Farmer's Pork Chops

Since we have savings this week on Potatoes (.97 for 5 lb bag at Kings' Ranch), Onions (.33 lb at Sunflower Market) & Pork Chops (2.49 lb at Smiths). I thought this would be a perfect recipe to share. It's one of my FAVORITES!! I just love Paula Deen's recipes even if they aren't really low fat recipes :)

Farmer's Pork Chops

8 medium potatoes
1/2 medium onion
Salt & pepper, to taste
White sauce (see recipe below)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
8 center-cut pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes; slice 1/4 inch thick and cover with cold water. Slice onion into very thin slices. Cut slices in half. Drain potatoes; layer half the potatoes in a well-greased 15 x 10-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Scatter half of onion slices on top of potatoes. Repeat with remaining potatoes and onions. Cover potatoes with white sauce. Cover casserole dish with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes on high or
bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Mix together flour and seasoned salt and dredge pork chops in flour mixture. Lightly brown chops in vegetable oil. Do not cook them completely. As chops are removed from frying pan, lay them on top of potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. The juices from the pork chops will drip down into the potatoes. Delicious! Serves 8


White Sauce

8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 to 2 tsp salt
1/2 to 3/4 tsp pepper
4 cups milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or chives (optional)

Melt butter; remove from heat. Stir in flour; add salt and pepper. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly. Add milk, 1 cup at a time. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, then let stand at least 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in parsley or chives, if desired.

This recipe is from Paula Deen's cookbook "The Lady & Sons".

ABC's of Self-Reliance (SRS Meeting - October 2, 2008)

ABC's of Self-Reliance

We had our 1st Self-Reliant Meeting of the season on October 2th! We had a great meeting and learned all the basics of becoming self-reliant. Here are some great documents to download that were available at our meeting:

ABC's of Self-Reliance

Water Storage Guidelines

Oxygen Absorbers

PETE Bottles for Longer Term Storage

Plastic Buckets for Longer Term Food Storage

Recipes from SRS Meeting - October 2, 2008

Roasted Wheat Kernels

• 1/4 cup wheat berries (whole kernels of wheat)
• 1/2 TBSP oil
• 1/3 TBSP salt

Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet. Add wheat berries and pop like popcorn, They don't expand as much as popcorn, but the will pop. Swirl around in the pan to prevent burning. Sprinkle with salt while hot.

Basic Granola

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups water
• 3 TBSP oil
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 5 cups rolled oats (uncooked)

In a pan combine the sugar, water, oil, and salt. Heat until sugar is dissolved, but do not boil. Pour syrup over the oats and stir until well coated. Add a little more rolled oats if the texture seems too moist. Place in pans or sheets about 1/2" deep. Bake at 425 for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Bake 15 minutes longer if you want it crunchier. Makes 5 cups. Store in an air tight container.

Cream of Bean Soup (not pictured)

• 1 1/4 cups dried pinto beans
• 2 TBSP oil
• 2 TBSP whole wheat flour
• 6 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup powdered milk

Sort through beans and discard rocks and any beans that are discolored or damaged. Add 3¾ cups of water to the beans and soak overnight (about 10 hours). To cook the beans, drain them, rinse them thoroughly, and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for one or two hours or until the beans are tender. Adding one tablespoon of oil to the water will reduce foaming during cooking. Do not add salt or other ingredients until the beans have softened adequately. Drain the cooked beans. Add the flour to the oil and blend. Stir all remaining ingredients into the beans and cook on low heat until thickened. Makes 6 cups.

Danielle also added a few things to this basic soup recipe. They are:

• 1/2 can chicken broth (replace water)
• 1/4 cup diced carrots
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Basil
• Pepper

All spices are to taste. Take off heat and add 3/4 cup cheddar cheese.

10 Tips for Food Storage

1. Store what you eat. If you are allergic to wheat, then it's not the grain for you to store. Or if you just plain don't like say, split peas then don't store them.
2. Keep track of what staples your family uses on a weekly/monthly basis. How long does a jar of peanut butter last at your house? Are you big milk drinkers? How long does a roll of toilet paper last on average? Calculate from these figures what your family needs for a year.
3. Make a plan for what and how much extra you will buy each pay period. See Food Storage on $5.00 a week for examples (see side bar for current week).
4. Eat what you store. Learn to use your food storage in every day cooking. Don't NOT store something because you don't know how to use it. Make it a goal to try something new once a week. When you've mastered new skills you'll be more likely to want to use them on a regular basis! Making menus also helps with this. It's easier to include storage items when you plan for them. By rotating in this way there is less likely to be waste.
5. Bake bread - this alone will help you to rotate your wheat storage. It's also delicious, money saving and helps build your "digestive tolerance" for wheat.
6. Take advantage of the cannery. The price and convenience can't be beat. When you order buy in multiples of 6 cans if you can. That way you get a box, making it easier to store!
7. Seek out good information. Read it, study it, then use it! Check out the LDS bookstore, the Internet & the yellow pages.
8. Buy the best equipment you can afford. It will make using your storage less discouraging, faster and a whole lot more fun. Though a hand grinder is better than no grinder!
9. Take up camping. Not only is this a great excuse for getting preparedness equipment, you'll also have learned how to use it. And it makes for a cheap weekend get away.
10. Just start somewhere. Maybe when your kids need new backpacks you'll snag the old ones for your 72 hour kits. Or start by planning what you need for a year. Or start by focusing on one of the basics and learn better how to use it. Maybe you'll even plant a garden...

JUST START

Where preparations are being made you will be blessed.

Where Do I Store My Food Storage?

Here is a video that was done last year, that we added to this year. Here are various ways and places to store your food storage.

Kim lives in an apartment and has found great ways to maximize her space!

Rachelle and Holly both use their guest rooms as the housing place for their food storage.

There is nothing really special about how or where I (Lisa) store my food storage (it's just in a closet), however... last year I had NO food storage or 72 hour kits. I started coming to the Self-Reliant meetings that Tonya, Holly and Rachelle started, and it got me inspired AND smart about shopping. All the food storage that I have is from shopping smarter during my weekly shopping trips (and once a month Cannery). My grocery bill has actually gone down AND I have food storage!

This is my updated 2009 video with more food storage

Tonya uses the unique spaces in her house for food storage.

Amy converted part of her 3rd car garage into a food storage room.