Ingredients:
1 can great northern beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 1/4 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 c. favorite salsa or a can of Mexican stewed tomatoes
3 TBSP chocolate syrup
1 TBSP southwest seasoning
1 TBSP chili powder

Directions:
Rinse and drain beans. Combine all ingredients in a slow-cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Special Notes:
The great thing about this chili is it has enough flavor to skip all the refrigerated toppings like cheese and sour cream.

Jan’s Fabulous Food Storage Recipes Converting Stored Foods Into Useable Meals by Jan LeBaron

Background: This book is written by Jan LeBaron, a woman who has life experience I personally can learn from. She was raised in a family of 9, and had 4 kids of her own. She’s always loved learning from her mom how to cook, and she knows so much about the basics and beyond. You can tell just by flipping through her book, she loves cooking REAL food for REAL people. Sometimes recipe books can get a little too fancy for my real life situation – but this one feels normal. On the cover of the book, it says “Converting Stored Foods Into Useable Meals”. I feel that is just what this book does, tells you how to use your stored foods in recipes you will come to love. She also has some great information about beans, grains, and other common food storage items.

What I Liked:

• Lots of sections including- Beverages, Bread, Beans and Bean Flours, Breakfasts, Casseroles, Cheese, Condiments, Cookies, Deserts, Meat, Cooking with TVP, Main Dishes, Mexican Dishes, Whole Grains, Perfect Pasta, Storing, Soups and Stews, Vegetables and Potatoes, Emergency Tips
• Brief education before each section about the types of foods you will be using
• Really gives you ideas for common food storage items
• Recipes for many basics- yogurt, sauces, cheeses, cream soups, condiments
• Helpful tips to make cooking your meals faster (prepare ahead type ideas)
• A TON of recipes – really so many

Favorite Part: I think my favorite part of this book is how many recipes there are for basic necessities you may not ever think of making from scratch. Things like tortillas, pasta noodles, yogurt, cheeses, pasta sauces, condensed soups, mayonnaise and more. In a situation where these items may not be available, I’d definitely pull out this book for a handy guide and resource. In fact, since making them from your own ingredients can be so much healthier (and cheaper), I can see myself learning to use these recipes in everyday life. I also like how regular a lot of the recipes are. I’m not ALL that fancy of a cooker – I get overwhelmed when I see recipes that call for things I have never heard of!

Feedback: Just in case you’re a picture kind of person, I do have to let you know the recipes don’t have pictures- although I really don’t feel like it’s that much of a drawback. The information is so valuable and practical I would recommend this book for sure for those who don’t know what to do with the Food they have stored.

Summary: Jan’s Fabulous Food Storage Recipes is a great book full or recipes and helpful cooking tools. If you already have your food storage, and just don’t know what to do with it – this is a great book for you!

Best Rice Krispie Squaries (courtesy of Grandma Lori)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1 c. corn syrup (karo light)
• 3/4 c. peanut butter
• 2 c. Rice Krispies
• 4 c. Corn Flakes

Directions:
Use a large pot and stir together first three ingredients until melted & smooth. Then stir in the cereal. Spread in a 9×13 pan. EAT! (yes my mom included the EAT direction on the recipe card she gave me, it is the most important item)
 

  

Serving Size: 10 (1 cup) servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (14.5 oz) can Italian diced tomatoes (I used home canned)
• 1 (16 oz) jar/can Salsa or tomato sauce (use salsa for spicier version)
• 1 (14.5 oz) chicken broth
• 1 cup Quaker Quick Barley
• 3 cups water
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can corn, drained
• 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and boiled (can use canned chicken)
• cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot, combine the first 7 ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile boil the chicken in a separate pan. Add bean, corn and chicken to large pot. Increase heat to high until chili comes to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes or until barley is tender. If desired, top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. Makes a huge batch!

Jodi’s Comments:

This was really good! My kids don’t usually like chili but it was more tomato-y instead of spicy. I used tomato sauce not salsa. I also used my own bottled tomatoes so I think it was a little runnier than was intended. It was more like a thick soup instead of a chili. Now I just want to figure out how to altar the recipe to use regular barley instead of quick barley, since that is what i will be storing. I made a box of corn bread with this as I was short on time, but it would be GREAT with our buttermilk cornbread recipe.

This recipe is modified from one found on the back of a Quaker Quick Barley box.

If you want to help vote for Crystal to win the cook off all you need to do is CLICK HERE. The contest finalists are picked by how many times people VIEW the recipe on kutv’s website, so please help support Crystal and her Everyday Food Storage Blog by viewing the recipe and spreading the word to anyone else who loves cooking with their food storage. It’s the least we can do to thank her for providing such a great resource for us food storage nuts!

Serving Size: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1 egg (can use powdered eggs)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (can make with powdered milk)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat.
2. Spray skillet with nonstick spray
3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with a mixer set on medium speed. Mix until smooth, but don’t over mix.
4. Pour the batter by 1/4 – 1/3 cup portions into the hot pan and cook for 1 to 3 minutes per side or until brown. Repeat with remaining batter.

Jodi’s Comments:

These are AMAZING! I used fresh ground whole wheat for the flour, and fresh ground popcorn for the cornmeal. The consistency was light and fluffy and the flavor was great. They were SO delicious, especially with honey drizzled over the top. My kids ate 3 pancakes each!

This is a modified version of IHOP’s Country Griddle Cakes recipe

Leave a comment if you try this recipe and let us know what you think!

Note: Julie made a great instructional video as part of this step, so if you want to put a face to her name you should definitely check it out!