Friday before last I decided to throw a party at my home. I wanted it to be an enjoyable night for the girlfriends in my life, so I threw in some paraffin hand treatments and made tons of food from my food storage supplies. We had 3 main dishes, 2 side dishes, an appetizer and 2 desserts. Would you believe, the food disappeared rapidly with countless requests for recipes?
After everyone had enjoyed their fill of yummy food – yes, I did say “yummy” and yes, it was all made from what I had on hand in the pantry – we then all sat down and discussed the 10 Principles of Preparedness. So many additional ideas and insights were added to my own and we all benefited substantially. So in addition to sharing the recipes with all of my blog readers, I’m also going to break down various components that were discussed for practical application in your preparedness activities. So here’s a great tip followed by a recipe of ingredients from your pantry:
The Magic Number 12
Female party with shelf-stable foods for all
This is a great tip for novices and pros alike when it comes to accumulating your food supply. As I’ve shared previously, it’s important to store what you eat and know how to prepare what you store. (Note: Just for the record, I’m not a big fan of the whole “storing” food notion. We’re not squirrels, after all.) This particular tip addresses an effective way to store what you eat.
The other day I was reading a cookbook — I do that frequently — and I happened upon a recipe that I realized I could adapt to make from cans, jars, and pantry items. So I purchased the items from the grocery, tested the recipe out on someone dear, and discovered we had a new yummy recipe that would be nice dinner, let alone in an emergency situation (No matter what your family promises you, don’t plan on them not being picky eaters during a crisis. They won’t change any time soon) So I watched the coupons and ads for the local grocery stores and then went out and purchased enough ingredients to make that dish 12 times. Why?
My objective is to have a year’s supply of food on hand at any given time, right, and to rotate through it? I’m also sensitive to avoiding “appetite fatigue” and ensuring that others will actually enjoys the meals I create. In an emergency, it’s not likely that you will be cooking 3 meals a day, rather one meal of substance, and the rest would be meals of convenience such as instant oats, cold cereal, peanut butter and jelly, canned chicken on crackers, etc. As long as you have a plan for one main meal every day, then you’ll be far ahead. To recap, if you have 30 different meals in your repertoire each month, then you are likely to not meet any appetite fatigue issues or stress because you’re attempting to introduce something new to your family when they are already under a great deal of stress as the result of an emergency.
This is why I purchase my grocery items in increments of twelve. If 12 is too much to handle due to space or financial restraints, then take it down to 6 or 4 or 3. But if you get yourself in the habit of buying this way when you have a recipe that works for you and your family, you will have your year’s supply of meals in a short period of time. Now that’s what I call “eating the elephant one bite at a time.”
Here’s one of the recipe’s which I created for this event. It’s just an open, dump, stir, and warm kind of recipe. Thus not only does it use a minimal amount of your physical energy, it will require a minimal amount of precious fuel as well to warm up.
Southern Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
Shelf-stable gourmet tasting recipe
- 4 cups of canned chicken, drained
- 1 package (6 ounces) of Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice Original Recipe
- 1 can of cream of celery soup
- 2/3 cup of Miracle Whip (don’t substitute any different mayonnaise)
- 1 can (8 oz) of diced water chestnuts, drained (I like to chop mine a bit smaller than they come in the “diced” can)
- 1 2 oz. jar of sliced pimento peppers. (diced is fine also)
- 1 regular sized can of French cut green beans, drained
- 1 ½ cups of chicken broth OR water
- 2 Tablespoons of pre-grated Parmesan cheese (the stuff in the green can is just fine.)
Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well with a spoon. Transfer to a Dutch oven, or a pre-greased baking dish if you’re cooking in a solar oven. Top the dish with the Parmesan Cheese. If using a solar oven, be sure to cover the dish with foil. If using the Dutch Oven, simply put on the lid.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until it’s bubbling and the rice has cooked. Let cool about 5 minutes and then serve.
You can also cook this most expeditiously and economically in a pressure cooker. Simply bring the cooker to full pressure with the ingredients mixed together inside, then once it’s come to full pressure, remove from heat, wrap in towels and continue to cook for about 15 minutes.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think!
60 Comments
Bruce · February 11, 2009 at 6:00 pm
If you can’t get quality canned chicken (or broth) from your local grocery store, check out the canned meats at http://www.internet-grocer.net/realmeat.htm
Bruce · February 11, 2009 at 6:00 pm
If you can’t get quality canned chicken (or broth) from your local grocery store, check out the canned meats at http://www.internet-grocer.net/realmeat.htm
Jan Burr · February 11, 2009 at 9:54 pm
It was a very informative evening. I heard lots of very positive comments the next day about all that we learned. Thank you Kellene. Good food too! Jan
Jan Burr · February 11, 2009 at 9:54 pm
It was a very informative evening. I heard lots of very positive comments the next day about all that we learned. Thank you Kellene. Good food too! Jan
charlotte · April 18, 2012 at 4:51 am
How would you keep miracle whip or Mayo in an emergency with no electricity.
Kellene Bishop · April 18, 2012 at 5:50 am
Those are 2 items that don’t require refrigeration since they are made with processed eggs.
charlotte · April 18, 2012 at 4:51 am
How would you keep miracle whip or Mayo in an emergency with no electricity.
Kellene Bishop · April 18, 2012 at 5:50 am
Those are 2 items that don’t require refrigeration since they are made with processed eggs.
jane · January 16, 2013 at 3:01 pm
what did you mean by not refrigerating mayo, i understand that you don’t need to before you open, but thought it had to be after opened
Kellene Bishop · January 16, 2013 at 11:06 pm
You can find the details for this food as well as several others if you do a search on this site. You may want to take a look at the article which talks about “forever foods” Just use the search bar.
Lisa · April 15, 2013 at 8:02 am
As far as I understand it says it has too be refrigerated after opening in the article.
Kellene Bishop · April 15, 2013 at 9:52 pm
As illustrated in the article that I direct our readers to “Forever Foods”, the mayo is made with pasteurized eggs and as such does NOT need to be refrigerated. That doesn’t mean that I don’t refrigerate; it simply means that I won’t have to in an electricity outage scenario.
jane · January 16, 2013 at 3:01 pm
what did you mean by not refrigerating mayo, i understand that you don’t need to before you open, but thought it had to be after opened
Kellene Bishop · January 16, 2013 at 11:06 pm
You can find the details for this food as well as several others if you do a search on this site. You may want to take a look at the article which talks about “forever foods” Just use the search bar.
Lisa · April 15, 2013 at 8:02 am
As far as I understand it says it has too be refrigerated after opening in the article.
Kellene Bishop · April 15, 2013 at 9:52 pm
As illustrated in the article that I direct our readers to “Forever Foods”, the mayo is made with pasteurized eggs and as such does NOT need to be refrigerated. That doesn’t mean that I don’t refrigerate; it simply means that I won’t have to in an electricity outage scenario.
Kellene Bishop · April 15, 2013 at 9:52 pm
That’s incorrect, Lisa.
Kellene Bishop · April 15, 2013 at 9:52 pm
That’s incorrect, Lisa.
Cheryl · April 20, 2013 at 2:26 pm
Any reason you can’t use the liquid drained from the 4 cups of canned chicken toward the 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth or water? Can you collect whatever amount of liquid from the chicken and add enough broth or water to make 1 1/2 cups?
Thanks.
Kellene Bishop · April 20, 2013 at 8:02 pm
Not everyone has that much broth or water in there, but using it is exactly what I would do.
Cheryl · April 20, 2013 at 2:26 pm
Any reason you can’t use the liquid drained from the 4 cups of canned chicken toward the 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth or water? Can you collect whatever amount of liquid from the chicken and add enough broth or water to make 1 1/2 cups?
Thanks.
Kellene Bishop · April 20, 2013 at 8:02 pm
Not everyone has that much broth or water in there, but using it is exactly what I would do.
PaleoBabe · April 20, 2013 at 6:52 pm
I’m lucky that I don’t have to worry too much about “meal fatigue”. DH eats anything I put in front of him – as long as it’s not squash, Cornish game hens or anything with bones (ribs, drumsticks, etc.) because he hates paying for “that *$#@%*% bone”. Now that we’ve retired, I’m experimenting with more foods/meals and so far there are only a few on the “both times” list. (Both times means we’ve had/eaten/done it the first AND last time at the same time. ) 🙂 When we first started long term storage, we bought quite a few of the meals in a #10 can. They don’t taste too bad, though a few need some “doctoring” with spices, etc., but I can do as well or better with a hand full or two of pasta, dried onions, carrots, peppers and my home canned Zaycon meats. That’s a real confidence builder!
PaleoBabe · April 20, 2013 at 6:52 pm
I’m lucky that I don’t have to worry too much about “meal fatigue”. DH eats anything I put in front of him – as long as it’s not squash, Cornish game hens or anything with bones (ribs, drumsticks, etc.) because he hates paying for “that *$#@%*% bone”. Now that we’ve retired, I’m experimenting with more foods/meals and so far there are only a few on the “both times” list. (Both times means we’ve had/eaten/done it the first AND last time at the same time. ) 🙂 When we first started long term storage, we bought quite a few of the meals in a #10 can. They don’t taste too bad, though a few need some “doctoring” with spices, etc., but I can do as well or better with a hand full or two of pasta, dried onions, carrots, peppers and my home canned Zaycon meats. That’s a real confidence builder!
carolyn · April 20, 2013 at 11:14 pm
Will try this recipie soon. Need the Uncle Ben’s, water chestnuts, pimento….and I will have all I need to make it.
Want to also stock up on a few Angel Food cake mixes (the ones you just add water to) and canned pineapple so I can make up something sweet from time to time with basically no prep time. May not be as good for you as other things, but the cake sure satisfies the sweet cravings…
Also may try your Emergency Nachos…I have every thing to make those. (using chives from my garden last year, although I saw yesterday that they are coming up again this year)
carolyn · April 20, 2013 at 11:14 pm
Will try this recipie soon. Need the Uncle Ben’s, water chestnuts, pimento….and I will have all I need to make it.
Want to also stock up on a few Angel Food cake mixes (the ones you just add water to) and canned pineapple so I can make up something sweet from time to time with basically no prep time. May not be as good for you as other things, but the cake sure satisfies the sweet cravings…
Also may try your Emergency Nachos…I have every thing to make those. (using chives from my garden last year, although I saw yesterday that they are coming up again this year)
Rvgypsey · April 25, 2013 at 5:17 am
I tried this recipe in my thermal cooker and it worked perfectly! My husband is also a picky eater and he really liked it. I do want to know why you say to only use Miracle Whip instead of mayo though. I bought the MW but haven’t used it in 30 yrs because of mayo preference, don’t know what else I will use it for. I also used the canned chicken juice toward the 1 1/2 c of broth. I also only used two 12 oz cans of chicken, because its just the 2 of us and that was a lot of food, everything else remained the same.
Kellene Bishop · April 25, 2013 at 5:47 pm
There’s a sweetness that the MW brings that the recipe needs that’s not the same as sugar + mayonnaise.
Rvgypsey · April 25, 2013 at 5:17 am
I tried this recipe in my thermal cooker and it worked perfectly! My husband is also a picky eater and he really liked it. I do want to know why you say to only use Miracle Whip instead of mayo though. I bought the MW but haven’t used it in 30 yrs because of mayo preference, don’t know what else I will use it for. I also used the canned chicken juice toward the 1 1/2 c of broth. I also only used two 12 oz cans of chicken, because its just the 2 of us and that was a lot of food, everything else remained the same.
Kellene Bishop · April 25, 2013 at 5:47 pm
There’s a sweetness that the MW brings that the recipe needs that’s not the same as sugar + mayonnaise.
J.Lind.88 · May 9, 2013 at 11:07 pm
Loved the info. on bottled butter, do you think you can do the same to tallow or and lard for preservation as it to is good for good vitamins and nutrient dense?
J.Lind.88 · May 9, 2013 at 11:07 pm
Loved the info. on bottled butter, do you think you can do the same to tallow or and lard for preservation as it to is good for good vitamins and nutrient dense?
Cindy McKenzie · July 15, 2013 at 8:35 pm
This would be a great recipe for all that canned Zaycon chicken! There’s too much salt in this recipe for me though.
Cindy McKenzie · July 15, 2013 at 8:35 pm
This would be a great recipe for all that canned Zaycon chicken! There’s too much salt in this recipe for me though.
cindy baugh · July 15, 2013 at 9:11 pm
I must be doing something wrong with my mayo. I had a few jars that I stored in a cool, dark room Had never been opened.. I am extremely hot natured and keep my house COLD. I opened one that was just 4 months past its expire date. Rancid? It was Hellman’s. I was so disappointed! Any advice?
Kellene Bishop · July 15, 2013 at 9:14 pm
Stop buying Hellmans. 🙂 Just kidding.
cindy baugh · July 16, 2013 at 2:53 am
LOL! Seriously though, is that the problem? The brand I bought? If so, what is a good brand for storage?
cindy baugh · July 15, 2013 at 9:11 pm
I must be doing something wrong with my mayo. I had a few jars that I stored in a cool, dark room Had never been opened.. I am extremely hot natured and keep my house COLD. I opened one that was just 4 months past its expire date. Rancid? It was Hellman’s. I was so disappointed! Any advice?
Kellene Bishop · July 15, 2013 at 9:14 pm
Stop buying Hellmans. 🙂 Just kidding.
cindy baugh · July 16, 2013 at 2:53 am
LOL! Seriously though, is that the problem? The brand I bought? If so, what is a good brand for storage?
Kellene Bishop · July 16, 2013 at 5:43 pm
Nah, I’m just razzing you Cindy. There are SO many possible factors that caused that to happen. I actually purchase Hellman’s for my hubby and Miracle Whip for myself as that’s what I was raised on–however, I’ve now become much more apt to make my mayo from scratch instead of using the MW. The conditions in which they were stored in the warehouse before you bought them is likely the culprit here, just FYI.
Kellene Bishop · July 16, 2013 at 5:43 pm
Nah, I’m just razzing you Cindy. There are SO many possible factors that caused that to happen. I actually purchase Hellman’s for my hubby and Miracle Whip for myself as that’s what I was raised on–however, I’ve now become much more apt to make my mayo from scratch instead of using the MW. The conditions in which they were stored in the warehouse before you bought them is likely the culprit here, just FYI.
cindy baugh · July 17, 2013 at 1:29 am
Good to know. I am getting ready to start making my own mayo too. A mayo made with whey that is supposed a couple of months in the frdge. In a grid down situation, I guess I’ll just have to eat the entire recipe at once. LOL. I do love mayo so I probably could.:)
cindy baugh · July 17, 2013 at 1:29 am
Good to know. I am getting ready to start making my own mayo too. A mayo made with whey that is supposed a couple of months in the frdge. In a grid down situation, I guess I’ll just have to eat the entire recipe at once. LOL. I do love mayo so I probably could.:)
Kellene Bishop · July 17, 2013 at 2:46 am
Cindy if you make it with the pasteurized powdered eggs then it won’t need refrigeration, just FYI.
Kellene Bishop · July 17, 2013 at 2:46 am
Cindy if you make it with the pasteurized powdered eggs then it won’t need refrigeration, just FYI.
Christy Snedeker · September 30, 2013 at 3:02 pm
YUM! I am printing this!
YUM! I am printing this!
Christy Snedeker · September 30, 2013 at 3:02 pm
YUM! I am printing this!
YUM! I am printing this!
Holly · September 30, 2013 at 9:43 pm
Kellene, what a great idea to
Kellene, what a great idea to shop X 12! Thanks for sharing!
Holly · September 30, 2013 at 9:43 pm
Kellene, what a great idea to
Kellene, what a great idea to shop X 12! Thanks for sharing!
Shirley · March 4, 2014 at 3:16 pm
This soynds like the perfect
This soynds like the perfect recie for a my now canned zaycon chicken. Thank you for getting me inspired to can meat. My DH helped with the chicken, and is now hooked on PCing. Sausage and beef are next.
Preparedness Pro · March 5, 2014 at 1:40 am
You better jump on the ground
You better jump on the ground beef, Shirley. Due to the drought and high costs of care, Zaycon was only able to get ONE THIRD of their regular inventory and it’s not because they are a smaller company. They buy in the same sort of volumes that Costco does, so don’t hesitate! Get it while you still can!!
Shirley · March 4, 2014 at 3:16 pm
This soynds like the perfect
This soynds like the perfect recie for a my now canned zaycon chicken. Thank you for getting me inspired to can meat. My DH helped with the chicken, and is now hooked on PCing. Sausage and beef are next.
Preparedness Pro · March 5, 2014 at 1:40 am
You better jump on the ground
You better jump on the ground beef, Shirley. Due to the drought and high costs of care, Zaycon was only able to get ONE THIRD of their regular inventory and it’s not because they are a smaller company. They buy in the same sort of volumes that Costco does, so don’t hesitate! Get it while you still can!!
Janet Robinson · March 4, 2014 at 11:09 pm
Excellent idea of buying in
Excellent idea of buying in 12s! You just solved a major problem!! Thank you!! Love your blog! 🙂
Janet Robinson · March 4, 2014 at 11:09 pm
Excellent idea of buying in
Excellent idea of buying in 12s! You just solved a major problem!! Thank you!! Love your blog! 🙂
Sue · March 7, 2014 at 10:34 pm
Could you share other canned
Could you share other canned/dry style recipes for those of us just starting out? This is a great idea!
Preparedness Pro · March 8, 2014 at 1:57 am
Coming soon!
Coming soon! However, if you put “recipe” in the search bar, you’ll see a lot of the various entries we’ve put up all ready, many of these recipes are exactly the ones I use for my Bucket brigade. 😉
Sue · March 7, 2014 at 10:34 pm
Could you share other canned
Could you share other canned/dry style recipes for those of us just starting out? This is a great idea!
Preparedness Pro · March 8, 2014 at 1:57 am
Coming soon!
Coming soon! However, if you put “recipe” in the search bar, you’ll see a lot of the various entries we’ve put up all ready, many of these recipes are exactly the ones I use for my Bucket brigade. 😉
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