Soft Shell Corn Tacos

This is one of the easiest, yet tastiest meals I remember from my growing up days. It is one my mom used to make often. If you have hamburger already browned and frozen this meal can come together very quickly.

For the filling: Mix 2 cans pork and beans with 1/2 pound of browned hamburger.

Add a little taco seasoning. You can pour in one packet or just buy the large bottle and sprinkle in 1-2 Tbsp depending on how spicy you like it.

I decided to stir in come cooked wheat berries to add fiber and whole grain. I used about 3/4 cup. (You could use quinoa or brown rice in place of the wheat or just leave it out all together. For instructions for cooking the wheat, click here.) Mix and heat through. I always mix it in a glass bowl so it can be heated in the microwave.

Mix the ingredients for the soft corn shells - see recipe below.

Cook like you would crepes. Pour a little in a warm non-stick frying pan and swirl it around so it covers the entire bottom of the pan. Cook on one side and then flip over to cook on the final side.

Place some filling down the center.

Add some shredded cheese.

Roll up.

Top with additional shredded cheese if desired.

It's that simple - kids and adults love them!

Soft Shell Tacos
Shells:	Filling:
2 cups cold water	2 cans pork 'n beans
2 eggs	½ lb hamburger, browned
1 cup corn meal	Taco seasoning
1 cup all-purpose flour	Shredded cheese
¼ tsp salt
Use dried or frozen eggs, if needed. Mix and pour a small amount into a non-stick frying pan. Spread out into a very thin pancake, similar to how you cook crepes. Flip once to complete cooking. Fill with taco filling made from pork ‘n beans and hamburger, seasoned with taco seasoning. Top with shredded cheese before rolling up. These must be eaten with a fork. You cannot pick them up.

Cooking Wheat Berries or Kernals

Cooked wheat is a great way to add the benefits of whole grain to your diet. You can add a little sugar and milk and enjoy it as a hot cereal for breakfast. There are also plenty of other ways to use the cooked wheat. I've been getting a little creative around her adding it to many dishes - the kids are used to my experimenting by now so it doesn't surprise them at all. They also haven't complained so I guess I've picked some good things to add it to so it "hides" well. I've added it to taco filling, chili, salads, and vegetable soups. They've all been really good. I'll get some recipes posted soon that it has worked well in.

Cooking wheat is easy. I store hard, white wheat so it is what I have been cooking. It is nutritionally equal to hard, red wheat but has a milder flavor. I've cooked it in quite a few ways.

Cooking Wheat Berries

On the Stovetop – Combine 1 c. wheat berries and 2 ½ c. water in a saucepan. Cover, bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer on lowest setting. (Just as you would for cooking rice.) Cook until grains are soft—about 1 to 1 ½ hours. You might have to add water to prevent scorching. Just check on it periodically. Cooked wheat berries freeze very well so don't be afraid to cook a large batch.

Crockpot Instructions – Combine 5 cups wheat berries and 10 cups water. Turn on low and leave overnight. My friend's family would eat this for breakfast with a little sugar and milk added. They called them footballs. You can freeze any extra to use in recipes another time.

Thermos Instructions – Put 5 cups wheat berries in a thermos with 10 cups boiling water and leave on the counter overnight. In the morning, you’ll have 15 cups of wheat berries. Freeze any you don’t use. Sometimes, they aren't quite done cooking and the water has cooled down too much. I just pour them out into a pan and heat it back up. They are done in about 10 minutes. This way significantly reduces my "hands-on" time.

How to Test Wheat Berries for Doneness – Test for doneness by removing a grain and tasting. It will be chewy with a soft center. Whole wheat berries stay chewier than rice. You can substitute them for almost all the recipes that require rice. Try to remember that wheat berries take longer to cook and need a little more liquid than rice. For more flavor, try cooking the berries in chicken broth or vegetable juices.

Freezing Wheat Berries – Wheat berries freeze very well once they are cooked. Be sure to cook up a large batch and freeze for later use. I just put the cooked wheat berries in freezer ziplock bags marked with the date. They last for 1 year in the freezer.

 Stretching Your Hamburger with Wheat Berries – Cook wheat berries and allow to cool. If desired, grind with a meat grinder. This will give them the appearance and texture of ground beef. Combine equal parts ground wheat berries and hamburger in your frying pan. The hamburger with the highest fat content will give the wheat berries more of a meaty flavor. Cook together to season your wheat and use in recipes calling for hamburger. You can do this same thing with ground turkey or sausage. Ground wheat berries store very well in the freezer. I keep some on hand and add them to meat whenever I am cooking up a big batch. Once the meat is cooked, I freeze the wheat/meat combination to make dinner prep go quickly another night. It makes a healthier meal and stretches our food budget as well. You could use other whole grains in the same way. I think I would try quinoa or brown rice. 

 
A Word of Caution – Whole wheat is very high in fiber compared to what most people are used to. Switching to whole wheat all at once can upset your digestive tract and make you uncomfortable. As with any major food change, add it to your diet gradually over time and you will adjust just fine. 

Maple Bars

Maple bars are a favorite at our house! The preschoolers and I will make them for an after school snack and they are devoured within a matter of minutes. They are also easy to make ahead and have in the freezer for a quick and easy breakfast treat. School friends often request that we bring them for parties and snack days because they have learned to love them as well.

Any basic bread dough recipe will work fine. My recipe is below. I like to add 1 tsp of cinnamon to the dry ingredients for extra flavor. I also always do them with 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour to get the added nutrition of the whole grain. Once your dough has completed the first rise, punch it down.

Roll it out so it is about 1/2 inch thick.

Cut into bars using a pizza cutter.

Place on a baking tray.

Spray the tops with Pam so they won't dry out as they rise.

Cover with a towel and allow to rise for about 20 minutes. Bake at 375° F 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

While rising or baking, make the maple icing. Mix 3 cups powdered sugar with 2 Tbsp butter or margarine and 1 tsp maple flavoring. Add 1-2 tsp milk to thin to the right consistency.

Here it is all ready to spread.

Here is the pan of bars all baked to a golden brown.

Place bars on a wire rack to cool. Brush the tops of the bars with melted butter - my shortcut is to just rub the stick of butter on top of the hot bars. Frost those that you will be eating right away. Freeze leftover bars without icing in a ziplock bag or freezer container. Frost them once you thaw them out. The icing will stay good in the fridge for quite a few weeks.

Oh, so good!

Basic Bread Dough
3 + cups bread flour	1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp gluten flour	1 Tbsp yeast
3 Tbsp dry milk powder	2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp sugar	1 ¼ cups hot water
Mix according to basic bread making instructions (found here). I always do ½ white and ½ wheat flour. Cover and allow to rise until double in size. Shape and bake as desired. Maple Bars: Add an additional 2 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon to the above recipe. After the first rise, roll dough out to about ½-inch thickness and cut with a pizza cutter into rectangles. Place on a greased baking sheet. Allow to rise for about 20 minutes. Bake at 375° F for 10–15 minutes or until lightly browned. Frost with maple icing and enjoy! I always triple the batch and freeze any extra before frosting. Pull them out of the freezer at night and frost in the morning for a quick breakfast treat or serve for a fun after school snack. Maple Icing: Mix with a hand mixer 3 cups powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp margarine or butter, 1 tsp maple flavoring and just a bit of milk (1–2 tsp).

Homemade Grape Juice

Last Fall we had a neighbor call and offer us her grapes. She planted them years ago when her kids were all home and she doesn't use the juice nearly so quickly any more with just her and her husband at home. I've learned that when people know that you will use the fruit, they offer it free all the time. Most people don't like to see things go to waste so they love to share if they aren't going to get to preserving it themselves. Grape juice is about the easiest thing to preserve. My parents grow grapes and so I always grew up with homemade juice. I knew it was easy to do. So the kids and I went over to pick the grapes.

The first step is to wash the grapes and break off most of their stems. Then place them in the top of a steam juicer.

Fill the bottom pan with water and bring to a boil. We always do ours on the back porch.

For a great step-by-step tutorial, check out this article.

Now we are enjoying our work. To make grape juice, pour the bottle of concentrated juice into a picture. 

Add 1 1/2 to 2 jars of water. This depends on the grapes from year to year. Some years they have a stronger flavor than others. The key is to do it to taste.

Add sugar or whatever other sweetener you prefer, again do it to taste.

Stir to combine and then serve.

This quart of concentrate made 3 quarts of juice.

We bottled up 36 quarts from what we picked so we will be able to enjoy grape juice for lots of meals before we run out. It also makes delicious grape jelly and syrup. 

If you are looking for something that is easy to grow, maintain, and preserve give grapes a try.

Free Class Today

Just a quick reminder for any of you who live locally and would like to come -

I have been asked to present some classes at a local preparedness store one day each month. Food 2 Store is located on Fairview just west of Eagle Rd (by Seagull Book.) These classes are free to the public so tell your friends and family - it would be fun to have a large group there! (Disclaimer: I don't work for the store. I teach classes on a volunteer basis only.)

Wednesday, January 23rd 1:00 p.m.

Preparing a 3-month Food Storage Meal Plan

Are you ready to begin collecting food storage for your family and just don't know where to begin? Do you already have a lot of food storage but you're not quite sure how you would use it to actually feed your family? This class is designed to answer your questions on basic storable items as well as provide you with the opportunity to put together an individualized meal plan that will be tailored to your family and situation. Each participant will leave with a personal meal plan filled out and a shopping/inventory list started to make it easy to keep your resolution this year! Many recipes will be shared and a tasting table with samples of storable meals and snacks will be provided. Space is limited so reserve your spot today by emailing or calling Food 2 Store. (208) 475-1300

Transformation of the Master Bedroom

We've lived in our house for nearly 4 years. When we bought the house it needed a lot of work. We knew we could do the work a little at a time and decided it was worth it to get the space the home would give both inside and outside - it sits on an acre which we have loved and which has also brought plenty of projects. We have been slowly checking off those projects - sometimes I have to take time to remind myself what we have finished because I get discouraged looking at what still needs to be done.

Anyway, it is finally time that we are getting to the master bedroom! Woohoo! Painting is not hard to do - there are a few tricks we have learned over the years that make it quicker and easier though. It is worth paying more for better paint. You will pay more up front, but you can do a good job with less coats and it lasts many more years on the wall without chipping or looking dingy. So pick a color you like since it will look good for 8-10 years. Use the green frog tape that they have recently come out with. It really stops the paint from bleeding under so you can have a nice crisp line. Put down plenty of drop cloths (old sheets work fine) and use good rollers and brushes. Again these will cost you more upfront, but will give you better results and you can rinse them out and re-use for many painting projects.

We needed to paint the ceiling since the previous family had attempted painting, but left it very streaky and in need of a second or third coat. They also didn't leave any color match paint so we just started over. Thankfully, my husband is tall and could paint it pretty easily with just an extension arm on the roller. 

The room had been the pretty, aqua blue color that is so "in" right now. I didn't mind the color, but it was flat paint which shows every fingerprint and doesn't wash up well. It also was streaky and needed additional coats, but, alas, no color match paint was left. In the end, I chose a whole other color scheme.

We tried out a few colors behind my night stand and decided on two - a darker green/gray color for the bottom third and a lighter color for the top. I already have a couple of bedspread options that will both look really good with these wall colors.

My goal is a light, bright feel to our room. I think we're getting there. My kids all love a chance to help - they were troopers. It feels good to have kids getting old enough to help.

Here it is painted with chair rail added. The colors look so crisp and new. The next step is crown molding. I'm getting excited at how well it is coming together! With the help of my husband and kids, we saved a few hundred dollars by doing the work ourselves. More pictures will come as I get it all completed. My job is all the calking and filling of nail holes - my husband passed that to me many years ago. He claims it is because my fingers are smaller - I think it's mostly that I have more patience for the finishing details. Whatever the reason, I'm just grateful that he's so willing to help me out. (Even with all of his help, it still takes way longer to finish than I ever hope since that rest of life has to happen too.)

Embellished Sweatshirt

I found this plain pink sweatshirt on clearance for $1 a few months ago. It was a little big for my youngest so I put it in hiding for a few months waiting for Christmas. I had my oldest daughter, Sarah, use some ribbon I already had in the closet to embellish this and give it a whole different character- a little more fun than just plain pink. We gave it to Emma for Christmas. It really was very simple to do.

Pin the ribbon on in the pattern you want - use lots of pins to hold it in place. Then beginning at the center, sew the ribbon in place, removing pins as you go. It took less than 20 minutes from start to finish.