Katherine's Potato Soup

This post is especially for my friend, Dola.  She had her gall bladder removed a few weeks ago, and I took her this potato soup.  This is from memory, and I never follow a recipe when I make this, but it should be pretty close.  :)

1.  Boil about 5 lbs of peeled and diced potatoes until fork-tender.
2.  Cut up about 1/2 lb of diced carrots.  Cook them separately, since they cook differently than potatoes.
3.  Cook 1 package of bacon (I used turkey bacon).  Cut the bacon into small, bite-sized pieces.
4.  Make a roux by blending about 3 tbsp. oil or melted butter with about 3 tbsp. white flour.  Then add 3 cups of milk all at once and whisk it continually until the mixture thickens.
5.  After the potatoes and carrots and bacon are done, drain the potatoes and carrots and add them all to a big pot and add the white sauce.  Add about 3 more cups of milk, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 can of creamed corn.  Stir until heated through and the milk/white sauce is well blended.
6.  Add 2-3 cups grated cheese.  Stir until melted and well blended.
7.  Eat!

Food Storage Checklist #7 (Comfort Foods)

To do:

• Read more about powdered milk.
• Replace the milk in at least one of your recipes with powdered milk.
• Update your 3-month supply inventory sheet of what foods you already have stored.

To Purchase:

• 12 lbs of dry milk (remember to double this amount if you can only find instant dry milk).
• 3 lbs honey.
• some comfort foods.
• something from your 3-month supply list. 

Milk

• Nonfat Dry Milk is less expensive than regular milk so it’s a great idea to rotate it into everyday usage. To make your nonfat milk taste better, try adding 1 tsp of sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla to a gallon.
• Evaporated Milk can be stored in cans, or made from nonfat dry milk. To make a 12 oz can of evaporated milk from dry milk, mix 1‐1/2 C. Water and 1/2 C. + 1 T. Dry Powdered Milk and blend very well.

 

Condiments

Condiments
ketchup
mustard
relish
mayonnaise
peanut butter
barbecue sauce
soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
teriyaki sauce
olive oil
vinegar
horseradish
cranberry sauce
applesauce
hot sauce/chili sauce
taco seasoning

Spices/Herbs

Spices
It is recommended to get a few spare bottles of spices/herbs that you
commonly use. This will ensure you have enough for your long term
cooking needs, and also give you the convenience and cost-savings in the
short term. Don’t go overboard on buying too many bottles though, as
spices can lose their flavor over time.

Common Spices/Herbs

Herbs*
Basil
Bay Leaves
Chives
Cilantro
Dill
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Sage
Tarragon
Thyme

Spices**
Allspice
Black Pepper
Caraway
Cardamom
Celery Salt/Seed
Chili Powder
Cinnamon
Cloves
Coriander
Cumin
Fennel
Fenugreek
Garlic Powder/Salt
Ginger
Mustard Seed/Dry Mustard
Nutmeg
Onion Powder/Salt
Paprika
Red pepper flakes
Saffron
Turmeric
Vanilla
White Pepper

* Herbs are the leafy, green plant parts used for flavoring purposes, and may be used fresh or dried, typically cut into very small pieces.

**Spices are dried and often ground or grated into a powder. Small seeds, such as fennel and mustard seeds, are used both whole and in powder form.

Comfort Foods

Some things about Comfort Foods:

• Comfort foods can help ease your stress during rough times

• While not considered “life sustaining” foods, they can considered “sanity-sustaining” foods. This is especially important if you have young children.

• A few normal foods or delicious snacks now and then can really help a difficult situation.

• The advice to use what you store, and store what you eat applies to comfort foods as well. Try a new thing each week or month to build up your stores of ideas for comfort items using food storage and then store the ingredients for them.

Ideas:
Home-made popcorn in a pot
Mashed potatoes with instant potatoes and GRAVY
Hard Candy
Chocolate
Pudding (made using dry milk)
Granola bars
Fruit snacks for children
Chicken noodle soup in a can (for if you get sick)
Kool-aid
Condiments (ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, salsa, pickles - store a spare or two of each)
Spices (inventory what spices you use and store an extra one or two of each)
No-bake cookies ingredients
Rice Krispie Treats
Macaroni & cheese dinners
Chocolate and butterscotch baking chips for homemade cookies or snacking
Peppermint tea bags
Homemade cinnamon rolls

The Benefits of Beans

Low Calorie Food
When added to boiling water, bean flours thicken in only 1 minute and can become a pefect white sauce base for lots of recipes. By replacing bean flour in cream and soup recipes you lower the calories dramatically because you take out the butter.

Great Protein
Beans are an excellent source of protein, forming a complete protein when combined with rice, corn, and many other foods. Getting protein this way can help you avoid some of the fatty meat proteins.

High in Fiber
One cup of beans provide the same amount of fiber as 3 standard doses of Metamucil. Not only do they give you the fiber, they are much more pleasant to eat and can be prepared with endless variety of tastes.

Low in Fat
Nearly all beans contain only 2-3% fat! You can even add oils to some recipes without going above even the 10% fat level recommended by Doctors.


Lower Cholesterol
Did you know that beans can help lower your cholesterol level? Not only do they contain NO cholesterol, they actually help the body get rid of what is considered bad cholesterol.

Beans Do's and Don'ts

Bean Do’s
• Lightly rinse packaged dry beans; sort through them and remove any pebbles, seed pods, leaves or twigs.
• Soak your beans! It reduces cooking time by about one half, and saves vitamins, minerals and proteins which can be lost during prolonged heating — exceptions are lentils, split peas and black-eyed peas which may be cooked from their dry state.
• Soak beans in plenty of water. Use a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of water to beans.
• Place presoaked beans in a pot and cover with fresh, cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover and simmer them for the indicated length of time until they are soft and tender.
• Store dry beans in the refrigerator.

Bean Don’ts
• Add baking soda to hasten soaking or cooking time as it will decrease the nutritional content of the beans.
• Add salt or any product high in calcium, magnesium or acid to the soaking or cooking water or beans will not soften (products with these elements should be added to cooking water or any recipe calling for partially cooked beans only after beans have reached desired tenderness).
• Use microwave to cook dry beans - microwaving is fine for reheating beans that are already cooked, but dry beans need to be simmered slowly in lots of water to soften, tenderize and rehydrate properly.

*Info From FoodStorageMadeEasy

Food Storage Checklist #6 (Legumes)

To Do:

• Read the Do's and Don'ts of Beans and the Benefits of Beans
• Try replacing canned beans with dried beans in one of your soup or chili recipes.  
• Try using mashed white beans in place of oil in one of your baked goods recipes.
• Update your 3-month supply inventory sheet of what foods you already have stored.

To Purchase:

• 30 lbs of dried beans (black, pinto, navy, chick peas, kidney, white northern, garbonzo, etc.)
• 4 lbs of shortening
• 1 qt. of salad dressing
• a few extra boxes of laundry detergent
• something from your 3-month supply list 

Some things about beans:
• Beans, peas and lentils are the richest source of vegetable protein and are a good source of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber.
• Utilizing dried beans and soaking them overnight is the best way to get the true bean
flavor and a smooth texture
• When legumes are eaten with grains, nuts or seeds, a complete protein can be formed
which can suitably replace meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy.
• Legumes aren’t just used for soups. Some other uses are as follows: Grind into bean
flour for white sauces; Mash up cooked beans to replace butter/oil in recipes; Grow into
sprouts for a fresh “vegetable”
• One easy way to start using dried beans is to use them in place of canned beans in your
normal recipes.
• Generally, legumes will keep indefinitely when stored in a cool, dry place.
• It is recommended that one adult stores roughly 60 lbs of legumes/ year to sustain life.

Types of Legumes:
Dry Soup Mix:
• There are many types of soup mixes to make soups such as chicken base, beef base, ham base, onion soup mix, cream‐based, etc. Soups are a great way to use legumes.
Lentils:
• Lentils have a high nutritional value, second only to soy beans in protein content.
• The lentil is a cousin of the bean and is used as an additive in soups and chili.
• There is no need to soak lentils before cooking.
Dry Soy Beans:
• Dry soy beans provide an excellent source of protein.
• They are light tan or yellow in color.
• Standard soaking methods apply.
Dry Split Peas:
• Types include yellow and green. Yellow split peas have a milder flavor and are good to use in dishes where you want to hide the richer, green pea flavor.
• Dry split peas are most commonly used in thick soups and stews.
• There is no need to soak split peas before cooking.
Dry Beans:
• There are a large variety of dry beans, some black, red, pinto, kidney, garbanzo, lima
• Dry beans are very versatile, we will be posting lots of recipes which you can use them in. Store the varieties that your family normally eats.
• In general the larger the bean the longer they need to soak; and the longer you soak beans, the faster they cook.

*Info From FoodStorageMadeEasy