Strawberry Swirl Sweet Rolls From Your Food Storage Pantry

If you have been reading my blog, you know that strawberries are one of my favorites.  Freeze-dried strawberries are so easy to use and taste delicious.  I love to experiment with them.  I decided to change up my favorite cinnamon roll recipe.  It actually turned out better than I had hoped.  Considering the red strawberry filling and the white frosting on top, they would make a great Christmas treat.  Your family will love them anytime.  It is very likely that you will be able to make them entirely from items in your food storage pantry.  I hope that you will give this recipe a try.

Note:  Freeze-dried raspberries, blueberries, mangos, peaches and pineapple can be substituted.

Strawberry Swirl Sweet Rolls

Mix the following ingredients and let yeast develop for about 10 to 15 minutes.

2 C. warm water

½ C. oil

½ C. sugar

2 pkgs. or 2 T. yeast

Add:

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs or 2 T. whole egg powder + 4T. water

Knead the dough and let it rise until double in a greased bowl covered with plastic wrap.  Roll out until it is about 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick.  Spread Strawberry filling over the dough evenly.  Roll up as if it were a cinnamon roll.  Seal the edges.  Cut into 1 ½ inch slices using a piece of thread.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise until double.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven.  While slightly warm, drizzle with vanilla frosting.

Strawberry Filling

In a saucepan mix the following ingredients.  Bring to a boil and continue to cook until mixture becomes very thick (like jam).

2 C. freeze-dried strawberries

¾ C. water

1/3 C. sugar

Add:

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Continue cooking for 1 minute.

These rolls are delicious and can be made on the spur of the moment when using ingredients from your food storage pantry.  If you have never used freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, I recommend giving them a try.  You will be surprised and how fast and easy they are to use and how convenient they are.  They make cooking quick and easy because they are already chopped and ready to rehydrate in your favorite recipe.  I recommend trying Shelf Reliance Thrive freeze-dried foods.  They are of the highest quality and give you the piece of mind knowing they are in your pantry and ready to use.  Most Thrive freeze-dried foods have a shelf life of 25 years unopened and up to a year after opened.  Give them a try.  You will love them!

Please click below to go to my Shelf Reliance website.  While there you can learn more about Shelf Reliance products, use our food planner, get recipes from Chef Todd Leonard or purchase any of our line of Thrive foods, emergency equipment or shelving.

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

Making an Emergency Evacuation Document File

My good friends, a couple I went to high school with, live within a few miles of my home.  Their house is situated in the mouth of a beautiful little canyon whose environs include wild grasses, various brush plants, along with scrub oak and juniper trees.  It is a beautiful setting and in recent years many people have chosen to build big beautiful homes there.  This summer, a car parked near some dry grass at one of the residences innocently threw a spark when it was started.  Our unusually hot, dry summer had produced very dry grass and brush.  The little spark soon exploded into a raging fire that tore through the mouth of the canyon and the adjoining mountainside.  Within minutes, all of the residents of the area had to be evacuated.  They were given only a few minutes to gather their belongings and try to evacuate any animals they kept.  Fortunately, the winds were not blowing in the direction of my friends’ home and while several homes were destroyed and others damaged, they were able to survive the fire unscathed.

In talking to my friends about this event, they mentioned that this was the third time over the past few years that they had been evacuated under similar circumstances. They said that the first time, given only a few minutes to evacuate, their attempt was totally chaotic.  When the allotted time was up they left their home not knowing if they had taken all of the important items.  They had no plan and therefore were unable to get things together in an efficient manner. 

If you had 15 – 30 minutes to get all of the important and irreplaceable items out of your home what would you take?  Would you have to spend part of that valuable time identifying what items are important and irreplaceable?  Then, could you easily gather them in a short period of time?  Could you think straight in that type of a situation?  A major portion of the items a person needs to gather in an emergency are documents pertaining to your family, finances, property and day-to-day life.  Often they are not organized in one location and can take a lot of time to assemble.

Important Documents and Information

           

• Marriage certificate
• Birth Certificates
• Passports
• Photographs of all family members
• Credit cards
• Drivers License
• Deeds and titles
• Bank account numbers and information
• Legal documents
• Investment Information
• Loan Information
• Tax papers
• Family medical information including doctors names, phone numbers
• A list of the names of prescription drugs and dosages taken by family members
• Immunization records
• Phone numbers for emergency contacts
• Money
• Computer backup disks

Obviously, this is a lot to think about in 15 - 30 minutes.  How can you simplify and organize your records?

Make an Emergency Evacuation Document File

• Purchase an inexpensive accordion file
• Label file sections:  Important phone contacts, Banking Information, Insurance Information, Credit Card Information, Loan Information, Tax Information, Investment Information, Medical Information, Legal Documents, Personal Documents (Deeds, Titles, etc.), Computer Backup Disks, Family Identification Photos, Emergency Money
• Fill the file with your documents and information or copies (you may want to keep the originals in a Safe Deposit Box in a Bank)
• Keep a budgeted amount of emergency money in the file
• Keep this file in a secure location in your home, but one where family members can easily retrieve it if the necessity arises.

In an emergency evacuation every minute counts.  Give yourself the extra time you may need by preparing and Emergency Evacuation Document File now before you need it.  It will not only give you time to save more of your important and irreplaceable items but it will make life during and after the evacuation more comfortable for you and your family.

Preserving Old and New Family Photos

When ever possible, I scan old family photos and save them on a disk.  I keep a copy of these disks at home and also keep one in a Safe Deposit Box at my bank.  I have even heard of people going one step farther and giving another copy to a relative for safekeeping.  Many times these old photos are the only existing copy and they are irreplaceable.  By scanning them onto a disk you can give yourself peace of mind and keep them all together in a compact unit.  Likewise, when printing current photos, I have the photo processor make me two disks with the photos and follow the same process described above.

I am an independent Shelf Reliance Consultant.  Please visit my Shelf Reliance website by clicking the link below for emergency supplies and food storage products.  Shelf Reliance products are of the highest quality and are wonderful to fill your emergency and food storage needs.

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

Nikuman (Steamed Buns) Made Quick and Easy From Food Storage Ingredients

I love to visit Japan.  When I am there, everything is an adventure.  Communicating, navigating an unfamiliar environment, experiencing a new culture and especially tasting new and delicious foods are great fun for me.  The first time I visited Japan, my mother-in-law worried about what Japanese food I would enjoy eating.  She went to the store and brought back a little box filled with nikuman.  You may have seen them if you have ever visited a dim sum restaurant.  They are steamed buns usually filled with meat, sweet beans or custard.  Variations of them are found all over Asia.  Needless to say, I fell in love with the taste of the little buns and they are a treat I search out on all of my visits to Japan.

Nikuman are a little hard to find in the U.S.  Therefore, over the years I have always been keeping an eye out for a place to purchase them.  Many years ago, I experimented with recipes to make nikuman.  However, making them seemed to take more time than I had to spend in the kitchen.  Since I have been associated with Shelf Reliance Thrive Foods, I have been experimenting and have found a delicious and time saving method to make them out of my food storage ingredients.  They are versatile and can be filled with sweet or savory fillings. They are great for lunch or a quick snack.  Try packing them in a lunchbox.  Make up a batch and freeze the leftovers for use in the future.   The following recipes using food storage ingredients make it possible to cut the preparation time by a significant amount without taking away from the taste.

First, I will give the recipe for the bread part of the Nikuman.  I adapted this recipe from one given for Nikuman (Baozi) taken from http://norecipes.com.  All of the ingredients with the exception of cake flour are normally found in most pantries.  All-purpose flour can be used but the result is a little bit heavier bread.

Nikuman or Steamed Buns

Ingredients

18 oz. cake flour  (all purpose is ok but finished product is heavier, also use a little less)

3.5 oz sugar

2 tsp. yeast

1.5 tsp. baking powder

2 T. vegetable oil

1 C. water, luke warm

Instructions

1. Mix sugar, yeast, oil and luke warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture becomes bubbly or frothy.  Add cake flour and baking powder, then turn on stand mixer. Mix for at least 5 minutes.  Dough should pull away from the bowl and form a ball.

2. Place ball of dough into a greased bowl and cover.  Place in a warm place and let rise for 1 hour.

3. Punch down the dough and roll it into a log.  Cut the log into 16 even pieces and form each piece into a ball.  Cover with a damp towel to keep them from drying out.  Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

4. Roll out each piece of dough until it is thin and round.  Spoon about 2 T. filling onto the center of the dough.  Pleat the edges together, bringing them together to close the opening.  Squeeze the dough together closing the hole in the bun.  Place bun on 3” x 3” piece of parchment or waxed paper.

5. Steam in steamer for 10 minutes.  Let cool slightly and serve.

Now for the fillings, the first is savory and the second for your sweet tooth.

Chicken Filling for Steamed Buns

Note:  This Filling also makes wonderful lettuce wraps.

Ingredients

1 T. oil

1 ½ C. freeze-dried chopped chicken

2/3 C freeze-dried mushrooms, rehydrated and minced

3 T. freeze-dried onion, rehydrated

1 tsp. minced garlic
1 C. water chestnuts, minced

4 T. soy sauce

4 T. brown sugar

1 tsp. rice wine vinegar

3 tsp. water

1 tsp. cornstarch

Instructions

1. Rehydrate chicken, mushrooms and onions in water for 10 minutes and drain well.

2. Add oil to frying pan and stir-fry chicken, mushrooms, onions and garlic until warmed through.

3. Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, water and cornstarch toge3ther and add to chicken mixture in the frying pan.  Heat until sauce thickens.

Pastry Cream From Food Storage

This may not be quite as rich as regular pastry cream, but it is delicious, quick and easy. 

4 T. instant milk powder

2 C. water

¼ C. white sugar

2 T. whole egg powder

4 T. water

¼ C. cornstarch

1/3 C. sugar

2 T. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1. In a heavy saucepan, stir together the instant milk powder, C. water and ¼ C. sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together whole egg powder, remaining 1/3 C. sugar and cornstarch.  Wisk in 4 T. water until all are mixed well. 

3. When the milk mixture comes to a boil, slowly drizzle small spoonfuls into the egg mixture while whisking.  Be sure to whisk constantly to prevent the egg from curdling and be careful not to scorch the milk mixture.  Do this until about half of the milk mixture has been whisked into the egg mixture. 

4. Then, while whisking, return all of the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan and slowly bring back to a boil.  Mixture will thicken.  Remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla.  Mix well.  Pour mixture into a heatproof container and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the to p of the mixture.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Give these recipes a try.  I am sure your family will enjoy them.  You may already have all of the ingredients in you food storage pantry.  If not, these ingredients are great to have on hand.  They are convenient, versatile and make preparation fast and easy.  They also have a long shelf life.  All of these ingredients and many more can be purchased through my Shelf Reliance website.  Just click the link below to go directly to my website where you can purchase a wide variety of Shelf Reliance Products that will be shipped directly to you.

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

In School Emergency Kits for Children

As a general rule, most school districts have emergency preparedness plans for their students.  Most teachers and school officials are well informed on emergency procedures and an effort is usually made to inform and educate parents and students on these procedures.  However, like me, most of us go along in life expecting normalcy.  Many years ago, my children and I were experiencing a normal day, me at home and my children at their elementary school.  It was nearly time for school to end for the day when a News Flash came on announcing the mid-air crash of two small planes above the area of my children’s elementary school.  The announcer described debris and bodies from one of the planes raining down on the neighborhood surrounding my children’s school, with the other plane coming down and crashing into a house.  Upon hearing this, I called the school repeatedly until I could get through.  The school informed me that all of the children were safe and well.  They also informed me that they would be keeping all of the students inside the school until the area had been cleared of dangerous debris and visually upsetting scenes.  Being well acquainted with the school administration and teachers, I knew that my children would be well cared for.  It took emergency personnel of the city and county approximately 4 to 5 hours to clear the area of the most dangerous and disturbing obstacles.  When I was finally reunited with my children, we talked about the emergency situation and the extra time they spent at school. My children told me that the school staff had briefly explained the situation to the children, reassured them that they were safe and kept them busy with fun activities.  The only negative thing that my children mentioned was that they got hungry during the extra time they were there.

If we stop to think, there are many factors that can affect the normal activities of our children when they are at school.

·     Weather

·     Fires

·     Floods

·     Earthquakes

·     Accidents

·     Social Incidents

Thank goodness these things do not happen on a regular basis.  Nevertheless, it is best to prepare.

A few years ago, my youngest son’s elementary school requested that an emergency kit be sent to school for each child that contained items that could give the child comfort in the event of emergency.  What a good idea!

As storage space was limited, all items were to be placed in a gallon sized zip-lock bag clearly labeled with the child’s full name.  Items suggested to be put inside were:

• High calorie nutritious snacks that the child likes
• Bottle of water
• Flashlight or glow stick
• Some form of identification including name, address and phone number
• Names of parents or guardians
• Picture of family members
• Wet wipes
• Tissues

If your kit can be a bit larger, I also recommend:

• A small blanket

Back to school time is a great time to prepare to send your child back to school prepared for emergency situations.  Check with you school to see if they have any recommendations or policy for emergency kits for their students.  If not, talk to your PTA President.  Maybe a new policy can be instituted in your school.  A kit like the one suggested above would only take a short time to prepare, yet it could be extremely valuable to you child in case of emergency.

Shelf Reliance carries many products that are wonderful for your Emergency Preparedness needs.  Please click on the link below to go to my Shelf Reliance website.  You will be able to see all of the products available, recipes, food calculators, purchase items and have them delivered directly to you.

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

Tasty Potato Salad From Food Storage Ingredients

For the past two months I have enjoyed attending THRIVE LIVE, a freeze-dried food cooking demonstration with Chef Todd Leonard of Shelf Reliance.  This has been a wonderfully tasty experience.  Chef Todd has a knack for creating deliciously appealing recipes from Shelf Reliance THRIVE foods.  It is true that THRIVE foods are of the highest quality and are convenient, nutritious and easy to use, but Chef Todd makes them the star of the show.  Each month, Chef Todd chooses a theme and demonstrates 5 or 6 recipes pertaining to that theme.  But, best of all, after the demonstration, all of his creations are served up for your trial.  They are not only delicious, but also inspiring.  I always want to come and create some of my own recipes.

In this post, I would like to share Chef Todd’s recipe for “Potato Salad”.  It is one of Chef Todd’s featured recipes for the month of June in which his theme was “Summer Salads”.  This recipe has one very unique ingredient that really wakes up the taste of potato salad.  That ingredient is hot sauce.  There is not enough hot sauce to actually make the salad spicy, but just enough to wake up your taste buds.  This recipe has become a favorite with my husband. Give it a try.  I know you will enjoy it too.

Potato Salad

Chef Todd Leonard

4 eggs, hard-boiled and diced

½ #10 can THRIVE Potato Dices (FD)

¼ C. THRIVE chopped onions (dehydrated)

½ C. THRIVE celery (FD)

1 C. light mayonnaise

½ C. Dijon mustard

½ C. dill pickles, diced

¼ tbsp. THRIVE iodized salt

½ tbsp. season salt

½ tbsp. Cholula hot sauce

Hard-boil and dice eggs, Reconstitute potatoes, onions, and celery in a bowl by barely covering with water.  Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and chill well before serving.

Serving Idea:  Top with fresh garden tomatoes and fanned boiled eggs. 

THRIVE foods by Shelf Reliance are truly the best available.  They not only have a long shelf life, but they make preparation fast and easy.  Since they are already sliced and ready to go, all you have to do is rehydrate them.  This process takes 10 minutes or less.  Simplify your life.  Make THRIVE foods a part of your “Home Store”.

If you would like to know more about Shelf Reliance THRIVE food or purchase them online, please click the link below.  You will also be able to view other Shelf Reliance recopies by Chef Todd and others at this website.

Tomato Basil Rice Italian from Food Storage Ingredients

This summer, I have had a craving for Italian Food.  I love the flavors of tomatoes, basil, sea salt and parmesan cheese together.  After a little experimentation, I came up with this quick, easy and delicious recipe.  It is quick and easy because of the freeze-dried and dehydrated ingredients.  They are already cleaned, chopped and ready to rehydrate.  If you want it to be even quicker, pre-cook and refrigerate the rice.  You can even use leftover refrigerated white or brown rice (no pre-seasoning).  What a great tasting way to use up leftover rice.  

Give it a try.  If you like the taste of Italian cuisine, you will love it.

Tomato Basil Rice Italian from Food Storage Ingredients

2 C. Cooked White or Brown Rice

2 T. Olive Oil

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

½ C. Dehydrated or Freeze-dried Onion

5 Lg. Sprigs of Basil (Fresh), chopped

1 C. Freeze-dried Tomato Chunks

½ to ¾ C. Freeze-dried Green or Red Peppers or a mixture of both

½ C. Freeze-dried Chopped Chicken

1 tsp. Sea Salt, more if desired

1/8 to ¼ tsp. Cayenne Pepper, depending on how spicy you like it.

Parmesan Cheese for topping

Rehydrate onion, tomato, peppers and chicken in separate bowls by adding just enough water to each bowl to cover each ingredient.  Let set for 10 to 15 minutes.  Drain off water and press each a little to get rid of any excess water.  Set aside. 

Place olive oil into frying pan over medium heat.  Add rice and stir fry until rice is hot and coated with olive oil.  Add garlic and onion to the pan and stir fry until garlic is cooked.  It will only take a few minutes.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the rest of the ingredients except cheese and continue stir frying for a few minutes until all ingredients are warm and thoroughly incorporated.  Taste to adjust seasoning. 

Serve on individual plates.  Top with a little grated parmesan cheese.

All of the food storage items I used in this recipe are from Shelf Reliance Thrive.  They are high quality products that are convenient to use now, yet they have a long shelf live.  If you would like to purchase any of these ingredients to have on hand, please go to my Shelf Reliance website.  Just click the link below and click on the shop tab.  You will be able to purchase a wide variety of freeze-dried and dehydrated foods, along with other food storage staples. 

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com

Prepare Now to Avoid Increasing Grocery Costs

Likely you have heard the news stories telling of crop failure due to high temperatures and drought conditions in the mid-west.  Corn is the main crop being affected.  This could mean higher prices at the grocery store for products containing corn; everything from cereal to soft drinks.  Not only that, but corn is a main source of livestock feed.  When the price of corn gets too high, cattle go to slaughter because farmers can’t afford to feed them.  That actually means that there will be ample meat available at good prices now and in the near future, but within six months time, meat and dairy products may not be available at normal quantities, thus making the price of meat rise as well.  If you would like more detailed information on this subject, please click the link below:

www.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2012-07-11/corn-prices-drought/56156336/1

What can you do to prepare for these grocery cost increases?

• Add to your current food storage
• If you don’t have any food storage get some

Purchasing and storing food now can help offset the cost of items that you will have to purchase at a higher price later.

• Make a food storage budget

Few people have enough money to go out and purchase everything that they will need at one time.  Therefore, it is a good idea to set a food storage budget and add that much to your storage each month.

• Be faithful in adding to your food storage each month.

Little by little, it will add up and you will have the equivalent of a home store to use, as you need it.

• Be wise in what you store

Only store the things that you eat on a regular basis. 

• Rotate what you store so that it will not get old or spoil

It is not easy to stick with a food storage plan.  It is easy to get distracted and spend your food storage money on something that may seem more tempting.  I have found that the Shelf Reliance Thrive Q has helped me to build my food storage on a consistent basis.  The Shelf Reliance Thrive Q is a program that helps you to consistently build a food storage plan over a designated time.  First, you choose a monthly food storage budget and enter it into the program.  Then you are asked how many people are in your family and the time period you would like your food storage to last.  You then go through an outline of foods available and eliminate any that you do not wish to store.  After you have completed the initial questions your program is set up.  Each month, the Shelf Reliance Thrive program will offer you certain products from your chosen list that will meet but not go over your budget.  At that point you will be given the choice to accept those choices or request different items that you want at that point.  They will then be shipped to you.  This program is an easy and consistent way to build food storage.  Not only that, but the products are high quality and very desirable.  The freeze-dried products have a shelf life of 25 years in most cases. 

I have been on this program for 7 months now and during that time, I have really seen my food storage grow.  I love the food and the best part is that I have a feeling of peace that comes from being actively involved in controlling my food budget.

If you are interested in joining the Shelf Reliance Thrive Q, or in purchasing food storage items from Shelf Reliance, please click the link below to my Shelf Reliance website.

susansakurai.shelfreliance.com