The Best Vegetables to Cook on the Grill

Zucchini or Summer Squash

Grilling these vegetables over an intense heat loosens excess moisture concentrating the delicate spring flavor and aroma of the squash. I like the way it grills the inside thoroughly without burning the outside skin, making it super delicious.

Peppers

Even without the sun, we like grilled peppers. After seeding, I cut them into halves and put on the grill. My children like wrapping them in foil after drizzling with olive oil. The blend of the locked in moisture, flavor and aroma makes the whole side dish powerful and very appetizing you sure would be asking for more.

Endive and Raddichio

Endive and radicchio are bitter by nature and are tempered by the intense heat of the grill while cooked with the leaves together. But this makes me one of my best salads. I just leave the lettuce in wedges for a more composed presentation and chop the leaves before tossing the rest of the ingredients together. I toast walnuts in a dry pan until fragrant and make a fantastic nutty, citrus vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese to offset the bitter lettuces in my grilled vegetable salad.

Eggplant

Full of fiber and antioxidant and promoting phytonutrients, I too consider eggplant a staple and a very effective meat substitute. Simply brush slices with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper then grill. We sometimes rub minced garlic all over the eggplant for a fabulous garlicky tasting side for dinner.

Asparagus

Fresh asparagus brushed with a little sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, and pepper gets its very best flavor and crunch as it is grilled cooking the asparagus quickly over high heat. Since the stalks easily fall down between the grill grates, we make it fun lining them up and use toothpicks to put them together in two places, top and near the bottom, or I use my grill pan.

Potatoes

Potatoes are amazingly comfortable. I partially cook mine by simmering them before grilling so they only need to be seared over direct heat to create a golden brown crust. Grilled this way, the potatoes will have almost the texture of French fries by the time they're done. Who wouldn't enjoy golden on the outside, fluffy and cakey on the inside?

Have you tried combining slices of just the available veggies you have in your pantry, put them in a grill pan, toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar then grill for a couple minutes on each side? Trust me; you will not only get veggies nicely marked by the grill, but a taste that you will keep relishing time and again.

Food Storage Add-ons This Week

This week we added a lot to the food storage! My brother-in-law needed a ride somewhere and he gave us 8 cans of tomatoes, 4 cans of salsa, and some zuchinni. The zuchinni out of his garden and the canned stuff was done by his wife. We bought 4 cans of Keystone chicken, 4 cans of Keystone beef, about 14 cans of different types of beans, a big 110+ servings of oatmeal, 2 5 pound bags of cornmeal, 10 boxes of asst Hamburger Helpers, Sugar, 2 bags whole wheat flour, assorted seasonings, 2 boxes of powdered milk, and other assorted canned goods. I also got a #10 can of taco mix from Emergency Essentials.

Other items we got were a bunch of aluminum foil and those foil pans, medical supplies, batteries, and a few other preps.

Getting the stockpile built up.

You need to also! Get as much food as you can store up. Even 2 cans a week of something to put back will be better than nothing! We had a bonus check this past week that gave us a chance to really add to the stockpile, got new tires for car, and some work done on our van.

Things can get done without going broke. Sell things you don't need on local facebook groups, ebay, have a yard sale, anything to get extra money for preps.

2 Ways to Make a Homemade Air Conditioner

Whether you want a quick way to cool off or simply don't want to spend money on an air conditioner, a DIY or homemade air conditioner is a great alternative. We discuss two ways of making these air conditioners below. What is common to both air conditioners is the use of a portable fan, ice, a container and a vent.

Method 1

The first method uses a cooler (Styrofoam or plastic) and requires you to drill a hole on the top of the cooler. You will need to outline the circumference of the fan with a marker, making sure to make it slightly smaller so that the fan can rest on the opening without falling into the cooler. Once this is done, you will need to drill another hole for ventilation. You can use a cut our dryer vent or an elbow PVC pipe for this. The vent hole needs to be wide enough to hold either of these in place.

The next step is to fill the cooler with ice. You can use regular ice or water frozen in a container. Water frozen in plastic water bottles works well. One you replace the top of the cooler, place the fan and the elbow pipe or dryer vent in their appropriate openings. After making sure they fit snugly, it's time to start the fan. You should now be feeling a cold breeze coming from the opening.

Method 2

This method uses elements of the first, but instead of a cooler you use a 5 gallon bucket with a top. You will use 2 cut out 2 inch pipes (about 6 inches in length). You then outline the circumference of the pipes on the side of the bucket with a marker and cut out openings. Be sure to cut them out high enough so that the ice will have room.

You will then outline the fan on the top of the bucket and cut out a hole as well. The next step is to find a Styrofoam liner to hold the ice inside the cooler. Once you have all the materials in place, put the liner in the bucket, put the PVC pipes in their holes and add ice. Replace the top of the bucket and put the fan on it. Once everything is secure, turn on the fan and enjoy!

Making a homemade air conditioner is relatively inexpensive and takes about an hour or so to make.

For more detailed information on homemade air conditioners or any other AC questions, visit this resource made by home owners for home owners.

10 in 1 Camping Tool!

Pretty neat tool that my son bought. It is 10 tools in one little item that will easily fit in his pocket when he hikes or whatever. It is a 10 in 1 Multifunction Outdoor Survival Military Camping Hiking Compass Tool new. I have got to get one for each of us!

"Short Description: Compass: Measure for magnetic azimuth (Relative functions of compass: acquire data at horizontal and vertical level). Thermometer: Measure for ambient temperature. Hygrometer: Measure for ambient relative humidity. LED light: Lighting. Reflector: Call for help in country-side, reflect sunlight to sent out the light signal. Spirit level: Determine level condition. Item Description: Compass: Measure for magnetic azimuth (Relative functions of compass: acquire data at horizontal and vertical level) Thermometer: Measure for ambient temperature Hygrometer: Measure for ambient relative humidity LED light: Lighting Reflector: Call for help in country-side, reflect sunlight to sent out the light signal Spirit level: Determine level condition Whistle: Call for help in country-side, sent out the sound signal.(use tappet to push out the whistle from the third hole at the left side) Flint: Wilderness survival by make fire. Magnifier: Find a coordinate in a map. Ruler: Measure a distance (3cm length) Dimensions (L x W x H): 75 x 39 x 25 mm

USB Powered Air Conditioner?

This cute little USB Powered Personal Air Cooler came yesterday! I put my USB Solar Charger​ in my kitchen window and plugged this into it. I was surprised how well it put out the air. It has a drawer at the bottom where you can put ice in to cool the air more and it came with some scented beads if you want to use it like that. It also can be powered by batteries. This is one thing that I am going to order another one of. Be great for a tent to keep air moving on a hot day.My son just told me that this would be awesome for my converted mini van to camper idea I have for my old mini van I just bought. - Yes!