A Couple of New Books I’m Checking Out

Got a hold of a couple of new books I’m excited about.  The first I’m borrowing from a friend.  It is Dinner Is In The Jar: Quick and Easy Dinner Mixes in Mason Jars or Mylar Bags by Kathy Clark.  The book has 30 recipes using mainly dehydrated/dry/food storage ingredients.  The ingredients for each recipe can fit in one or two mason jars (either quart or pint) with any additional needed ingredients (usually cooked chicken or ground beef) noted on the jar label.  The idea is to make up three of each of these recipes and stock the additional ingredients (which aren’t too many) and you’ve got 90 days of dinners stored.  Some of the recipes call for more specialty items like tomato powder or sour cream powder which would be a little investment up front if you don’t have some stocked in your food storage already, but I figured that until I get my sour cream powder here, I can just use real sour cream when I make that recipe for now–just note on the label what you need to add.  You can also substitute ingredients with things you’d like different or add or subtract anything from the recipe to make it something your family would eat.

I’ve looked over the recipes and already found a few my picky family won’t eat without substituting every ingredient out, but even if you don’t do all 90 of these jar type dinners you can have some ready to go meals when you need something fast. And with the instructions on the jar, even sweet husband might be able to cook dinner!  If you put an oxygen absorber in the jar or seal the jar with your Foodsaver jar sealer attachment, they’ll keep fresh for a while so you’ll have dinner when you need it.  It’s a good idea.  We’ll be trying out a few of the recipes in the coming weeks to see what we’d like to stock more of.

The other book is Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Delicious Cheeses by Ricki Carroll.  Cheese making is something I’ve been wanting to try and even have a cheese press I bought last spring, but honestly, it kind of scares me.  This book has a ton of information and helps and troubleshooting tips for making more kinds of cheese than I’ve even heard of from cow’s milk and goat’s milk.  One of these days, maybe when the garden’s all done for the year, I’ll tackle making some cheese and see how it goes.

And it’s been crazy rainy and gray around here the last few days, which have been just right for wanting to curl up on the couch with a good book!

Keep preparing!
Angela