Food Storage Wedding Gift ???

Well... I needed a wedding gift a couple weeks ago. I was joking around with the groom, that I was gonna load him up with food storage, & he said to go for it! Really???

So I did just that. I wrapped 2 #10 cans in loads of lime green tissue paper, then added flowers & ribbon. Then, I decorated the outside of a big gift bag with velvet embossed paper, ribbon, & a big fat flower. Inside the bag was a GREAT book called, "Cooking With Food Storage Made Easy"... & tons of little food items & tools to help get them started.

For such a "boring" but useful gift... it sure turned out cute! :)

The Magical Fruit

I'm hooked on dry beans now. These pinto beans here, I bought for .32 cents/lb a few weeks ago. I was in the mood for refried beans & didn't have any canned ones. Then I remembered I could grind them in my wheat grinder & make my own. So... I searched for my recipe, & voila!


Fresh ground pinto beans into a beautiful fine flour...

Then, I mixed all the ingredients, put them in a glass jar, & I have an instant refried bean mix, ready when I need it! Here is my recipe:

1 1/2 c. pinto flour
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. cumin
1 1/2 t. salt

*Can also sprinkle in a little onion powder, if you like.

Double or triple the recipe & store in an airtight container. Lasts longer if stored in the fridge... This will give you a quick meal at a moments notice!

To prepare, whisk 3/4 c. dry mixture with 2 1/4 c. warm water in small sauce pan. Cook while stirring, over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes, or until mixture thickens.

(Don't worry about the lumpies...)

Reduce heat to low, cover pan & cook 4 more minutes.

Then you can add taco sauce, picante sauce, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, or whatever you want... & enjoy it with chips or on a burrito/enchilada, etc! It's great!!!

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I also ground white great northern beans & added it to my bread for extra protein. No one even knew it was in there. The texture & taste was exactly the same! I'm thinking I could sneak it into sauces, soups, chili, mashed potatoes, burgers, & all kinds of foods! Maybe even cookies & cakes! Hm... I might have to grind black beans & kidney beans next time :)

I disappeared...

So... since kids went back to school, it's been more chaos than it was while they were here all summer. Driving them every direction possible all day & evening, THEN we all got way sick with a variation of: flu, bronchitis, sinus infection, & pneumonia. It's lasted over 2 weeks! And James, my 5 year old, was the worst. He shot up to 107.2 fever day before yesterday & it took us 30 mins to get him DOWN into the 105 range! Needless to say, he ended up in the ER. After 2 different doctors, throat swab, urinalysis, & chest xrays, he was the one with pneumonia. He has missed 6 days of school in a row. I.N.S.A.N.E. That's all I have to say. I'm still sick, the others are still coughing, and we just better turn around soon, cause I'm at my breaking point.

OBVIOUSLY... I have not posted this past month. My apologies. I will get more up as soon as I feel better.

Thanks to all my blog readers. Feel free to start "following" me if you'd like!