Gather everything you need to get started, including some helpers.	Chop off the tops of the berries and any gross parts (2 quarts = 1 batch).
Chop up the berries. Oh how I love my imitation slap chop. Although it IS falling apart so I might have to splurge for a REAL one soon!	Pour the beautiful chopped berries into a large pot and start cooking (if you like chunkier jam you can mash the berries with a potato masher first).
Pour in 1/4 c. lemon juice (some recipes don’t call for this).	Add the pectin.
Add 1/2 tsp. of butter to reduce the foaming.	If you like smooth jam like my family, puree it with a Bamix at this step (I love my Bamix too!)
While you wait for the strawberries to come to a boil, measure out 7 cups of sugar into a bowl. (Yes SEVEN!)	Now take a well-deserved quick break and enjoy an ice cold diet coke. This step is mandatory at my house.
Dump the whole bowl of sugar in at once. Bring back to a boil and stir for 1 minute while it boils.	Meanwhile, sterilize your jar lids on the stove and try to ignore the fact that my burner looks freakishly purple.
Remove the pot from the stove and pour the delicious jam into sterilized jars. One batch makes about 4 small jars.	Add the lids and rings and wait for them to pop to know they are sealed. Isn’t this just a beautiful site?

While I didn’t include this part, you should make sure to water bath can your finished jars according to the directions on your pectin package or in your canning guide. This will make sure your jam is properly preserved for long term storage.

Happy jam-making!

Cowboy Delight – Mexican Casserole

Ingredients:
1 family size package Kraft macaroni and cheese
(I used 3 C macaroni, 1/2 C powdered cheese, 6 tsp butter, 6 tsp of powdered milk)
½ lb. lean hamburger (or turkey), browned
½ onion, chopped (can use dehydrated onion flakes)
1 can chili with beans
1 can tomato soup
1 T. chili powder
1 can corn
cheddar cheese, cubed (optional)
fritos (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º. Cook kraft dinner according to directions in large pot. Meanwhile, brown hamburger with onion. Add to kraft dinner with remaining ingredients. Heat through. Pour into casserole dish and top with fritos. Cover and bake 30 minutes

My husband actually said he thought the noodles done this way was a little yummier. I also didn’t have a can of chili with beans- so I just put in a can of red beans and chili seasoning instead. It worked out just fine. Oh and also, the butter in the macaroni and cheese can be substituted with 1/4 C of butter powder – I just skip the butter altogether, but once I gave Jodi mac and cheese without butter and she spit it out- so in case you wanted to know- you can use powdered butter in mac and cheese too. This meal could also be made without meat and cheese for a “completely” shelf stable ingredients meal.

Homemade Applesauce Recipe and Canning Instructions

Step 1: Get your pot ready

I used my biggest pot and put a little water in the bottom to keep the apples from sticking. As I peeled the apples I just started throwing them in to start cooking.

Step 2: Peel a TON of apples

I used my handy dandy apple peeler which the kids thought was WAY fun to help with. If you don’t have one of these peelers, you can always try the method which Kaila’s husband came up with. Check out this video, it’s hilarious. Just as a reference, I used about 14 pounds of apples (before coring/peeling) and it netted 5 quarts of applesauce.

Step 3: Cook up those apples

By the time we were done peeling all the apples the first ones were really well cooked. I just let the whole thing cook for about 10 more minutes to make sure they were all soft.

Step 4: Prepare your canner and jars

While the apples were cooking I ran my bottles in the dishwasher to sterilize them. I also filled up my canner and started to boil the water. Lastly, I started some small pots of water boiling to sterilize my lids and rings. If you are new to canning, I would HIGHLY recommend getting a Home-Canning Kit to get all the tools you need to do proper canning. If you don’t have a canner or jars yet you can buy an all-in-one kit which will include EVERYTHING you need to get started!

Step 5: Make the applesauce!

Once the apples were all soft, I used my hand-me-down 1970’s-style baymix to puree them. I’m not sure why I call it a baymix but that is what my mom always called it when I was growing up. I couldn’t find the exact one online to show you, but I absolutely LOVE mine. Some of these hand blenders look similar but I can’t vouch for them. You could also use a food processor or even a blender to do the pureeing. But the baymix was SO easy because I could do it straight in the pan. At this point you can add any seasonings you want. I added 2 cups of sugar but could have gotten away with just one. Ours turned out really sweet and delicious. Some people like to add cinnamon or other things but I prefer to just add those when we eat it.

Step 6: Pour the applesauce into jars and seal ‘em up

Use a funnel as this can get really messy. I ladled the applesauce in leaving about 1/2 an inch of space at the top of the jars. Then I used my tongs to pull out a lid and ring for each jar. Try not to touch these things with bare hands as you don’t want them to get unsterilized. Screw the ring on tight once the lid is on.

Step 7: Put your jars into your canner and boil (make sure the water goes ABOVE the jars. I added more after this picture.

As I filled each jar I would put it into the canner. As you put more jars in the water level rises, so you don’t need to start with the canner all the way full. Once I had all 5 jars in I filled up to the neck level of my jars with hot water. You have to wait until the water is boiling before you start timing. Let it boil for 20 minutes and then remove the jars. Way easy huh?

Step 8: ENJOY! (my kids sure did)

For more canning recipes and ideas we recommend the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. I got it from my mother-in-law for a gift and I use it a TON!

Fruit and Yogurt Smoothies

Serving Size: 2 large glasses
Prep Time: 5 minutes (if you make a bunch of baggies ahead of time)

Ingredients (if you skip the sugar, they’re actually REALLY healthy):

• 3/4 cup of frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup of frozen peaches or rasberries
• 1 cup of powdered milk prepared
• 5 ice cubes of fat-free strawberry yogurt (or any other kind)
• Some of sugar if you think it needs it (I try not to)

*instead of water for the liquid part of the milk, you can use juice for the flavor, and the powder to make it creamy!

Directions:

1. Pour milk into blender
2. Add fruit, blend
3. Add yogurt cubes, blend
4. Add sugar, blend
5. Eat with a spoon, or drink with a straw

Directions to prepare a bunch of smoothies for the go ahead of time:

1. Buy a 8-10 ziploc baggies
2. Buy bags of your favorite frozen fruits (I did 2 strawberry, 1 peach, 1 blueberry)
3. Divide up your fruit into the baggies
4. Divide a large container of yogurt into ice cube containers and freeze
5. Once frozen place 5 yogurt cubes into each ziploc bag
6. Put bags into the freezer and use them up as you wish, all you’ll need to add is the milk and sugar.

SO – ASK YOURSELF DO I HAVE DRY MILK IN MY FOOD STORAGE?:

Click here to get your box today – because let’s be honest if you’re anything like me, you’ll forget next time you are at the store. As we discovered when we interviewed Crystal, the author of I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage … powdered milk is a GREAT food storage item to start using in your everyday cooking.