Journal
A summary of our Joint Family Home Evenings, including Meals From Storage.
April 2012
3rd Monday.
FMN: Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back. 5:30pm.
March 2012
In March, Adelaide taught us preparedness with small children in mind.
FMN produced The Big Year; The Three Musketeers; A Muppet Movie; and Star Wars IV A New Hope.
February 2012
A lesson was given by Jake with more specifics about the makeup of a financial reserve. Armed with a full array of filters, and in conjunction with JFHE, Jake and Rachel introduced weekly FMN (Friday Movie Night), with Inception, chosen by Jake.
January 2012
A lesson was given by Rick about establishing a financial reserve.
December 2011
Mark and Connie came to teach us about safety awareness and self-defense. We didn’t vote on what to eat but ate Jill’s Taco Soup made partially from food storage.
November 2011
We all gathered to Steven and Adelaide’s home to learn how to make bread. We ground our wheat and followed this wheat bread recipe. We tasted bread that Adelaide had already made. We took the bread that we made home and baked it. It turned out to be really delicious.
From submitted meals we voted on what to eat at JFHE. Three points for a first place vote and one point for a second place vote for a total of 32 votes (three people did not vote). Because the meal is being transported, the second choice meal will not be prepared this time.
| Meal | Votes (1st) | Votes (2nd) | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake #3 | Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl with Veggies | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| Adelaide #2 | Chicken Alfredo | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Rachel #1 | Spaghetti Os | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Jill #1 | Taco Soup | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Jake #2 | Bean Soup | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Adelaide #1 | Chicken Pot Pie | 0 | 1 | 1 | Jake #1 | Chili | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sarah #1 | Spaghetti | 0 | 1 | 1 | TOTALS | 8 | 8 | 32 |
October 2011
In the lesson Jill spoke about a records folder where you would assemble your birth certificate, marriage license, bank account details, etc. so that they would be in one place in an emergency.
From submitted meals we voted on what to eat at JFHE. Three points for a first place vote and one point for a second place vote for a total of 44 votes.
| Meal | Votes (1st) | Votes (2nd) | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Megan | Chicken Rice Sausage | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| Derek | Smothered Green Beans | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Adelaide | Chicken Pot Pie | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Jill | Taco Soup / Rice Bake | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Sarah | Spaghetti | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Rick | Beefy Bean Casserole | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Paul | Green Chili Chicken and Rice | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Rachel | Spaghetti Os | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Steven | Spamburger | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Dan | Ketchuped Rice | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake | Chili | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 11 | 11 | 44 |
September 2011
Introduced the food storage spreadsheet where one can record the contents of your food storage with columns for inventory, needed purchases, and expiration dates. By keeping track of stored items, wastage is kept to a minimum.
August 2011
Finished (sort of) our 72-hour kits with the addition of non-food items such as heat sources, flashlights, a radio, first-aid kits etc.
Update 5 March 2012
Here is a photograph (click to enlarge) of the contents: 
Realize that there are other items yet to be added in the area of keeping warm. Each kit is likely to be different as there is no one true list of items.
July 2011
Continued assembling 72-hour kits with the addition of the meals, mainly MREs. Over a year ago we decided that for us Apack MREs was what we wanted in our kits.
June 2011
This was our first JFHE. For the next few months we will be helping each other assemble 72-hour emergency kits. The first month we dealt with water.
Meals From Storage
~~ Adelaide ~~
1. Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening or other fat
4-6 tablespoons cold water
Filling
4 tablespoons oil
1/3 cup dehydrated onions, rehydrated
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups chicken broth (made from 2 bouillon cubes and water)
2 cans (12oz) chicken, drained
1/2 can potatoes, cubed (not in storage but substitute green beans or corn)
1 can mixed vegetables (carrots and peas)
Preparation
To make the crust mix flour and salt together. Cut in shortening. Mix water in, until moistened. Divide in half and roll each into a ball. Roll each into two circles, one for the upper crust and one for the bottom. Put bottom crust into pie pan.For the filling cook onions in oil and add flour, salt, and pepper. Slowly add in chicken broth, while mixing, until thickened. Add chicken, potatoes, and vegetables, put in pie pan, and cover with top crust.
Bake at 425 degrees for 40-60 minutes, until crust is golden-brown. Bon Appétit!
2. Chicken Alfredo
Ingredients
16 oz dried pasta
1 tablespoons butter (or oil)
1 tablespoon dried onions (minced is preferred)
1 cup evaporated milk
4 oz cream cheese (optional, not from food storage)
1 can (4 oz) mushrooms
1 can chicken
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped sundried tomatoes (optional)
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional, not from food storage)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional, not from food storage)
Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions. In a different pan, cook onion in butter (or oil). Add evaporated milk and cream cheese and simmer for a few minutes. When cheese softens, whisk ingredients until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients and stir until heated through.
3. Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
2 3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tablespoon yeast
2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup honey (optional)
6-7 cups flour (all wheat, or half wheat, half white)
Preparation
Combine water, sugar, and yeast in bowl and let yeast rise to the top (about 10 minutes). Add remaining ingredients, and mix until dough comes off sides of mixing bowl. Take out and knead by hand for 7 minutes (until consistency of bubble gum). Divide dough into 2-3 loaves and knead each one into it’s own loaf.
Put into pans, rise until 1 inch above top of pan (1-2 hours, depending on warmth of room). Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.Breadmaking Tips
- To stop ground wheat from going rancid, place unused flour in an airtight container in the freezer.
- To increase gluten in the bread, use half white flour and half wheat.
- Salt kills yeast, so add salt last.
- For wheat bread, knead 15-20 minutes.For white flour, knead for 10 minutes.
- To tell if the bread is done, “knock” on the top of it. If it isn’t firm, bake for a few more minutes then check again. Continue to check until it is firm.
~~ Dan ~~
1. Ketchuped Rice
Ingredients
1 cup rice
2 cups water
Ketchup
Preparation
Boil rice in water. On your plate mix the cooked rice with ketchup until rice is a pinkish color. Eat heartily.
~~ Derek ~~
1. Smothered Green Beans
Ingredients
4 cans cut green beans
1 jar Hormel bacon real bacon bits (not from storage)
1 dehydrated onion or Lipton onion soup mix
2 tablespoons margarine or butter flavor Crisco (not from storage)
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder (not from storage)
Preparation
Add margarine in bottom of pan with bacon bits and dehydrated onion. Saute for a few minutes and add 2 cans of green beans with no juice and 2 cans with the juice of the beans. Cook until wilted and smothered. Add salt and pepper to taste.
~~ Jake ~~
1. Chili
Ingredients
1 can chili
Preparation
Heat and serve with saltine crackers (not from storage)
2. Bean Soup
Ingredients
1 can shoepeg corn (or substitute yellow corn)
1 can great northern beans
1 can black-eyed peas (not in storage)
1 can yellow hominy (not in storage)
1 can white hominy (not in storage)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans
1 can mild (these are diced tomatoes and green chilies)
2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 package (4 tablespoons) Hidden Valley ranch dressing (not in storage)
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 pound ground beef or turkey (optional, not in storage)
Preparation
- Brown the beef or turkey over medium high heat until cooked through. Drain fat.
- Puree one can of the tomatoes, then add all ingredients together.
- Cook on medium heat just until hot.
- Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
- Leftovers can be frozen for later.
Recipe via the Union Programming Council.
3. Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl with Veggies
Ingredients
Canola oil
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut up into bite sized pieces (or substitute 12 oz can chicken)
1 1/2 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables (not in storage)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (not in storage)
1 to 1 1/2 cups of steamed rice
Water chestnuts (not in storage)
Additional teriyaki sauce, if desired.
Preparation
- Place a little oil in the bottom of a wok or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Give the oil and a pan a minute or two to get hot.
- Add chicken to the pan and cook for a few minutes.
- Add 1-2 Tbsp of teriyaki sauce and cook for 3 minutes more until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Add the frozen veggies to the pan. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until veggies are heated through.
- Add the remaining teriyaki sauce to the mixture and serve over rice. Serve with additional teriyaki sauce if desired.
Recipe via the Union Programming Council.
~~ Jill ~~
1. Taco Soup
Ingredients
1 pound hamburger (not from storage)
2 tablespoons of dried onions
1 can great northern beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can red beans
1 can corn
3 cans stewed tomatoes
2 tablespoons of taco seasoning (not from storage)
Preparation
Brown hamburger and onions. Then add remaining ingredients. Serve with Fretos, grated cheese, and sour cream (all not from storage).
2. Rice Bake
Ingredients
2 cans (10 oz) cream of chicken soup
2 cans (12 0z) chicken
1 package dry onion soup mix (not from storage)
1 cup powdered milk
10 oz frozen chopped broccoli (not from storage)
Preparation
Bake in casserole dish at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
~~ Megan ~~
1. Chicken Rice Sausage
Ingredients
1 pound spicy smoked sausage (not from storage but Spam can be)
2 cans (12oz) chicken
1 1/2 cups rice
4 cups chicken broth (or make from 4 bouillon cubes and water)
1 can (4oz) diced green chilies (not from storage)
2 tablespoons creole seasoning (not from storage)
Preparation
Cut sausage (or Spam) into 1/4″ half circles (or cubes). Add all ingredients into a rice cooker and mix well. Press the white rice button.
~~ Paul ~~
1. Green Chili Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
1.5 cups rice
3 cups chicken broth (not from storage)
1 tablespoon dried onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (12 oz) chicken with liquid
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies with liquid (not from storage)
Preparation
Place all ingredients in rice cooker and stir. Press the white rice button, and allow to cook until rice cooker switches to keep warm mode. Add additional salt to taste, if needed. Stir and serve immediately.
~~ Rachel ~~
1. Spaghetti Os
Ingredients
1 can Spaghetti O’s
Preparation
Heat and serve with bread (not from storage)
~~ Rick ~~
1. Beefy Bean Casserole
Ingredients
2 cans (16 oz) of baked beans
1 can (12oz) of roast beef
1/4 cup dried onion
Preparation
Mix and heat all the ingredients. Serve with a can of green beans, and bread (not from storage).
Recipe via Rickety Blog.
~~ Sarah ~~
1. Spaghetti
Ingredients
1 bag spaghetti
1 can pasta sauce
Preparation
Boil 4-6 quarts of water, add spaghetti, bring to boil again and boil for 8 minutes. Heat pasta sauce. Combine and serve.
~~ Steven ~~
1. Spamburger
Ingredients
Hamburger buns
1 can (12oz) of Spam
Preparation
Make hamburger buns with this recipe, substituting ingredients for dried milk, canned butter, and powdered eggs. Fry slices of Spam in canned butter, and put it on the bun along with pickles and mustard (not from storage), ketchup and canned cheese.