Brownies!

Brownies!

Just made up a box mix then sprinkled tons of Pecans on top. Two hours in the oven between 300 and 350F.

Our Novel, Post Grid - An Arizona EMP Adventure, is done. 

The story revolves around life in AZ after the power grid is disabled by an electromagnetic pulse, a bomb detonated high in the atmosphere, that takes out macro and micro circuitry. Our main character is a nurse who flees the city trying to get to her mother's rural AZ ranch. We have gun fights, surgery, solar oven building etc in the novel. Take a look at Amazon.com and on our Facebook page. Our book highlights HAM radio, horsemanship, primitive medical care, Civil Air Patrol cadets and so much more.  We had a blast writing it and the reviews are GOOD!  Pick up your copy to see how eight people ban together to live Post Grid.

Please continue below to the solar oven cooking...

Meatloaf with garden veggies a'solar

Ingredients

grated eggplant

white carrot and orange carrots

Solar Oven

Meatloaf

Solar oven beans.

Pre-soaked my beans (left), onion, garlic and celery seed (front), dehydrated red peppers (back), smoked pork shanks (right)

Combine and Solar cook, cook, cook...

Make your own Laundry soap for pennies!

Get these at Walmart for $2-$3 ea. in the laundry aisle.

Note the Arm and Hammer is NOT baking Soda but Washing Soda.

 Grate the Fels Naptha Soap Bar.

Mix.

Label and provide the husband with only a plastic teaspoon. This helps enforce the 2 Tablespoon directions.You should see how mine can heap that spoon!

I have been using it now for more than 6 months and just now finished my first Crisco container worth of the stuff. I have three containers the same size made form the three ingredients shown. So, Let's see $6 for three containers X 6mos = 1.5 yrs. We probably do 3-4 loads a week including linens. We have the grand babies at times too and it gets out their yard dirt and food stains!
Love it and I use it in my front loader without problems. LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

Solar oven - pantry meal / Cranberry Orange Chicken

This recipe comes from my mother. I love the tang and the sweet/sour effect of the cranberry sauce and orange marmalade. I also put in Rosemary and a bullion cube. It all comes from (or can come from) the pantry.  I mix enough "sauce" to cover my chicken pieces.

Candycane beets and Turnips (you can use potatoes, carrots, squash...)

Ready to go out.

Cooked all day in the Solar oven...

Mmmmmmmmmmm carmelized! The rosemary looks sad though.

I thickened the sauce with a flour slurry but you could eat it without. Mash the veggies (have used carrots or any other root veggie or squash - I must try acorn squash!) and serve the sauce over them. I just pile the chicken on top.You could just serve it over instant rice or instant mashed potatoes or better yet, cornbread. I must be hungry.

BBQ ribs in the solar oven.

Ribs in slow cooker bag inside solar oven.

Before they went into the oven - just the rub on them.

My oven.

Done, carmalized - Mmmmmmmmmmmm

Rib Rub

Yield: Makes a little more than 1 cup
    1/2 cup brown sugar
    1/4 cup paprika
    1 tablespoon black pepper
    1 tablespoon salt
    1 tablespoon chili powder
    1 tablespoon garlic powder
    1 tablespoon onion powder
    1 teaspoon cayenne

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients together and transfer to an air tight container. Maybe stored up to six months.