 1 pound, and I always try to save at least 1/2 of the cooked meat for another meal later in the week. And it freezes well, just like ground beef. This way we can get 2 or sometimes even 3 meals from just one package.

\. Since my husband takes his dinner to work with him, and we are making it a rule not to eat out, I know he is going to need a dinner every night during the work week. Most nights I will make dinner for me and the kids, with the intention that he will take the leftovers for his dinner the next night. But sometimes for whatever reason, it works out that there are no leftovers to take. So when I make something like meatloaf for instance, on the off day that I cook his dinner before he goes into work, I will make it in 3 small loaf pans instead of 1 regular size one. This way, he can take one to work and none is wasted, and the other 2 are frozen for some other time. Its especially helpful when our schedule is off and I need something quick to send with him.

3. Use less

Overeating leads to lots of discomfort, both now and later in life, both physically, and financially. We can choose to eat smaller portions or split and save portions. Also, filling up on good-for-you foods vs. not-so-good-for-you foods can make a world of difference in how you feel.

4.Buy local foods

This is something I want to explore this year. There is a lot to be said about the difference in foods grown in our own towns and backyards vs. food shipped in from foreign lands. The term "growing season" seems to be almost outdated when we can pop into the store for nearly any kind of fruit or vegetable year round.

Farmers' Markets are making a comeback for this very reason, and with a little education, anyone can learn to preserve almost everything you could want to eat.

5. Serve just enough

When it is possible, try to cook enough so that dinner and tomorrow's lunch is taken care of in on meal. Know how many servings you will need for both so there is minimal waste.

6. Use what is left

Just today I got all happy inside because I had everything on hand to make tacos. There were only 5 tortillas left in the package so I sent 3 with my husband, and cut up the other 2 for me and the 3 big kids. I used a pound of hamburger(deerburger)  that I had thawed in the fridge the day before yesterday. There was a bit of lettuce in a bag of salad that my sister-in-law had brought for dinner the other night, a tomato from another dinner, a small block of cheddar that I grated up, and a bit of sour cream in the container that I sent with him. Everything but the meat were basically scraps that, by themselves, wouldn't have been worth anything, but put together, they made a whole meal.

The point to all this is, preparation is key to maintaining a budget, no matter what your limit is. Where waste (of food, money, time) is unacceptable, we need to do our part to make sure it doesn't happen.