Monday Message

"Though you may feel that no one can understand the depth of your despair, our Savior, Jesus Christ, understands." Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I know things are very hard right now, we just need to push on and keep staying the course. Just do the best we can.

Gus says he would gladly share his mouse with you.

I read how the mail delivery people needed masks so this is the mask I made for our mailman.

I have been busy making masks for donation to our hospitals. Our governor had requested all who could sew to make masks to donate to the medical facilities all over the state of Iowa. So far over 10,000 masks have been collectively made but way more are needed.

By now you are probably having to be creative with just about everything...

So I thought it would be a good idea to revisit bread-making.

This is the best recipe I use for bread-making from my friend Liza. See the whole cookbook here - http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2019/08/monday-message.html for a whole bunch of different ways to use this recipe including cinnamon rolls and garlic knots and more!!

To make bread flour you use a tsp of vital wheat gluten per cup of all purpose flour, it's also the same for wheat flour.

If you do not have this you can use just flour. Now keep in mind wheat will be heavy without though, also you can use white and wheat together as well.

If you do not have a bread machine just do it by hand.

Having called in an order to be picked up at Walmart, I had an opportunity to look up several items. There is no flour, no yeast, no rice, and no toilet paper just to name a few...and what they did have of other items they limited them to two. This makes me wonder about families larger than ours, do they have to go more often? I do not know.

Plus, there is only so much money in bank accounts.

If you have wheat stored but no grinder...this is the best pancake recipe - https://www.food.com/recipe/blender-whole-wheat-pancakes-233470  

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pancake-syrup/ - this is helpful if you do not have syrup. Remember, peanut butter, jams and jellies, butter with brown sugar sprinkled over top, are good options for toppings too. If you are low on bread, use leftover pancakes and just spread with peanut butter and then roll up. Try to make pancake shapes for the kids to make for fun for them. Also, let the littles help you mix them up. Try putting chocolate chips or raisins in or for eyes on pancake, bears, or smiley faces.

Also use powdered milk, mix it up and put it in the refrigerator for easy using. If you use powdered milk dry, add it to dry ingredients and water with liquids.

One other thing that I noticed that Walmart did not have was garden seed, I am hearing they are hard to find. So I gathered what I did have together and I was surprised to find I had more than I thought...

I forgot that I picked up some from the Dollar Tree before all this started, also I saved seed. So gather what seeds you have. I planted in the house in pots. I did tomato and peppers, both were nine years old. The tomatoes are doing good but the peppers did not so I planted them with the new seeds I forgot I had gotten.

Having done this, I thought I would go ahead and plant seeds that I usually just put in the ground. I had some little clay pots I had as a decoration and planted cucumbers and squash, etc. in them. I have some plastic cups I had from long ago from when our kids were visiting that I will save for when I need to thin the tomato plants. I will put a hole in the bottom and fill them with dirt and save the thinned plants.

This would be a good year to put seeds in the ground. We do not have a tiller but we have shovels and I will just do spots here and there, so just do what you can. I took out sprouting potatoes I hung onto with plans to plant, so go look at your potatoes and see if any are looking back at you, then plant them in the ground.

Our frost date here in Iowa is May 15, that is when we should plant outside but potatoes can go in now.

Take a look at what food you have then look for ways to stretch it.

Let's call or email our friends and family and seniors, think who could use a check up on and make it so. There is one thing not on the shortage list and that is love.

Missy says stay safe and stay well.

Peach Cobbler (but you could use any canned fruit)

Melt one stick of butter or margarine in a 9x13 pan in your preheating 350 degree oven, meanwhile in a bowl mix...
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
In a measuring cup put three tbsp powdered milk and the juice of two reg size cans of peaches. Pour this into the dry ingredients, mix well and pour over that melted margarine or butter, then take the peaches and put them over the top. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and bake thirty minutes.