New Homestead

I will be moving onto 4 acres that has a big pole barn converted to a house soon. There is going to be a lot of writing and sharing of things after I move in. My dad had all of the solar panels to do the house with, so I plan on doing that. Plus he had a Chevy Express that he was going to convert to a camper. I will be busy all summer and will share it all on this blog.

Food Storage Recipe ~ Jungle Hash

Easy one skillet meal.

NEED:

3 slices of bacon

1 pound of ground beef

1/2 cupof celery, chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup of green pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon of salt

1 can of of kidney beans, drained

1/3 cup of uncooked rice

1 1/2 cup of water

Cook up the bacon until it is crisp , crumble and set it aside.

In same skillet cook the ground beef , celery, onion, and green pepper until the ground beef is browned and veggies are tender.

Season it with th salt and a dash of pepper.

Drain off excess fat and stir in the bean,s , rice, and water.

Cover and reduce heat.

Simmer until the rice is done.

SERVE

Food Storage Recipe ~ Hobo Dinner

I love this recipe. My mom used to make this a lot when I was growing up.

NEED:

1 pound of ground beef

2 medium potatoes, quartered

2 medium onions, quartered

2 carrots , sliced

2 tablespoons of butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Shape the beef into 4 patties and place on sheets of foil.

Top with some of the potatoes, onions, and carrots.

Wrap tightly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Season with the salt and pepper and serve.

Food Storage Recipe ~ Hamburger Macaroni Casserole

Easy enough to make and the whole family loves it.

NEED:

1 8 ounce package of macaroni

1 pound of ground beef

1/4 of a green pepper , chopped

1 medium onion , chopped

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon of  catsup

1 can of mushroom soup

Shredded cheese

Cook the macaroni and then drain.

Brown the ground beef ,  green pepper, and onion until beef is cooked thru. Drain the fat off of it.

Add tomatoes, macaroni, and catsup. Simmer for a 30 minutes.

Pour into a large baking dish, add the mushroom soup, stir to mix well.

Sprinkle the cheese over top and bake for 30 minutes and 350 degrees.

Geeky Camping Gadgets

We all know that geek that also loves to camp, here are some great gadgets for them:



This gadget charges items with USB by using water!!!  Great for all of your other gadgets that you happen to have with you while you camp. The myFC PowerTrekk Fuel Cell Charger is lightweight, silent, and can charge a cell phone at virtually the same rate as your 110 at home.








The SteriPEN Adventurer Opti UV Water Purifier is a Compact handheld ultraviolet light (UV) water purifier designed specifically for outdoor/expedition use. -Reusable for up to 8,000 liters. It destroys up to 99.99% of harmful bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.








You have to take a shower even when you are camping, and this Solar Shower Bag, RISEPRO 10 gallons/40L Solar Heating Camping Shower Bag with Temperature Hot Water 45°C Hiking Climbing XH07 is the one to get. It is durable and can heat up water in about 3 hours.








This BioLite CampStove Bundle with CampStove, Portable Grill and KettlePot Attachments and USB FlexLight  is something for everyone to get , even if you are not a geek! You can cook on it and it generates enough electricity to charge lights, phones, and other personal devices. It has a lot of other amazing attachments to get for it for lighting and more. 

Fun Activities for Survival Preparation

Fun Activities for Survival Preparation

Survival preparation is about more than just collecting a few cans of vegetables and putting them in a storage area. If you're someone who is genuinely interested in learning how to be self-sufficient and prepared for survival in the wilderness, then there are actually a few interesting activities that you can partake in. In fact, these activities are a great way for the whole family to have some fun, even if they're not actually concerned with survival preparation at all. Without further ado, here are some activities to inspire you and your family and to get you thinking about the practical applications of survival preparation.

Lake Fishing

At its core, fishing is about more than just relaxing and enjoying the landscape. For a survivalist, fish is an excellent source of protein, and an effective means of getting food when other options are limited. If you've never gone fishing before, or simply don't know where to start, then a guided lake adventure can be a great stepping stone. Fishing for monster lake trout at places like Lac La Marte can help prepare you for fishing on your own, and can also get you prepared for the ways in which different fish respond to being baited and caught.

Paintball

Paintball is another great way of enjoying the outdoors, while at the same time building up the skills that are necessary for survival in extreme situations. Paintball can be an exhilarating experience, but it is also one that understandably scares some people off. After all, who wants to get hit by a paintball? In reality, adrenaline helps to take the edge off of any potential pain, but even then it's minimal at best. If that still doesn't sway you, it can at least be fun to witness. Bring your family along to spectate if they don't want to take part, and then maybe they'll change their minds once they see how much fun everyone else is having. Regardless of whether your bring your whole family or just go to a paintball game by yourself, it's sure to be a fun and educational experience.

Backyard Games

For those that don't want to make the trip somewhere else, there are plenty of games that can be played right in your own backyard that promote the same skills necessary for outdoor survival. One of the most popular games is a variation of hide and seek, in which all of the hiders must covertly access a number of different places without being caught by the seeker. It's certainly much more difficult than traditional hide and seek, but it's the perfect opportunity to help kids understand how important stealth is for personal protection.

If you're eager to help your family build up their survival skills, then it's important to have an honest discussion ahead of time about safety. Survival preparation is about taking care of the people you love, but that doesn't mean you can't undercut that seriousness with a little fun every now and then.

Cook's Companion Wonder Pot GIVEAWAY!!

Being sent one of the instant Pot was the best thing that could have happened to me. This is one of the most amazing kitchen appliances that I have in my house right now. I can do anything in it and it is so easy to use. I actually made the best rice that I have ever made in my life in this Wonder Pot. I also baked a blueberry "muffin" in it. Just trying it out , I whipped up a package of blueberry muffin mix and poured it into this and pressed the bake button. It was that easy. Even though they weren't in muffin forms , it was great and only lasted a few seconds after I had took a picture of it.

                                                   It is so easy to use! Some of the features of it are :

             At 3.2 Qt it is the perfect size for a small meal.

             Programmable digital controls that are very easy to use. Just press the button for the type of cooking that you are doing and it does the rest itself. Perfectly.

             Very easy to clean and quick release of food in the non-stick inner cooking pot. I baked a blueberry "muffin" in mine and turned it over onto a plate and the "muffin" came out instantly. I then used a dish rag with hot water to wipe it out.

              This little Wonder Pot has 6 cooking modes ~ Steam tray, rice, stew, bake, soup, and stir-fry.   It came with a steam tray , a rice measuring cup, and a serving spoon for the rice. Super idea to have home goods that do more than one thing. Great way to cut down on items taking up too much space. This doesn't take up a lot of space and can do all of the things of 6 different tools in one item.

              It automatically goes into the warm setting when the cooking time is done so your food stays warm and fresh. I cooked some saffron rice in ours right when I got it and it was the best rice that I have ever cooked in my life. I will admit that. My rice is not good when I just cook it in a pot. Hard pieces etc. Everyone in the house was amazed at how good the rice was and how fluffy. They really did not think that I had cooked it.

                                

Earthquake in New York City?

This is what I am reading as of last night. Wish I hadn't started reading so late. I had to get to bed and actually go to sleep. This is a pretty good book. Keeping me hooked and anyone who has followed my blog for nany length of time knows that I love disaster books. In this book there has been an earthquake in New York City and this is the aftermath, Aftershock, by Chuck Scarborough. Trying to survive after a massive earthquake with mass destruction. 

Great Day

Just having a great day! The weather is ok. Perfect temperature, but it is kind of gloomy out. Windy. My Little man got up real early and did a bunch of "home"school work. I have gotten a ton of things done around the house and now getting ready to work on some stuff online.

Working on some of the goals that I set for this year. Already have one of them done and working on #2.

Doing some more prepping. Oldest son moving out gave me a whole room to redo and turn into a stockpile room. So far all that I have done with it though is getting everything sorted and into rubber made totes. Not sure if want to keep it like that are invest into shelving. Right now, might just be best to keep it like it is. Try not spending any money!!

Just as long as we are all still prepping and being frugal in the new year, we will be doing great.

Food Storage Recipe ~ Cheese & Bean Quesadillas

Ever since my oldest son has moved out , it has just been my Little man and me. Been having to just cook for us 2 is easy and we love the same foods. This is one that we have had 2 times in the last week.

NEED:

1 can of pinto beans, rinse and drain them

1/2 cup of salsa

1 teaspoon of chili powder

4 , 10 inch, flour tortillas

Shredded monterey - jack cheese

Sour cream

Put the beans into a bowl and mash them up with a potato masher if you have one.  You can also use a fork.

Stir in the salsa and the chili powder.

Cook over medium heat until hot.

Spray some oil onto a pan and heat a tortilla on it until it is lightly browned. Trun it over and spread some of the bean mixture onto the tortilla and some of the cheese.

Top with another one of the tortillas and carefully turn over , brown that tortilla a bit.

Put on your plate and cut into 4ths.

Serve with sour cream.

YUMMY!