Vacuum Canning (Zombie Meals) - Creamy Noodles with Peas and Mushrooms

My family really enjoys this meal.  It's actually one we make all the time - with real alive food, not the freeze dried kind.  Since they like it so much, I wanted to see if there was a way to recreate it, Zombie style.  Turns out, I can - and - unless they watch me make it, most of them cannot tell the difference.

You can serve it alone, or add some chicken to it for added protein.  I usually serve it with grilled chicken strips stirred in after it's done cooking and a side salad.

Makes 8 servings

2 cups noodles (I use mini penne)

2 cups powdered milk

1 cup powdered butter

1/2 cup flour

2 tbsp parsley flakes

2 tbsp freeze dried garlic OR 1 tbsp garlic powder

2 tsp salt

1 cup freeze dried or dehydrated peas

1 cup freeze dried mushrooms

1 oxygen absorber

Layer the above ingredients into a DRY and STERLISED 1/2 gallon jar, putting the noodles in first so that the powdered material can fall down around them (conserving space).  Top with an oxygen absorber and two part rings.  Seal tightly.  Allow one to three hours to seal and button on lid to 'pop'.

Shelf life of approximately 5 to seven years.

Cooking instructions for label or top of lid:

Bring 9 Cups of water to a rolling boil.  Add the contents of the jar and mix completely.  Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until noodles are tender.   If desired, add chicken and heat through.  Remove pot from heat.  Sauce will continue to thicken on standing. Serve.

If you wanted to cut this in half and use a Quart size jar, you absolutely can do that.  Cut all the above ingredients in half, but use 5 cups of water to prepare.

Enjoy!

Zombie Meals - How To

If you are unsure what a Zombie meal is, please refer to this post.

Now that you're all caught up, I'm going to give you the specifics on what you need to make these meals in a jar for your family food storage, emergency preparedness, or Zombie Mom nights.

(This post contains links to Amazon.com however, these items can also be purchased in many cases locally to you.)

You will need:
Glass Canning Jars in your preferred size.  I use mainly Quart and Half Gallon jars to create meals for my family of 7.
Two part lids for canning jars in the size needed (Regular mouth vs. Wide mouth.)
Oxygen absorbers in the 300CC size.  (I prefer these because they come packaged in groups of 20.  Once a package is opened, they start to lose their effectiveness.)
A Variety of Dehydrated or Freeze Dried Foods.  I use Honeyville, Thrive, and Augason Farms (which can also be found at Wal-Mart stores in limited varieties.
Spices and flavorings as desired.
Measuring implements such as measuring cups and spoons.
A Wide Mouthed Canning Funnel (not required, but VERY helpful)
Your Recipe!

1) The first step is to assemble all the needed items.  Clean, sterilize and COMPLETELY DRY the glass jars before using.  These foods are freeze dried or dehydrated, which is why they have a long shelf life. Moisture is going to be your enemy here.

2) Open the sealed cans of each ingredient and line them up on your counter-top  I typically do this in the order the ingredients appear in the recipe.

3) Using the funnel and the measuring scoops, put the desired ingredients into the jar.  It works best if you put in noodles and other 'chunky' items before the powdered items.  This allows the powder to settle down and around them, allowing you to put more food into the jar, conserving space.  Any delicate foods (for example peas and mushrooms because they crush easily) should be placed on top.

4) Top all the ingredients with an oxygen absorber packet.  If you have a canning device that removes air such as a FoodSaver with lid attachment, that would also work here, but it is not a substitution for the oxygen packet.  All the oxygen MUST be removed from the jar in order to prevent bacteria growth.

5) Assemble the two part lids, and screw them down tightly.

6) After one to two hours, the jars should seal on their own.  The oxygen absorber removes all the oxygen in the jar, creating a vacuum. The lids can be reused, however, the oxygen absorber cannot.

7) Label the jars with instructions for preparing, and then put into your food storage closet (or under the bed, whatever works best for you.)

As I stated, these meals have a long shelf life, usually around 5-7 years (based on the ingredients in the mix), however in our house they don't tend to last that long as we use them regularly (which is also important, because you *should* rotate through your food storage).  In addition, they are healthy, nutritious, and easy to make - meaning less last minute trips for fast food or consuming bowls of cereal on those busy nights.

I'll be posting a recipe for creamy pasta with peas and mushrooms next, which is actually one of our family's favorites!  And, watch for tips on creating your OWN recipes using dehydrated and freeze dried foods.

Enjoy!

Tamara

Zombie Meals In A Jar

If you want to get super technical, I guess the appropriate term is "Meal Ready to Eat" or "Dehydrated Meal" - but my friend Heidi told me they reminded her of Zombies for a few reasons:
1) They are dehydrated and freeze dried, Just like a zombie.
2) You can reanimate them with water late at night when your family is hungry after a long day away from home.
3) They have shelf life of 5 to 7 years and are going to be available to you when the zombie invasion does happen...or you know, when you are late coming home from all the things you do and you need the husband or children to make their own dinner.  (I call this the MOM zombie invasion...super busy moms tend to look like zombies by the end of their days.)

I've learned a lot about freeze dried meal preparation in the last few months.  For instance, freeze dried foods of today taste a whole heck of a lot better than they did in the past.  I'm still pretty wary of the TVP meats, however (freeze dried meats such as hamburger, chicken and ham) but that is a personal preference. I've known several who use and love them.  I also found that there are places you can purchase the ingredients for the meals locally, as well as online, however - did you know that Wal-Mart also carries a line of dehydrated and freeze dried food?

Anyway, I've found several different recipes on the web for creating freeze dried meals in a jar (aka Zombie meals) and while most of them are pretty tasty (and yes, I've added them to my food storage as well) I wanted some meals that closely resembled the things my family likes to eat on a regular basis, so of course I set out to create a few of my own.

Over the next few posts, I'll share some recipes, instructions on how to do this, and creative ways to store them. I'm actually pretty excited about this project.  I've been meaning to ramp up my food storage for a while.  In fact, I've had cans and cans of dried wheat, rice, noodles, carrots, peas, etc. that I've been saving, but in an true emergency, I'm not sure I would of known what to do with them.  This solves that problem.  With these meals in our food storage, I'll no longer have to worry about trying to get my kids to consume an entire 10# can of dried carrots  or apple slices.

Stay tuned!

Tamara

Pumpkin Cookies

It's that time of year.  The time when pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING starts invading our grocery stores, local bakeries, and yes, even Starbucks...or so I've been told.

Of course, there is no law that says you have to wait until Fall to bake pumpkin anything - but I challenge you - does pumpkin stuff not taste better in the autumn?  I say it does.

Lots. Better.

So, on that note ...

PUMPKIN COOKIES!
(The easiest, yummiest, quickest recipe I have.  Hands. Down. Special thanks to my sister Ski who helped me figure it out many moons ago.)

1 box SPICE cake mix
1 small can pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin pie filling...not the same thing, no matter what they tell you...)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips (Semi-sweet are best if you like chocolate.  I use white chocolate chips, because well - I'm allergic to the other ones, and I prefer to have my cookies and live too.)

Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or use a Silpat Non Stick Baking Mat.

Combine all the above ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. 
Using a large cookie scoop (for 3 inch cookies) or a medium scoop (for 2 inch cookies) scoop the cookies out onto the prepared baking sheet leaving about 1 1/2 inches between cookies.

Bake at 325 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookie springs back when touched.

Now, like I said, I make mine with white chocolate chips, because I like them that way.  I've also been known to add candied pecans to the top just before baking.  Either way, they are tasty, and I'm told pretty darn delicious with real chocolate in them too.

Enjoy!

SnickerDoodle Melts

SnickerDoodle Melts

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup shortening (sorry, do not substitute butter. It doesn't work)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg

1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups cake flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp nutmeg

3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Cream together the first five ingredients in the bowl of a mixer.

Combine in a separate bowl, the next five dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, until mixed completely.  You will want a consistency that is slightly more moist than playdough, but not sticky to the touch.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Add 1/2 tsp nutmeg (if desired - and I usually DO desire...)

Roll the cookies in 2 tbsp sized balls in your hands, and then coat in the cinnamon sugar blend.  Place on a cookie sheet (I typically use a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat) and flatten using the bottom of a cup or glass measuring cup until they are 1/2 inch thick.  Keep flattened cookies approximately 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 9 to 10 minutes, or until the tops are puffy and the edges have cracked.  Pull them out of the oven and leave on the baking sheet for five minutes.  Remove to a wire cooling rack. Cool Completely. Eat.

Then eat another.

Pour a glass of milk.

Have one more.

Make another batch, because the family will be angry when they realize that they are all gone.

Enjoy!