Being Self-Reliant Makes Good Sense!

A few months ago I listed a couple of recipes that most or all of the ingredients could be stored on a shelf for a long term. I wanted to add 2 more recipes to that list. There are multiple emergency preparedness web-sites that encourage safe food storage for emergencies. Some list a 3 day supply up to a 3 month supply or more depending on the emergency.


Fema (http://www.ready.gov/) recommends a 3 day for emergencies. Other sites suggest you prepare for the “rainy day” scenario like being out of work and suggest 3-12 month supply of food. Whatever the reason, it is just wise to have extra food on hand for emergencies.

Here are a couple of recipes that my family enjoys and all the ingredients can be kept on the shelf for a long time.

Crock Pot Stroganoff
1 ½ lb round steak-cut up into small pieces (or used bottled or canned beef)
2 cans cream of celery soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg onion soup mix
Mix everything in a crock pot. Cook for 8 hours. 3 hours on high and 5 hours on low. Stir in sour cream is you desire but it is not necessary. Serve over noodles or rice. (if using bottled meat, you do not need to cook as long and you can do it on a stove top instead of a crock pot).

Company Apricot Chicken
1-2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts(can use bottled or canned chicken)
8 oz bottle of Russian dressing
12 oz jar apricot preserves
2-3 c prepared rice
Arrange chicken in a slow cooker; set aside. Combine salad dressing and preserves; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.  (to use bottled chicken, just drain chicken and put in crock pot. Cover with dressing mixture and heat through, 2-3 hours on low. It won’t need to cook as long since the chicken is already cooked, just enough to get the flavors to mix).

 You may ask yourself, “how do we cook this if there is an emergency and no power available”? I have given 2 examples in past blogs (look under “self-reliance” for past posts) and those are solar cooking or a box oven. Another option is butane cook tops. These are small and easy to store, but you do need to stay on top of the expiration dates of the butane canisters and replace them when needed. Just "google" or search for it if you want more information on these, but I have found the best price for these are at Oriental or Asian markets. They carry them regularly in our Oriental markets and you can get one for under $30. Check it out!