The Fabulous Extension Service - aka How to Use Your Food Storage!

The resources at our fingertips are truly incredible! With the internet we can access information in seconds that can truly make our lives better! Some of my favorite websites are the state university extension sites. Local land-grant universities have extension offices that give information about gardening, canning, money and lots of topics on my very favorite thing - FOOD!

In my quest to do better for my family and improve my skills as a homemaker I have found some terrific resources from the extension offices.

Ready-Quick Mix - from USU (Utah)

Here's a printable recipe booklet that is similar to Bisquick - but homemade! Some of the recipes include Meat Pinwheels (There is also a variation for a creative tuna casserole with the same idea!), Magic Taco Pie, Cinnamon Spins, and lots of cookies, cakes and even brownies.

Mixing It Up - USU

20 pages of a DIY homemaker's delight! Mixes for everything!!! Includes the ready-quick mix with recipes for cornbread, raisin bread, muffins, coffee cake, waffles, cobbler, even pie crust. Has Magic Mix for soups, chowders, and casserole. Has SOS (cream soup) Mix and recipes for cream of whatever soup (I never use cans any more!), even potato soup in a cup! Recipes also included for seasoning mixes like taco, chili, pizza, mediterranean, ranch dressing, Rice-a-roni, hot chocolate and Instant Breakfast.

Dry Milk - USU

A handy booklet with a table to help you figure out how much of instant or regular dry milk you might need for a recipe. There are also tips on how to boost nutrition by adding dry milk to your meals straight - like in meatloaf. You will find a section on how to decode the labels on different milks and what you should know before you buy dry milk. It will also tell you how and how much milk you need to store for your family and how to use it! Pudding in a blender, fudgesicles, make your own Cool Whip, you name it!

More Dry Milk! - USU

A handout from a presentation based on the above booklet. Inside you'll find new and yummy recipes (as well as some that are already included in the USU handouts)!

SOS (Soups or Sauces) - USU

This is the recipe booklet that got me hooked on the Extension! It has a substitute for cream of chicken/mushroom/whatever that I substitute in all of my recipes. Healthier than canned and no fat! It also includes other recipes for sauces and dishes - we like the Chicken Pot Pie and Enchiladas.

Magic Mix - from Washington State University

This version is similar to the USU SOS mix - no fat! Use it for soups, pudding (even in the microwave!)

I love these publications because they show you how you can make your own convenience foods and make them more cheaply and healthier. I feel like it is important to not only have a long-term food storage but know how to use it every day so that

1. you know what to do with your food items

2. your family is used to eating them

3. you can provide your family with healthier meal where you control the ingredients/fat/salt by not relying on packaged foods

4. you rotate through your items, not just let them expire on a shelf - not a frugal way to cook!

5. you keep a tighter reign on your food budget by learning to make items you might normally buy packaged at the store.