School started today. Last semester I would go preps shopping Monday, Wednesday and Friday because my Math class was from 7am to 830am. So I would always hit the stores right after class because I would be one of the first customers and would often have my pick of produce and stuff. Today I had a class at 11 - 1, and out of habit I headed towards the store. I managed to find a few things and pinched 60 bucks out of my budget to purchase some preps. Truth be told I was really out at my local discount places just looking for some fleishmans yeast because I am down to about 9 packets. Sometimes I do get super lucky and I'm able to find 4 packets for a dollar at a the local dollar stores. But no such luck today - I will have to look again later in the week. I really thought that I would not be buying any preps this month as I stated in the previous blog our budget isn't even thin anymore it's just straight anorexic.But when you see things that are an absolute steal you make room for them in the budget. That is another thing about prepping - sometimes you see something and you are tempted to add it into your stores because it looks handy or seems like a deal or looks interesting...but no matter what - I pick and choose what I buy - because I always keep 60-100 sitting there in case something really good comes up.
As seen in the photos. Pink Beauty Pink Salmon in a 15.4 oz can. Since there was no activated yeast in the store I stopped to look for lemon juice and celery seed - no such luck. Right as I started to head towards the register I saw these 4 shelves fully stocked. 99 cents a piece Expiration? 06/2016. WOWYou've got to understand that this size salmon on sale is $1.99. Regular price ranges from $3.99 to $5.99 depending on which store you go to. Pillar Rock is my favorite, Pink Beauty is a close second but only because it is not Red Sockeye Salmon.
After trying the Pillar rock and Pink Beauty I don't even want to eat the Chicken of the Sea brand. But it's in the preps and if you mix it with shrimp and cracker meal - it makes passable croquettes.
At 99cents a can with a long expiration I had no choice but to go back. I originally purchased 40 cans - and then I went back and got the last 20 cans on the shelf.The last time I found Salmon at this price in this size was in June...I even put in a special order to the home office for 200 cans of the pillar rock but they said it's rarely in stock.We are flush for canned salmon now - over 100 cans of this size in rotation!
The large Kraft Ricotta was also only 99 cents expires November and ditto for the Sour Cream. I checked the ingredients and it's like milk, milk curds, milk fat, salt - in that order. Nothing new about it but the packaging LOL. Since we were lucky enough to find Ricotta I will make a lasagna this week and the sour cream will be used to make some sour cream amaretto almond cupcakes. That is pretty much how it works around here I cook what is here and what's on sale, tha'ts how we save money :)
Organic romaine was still 99 cents for 3 heads.
30 tab ginkgo and 8 sausage packs and 12 sausage paacks were all 99 cents each. I usually get beef sausage but I haven't seen that in over 6 weeks. Beef is getting very hard to come by at a cheap price around here.
It's almost time to make my own version of Mrs. Dash no salt blend. I have no desire to pay 3.79 a small packet so I am going to make one for me and one for Momma in Law.
Cauliflower and 5 lbs of potatoes are all 99 cents. I was really short on potatoes this week and I don't like coming up short. 
Finally, I stopped at dollar tree because they are the only ones who carry the gossner whole milk and borden half and half. Both of them are shelf stable and good until February and May of next year. If the expiration date comes up I'll just use them for a small batch of white cheese. Truth be told I think the flavor on both is above average for something that comes out of a tetra pack. I've had similar milk in Asia from New Zealand - this has a smoother mouthfeel and no aftertaste. The half and half is fantastic in coffee whether it is hot or cold way better than powdered creamer.I also threw in another bottle of lemon pepper and ground cloves. It never really ends. Things are improving for us financially, but it's going to take a watchful eye over our lifestyle and keeping our spending in check. We still have projects that need to be started, projects that need completion and we would like to go solar and on top of that I am still in school. It would be very easy right now for me to say "I'm too busy or too frazzled to prep..." I could say "It's just not in the budget...we need to live our regular lifestyle and take a week off and blow out of town..." I could say a ton of stuff but I won't - staying prepared is just a part of our lifestyle now and when you are strong and aware you don't get off the hook that easily. You just have to rise to it.Stay Preppin'...Stay Positive.Truth be told - I like having all of this stuff stored - because when we want something and it's not on sale I can just reach on the cupboard for it - I like slathering butter on my cinnamon rolls and not worry if there is any left. I like having chicken and beef at our disposal even if it hasn't been at a good sale price in over a month. It truly saves you money in the end because you aren't running to the store for 1 thing and come home with 10 - haha. It's nice to look on your shelf and see 7 dollar hair conditioner that you purchased for 99 cents and know that you don't need any for another year.My lit professor heard me telling people they should get stuff like TP and toothpaste on sale and just leave it in the linen closet so they aren't constantly running to the store for 1 or 2 things and overspending. Don't you know - that high fructose sucking, junk food eating, intellectually slothful mess of a professor asked me,"do you live in a bunker?" I laughed and said,"is your house paid off?" She said,"no..." I said,"Mwahahahaha...ours is, that's what we live in" I'm surprised that cow didn't fail me - I got my A.People who have fear and are addicted to fear will often try to shit on you. They want you to live in that same vat of shit that they live in. People who have fear are rarely loved, rarely peaceful, often distrustful and live sad lonely existences - that is WHY they try to suck you into their petty bullshit and fears. I rarely nibble in those cases. I am really working on reacting in a clever exemplified way. We don't prepare because we are scared we prepare because we want to thrive when the world changes. This isn't the end of the world - this is a growing pain - a changing pain. You just gotta work through it yanno?
Ha ha!Hello Everyone...Please make sure that you include underwear in your preps. Personally, I am not skilled enough to make my own underwear or they would look like that nylon job in the photo.If you have little ones prep their underwear, socks and shoes in increasing sizes. The same also applies to bras and tank tops.Just a thought.
CastIronWatchman threw down a challenge---preppers throwdown - LOL. It's all good.Click here for our adventures in "outdoor cooking" I'm so glad that Afroprepper was there.Small rocket stoves are real hard to maintain - we really want to make a bigger one that's for sure.But I am very glad for the experience of cooking outside with the very little wood that we have. That is definitely something we need to have more of in the backyard. We do have hundreds of acres across the way of both trees and brush that we could glean to get wood and we will be doing that, because just in making 2 dishes it took a lot of branches.We will soon be testing our QB stove that we picked up in the Philippines - It is a charcoal stove that resembles a cooktop LOL. Stylin! Seriously though - at least I am confident that we have sacks of charcoal put up and could actually make some if we had to. I am glad we have 3 alternate ways to cook our food - 4 actually. But we are lucky to live in a sunny place without the challenge of relentless rain or snow.
A few nights ago I made Beijing Beef - the cut of beef I purchased was 5 lbs. I took one pound off for the beijing beef, two pounds off for a roast for our sandwhiches and salads, used about a half pound of trim for beef stock which left a little over a lb. I went to Sprouts Market and pearl barley was on sale for 74 cents a lb so I decided it was time to make some beef barley soup.Click here for soup videoRecipeIngredients1 1/2 - 2 lbs beef cut into small cubes2 tbsp olive oil1 1/2 cups pearl barley4 green onions1 medium yellow onion3 small tomatoes3 pcs celery1 medium carrot1 tbsp red chili flakes1 tbsp parsleyblack pepper to taste1 tbsp iodized salt3 quarts beef beef stockPLUS 7-10 cups waterThe soup is very straightforward and when that barley blooms there is an incredible amount of it - so 1.5 cups of uncooked barley is just right for a 5 quart batch - so that's 5 good sized bowls for adults. However if you like yours on the thicker side feel free to add more.
I only held back a small bit for Afro to eat - and I canned the rest of it. Because the nature of a beef barley soup is to thicken and reduce the water I added back water and vegetables prior to canning. That's just me because I like my soup more loose. Feel free to keep it thick if you want to...but that concerns me with canned soups because I'm always afraid it won't process.
Click here for canning beef barley video.It only made 5 quarts which is enough for me I have a lot of the staples canned up these days so I don't mind adding 5 quarts instead of 8 pints just to add some variety in there. But this soup is definitely handy. Mr. Man actually likes adding extra slices of roast beef in his prior to eating.Happy Cooking and keep yourselves well. I am very perturbed that they have reduced the quality of the food in this country and at the same time reduced the dosage on the over the counter vitamins. Please eat and store a variety of food and vitamins and take not of the true suggested dosages. Also understand that Vitamin D actually serves you better than Vitamin C in fortifying your immune system...do your homework and you will see that far too many people have a Vitamin D deficiency which leaves you open to illness. Do what you can to keep yourself in the best shape possible - I myself have fallen out of shape since being on fertility meds and it's reallly messing with my head - but as of next week I have decided to take my bike to school and continue with the kick boxing. You must really look at yourself and ask if you are doing all you can or just being a spoiled American and simply "trying" your best. Those who "try" watch from the side - those who "DO" are in the game. It is what it is - just pick where you want to be.
SPAM is magical. I like it I have no problem with it, it's handy and I like that salty faux ham goodness. This is a dish my Mom used to always make for us because no matter what she would always sneak in a few vegetables in our meals.click here for the videoAlmost everyone I know prepping and otherwise has a can of spam or non brand spam in their cupboard - here is just one more way to make it.
Ingredients:1 can spam1 tbsp garlic1/2 white onion1 tbsp lemon pepper2 small tomatoes2 large zuchinni3 tbsp oyster sauce1/4 cup water2 handfuls spinach1 tsp sesame oilcut and fry spamchop onion garlic tomato zuchinniremove spam when crispy and cut into cubessaute garlic and onion in 3 tbsp oil and lemon pepperadd zuchinni and tomatoeswhen half done add oyster sauceadd spam and stir thoroughlyadd spinach, once wilted , the dish is done.
Okey Dokey - I made another video - I'm just kind of winging it and fulfilling requests as I go along...I never even ate this before...but here it is - I just went on what mrmassive1 described and what my sister told me.
click here for part 1
click here for part 2I must say I do not ever want to wait until like 930pm to start doing a cooking video - I was kind of rambling and going on and on and actually lost memory on my cam. That's never happened before - the loss of cam memory - the babbling occasionally happens when I'm tired.Oh well here is the recipeRecipeIngredients1 lb beef flank cut into 1/4 inch slices1 tsp garlic1 carrot2 tbsp cooking oil1 red bellpepper2 green bellpeppers1/2 white onion2 green onions diagonal sliceBeef Marinade1 tbsp sugar1 tbsp cornstarch3 Tbsp dark soy sauce2 slivers ginger1 tsp chili flake1/4 cup water1 Tbsp vinegar1 splash sake or rice wine1 egg scrambled - set aside2 cups cornstarch - set aside in flat dish3-4 cups cooking oil in a wok for frying*taste and adjust before adding beef, marinade 30-60 minutesBeijing "Sauce"1/4 cup water4 Tbsp sugar2 squirts ketchup3 Tbsp vinegar1/4 tsp chili flakes1 tsp light soy sauce1 tsp salt2 tbsp lemon juiceIf you'd like it to be more of that chicken fried style you can cut the cornstarch with all purpose flour 50/50 or use tempura powder. Happy Cooking...
Hello!I made a video for the wheat bread.click here for part 1
click here for part 2I know in a previous blog I mentioned that we started making our own bread. Well no sooner had I made those 2 loaves of white - 1 of them was gone. So today I made some wheat. Our whole wheat flour is out and I don't really feel like grinding any. Also - if you BUY 25 lbs of ground bread flour or wheat flour it is only 8 bucks which is riduculous because hard white wheat berries are now like 14 bucks for 25lbs and hard red wheat is like 12 bucks for the same 25 lbs. I have just taken the bread flour and broken it down into smaller jars and frozen them overnight individually to kill any buggies.I tell you what - Mr. Man is so happy to be eating fresh made bread - he can honestly taste hidden high fructose syrup in things - and he can also taste when the vegetables are not organic but that's another story about NYC. lol. My one brother that lives in town hasn't caught wind of the new bread recipes yet - but once he does I have a feeling I'm going to have to start making 6-8 loaves a week. Oh well.Recipe2 .25oz pkgs active yeast4 1/2 cups warm water (110F) divided1 cup sugar1/4 cup honey2 tbsp salt1/4 cup wheat germ1/4 cup oat bran2 cups oatmeal4 cups whole wheat4 cups bread flour1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds3 2.5lb loaf pans greased (with cooking spray)stainless steel bowl or mixerspatula1) dissolve yeast in 1/2 water with sugar - leave to foam2) dissolve oil, honey, salt, germ, bran and oats into water, add to yeast3) add bread flour and whole wheat flour 1/2 at a time4) knead and double5) punch and double again6) punch and place in loaf pans, brush with egg and spinkle toppings7) allow to rise 2 inches past pan lip8) Bake @ 375 for 40 minutes or until done
Fried rice is one of the best ways to use leftovers than almost anything I can think of. I thought it might be helpful to folks to have a demonstration of the order in which you should cook fried rice.Click here to watch the video.Happy cooking and Happier Eating!
Hi Everyone!Just another Question and Answer thing that Mr. Man and I do every now and then for those questions that hit us in life and on lineClick here to watch!Thank you!
I have not made bread in over 4 years. That is since before i met Mr.Man. For the entirety of our relationship our local dollar stores have carried the whole grain whole wheat 7 grain breads for 99 cents...Sara Lee would simply throw the overstock to the local Dollar Trees or Big Lots. We never hesitated to buy the Sara Lee or Aunt Hattie's because it did NOT have high fructose corn syrup. I have been extraordinarily busy the last few months but a few weeks ago I finally got off my keister and started trying out different bread recipe. The recipes that I was originally using called for the fresh yeast that I used to have in my professional kitchen and I really can't purchase that right now - it's just not worth the trip to AJ's or Whole Foods.
Also, the delivery people here have a tendency to leave things out on the dock in the heat so it's usually compromised. I figure I might as well try a few recipes out using the individual packets of yeast that I was able to purchase for pennies. I also tried "expired" yeast and current yeast. They acted the same in my opinion.The other thing is in my work kitchens we always had a proof box or could park a rack near the dish-washing station where it would be subject to warmth and moisture - that had to be replicated in my own kitchen.I will be doing a video on this - but I just wanted to blog this out.The photos you see in the photo are the white bread that i made - it was my 2nd attempt. I have discovered that here in AZ you get better results doing a double rise with a 3rd rise while proofing. Proofing is when you allow it to rise in it's final form with controlled temps and moisture. This can be achieved by proofing in the oven with a pan underneath with hot water - this warms the oven and locks in moisture.My first attempts were as hard as king Arthur style yeasted breads. The yeasted quick breads like those in Northern Europe. What I was aiming for was the familiar fluffiness of American Style Breads without the sugar. I finally got it after trying a recipe provided by SciFiChick...it is an Amish White Bread recipe.
Recipe:2 1/4 c warm water (110 degrees F)1/3 c sugar1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast1 1/2 Tbsp salt1/4 c oil5 1/4 c bread flourI know that most people do theirs on the counter I do mine in the bowl. I have very large stainless bowls and in my opinion this just keeps everything cleaner and I'm used to eyeballing it so I know exactly when it doubles.- Mix the sugar, yeast and warm water in a bowl - allow it to foam. Mine took 20+ minutes to get a nice foam on it.
- Mix salt and oil into yeast. Add Flour 1cup at a time until incorporated
- Allow dough to be sticky to the touch like cookie dough
- Knead until smooth (8-10 minutes), Cover with cloth and allow to double (60-90 mins)
- Grease 2 loaf pans and set aside
- Punch down, knead 2 minutes, allow to double again (60-90 mins)
- Punch down and divide in 2 equal parts
- Knead in a flat circle, folding under and shaping into loaf
- Place dough in loafpans, brush with eggwash and sprinkle with sesame seeds
- Place loaf pans in oven
- Place a roasting pan on rack under the loafpans - fill with 5 cups of boiling water, shut oven and allow to rise 2 inches above loaf pan. Do not overproof or your loaves will DEFLATE. I wait about 30 minutes then throw out the water and put another 5 cups in.
- Once dough bounces back it is ready to bake
- Heat oven to 375 with loaves in there
- Bake for 25 minutes after the oven is at temp
- Remove from heat - cool on racks
Some people just leave it for 10-30 minutes and then put it up - I allow mine to rest overnight. I know it sounds like a painstaking process - but if you want it to be all fluffy and happy like wonderbread this is how I do it in the desert. Also - I started sneaking those little plastic bags they leave by the meat counter and that's what I put my bread in. Every time I go shopping I just yank 3-4 of those bags and leave them in a drawer.Whole wheat bread coming soon Also!Happy Baking and Please let me know if you have any questions.
I made another cooking video!chicken wings! < click here Some people say that the chicken doesn't matter it's the sauce that matters...in OUR house the chicken does matter because sometimes people just like their wings plain and extra well.I learned this recipe from Momma In Law...My mom (Mom1) has always made her chicken without any breading or flour - Momma in Law makes hers floured - she not only marinates the chicken but she also seasons the flour and I think it makes a big difference. I must admit that I only measure the ingredients loosely. Feel free to adjust it to taste - some days I put more herbs and some days I put less. Also note that whole wheat flour is not as clingy or thick as all purpose flour - so if you want it to be real crispy style you might dip your chicken in buttermilk and then use all purpose flour.Have fun, be safe and be careful frying is dangerous!2 lbs chicken wingschicken seasoning1 tbsp salt1 tbsp creole seasoning1 tsp oregano4 tbsp lemon juice1 tbsp paprika1 tbsp lemon peppermarinate 1 hr or up to overnightflour baseziploc baghandful cornflour2 cups all purpose flour3 tbsp cornstarch1 tbsp garlic powder4 shakes paprika1 tbsp salt1 tsp basil1 tbsp chili powder4 tbsp dried parsley6 cups corn or vegetable oil for frying---"buffalo sauce"4 Tbsp butter1 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp vinegar1 tbsp sri ra cha (aka rooster sauce)5 tablespoons hot saucepinch of salt - or to tasteoptional3 tbsp honey1 tsp molasses1 tbsp whiskey or bourbon"lemon parmesan garlic sauce"1/4 cup lemon or lime juice1 tbsp fresh garlic2 tbsp butter2 tbsp parmesan cheesePLUS sprinkle parmesan before serving1 tsp red chili flakeoptional1 tbsp tequila2 tbsp garlic powder1 tbsp lemon pepper---Please just taste them before you drop your wings in there - adjust it as strong or as mild as you like...this is just to show you the method for preparing and serving barstyle wings in your home.IF YOU'D LIKE ADDITIONAL FLAVORINGS LET ME KNOW - I CAN PULL SOMETHING OUT OF THIS BRAIN OF MINE :)
Pineapples were only $1 each. They should be ripe enough in the next 3-4 days - at which point I will can 3 pints of fruit and 3 pints of juice 
Carrots 3lbs/$1 Cucumber 3 for $1 Potatoes were only 88 cents for 5 lbs. But I didn't need any we still have 10 lbs 
Petite Sirloin Steaks - buy 1 get 2 free. That came out to about 2.25 a lb or something. It's not the best price - but I am really irritated that the price of beef is just rising and rising and rising. ANNOYING - and this is the caned prep that gets the most action in our pantry besides butter. Jeez. 
Yellow Onions were only 5lbs/$1 Gallon of vinegar was $2.77 that went up about 50 cents in the last 2 months. 
I popped by big lots to see if they had some celery seed, they didn't but they sure did have these cedar raised garden beds. The garden stuff is on clearance because "they are making room for the Christmas stuff" What?
My Aunt is on an extended stay in Japan for business - she asked me to mail her some Chili Tepin and while there I found some herbs I was lacking in my own preps. nutmeg - 59cents 
Mustard Seed 79 cents 
Chili Tepin 1.29
Coriander 79 cents 
Anise - 99 cents 
Oops while at big lots I also found these things... trigger snap swivel things and the d rings that flex they were only a little above a buck - so I picked up the few they had 
I also found this Red cross nasal aspirator and baby med dispenser. it was more than half off and I figured it might be good to have this in the first aid toolbox. $2 no problem. 
I was looking for the 500 pack of vinyl gloves they usually have but instead I found this: infectigard spray "pens" 2 for 50 cents. That's it - that's the whole bag of beans. I really wanted to get some bacon, beef and butter canned in jars but you know the market price is simply KICKING
