Make Your Own Meal Mixes in Mylar Bags

Whether you want to stop eating processed foods, or save money, making your own
mixes save time, money and are just better for you.
These originally are jar mixes but I use them in mylar bags and add oxygen
absorbers for quick meals for food storage!





INGREDIENTS
2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup beef bouillon powder
2 tablespoons onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon garlic powder

CHILI MAC
1 lb ground beef
1 cup water
1/2 cup macaroni noodles, raw
2 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup hamburger, helping mix

STROGANOFF
1 lb ground beef
2 cups water
1/2 cup hamburger, helping mix
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream

POTATO BEEF CASSEROLE
1 lb ground beef
3/4 cup water
6 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 cup hamburger, helping mix
QUICK LASAGNA
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup hamburger, helping mix
1 onion, chopped
2 cups water
1 (16 ounce) cans tomato sauce
3 cups lasagna noodles, uncooked, broken in bits
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded


DIRECTIONS

Mix the ingredients together and store in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber

With a sharpie write the additions and directions on the bag:
.
CHILI MAC:.
Brown ground beef and drain.
Add remaining ingredients.
Combine well and simmer 20 minutes or until macaroni is cooked.

STROGANOFF:.
Brown ground beef and drain.
Add water, mix, and uncooked egg noodles.
Simmer 20 minutes or until noodles are tender.
Stir in sour cream and serve.

POTATO BEEF CASSEROLE:.
Brown ground beef and drain.
Add rest of ingredients.
Simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove cover and cook until excess water has evaporated.

QUICK LASAGNA:.
Brown ground beef and drain.
Add mix, onion, water, tomato sauce, lasagna noodles and parmesan cheese in large skillet.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer.
Simmer for 15 minutes or until noodles are cooked.
Top with mozzarella cheese.
Turn off heat and let cheese melt.

Food Storage Beef Stroganoff

1 cup dried onions 1 cup water 1/4 cup olive oil 3/4 cup whole wheat flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper 4 to 6 cups water 1 Tbsp. dried garlic 8 to 10 beef bouillon cubes 3 cans (4 oz each) sliced mushrooms, with liquid 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce 3 Tbsp ketchup 2 cans (15 oz each) beef chunks, with liquid 1 cup dried sour cream, reconstituted with 1/2 cup water 10 cups water 1 tsp salt 6 cups uncooked wide noodles Rehydrate onions in water for 15 min. Drain. Pour olive oil into a large pot on high heat. Add onions, cook for 2 min. Add flour, salt, pepper, mix well with oil and onions, then pour in 4 to 6 cups water and continue to mix. Add garlic, bouillon, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and liquid from beef chunks. Turn heat down to medium and continue to stir and thicken for 30 min. Add beef, being careful not to break apart chunks. Stir sour cream into the stew. Boil 10 cups salted water in a large pot. Add noodles and cook until tender. Drain well and then serve beef mixture over noodles. Makes 4-6 servings.

Food Storage Beef Stew

1 cup dried onions
1 cup dried carrots
3 cups water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups water
1 can (15oz) green beans, with liquid
1 can (15oz) corn, with liquid
8-10 cubes beef bouillon
1 Tbsp. dried garlic
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. kitchen bouquet
salt and pepper
2 cans (15oz) beef chunks, with liquid
Mashed potatoes
Rehydrate onions and carrots in 3 cups water for 15 min. Drain. In a large pot on high heat, add oil, onions and carrots, saute for 1 min. Sprinkle flour in and lightly brown. Add 3 cups water and stir until thickened. Add green beans, corn, bouillon, garlic, worcestershire sauce, kitchen bouquet, salt and pepper to taste. Turn down heat to medium low. Add beef and juice, being careful not to shred the chunks. Cover and simmer for 30 min. Serve stew over prepared mashed potatoes.

Make Your Own Dehydrated Potatoes

I just had a mix of red and yukon potatoes  (5 lb).

Well I decided to take on the dreaded task of dehydrating some potatoes and hope that they turn out.  I started with washing the potatoes, then put them through my food processor.

Bring large pot of water to a boil, immerse potatoes in bring back to a boil and blanche for 8 minutes. Take out and place immediately in a bowl of ice cold water (it works best with a metal basket or colander). Place a single layer on towel and blot dry. Place on dehydrator trays and let process for 24 hours.

Food Storage Chicken Pot Pie

Adapted from a standard one dish pot pie recipe I used quite some time ago and converted it using food storage ingredients

2 cans chicken, drained (I used leftover chicken, shredded in this one)
2 cups freeze dried mixed vegetables, rehydrated
1/4 cup dehydrated onions
1 can cr. chicken soup (can make your own)
2 cups homemade bisquick like mix
1/2 cup milk (1 1/2 Tbsp. powdered milk + 1/2 c. water)
1 egg (2 Tbsp powdered egg + 3 Tbsp water)
Heat oven to 375, mix chicken, veggies, onion, cream chick soup together and place in 8x8 in pan. In a separate bowl combine bisquick, milk and egg. Will be like pancake mix consistency, pour over chicken mixture, bake for about 25 -30 min uncovered. We served ours with canned peaches. YUM

Food Storage Chicken Alfredo

4 cups cooked noodles

1 cup hot tap water

1/4 cup creamy soup base                                                  

1 cup freeze dried chicken

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup freeze dried asparagus (optional)

4 slices chopped bacon (optional)

Cook and drain noodles. Set aside. Reconstitute chicken and asparagus. Mix creamy soup base in hot tap water in saucepan. Add parmesan, bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add asparagus and bacon to creamy soup mix. Serve over hot cooked noodles

Using My Food Storage

I love these containers for storing regularly used items from our food storage, then we refill them as needed. 

These are from my kitchen cabinet, nothing fancy but thought I would share how we use our long term food storage items regularly!

RICE

Did you know that if you combine rice and beans in a meal it could replace the need for meat or other protein? Rice and beans each contain certain amino acids that, when combined, form a complete protein. Great news because if you are in a crisis situation and can't get into the grocery store to get meat you can combine these two - RICE and BEANS!
If you have Rice and Beans along with the basic ingredients for making flat bread or tortillas you can make burritos by replacing the filling with rice and beans for meat and using bottled salsa. You could eat this everyday if you had to!

Did you know that Rice is a staple of about 70 percent of the world's population? It is one of the most versatile and compatible foods in the world. Rice, when dried can be stored for many years, which makes it perfect for long term storage.
I recommend you store it in either 1 gallon containers or 5 gallon buckets with tight fitting lids. Rice will keep if stored properly for 15 + years.

If you have six people in your family as I do then you will need 36 gallons of rice for a years supply or 6 -6 gallon buckets.

So...this month let's work on storing Rice!

Long Term Food Storage Basics - How to Pack Rice, Wheat, Beans and Dry G...

Where and How to Start Using My Food Storage

Using food storage on a daily basis is simple, convenient and economical. (And every meal doesn't have to include wheat or beans!) Here are some easy ways to incorporate food storage into your family's diet and convert any recipe into a food storage recipe.

1. Use Whole Grains
-Use whole wheat flours, oats and other grains in your cooking.They add more flavor and nutrition to your recipes. If this is new to your family, start slow. Begin by replacing part of the white flour with whole wheat flour and work up to using more. Flour made from whole wheat flour is great for this and it is hardly noticed. Oats add nutrition and work well in place of bread crumbs in meatloaf. Cooked wheat can be added to ground beef to be stretched for tacos. The wheat takes on the taco flavoring and goes without detection while making the meal that much healthier.
2. Use Powdered Milk-The Pricey smoothey shops do it all the time! Powdered milk is lower in calories and has less cholesterol than whole milk products and adds protein!Try it in soups, casseroles, bread recipes and smoothies or any recipes calling for milk.
3.Convert powdered eggs. I love having powdered eggs on hand. They are convenient and easy to use. They are even easy for camping! Just add the dry egg powder and water to your liquid ingredients.
4. Use Dry Beans instead of canned. The savings are significant. To make them more convenient in your cooking, make a large batch of beans and freeze in can size portions. 1 2/3 cup is equivalent to a 15 oz. can of beans.
5. Throw in dehydrated vegetables and fruit. Dehydrated or freeze dried vegetables and fruit retain much more of their nutrients than canned ones. Once you start using them the convenience will win you over. No washing, peeling or chopping. Dehydrated onions, potatoes, carrots, corn and peppers are ready to go in soups and casseroles. Dehydrated apples, raspberries and strawberries are great to quickly throw into a warm bowl of oatmeal, or reconstituted to add to a baked recipe such as sweet rolls. They are great even right out of the can as a nutritious snack.

There are many wonderful benefits to using your long term food storage in your every day cooking.
*Rotate your storage    *No waste - with dehydrated you will only reconstitute what you use
*Learn to use these food staples in a way your family will enjoy them even in times of crisis
*You will have a healthier family, whole grains and fruits and vegetables are great and more satisfying.

IS DRYPACK CANNING FOR YOU?

Ensign - August 1996
Random Sampler Section
Church members living near a Church-owned cannery are encouraged to participate not only in welfare canning sessions but also in family canning programs. The focus of the dry-pack canning program is to give greater assistance to families and provide more opportunities for them to obtain and store a year’s supply of basic, life sustaining products.

Members are invited to set up an appointment through their ward or stake canning specialist (your priesthood or Relief Society leader can tell you who this is) to use the equipment at their local cannery to dry-pack food. Canneries have more than a dozen products available to can at a nominal cost, or you can bring your own food and pay only for the cost of the cans.

Many stakes also have access to dry-pack canning equipment that can be checked out for individual use at home.

Dry-pack canning is an effective method for storing dry foods. Bulk storage foods such as wheat or beans are placed in large metal #10 cans, along with a packet that removes oxygen, then sealed without further processing. Food that is stored this way has an extended storage life and is protected from moisture, insects, and rodents.

The following basic food storage items are available at dry-pack canneries:

*Apples slices, dried

*Oats, rolled

*Beans: pinto, pink, great northern

*Onions, dry

*Puddings: Chocolate, vanilla

*Carrots, dry

*Cocoa, hot mix

*Rice, white

*Flour, white

*Soup mix

*Fruit drink mix

*Spaghetti

*Macaroni

*Sugar, granulated

*Milk, non-fat dry

*Wheat

Not all food storage items are appropriate for dry-pack canning. The following types of items do not store well in cans because of moisture or oil content. However, their shelf life can be extended by storing them in sealed containers in the freezer:

Barley, pearled

Granola

Cereal, milled-grain Nuts, roasted or raw

Cornmeal Rice, brown

Flour, whole wheat Yeast

Additional products that should not be home dry-pack canned include these products, which are best stored in their original containers and rotated frequently:

Baking powder

Baking soda

Bouillon

Mixes w/leavening, Oil such as pancake or biscuit mixes

Spices

Sugar, brown

For more information, contact your regional welfare agent, Church-owned canneries, local bishops’ storehouse, or stake and ward canning specialists.

Bring the Dry Pack Cannery Home

Dry Pack Canning w/ Photos

LDS Cannery: The LDS Cannery is a great place to dry pack commodities. The new facility in is a walk-in facility with no appointment necessary. Other facilities may require an appointment, so call first. Each facility has everything you need to dry pack: bulk products, cans, lids, oxygen packets, labels, and boxes. From my experience, it is best to work in groups of at least 2-4 so that the process moves more quickly. It is ideal to use the LDS cannery facility if you don't want the mess at home, you live close by, and your schedule is flexible. Be advised that you cannot buy commodities elsewhere and then bring them into the cannery.

Dry Pack at Home: Did you know that the LDS Cannery has dry pack canners that can be scheduled for home use? You can schedule the canner for about 3-4 days and have the flexibility of canning at home. Dry packing at home is ideal if you'd like have your kids help, if your schedule conflicts with the dry pack facility hours, if you'd like to do a little at a time over several days, or if you have product at home that the LDS cannery is currently out of. Here in Kansas we can check one out from our stake or from the dry pack cannery in KC.

Photos: Here are some pictures of our latest dry packing experience, done at home:

Step 1: If you want to dry pack at home, you need to prepare by buying commodities in bulk. Prices are great at the LDS cannery, but you might find cheaper product elsewhere. Gather the items ahead of time. Be advised that not every commodity is suitable for long-term storage due to high water content or oily components.


Step 2: Estimate how many cans you'll need, which is based on the pounds of product you have. Here are some estimates to guide you in your planning:

Wheat, rice, sugar: 4 cans per 25 pounds
Beans: 5 cans per 25 pounds
see a complete list here

Step 3: Buy your #10-sized cans & other supplies from the LDS Cannery. Don't forget the metal lids, oxygen packets, labels, and boxes. You will need one oxygen packet for every can, except those cans that contain sugar (it turns the sugar rock hard). Six cans fit into a box (called a case). The LDS Cannery gives out free labels. Get one for every can and one for every box (that way each case is labeled on the outside).

TIP: Spend the time to calculate before you go to the cannery. That way you'll know exactly what you need and how much.


Step 4: The canner weighs about 40 pounds, so two people should lift it. I got it out of the tub on my own, but it was a battle. It is secured to the countertop with two C-clamps. Use a double-folded towel to prevent damage to the countertop.

Step 5: Fill the cans within 1/4 inch from the top. You don't want to leave the oxygen packs out too long because they are activated after about 30 minutes. So, get the cans all ready for sealing and put the oxygen pack in at the last minute (remember, no oxygen packs for sugar!)

Step 6: Seal and label each can. I let kids help fill the cans, but an adult should use the machine.


Step 7: Label the box with a product sticker, the number of cans in the box, and the year. If you have a case with, for example, 3 wheat cans and 3 sugar cans in it, use a sticker for each product. That way you'll know how many of each you have in the box.

Tip: if you decide ahead of time where and how your boxes will be stored, you can put the label in the correct spot. It helps!

Dehydrate Your Own sliced Potatoes- Successfully!

Home Dried Potatoes

Potatoes (an amount you find manageable)
Metal vegetable blanching basket, or French fry basket
Colander & Mixing Bowl which is larger than your colander
Paper towels
Several cookie sheets OR Food Dehydrator & trays or racks
Vegetable Oil Cooking Spray
Peel desired amount of potatoes and slice into rounds 1/8 inch thick. (Peeling is optional- there are important vitamins and minerals stored in the potato skins, but they look nicer peeled, so choose according to your personal preference.) This can be done quickly with a food processor or slicer. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Put potato slices into a vegetable basket and plunge the basket into the boiling water and wait for the water to return to a boil. Once the water is boiling, start counting off 8 minutes of blanching time. While potatoes are blanching, set up a large mixing bowl in your sink and fill it with ice water. When the potatoes have blanched for 8 minutes, plunge the basketful of potatoes immediately into the ice water and let them sit there for 15 minutes. Spread the blanched potato slices in a single layer between paper towels and blot them dry.
If you are not using a dehydrator, spray cookie sheets with vegetable oil spray (do not use regular cooking oil); if you are using rimmed baking pans, spray and use only the upside down bottoms of these pans to prevent scorching near the pan's raised rim; if you are using Teflon cookie sheets, there is no need for spray. Spread potato slices on the prepared sheets or pans as close together as possible but in a single layer. Place cookie sheets on oven racks and turn the oven on to its very lowest temperature. (between low and off) Keep the oven door ajar so that the air can circulate freely and let moisture escape. Make sure that the temperature never gets so hot that your hand feels uncomfortable when held in the oven. This is necessary for thorough drying.
If you are using a dehydrator, place potato slices on racks which have been prepared with vegetable oil spray, placing potatoes close together, but not touching, so air is allowed to circulate between them. Turning is not necessary on vented racks. Dry according to manufacturer’s instructions, or until potatoes are brittle, somewhat translucent and are not at all pliable. If you have solid racks, follow the same directions as for turning potatoes dried in an oven:
After 1 hour, turn all the slices over; then turn the slices over every 30 minutes. Drying time will depend largely on your own oven, but you should begin checking for doneness at 3 hours. The potatoes are done when they become brittle, somewhat translucent, and are not at all pliable. Their color should be pale white with a tinge of yellow; do not let them become brown or even dark amber in color. Some potato slices will dry faster than others, so check every 15 - 30 minutes for slices which are done.
Let the dried potatoes cool thoroughly, then store for up to a year in glass or plastic jars OR plastic bags at room temperature in a cool, dry place.
 **You can use the instructions from your favorite pre-packaged potato mixes to cook or reconstitute your dried potatoes, or you can use the recipes below to put together your own mixes for your home-dried potatoes.

2 Tbsp. Flour

2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

1 tsp. Onion Powder or 1 Tbsp. Crushed Dried Onions

1/8 tsp. Black Pepper

Combine the above ingredients to make 1 package of sauce mix and seal it in a small zip baggie, removing as much air as possible. When making several mixes to store or give as gifts, multiply this sauce mix recipe and store in a jar until ready for use. 6 Tbsp. Sauce Mix is equal to 1 x the above recipe.

Yield: 3 cups or four 3/4 cups servings

Scalloped Potato Mix in a Jar

 

3 cups dehydrated Potatoes

1 package (6 Tbsp.) Sauce Mix

1/3 cup Nonfat Dry Milk

Place these ingredients into a one quart jar, making certain the sauce mix and dry milk are first placed into small zip baggies, then sealed with the air removed. Place the potatoes into the bottom of the jar, then add the baggie of mix on top. Place lid on jar and store in a cool dry place until ready to use. Attach the following instructions for later use, or for gift giving:

Scalloped Potatoes

3 Tbsp. Butter or Margarine

2-3/4 cups boiling Water

Pour the potatoes into a medium size ungreased casserole and sprinkle the sauce mix on top. Dot with butter; stir in the boiling water. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until tender. If you are cooking something else at a lower temperature in your oven, adjust the baking time; at 350 degrees bake 40 to 45 minutes; at 325 degrees bake 50 to 55 minutes.

3 cups dehydrated Potatoes

1/3 cup Nonfat Dry Milk

1 package (6 Tbsp.) Sauce Mix

1/4 tsp. Black Pepper

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Beef Bouillon Granules

Place above ingredients into a quart jar, placing milk, sauce mix, pepper, salt & bouillon granules into a small zip baggie, which will be placed on top of potatoes in the jar. Place lid on jar & store in a cool dry place until ready to use. Attach the following instructions for later use, or for gift giving:

Skillet Meat & Potatoes Casserole

Brown 1 pound of ground beef in a skillet, and drain off excess fat. Stir in 2 3/4 cups water and the ingredients from the jar. Heat to boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer stirring now and then, for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Yield: 4 one cup servings
Skillet Meat and Potatoes Casserole Mix in a Jar  Basic Sauce Mix 2 Tbsp. Nonfat Dry Milk

Great Example of Making Your Own Mixes

Source: 5dollardinners.com via Diana on Pinterest

How to Build a Root Cellar

Here’s what some of you might have been waiting for, the picture sequence of the root cellar (many images follow):

Starting here (my first picture) of this project:

To this:

to this:

to this:

to this:

to this:

to this:

to this:

to this:

to this:

to the final covering with a huge double-layered tarp:

to this:

Final picture of the front still coming, I literally forgot to take this shot!
It’s just a big pile of dirt now from the outside, but inside, it’s cold (49 degrees), roomy, dry and useful. Overall finished dimensions are 13 x 24, cost is about $1200 I think or a bit more. The green tarp was pretty expensive, but certainly worth it.
Things I learned:
a) dig a BIG hole, you will be needing it for room to work.
b) remove ALL organic debris as you go. Easier to remove it before you bury it in your waste pile and then dig it up again.
c) budget for more cost then you expect (at least double).
d) budget for more time then you expect (triple in my case).
e) getting holes and posts and logs square is hard to do, dimensional lumber is much easier, but work at it. When you then apply dimensional lumber over non-dimensional logs, it’s hard to get things to line up. Remember things like 4 feet, 8 feet and such like if you are going to use dimensional anything.
f) remove all the rocks you find as you go. Don’t put any around your posts either, you’ll invariably have to remove them when you try to fix a mistake, not fun.
g) trim your logs and remove all the stubs. You can do this after they are installed if you handy and safe on a ladder with a chainsaw (I did) or clean them up before installing, either method works, I didn’t find one method easier then the other.
h) grade ALL your lumber in advance, make sure you have enough and it’s up to the job you intend it to do. I ran out of roof trusses, and opted for tamarack instead of cedar, only 1/4 of the cellar trusses are cedar, although tamarack (larch) is far stronger and will still last a long time.
i) keep your work area clear — of everything. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve moved stuff around. Mostly, realize that you will need access to the entire outside area of the cellar, which I did not have. I hand dug and hand shoveled a great deal as a result, power equipment cannot move at all around stumps, boulders, trees and bushes (unless you like breaking things). This is probably one of the really big issues I’d emphasize, remember, you are going to need plenty of room to maneuver.
k) be prepared for some seriously hard work, there is a lot of sweat that goes into one of these things.
l) listen to your wife or spouse or whoever, they might have some good ideas, otherwise, tell ‘em to shut up and get back to work!
m) you really can do anything you want, there is no perfect way to do this.  The pioneers had far less to work with then we do today and did everything the “hard way” (without petroleum or any of its downstream benefits like ice in your water bottle or a hot shower waiting for you at the end of the day).

Soup Mix

Here is the great link to make alot of soup mixes similar to the ones I made and had displayed at my Food Storage class.
http://www.recipegoldmine.com/foodgiftsoup/giftsoup.html

There are like 30 or so recipes - ENJOY!

Onion Soup Mix

Make your own....onion soup mix!
From: Moneylessmomma.blogspot.com


I hate paying expensive prices for convenience mixes....and Onion Soup Mix is one I use frequently AND I had all of the ingredients on hand. Of course, I had to tweak it, just to make it my own! (because, as my mom says, I can't ever follow a recipe to the "T")

3 cups dried, minced onions

1 cup beef bullion

2 T. garlic powder

1 T. sugar

1 T. celery seed

Combine 2 cups of the minced onions and all other ingredients in blender and grind into a fine powder. Add the last cup of onions and 2 T. parsley flakes. Stir well and store in an air-tight container. Use 1/4 cup mix as a substitute for one pouch of store-bought.

Make Your Own Enchilada Sauce Mix

• 2 teaspoons mild chili powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

This recipe is equivalent to 1 (1.5 oz.) package of echilada seasoning mix. Add to 1 1/2 cups water and 1 (8 oz. ) can of tomato sauce.

Strawberry Bread - Using Freeze Dried Strawberries

Thanks for this wonderful recipe Mary!!

A couple of months ago I was at Costco and tried some AMAZING bread they were sampling. The bread was swirled with strawberries, but they were not soggy and wet. The bread was served toasted with butter. Wow, so I go to buy some and it is over $5.00 a loaf. I put it down and think "I could make that." And it turns out it is not that hard. All you need is some bread dough and some freeze dried strawberries. 

Make bread dough, after diving dough into loaf size pieces. Roll out with a rolling pin until ¼ inch thick.  Sprinkle Dough with Freeze Dried Strawberries (I use about 2 cups, but what ever),

  and roll up. (like you are making cinnamon rolls or a jelly roll). Place tuck in seam. Place seam down in bread pan. Bake .

Friendship Soup Mix

Friendship Soup Mix

This is an easy and fun soup mix to make.  It's super yummy, too!  Make some jars and set aside, then if anyone you know is feeling sick, you can quickly cook up some delicious homemade soup for them. These jars of soup mix also make a great gift.  Fill a basket with the mix, some crackers, a soup spoon, and some rolls, and you've got a quick and heartwarming gift!



Friendship Soup Mix

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dry split peas
• 1/3 cup beef bouillon granules
• 1/4 cup pearl barley
• 1/2 cup dry lentils
• 1/4 cup dried onion flakes
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup uncooked pasta

 Directions:

In a 1 1/2 pint jar, layer the split peas, bouillon, barley, lentils, onion flakes, Italian seasoning, rice, and bay leaves. Wrap the pasta in plastic wrap, and place in the jar. Seal tightly.   

Attach a label to the jar with the following instructions: 

Friendship Soup ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS: 1 pound ground beef, black pepper to taste, garlic powder to taste, 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes - undrained, 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste, and 3 quarts water. TO PREPARE SOUP: Remove pasta from top of jar, and set aside. In a large pot over medium heat, brown beef with pepper and garlic; drain excess fat. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and soup mix. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in the pasta, cover, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pasta, peas, lentils and barley are tender.