Cleaning out the food storage - 1/2013

Well it is that time of the year when I clean out food storage and decide what has to be eaten this month. (a.k.a. what canned goods expired last year.) I try to keep up on rotation but...
This is our front entry closet. I still have room to the left for coats and brooms/mops etc.There are only two of us and my goal is a three months supply.

Before

New shelves built and food sorted

Cans dated with sharpie (beans and meat shelf)

Boxes dated (expiration year only)

Cans that outdated in 2011 and will be used in next few weeks - not bad! Most manufacturers only date their canned food for 24 mos. We all know it will last longer. I will look more closely at the expiration dates on the cans in the grocery store going forward. Boxed food goes stale faster and I like to use that in date.

 This does not include my dry goods pantry or my spice cabinets.

Roasted Eggplant with Sausage Gravy Solar Oven - Video

Ingredients, dried red jalapenos in jar...

eggplants and sausage patties/onions.

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gravy mix on top of great

dehydrated tomatoes

mash sausage and mix with gravy

Gravy put on veggies and put back in solar oven

Porcupine Meatballs - not a total failure. Read bottom of page.

Meatballs with raw rice in them - could use rabbit, chicken, turkey, venison...

Condensed tomato soup added per recipe

Cooked in the dutch oven all day

Experiment interesting- I'm not going to post the recipe because I didn't think the meatballs or the sauce were any good. We did eat them but it tasted like bland meat balls in tomato soup - go figure.

OK, lessons learned...

1) Tons more seasoning in the meatballs

2) Canned or homemade marinara

3) More liquid (or smaller pan) so liquid covers meatballs and any rice that pokes out.  Rice was "crunchy"

4) Great use of rice as a meal stretcher - kids will love the look

Will definitely try it again with Grandma Prego's recipe.

WAPI - Water Pasteurization Device

Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI) - small tube filled with a soy wax that melts at 149F

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It's a simple thermometer that indicates when water has reached pasteurization temperature and is safe to drink.  I put mine to the test today in the solar oven and it worked! (OK, I knew it would)

Solar oven cold

Water, WAPI and jar cold - note wax is solid                                                

Oven HOT enough to kill bacteria - two hours later (outside temp 52F when we got started and 69F at finish)

Melted but in water - hard to see on screen

Lifted out of the water, wax melted.

Still melted - hung with one end up so the wax will harden to one end (It cools and hardens quickly!)

Solar cake in a coffee mug - single (or double) serving

Coffee Mug Cake

(RECIPE AT BOTTOM)

Add a tablespoon of butter.
2 tablespoons of sugar and mix until it’s fluffy and creamy, maybe 30 seconds
1/2 egg
2 tablespoons of sour cream
few drops of vanilla
1/4 cup of flour

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

Not browned but yummy! Needed frosting like any other cake. Now who would eat cake without frosting?  For frosting mix butter (or Crisco) and powdered sugar, drop of vanilla if available.

Rosemary Rice - 2.5 hrs

I used one cup of jasmine rice (No, not minute rice. You could but you wouldn't have to leave it long. Minute rice might soak up the water without heating - Note to self - test it. ), 1/2 c. water and some rosemary.
(OK see the little pat of butter in there too? -- optional)

I wanted to point out that my lid is very tight fitting.

I also put tea out to brew in the glass pitcher next to the oven. It's 74 degrees here today. November 28th. Phoenix AZ area.

Note in the second picture to the right the oven's pointing Southeast toward the white five gallon buckets I grow my tomatoes in.  It was 0930am. (More on the self watering tomatoe buckets in a later post!)

Note the oven's position here at 1200 when I took the rice out. (225F) It is facing much more South than East now.  Tea's brewed too but I'll put it in the oven when the rice comes out because it eaks every last bit of tea out of those tiny little leaves if you "Brew" it longer. It will probably boil by 1300.

I had checked the rice at 1120 but it was still al dente.

NOTE TO SELF: Rice 2.5 hrs

Note how far the sun has moved and that the oven is now facing the Southwest at 1600 (4PM)

Note too the intensity of the sun has diminished and then look at the picture below to note why.

Tea in the oven was still 165F and too hot to take out without a pot holder. 

Looking off to the Southwest...

Solar oven Escalloped Potatoes - from food storage items

Cooking homemade scalloped potatoes from storage foods - cooking it in the solar oven too.

2 cups dehydrated potato slices
1 small can cooked ham
3 tbs butter (or any oil)

3 tbs all purpose flour
1 can condensed milk (not sweetened condensed milk) with enough water to make 2 cups
---- or 2 cups prepared powdered milk
1 cup grated Parmesan
3 Tbs dried onions
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
-- I added 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add flour, whisking well and consistently until a golden brown roux forms, about 3 minutes. Add milk slowly, whisking vigorously until well incorporated. Reduce heat off and add Parmesan cheese. Whisk slowly and frequently until sauce is smooth and rich, about 5 minutes. Add pepper and other spices as desired. Taste. If needed, add more salt and pepper (Note: sauce should be somewhat salty, as the potatoes will dilute the saltiness considerably when baking.)
In a greased glass casserole dish, line the potatoes on the bottom, overlapping them slightly. Pour a generous layer of the Béchamel sauce over the potatoes and scatter a handful of the canned ham. Continue in 1 or 2 more layers, reserving enough béchamel to cover the top.

 I just use the solar oven all day with the casserole dish covered tightly with a lid or plastic wrap - nope, never had it melt. (Knew you were going to ask.)