The most important step is to start

"We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."—The First Presidency I have often thought about food storage and how I need to have it. At different points in my life I have felt the need to prepare my food storage, although the idea never amounted to much as there was always some excuse. Space and money and time were always at the forefront. However, I understand and again feel the importance. Saving for a rainy day is not a new concept, especially at this uncertain and unsteady time. And yet, why am I still not prepared?

I think for some people it seems like a huge task. Gathering a year's supply of food is overwhelming! And so I was pleased when I read the article “New Year, New Progress,” in the Jan. 2009 Ensign. It is basic and simple and I do not feel overwhelmed any longer.
Baby steps!

Here is the article for your reading pleasure:

"When it comes to implementing a successful home storage program, the most important step is to start. With the beginning of a new year, now is the perfect time for individuals and families to review the First Presidency’s guidelines on home storage in the pamphlet All Is Safely Gathered In. The First Presidency encourages all Church members to gradually establish a three-month supply of food, store drinking water, set aside a financial reserve, and when possible, eventually increase home storage to a longer-term supply.

By following these simple guidelines, Church members can prayerfully consider their circumstances and set one goal to begin or continue their own home storage program. As we prepare ourselves and our families for trials and adversity, we will receive temporal security and be able to “provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience.”

Three-Month Supply
• Consider your normal daily diet and make a list of foods that you can purchase, store, and rotate.
• Choose a few items on your regular shopping list every week to add to your home storage, and purchase double amounts of those items as finances allow.

Drinking Water
• Begin to save and clean durable bottles that have been used for soda or juice. Rather than purchasing new bottles, save the clean and sanitized bottles and use them for water storage.
• Purchase a few water bottles every week to add to your home storage water supply. Be sure to rotate your water supply regularly.

Financial Reserve
• Add a certain amount of your income to your financial reserve each month. Set the money aside immediately after paying your tithes and offerings.
• Create a budget based on your spending last month. After looking at your spending habits, consider limiting the money you use on nonessential items and adding it to your financial reserve instead.

Longer-Term Supply
• If you have succeeded in gathering a three-month supply, increase your home storage to meet longer-term needs based on your individual circumstances.
• Learn how to properly package and store longer-term food storage items, such as wheat, white rice, and beans.

I also found these sites helpful:

stockupfood.com - And old college friend started this website and I just joined. I love that it's easy and shows me my progress and goals. I like the blog aspect as well for great info:)

peparednessmatters.blogspot.com - for cooking with basic food storage and other ideas
thegrocerygame.com has been something we've done for a year and half now. We stocked up on so many toiletries in the first 3 months that we are just NOW almost out of shampoo and toothpaste and I had enough toilet paper to last me for 6 months at one time.

providentliving

Do you know of any other sites that have worked well for you?

Okay, so let's begin shall we?

Our Daily Bread

I have really loved making bread since I figured out how with THIS recipe. But long before then banana bread, banana bread and oh! banana bread have always had a fun spot in my must make weekly recipe file.

On Saturday I recieved my print from persimmon and pink that I ordered and in the envelope she included the most adorable little card --a smaller version of one of her prints as shown above.

WELL, I just happened to have finished making my famous coconut banana bread with lime glaze to take to a neighbor who had watched our dog while we went out of town when the envelope arrived. IDEA! I included her sweet little print as a thank you card with the loaf! How seriously cute is that?

I mean, if someone were bringing me a warm loaf of coconut banana bread with lime glaze, the ONLY thing that could make it better would be to have the cutust bread card ever attached!

So now I am hoping she'll do a custom order for me... so that my loaves of bread given away can be cute forever.

Oh alright. Here's the recipe.

Cocount Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 tablespoons apple juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely on wire rack.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest

Here's the truth: I am horrible at making chocolate chip cookies. In all honesty, I probably make them 1x a week and then throw the entire batch away because they turned out so bad. I used to make good ones...back in the day... who knows what happened (ahhh..memories). I know. I need therapy.

I had a recipe in Columbus, Ga that I mastered. John and Angie, do you remember them? They were really really really good. Then we moved to Seattle and the same recipe wouldn't work. After many attempts...I mastered them again using a different recipe. But now that recipe won't work here. I don't get it. My husband is annoyed. I am annoyed. My children are annoyed because I am so annoyed. He asked me tonight, "so how exactly do they turn out so bad?" Oh woe is me.

I am raw in cookie dough emotion.

I need a contest; to prove to me that there really is a recipe deemed as da-bomb-diggidy. And if I can make it turn out well, than you will earn the winning title of the woman who has the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.

I love to bake and I am actually pretty good. With that said, I cannot handle another chocolate chip recipe gone bad. I need help. So if your recipe is really good, I promise that I have enough baking know-how to make them turn out well if you give me instructions. But you also might want to get specific. "Throw it all in the bowl" does not really work for someone else trying to make it exactly as you do. Unless you really do that. And then I'm gonna call you Rachel Ray and start making fun of you. A lot.

You will even get a prize from me. As if the title alone doesn't bring you enough glory.

Come on, send those recipes to carriestroud@gmail.com!

The cookies will be judged on flavor, texture, consistency, and dough batter tastiness etc... And there will be a full-blown contest with actual judges beyond myself. Volunteers anyone? Next week I will spend one entire day baking my heart out, tasting, judging, and hopefully falling to my knees in gratitude to a floor inevitably covered in flour and random chocolate chips.

Contest rules:

The deadline for sending me your recipes will be Tuesday February 24th.

Judging will be Friday February 27th.

The Winner will be announced Saturday February 28th.

Please include a note as to why your cookies are the best and a brief description as to their origin. For instance, "I got it off a box" or "I stole it from my next door neighbor. Serves her right for never returning my glue gun." would work just fine.

Wahoo! Let the baking begin!

Caramel Heaven

( here they are all packaged and pretty)

The first batch did not turn out that great. They were yummy--but too hard. So with the next batch I just took it off the heat a minute earlier and perfect. Soooo good. And pretty too! I didn't have a candy thermometer so I eye-balled it, but if you have never cooked candy before don't do it that way or you will be dissappointed. You can buy a candy thermometer at Wal-mart for pretty cheap. Just don't put it in the dishwasher like I did or you won't have one anymore:)

I got the recipe here

Yay for John and Angie who say CARE-A-MEL the right way! All the rest of you...you're so silly.

Cupcake love

At the risk of offending many many of my friends, I have to admit it. I just don't like making cupcakes. There. I said it. Go ahead and faint if you must.

I really tried to like them. I participated in making them for many different and fantastic occasions. I oohhed and ahhed at the wonderful cupcake creations that my friends made. I looked at the dazzling array of websites and books displaying the love that everyone seems to have for cupcakes. I even said, "how awesome!" when Martha Stewart said that April was cupcake MONTH. But now, I have to set the record straight. I must be true to myself. I don't like to make and/or decorate cupcakes.

I made the assumption that since I like to bake + be creative, it would = a love for cupcakes. But I am afraid it is a no-go for me. A certain experience this past weekend finally summed it up for me and made me look deeply into myself to come to this (tragic to some people) conclusion. I don't love cupcakes.

Here is a picture of what I attempted to make courtesy of the cupcake queen bakerella:

mini cupcakes on a lollipop stick.
How cute is that?
Easy enough, right?

ha!

Here's how mine turned out. Like a big gob of frosting. And then some.

The candy corns are supposed to be a princess crown, people.

Go ahead. Keep laughing.

Wait..did they actually FALL too? Yep. One by one in the glorious sun. So there! I feel much better now that I have come out of my cupcake closet.

Hello. My name is Carrie. And I don't love cupcakes.