EZ Preparedness Recipes

I thought I’d give you a break today from all of the preparedness “thinking.”  So today I’m simply providing you with two yummy recipes – Spam Friend Rice and Mexi-Cincy Chili – that you can easily make from what’s in your cupboards right now.  Hopefully, knowing that you can make use of what you’ve got on hand (or can at least easily have on hand) will lessen any anxiety you may have in surviving a disruption to your regular way of life.

Spam Fried Rice

This recipe is an ideal use of Spam, the meat that seems to store as long as a Twinkie.  And it’s an easy “dump” kind of recipe.  Don’t shy away from this recipe just because it has Spam in it.  If you don’t tell anyone, I’m certain they will never crinkle their nose to the Spam notion. J

Note: If you elect to make it as a non-food storage meal, you can use 8 to 10 ounces of boneless, diced pork chops and add a couple of stalks of sliced green onions (white and green portion) and use frozen peas instead.

As a food-storage meal, you can also substitute the Spam for canned chicken or canned baby shrimp too, if you prefer.

1 12 oz can of Spam, cut into small square pieces
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 package (6.2 oz.) of Rice-A-Roni Fried Rice flavor (The store brands work just as well for this recipe) 2 cups of water
1 can of peas – drained

• Place the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven.  And heat it over medium-high heat.  Add the Spam pieces and cook, stirring until the Spam is browned a bit, 2-3 minutes.
• Add the Rice-a-Roni including the seasoning contents.  Pour in 2 cups of water and stir to loosen the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Let the mixture come to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover.  Let simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add the peas and warm a bit longer, 3-5 minutes.  Serve at once with soy sauce as desired.

Fuel conservation note: If you merely heat up the pan enough to bring the water to boiling, you needn’t continue to cook it on your fuel source.  You can merely let the dish set for a while (about 30 – 45 minutes) and let it naturally absorb the water.  The Spam is safe to eat whether it’s heated or not.

Mexi-Cincy Chili

This “chili” dish is actually served on top of cooked spaghetti.  It’s commonly served this way in Cincinnati, OH.  The chocolate ingredient is a take-off of Mexican mole’ cooking.  It is often served with black beans instead of or in addition to beef, and is usually accompanied by shredded cheddar cheese on top.  If you don’t have real cheese on hand in your food storage, you can also use Velveeta on top for serving.

1 can of canned beef (about 16 ounces)

1 tablespoon of granulated onion

2 tablespoons of minced garlic

2 cans of diced tomatoes. (You can use stewed tomatoes as well)

1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 cup of water

2 tablespoons of chili powder

1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon of ground allspice

8 – 10 oz. of cooked and drained spaghetti

• Sautee the beef, onion and garlic in your intended cooking pan (pressure cooker or Dutch oven).  Cook and stir with a wooden spoon to break up the lumps and until the beef is heated through (about 4-5 minutes).  Add the tomatoes and their liquid, water, tomato sauce, chili powder, cinnamon, cocoa, and all spice. If you’re cooking this in a Dutch oven, simply cook it low and slow for about 8 hours stirring occasionally.
• If you’re cooking this in a pressure cooker, cover and bring the pressure cooker to low pressure.  Cook for about 30 minutes for maximum flavor.  You can use the quick release method when the time is up.
• Top the spaghetti with your cooked mixture and enjoy!

Be safe and be prepared.

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