Coffee Can Cookery
2 Strips bacon
1 Med. potato,sliced
1 Med. onion,sliced
1 Med. tomato,sliced
2 Stalks celery
1/3 lb Ground beef
1 Carrot
Salt and pepper to taste
Coffee can and lid
Cut carrot in half lengthwise. Cut celery and carrot into 2" lengths.
Cut bacon in half. Mold 2 meat patties. Place 2 pieces of bacon on
bottom of can. Place layers of all ingredients. Repeat. Place
closed coffee can on top of glowing coals for 25 min. Open lid and
check after 10 minutes, if browning too rapidly, pour 2 Tb. of water in
can.
Download our free toolbar
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Box Oven
Box Oven
1 Brick (or flat rock)
1 pk Aluminum foil,heavy-duty
1 Corrugated cardboard box
1 Metal pie pan,old
3 Coat hangers
4 Charcoal briquets,lit
1. Cover the inside and outside of the box completely with 3 or 4
layers of aluminum foil, including the flaps. Lay box on level ground so
that the opening opens oven-style (front-door style is OK, too).
2. Straighten the coat hangers, then run them through the sides of
the box about 2/3 of the way up from the bottom to form a rack.
3. Set brick in bottom. Place live coals into pie pan/pie plate. Put
pan on brick (don't forget, the PIE PAN IS HOT! Use an oven mitt or
hot pad).
4. Place food to be cooked onto coat-hanger rack and close oven door.
Watch carefully, checking often. Each live coal makes about 80
degrees Fahrenheit.
Download our free toolbar
1 Brick (or flat rock)
1 pk Aluminum foil,heavy-duty
1 Corrugated cardboard box
1 Metal pie pan,old
3 Coat hangers
4 Charcoal briquets,lit
1. Cover the inside and outside of the box completely with 3 or 4
layers of aluminum foil, including the flaps. Lay box on level ground so
that the opening opens oven-style (front-door style is OK, too).
2. Straighten the coat hangers, then run them through the sides of
the box about 2/3 of the way up from the bottom to form a rack.
3. Set brick in bottom. Place live coals into pie pan/pie plate. Put
pan on brick (don't forget, the PIE PAN IS HOT! Use an oven mitt or
hot pad).
4. Place food to be cooked onto coat-hanger rack and close oven door.
Watch carefully, checking often. Each live coal makes about 80
degrees Fahrenheit.
Download our free toolbar
Friday, February 20, 2009
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Working with neighbors can save lives and property. Meet with your neighbors
to plan how the neighborhood could work together after a disaster until help
arrives. If you're a member of a neighborhood organization, such as a home
association or crime watch group, introduce disaster preparedness as a new
activity. Know your neighbors' special skills (e.g., medical, technical) and
consider how you could help neighbors who have special needs, such as disabled
and elderly persons. Make plans for child care in case parents can't get home.
Download our free toolbar
to plan how the neighborhood could work together after a disaster until help
arrives. If you're a member of a neighborhood organization, such as a home
association or crime watch group, introduce disaster preparedness as a new
activity. Know your neighbors' special skills (e.g., medical, technical) and
consider how you could help neighbors who have special needs, such as disabled
and elderly persons. Make plans for child care in case parents can't get home.
Download our free toolbar
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Make A Braided Rug !
This is a great craft that will use up your fabric scraps and keep your floor warm.
Use old clothes and scrap fabric to make these.
1. Cut strips of cloth approx. 3 inches wide. Sew three strips together at one end to start. Braid these together. t helps to anchor your braid on a chair or something.
2.Keep braiding. As you get to the end of the strips sew on a new one.
3.To make your rug coil one end of the braid into a tight circle. Sew the edges together with strong thread.
4. Keep coiling and adding on to your strips till you get the size braid you want. When you are all done sew the end down.
Here are some great links on making braided rugs:
Make a braided area rug
Make a braided rug
Download our free toolbar
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Make Your Own Heating Pad
Rice Bags are cloth bags filled with raw rice and heated in a microwave. You can use them
just as you would a heating pad. They have the advantage of being able to be made in any
size such as long and narrow for wrapping around a sore neck. Being that they cool down
on their own you need not worry about dropping off to sleep while using one of these bags.
I have given the basic instructions for a square rice bag, but as you will see it will be very
easy to make one in any size or shape that you choose to make.
Inner Bag
Cut a rectangle 9" x 18" out of 100% cotton muslin
(poly blends could melt in microwave)
Fold in half and sew a 1/2" seam as shown at left. Be sure
to leave opening in top for filling. Fill bag 2/3 full of rice
(must be raw rice not instant) Stitch opening closed.
Bag Cover
Out of 100% cotton decorative fabric cut one, 9" square and 2
pieces 6" x 9". Turn under one edge of each of the 6" x 9" pieces
as shown.
With right sides together place the 2 6" x 9" pieces on top of the
9" square. The two smaller pieces will overlap a bit. Sew all the
way around as shown.
Turn right side out and place rice bag inside of cover.
Using your Rice Bag
Place your rice bag (without cover) into microwave and heat 2-3 minutes.
The time will vary depending on the microwave. Start at 2 minutes and if
its not hot enough increase by 30 seconds till you get the desired warmth.
The rice bag should stay warm for about 15 to 20 minutes which is the
recommended amount of time for heat therapy. Place the cover on your
bag and apply to where it hurts. You can wash your cover but NOT the
rice bag itself.
TIP: Use a little dried potpourri in the bag with the rice to give off a
pleasant aroma while you warm away those sore muscles.
Download our free toolbar
just as you would a heating pad. They have the advantage of being able to be made in any
size such as long and narrow for wrapping around a sore neck. Being that they cool down
on their own you need not worry about dropping off to sleep while using one of these bags.
I have given the basic instructions for a square rice bag, but as you will see it will be very
easy to make one in any size or shape that you choose to make.
Inner Bag
Cut a rectangle 9" x 18" out of 100% cotton muslin
(poly blends could melt in microwave)
Fold in half and sew a 1/2" seam as shown at left. Be sure
to leave opening in top for filling. Fill bag 2/3 full of rice
(must be raw rice not instant) Stitch opening closed.
Bag Cover
Out of 100% cotton decorative fabric cut one, 9" square and 2
pieces 6" x 9". Turn under one edge of each of the 6" x 9" pieces
as shown.
With right sides together place the 2 6" x 9" pieces on top of the
9" square. The two smaller pieces will overlap a bit. Sew all the
way around as shown.
Turn right side out and place rice bag inside of cover.
Using your Rice Bag
Place your rice bag (without cover) into microwave and heat 2-3 minutes.
The time will vary depending on the microwave. Start at 2 minutes and if
its not hot enough increase by 30 seconds till you get the desired warmth.
The rice bag should stay warm for about 15 to 20 minutes which is the
recommended amount of time for heat therapy. Place the cover on your
bag and apply to where it hurts. You can wash your cover but NOT the
rice bag itself.
TIP: Use a little dried potpourri in the bag with the rice to give off a
pleasant aroma while you warm away those sore muscles.
Download our free toolbar
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Oil Lamps Are Great!
Have an oil lamp in every room! They are great for light. We use them all of the time, even though we have electric. Put them in safe places and to where they cannot be knocked over. I also have to keep them up to where my toddler cannot get to them or knock them over when he is throwing toys!Oil lamps are pretty bright and not hard to use. You can get them pretty much anywhere. Most of mine I have gotten at yard sales and thrift stores. I keep a box of wicks on hand and oil lamp fuel! Now we are never in the dark!
Download our free toolbar
Monday, February 16, 2009
Stockpile Money Too!
This is one thing that we are finding out while my husband is laid off - WE NEED TO STOCKPILE MONEY TOO! We have tons of food and other stuff , but the money is slowly dwindling away. His unemployment is taking so long to start getting and we are just living off of savings! Which we are finding out was not a lot. It seemed like a lot when we had money coming in , but with no income it is not a lot. This will be my first thing to work on when we start working again and have money coming in. At least we have food and all of our needs.
Download our free toolbar
Download our free toolbar
Thursday, February 5, 2009
When to start planting your garden
I have been getting all of my catalogs and ordering seeds for my garden. Next I needed to figure out when to plant the darn things. I found this LINK that was very helpful. Shows all of the seeds that I am going to be planting. I think sometime next week though I am going to start some of them indoors. Just a little experiment I want to do to see how well ones I start early do compared to ones that I just plant straight into the ground. I also want to grow some inside in containers and find out how hard it would be to have an indoor "garden". If I can get good with an indoor "garden" than we could have herbs and veggies all year around.
Download our free toolbar
Download our free toolbar
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Wordless Wednesday!
This is an almost Wordless Wednesday!
I cannot remember where I saw this , but I think that it is awesome. I would love to make one for us. It is a solar shower.
Download our free toolbar
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Power Outage Survival Kit
This past week has been a very trying time for us in Southern Indiana and in Kentucky. There have been a lot of power outages and hundreds of thousands are still without power. I found the below article and wanted to share it. Always remember , that if you have to get out the kerosene heater to use it safely. Here is a link to a site that has some great tips for using a kerosene heater - Kerosene Heater Safety
As usual your power outage kit must be ready to deploy with you should the need arise therefore I have found it best to assemble my kit within a backpack of some sort. Hanging your kit on a door hook behind the kitchen door or a close by bedroom door is a smart trick and assures that it is readily available in the dark should it be needed.
Items which I always consider keeping in the kit would include:
1. A battery operated or hand cranked radio complete with extra batteries.
2. A Clock which operates on battery power. I have combined both the hand cranked radio and a clock in one unit I have purchased however sometimes the clock loses its time when the battery is weak so I highly advise keeping a battery clock handy.
3. Now this next item is very important. Keep a non cordless telephone in your power outage bag to connect directly to the telephone line. Portable telephones will not function when you have no power available. I also maintain a cell phone however needless to say the numbers are different so I try to maintain both on hand for emergencies.
4. You can never have enough lanterns or flashlights along with their associated extra batteries. This is also a function of my cranking radio-clock but we try to maintain a flashlight or lantern in every room of our home. This will prevent accidental falls in the dark
5. Several 6 to 12 hour light sticks are useful for keeping in your black out kit also. They are a lot of fun also for the kids.
6. A digital quick response food thermometer is a useful addition to your kit. Perishable food temperatures should not reach above 40 degrees for more then a 2 hour period. Use this thermometer to periodically check the internal temperature of the food for harmful bacteria conditions.
7. We keep several candles available in the kit however we use them strictly in a dire emergency because of the fire hazard associated with them. Usually we prefer the battery flashlights and lanterns. A quick note on fire safety is to ensure that all your smoke and fire detectors have a battery backup.
8. If you or a family member happens to be on any sort of medical equipment ensure that you have an alternate means of power for it. I always have small portable power units that can easily be carried around. Should it require refrigeration maintain a small cooler with ice packs in it. The breakable ice packs are great for this. I also maintain a DC operated cooler for this purpose if needed. Keep extra medications in the event that pharmacies do not have back up power and are not working.
9. Generators can be useful however take appropriate precautions in regards to proper ventilation. I consider the preferred method to be having your generator outside and connecting it to an indoor power receptacle specifically for the generator.
10. Keep paper products available as well as a manual can opener.
11. Store up on one gallon of water per person along with a supply of paper cups. A neat little trick is to store several containers of clean water in your freezer. In case you lose power to help to keep your food cold and as it melts you can use it as drinking water.
12. You should also consider an alternate cooking source such as a BBQ grill or a small propane camping stove. I keep both available.
13. Should heat be necessary always maintain extra means of heat such as blankets, fireplace or heat source. We generally keep extra blankets readily available as well as a kerosene heater for use if the main heating system fails to operate due to the lack of electricity.
That about wraps it up. You can conclude your pack with several personal items that you and your family members consider essential. Keep in mind if you have a Bug out vehicle that is equipped with people items for emergencies you could easily move to it temporarily. Campers and motor homes are especially useful in emergency black outs.
Copyright @2008 Joseph Parish
For more information relating to survival visit us at http://www.survival-training.info
Download our free toolbar
As usual your power outage kit must be ready to deploy with you should the need arise therefore I have found it best to assemble my kit within a backpack of some sort. Hanging your kit on a door hook behind the kitchen door or a close by bedroom door is a smart trick and assures that it is readily available in the dark should it be needed.
Items which I always consider keeping in the kit would include:
1. A battery operated or hand cranked radio complete with extra batteries.
2. A Clock which operates on battery power. I have combined both the hand cranked radio and a clock in one unit I have purchased however sometimes the clock loses its time when the battery is weak so I highly advise keeping a battery clock handy.
3. Now this next item is very important. Keep a non cordless telephone in your power outage bag to connect directly to the telephone line. Portable telephones will not function when you have no power available. I also maintain a cell phone however needless to say the numbers are different so I try to maintain both on hand for emergencies.
4. You can never have enough lanterns or flashlights along with their associated extra batteries. This is also a function of my cranking radio-clock but we try to maintain a flashlight or lantern in every room of our home. This will prevent accidental falls in the dark
5. Several 6 to 12 hour light sticks are useful for keeping in your black out kit also. They are a lot of fun also for the kids.
6. A digital quick response food thermometer is a useful addition to your kit. Perishable food temperatures should not reach above 40 degrees for more then a 2 hour period. Use this thermometer to periodically check the internal temperature of the food for harmful bacteria conditions.
7. We keep several candles available in the kit however we use them strictly in a dire emergency because of the fire hazard associated with them. Usually we prefer the battery flashlights and lanterns. A quick note on fire safety is to ensure that all your smoke and fire detectors have a battery backup.
8. If you or a family member happens to be on any sort of medical equipment ensure that you have an alternate means of power for it. I always have small portable power units that can easily be carried around. Should it require refrigeration maintain a small cooler with ice packs in it. The breakable ice packs are great for this. I also maintain a DC operated cooler for this purpose if needed. Keep extra medications in the event that pharmacies do not have back up power and are not working.
9. Generators can be useful however take appropriate precautions in regards to proper ventilation. I consider the preferred method to be having your generator outside and connecting it to an indoor power receptacle specifically for the generator.
10. Keep paper products available as well as a manual can opener.
11. Store up on one gallon of water per person along with a supply of paper cups. A neat little trick is to store several containers of clean water in your freezer. In case you lose power to help to keep your food cold and as it melts you can use it as drinking water.
12. You should also consider an alternate cooking source such as a BBQ grill or a small propane camping stove. I keep both available.
13. Should heat be necessary always maintain extra means of heat such as blankets, fireplace or heat source. We generally keep extra blankets readily available as well as a kerosene heater for use if the main heating system fails to operate due to the lack of electricity.
That about wraps it up. You can conclude your pack with several personal items that you and your family members consider essential. Keep in mind if you have a Bug out vehicle that is equipped with people items for emergencies you could easily move to it temporarily. Campers and motor homes are especially useful in emergency black outs.
Copyright @2008 Joseph Parish
For more information relating to survival visit us at http://www.survival-training.info
Download our free toolbar
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
