Really . . outside the “box” . . get it? 🙂
I’m not going to apologize for the prepping posts because I kinda feel like I have a captive audience. There are probably few (yes, there are some!) people who haven’t at least thought . . is there anything we should buy now? I feel like people listen more when there’s a chance something might happen. If we’re all going along, thinking the world is perfect, most will skip over my “the sky is falling” posts but today, more may be paying attention.
I was once one of those people I now try to reach. Once I was living in Lake Charles. I stopped by the grocery store after work for a few things. There was no bread. There was no milk. The store was packed. I said to a friend “What is going on?” It just so happened that the weatherman from the local TV station was in the store and . . oh, did I get an earful! He said “There’s a hurricane coming and you didn’t know that?” Nope . . didn’t have a clue. He probably went home and told his wife . . this dump woman didn’t even know about the hurricane!
But today’s post is about thinking outside the box. For so many years, I didn’t but now I do.
Salad dressings, brownies, muffins, cakes, breads
With simple ingredients most of us keep at home, we can make a lot of things. Here are a few of my favorite recipes that I use instead of buying already made:
Dressings:
Coleslaw – If I don’t have lemons, leave the juice out and it will be fine.
Thousand Island – Love this one! I add a bit of chopped cheddar cheese.
Ranch
Dressings are also great to use on sandwiches instead of mayo too – just to spice things up a bit.
Breads:
Amish White Bread
No Knead Artisan Bread
Flour Tortillas
Cornbread – Add vinegar to milk to make buttermilk if you don’t have it.
Other:
Pancakes – I’ve used this recipe for years! It’s fine without the blueberries.
Biscuits
Muffins – She lists sour cream OR yogurt as an ingredient. I always have yogurt so I use that.
Yogurt – Don’t forget yogurt!
Brownies – I have made this recipe for at least a dozen years and they’ve always been a big hit.
Texas Sheet Cake – This is a recipe I’ve made for at least 30 years. There are many variations. I like this one because it has cinnamon. Don’t forget there are ways to make buttermilk from plain milk if you don’t keep buttermilk.
My favorite way is to use homemade yogurt. When I first take the yogurt out of the cooker, before straining it, I’ll set aside about 3/4 cup of the not yet strained yogurt. Then, when I have strained the remaining yogurt, I’ll add about 1/4 cup of whey.
Debbie K. says
Thanks for all your suggestions, Judy. While not overly freaking out about all of this I have been trying to plan ahead. I’ve pretty much restocked my pantry with the essentials. I plan to do a little baking tomorrow so I can have things in the freezer. Strawberry Bread is first on my list. Yum.
Judy Laquidara says
Strawberry Bread? I probably shouldn’t ask for the recipe! That sounds yummy.
Nelle Coursey says
Thanks for sharing!
Susan Nixon says
You speak when people might listen, always a good thing. No matter what is going on, we know that change is a constant. Change in weather, change in jobs, change in life. It’s always good to be prepared. You know my church teaches this, and I can’t tell you how many people have lived for months off their food storage when someone died, got fired, there was an environmental disaster, etc. If you aren’t prepared, what would you do when the unexpected comes? It’s unexpected! You can’t count on things always going along as they are when you are doing well.