Monday Message

"I wish to urge again the importance of self-reliance on the part of every individual Church member and family. None of us knows when a catastrophe might strike. Sickness, injury, unemployment may affect any of us. We have a great welfare program with facilities for such things as grain storage in various areas. It is important that we do this. But the best place to have some food set aside is within our homes, together with a little money in savings. The best welfare program is our own welfare program. Five or six cans of wheat in the home are better than a bushel in the welfare granary." (President Gordon B. Hinckley)

We had another snow storm this week.

I waited for that snowplow to take the picture. I could hear it coming. I know some of you are having summer right now so sending some of our winter to you.

At this time of year the great thing is it doesn't last long. Looking forward to spring. Having storage means staying in instead of running to the store in such weather. I am adding my from scratch chocolate chip cookie recipe for you to enjoy...

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c. margarine or butter

1/2 c. plus 1/3 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

Mix this well and add:

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Then I really cream this together, all of it so far, maybe three to four minutes.

Then add:

3 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Mix just enough to incorporate it, stop and add:

12 oz. package chocolate chips

Half to one cup chopped nuts, either walnuts or pecans (if you have picky kids, you can leave out or take out half and add nuts to the other half).

Drop then bake at 350 degrees till golden.

We all love these. You can add the dough on plastic wrap in a log and roll in tinfoil, label it and freeze, then when wanted, pull out of the freezer, slice and bake. When the kids were home I doubled the recipe and froze logs of cookie dough. I made sure the kids got cookies when they got home from school. One little friend said how do you know how to do so many different ones? Tooo cute.

Nothing like softening the blow of homework with yummy cookies.

Cooking from scratch is such a cheaper thing to do. I once had a doctor tell me if people made their own bread we could reduce mental illness...I do not know if she meant kneading it was a way to work out aggression or the chemicals that are in store bought, wish I would have asked. But one thing for sure, it is cheaper to make it from scratch.

I know that we can be very busy people and it is hard to find time but it is a blessing to have that skill and use it, plus when you make bread little yeast buddies escape to help make your bread rise even better the next time. 

Store the ingredients to be able to make bread. I store my yeast in the freezer and I keep a quart jar in the refrigerator as my using jar. I fill it from the yeast in the freezer and before you ask, I use it straight out of the refrigerator or freezer. It works just as well either way.

I store all-purpose flour in five gallon buckets labeled and dated. I keep two bay leaves in each bucket, I put them on top of flour before adding the lid. I also store wheat berries in five gallon buckets, same thing with two bay leaves on top then put on the lid, date, and label. 

I also store vital wheat gluten and all the ingredients to make breads of many kinds as well as make jams and jellies to have on the bread. 

For many many years I would get bread pans at yard sales. Back then the going price was ten cents, every sale I went to ten cents, makes you wonder if there was some rule, but I picked them up. Go price a bread pan now at the store. it will make your eyes bleed. I can see why people think it would cost more but even today's price on pans will save you money each time you use them. They are not throw away products you use them over and over and over all your life. Spread that cost out for all those times and it saves money.

Also, if you are able get a bread machine for a few dollars at thrift stores or yard sales this is a great thing to have as well. Plug it in though before purchasing it. Start the machine by going to the dough setting. You should hear a whir whir whir then you know it works. I like it for making one loaf of bread worth of dough. I use the dough setting then shape it, rise and bake. Have to say though when it is horridly hot I do go ahead and bake it in the machine to not heat up the kitchen or if I have many loaves I don't use it. I wait for the bread to cool then I use an electric knife to slice it all at once.

Do some deep dives into your recipe box. Find the cheapest recipes you have and put them into regular use. Find ways to stretch what you have and when you get groceries pick up cheaper options like dried beans over canned beans and plain rice over mixes as you can make your own mix and have it for casseroles and cereal.

Research cheaper ways of doing things. Pretty soon will be time to plant seeds to be ready to transplant to your garden.

Crackers are easy to make as well - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqiATrO5oeE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0gJJIrx03w&t=1s. - here she shows how to make noodles, she does say you don't have to use the mixer.

Yes, you can make your own noodles, they are way better than store bought.

Well, the puzzle is all put together. We love to start a puzzle around Christmas and work on it as long as it takes. I picked up this puzzle at the thrift store and was sooo glad all the pieces were there.

I was able to stop in at the thrift store this week and found a pattern. Look for that v-neck in the future, only longer. That is the beauty of sewing is making things you want.

As you know I love to collect cookie presses to use...

Here are my cookie presses. I only ever got them used I would not even know where to look for them new.

My other find was this...

I found these all in bag cookie presses. How cute are they? One looks like a sunflower. It reminded me of a lady who brought snicker doodles into the library. She was excited to tell us what she used to press on the cookie that gave such a cute flower design when they were baked. It was an empty plastic thread spool. If you take the sticker off the end it makes a great cookie press. I don't even remember how I came to collect the presses in the bowl. I am sure they were probably in with other kitchen items as I would not even know what they were. But by and by they were dirt cheap at yard sales. My favorite one is the one on top of a hot cocoa.

Today I started my next spinning project...

This braid came from a store no longer in business, sadness :(

I opened it up then split it lengthwise...

Once I do that I pull on it to loosen fibers then put in these bundles.

Then I started spinning. The spinning wheel was a gift from my sister a few years ago.

I am still working on sock tubes here I am doing the toe on this one.

Missy says it is very important now to to find frugal ways and to build your storage and to build those skills.