Zucchini Pasta

Right now I have a major abundance of zucchini coming from my garden.  My favorite thing to do, other than dehydrating it, is to mix it with pasta and sausage in the best dinner ever.
I got this recipe originally from Your Home Based Mom then I changed it up a little to suite my style.  :)  She calls it Lite Pasta, but I don't think it's very 'lite'.  :)

ZUCCHINI PASTA

16 oz Spaghetti Pasta, cooked and kept warm

32 oz Kielbasa Sausage, sliced

1 Red Bell Pepper, cubed

1 Onion, sliced

2 tsp Basil

2 tsp Garlic

2 tsp Chicken Bouillon

1 small Zucchini cut into approx. 1/2 x 2" sticks

1 can Olives, drained

Brown sliced sausage in pan.  Remove from pan and saute Onion and Pepper.  Add olive oil if there is not enough left from sausage.
Add Basil, Garlic, Bouillon and Zucchini.  Cook until Zucchini is tender.
Toss vegetable blend, sausage and olives with pasta.

My husband likes it with a little cayenne on it.

Cucumbers and Carrots and Green Beans ... Oh My!!

So.  My garden is determined to kick my butt this year.  Carrots are having a slow start, but the cucumbers and squash are in full swing and the green beans are coming to a close.

It's not the first canning I have done this year ....  but man, it was the most in one day!
27 pints of pickles
3 qts of pickles
9 pints of green beans
1 pint of carrots (thank goodness they process the same as green beans!)
16 half pints of chicken

There is enough chicken prepared to put up maybe 24 more half pints, but I am out of energy for the day.  It will have to wait until tomorrow.

I am most excited for the pickles.  I bought a new book, "You Can Can"  I wouldn't recommend it instead of the Ball Blue Book, but it has some different recipes in it which can be fun.  We made dill, with dill fresh from the garden and dill from a store bought packet.  We also made sweet and spicy dill and bread and butter chips.  1 qt of whole dill and 2 qts of spears. 

Thanks to the invention of the mandolin slicer and the discount store selling one for $12, my chips are all perfectly sliced.  Literally. 

Now, I am exhausted. 

Peace Out Folks.

Macaroni with Cheese Sauce

I love that old stand by Mac and Cheese.  It is one of those cheap and tasty comfort foods from when I was a kid.  Making it with food storage is not quite as simple, and at the same time easier than I imagined.  I struggled with this for quite a while, but have finally figured it out.  Here is the pure food storage recipe ...  just cheese blend and pasta.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

Equals one box of Mac and Cheese

1 1/2 c. Pasta

2 1/2 c. Water

6 Tbs Cheese Blend Powder

1/2 c. Water

1/8 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper

Cook the pasta in the water.  If you use a lid on your pot, there will be plenty of water left over.  Drain, reserving water.

Blend the Cheese Powder into 1/2 c. water and mix into pasta.  Add more water to the desired texture.

The trick, is to mix it well BEFORE you add it to the pasta.  After the pasta is in the mix, any lumps are there to stay.

MAC AND CHEESE BOX

Making a box mix food storage style

1 box Mac and Cheese

2 Tbs Dry Milk

3 Tbs Dry butter

1/8 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper

2 1/2 c. Water

Cook pasta in water.  If you use a lid, there will be plenty to cook and plenty left over.

Mix contents of cheese packet with dry milk and dry butter.

Drain pasta, reserving water.  Mix cheese mixture into pasta adding 1/4 c. water.  Add more water to desired texture.

Dry Dairy 101

I don't know how many botched batches of mac and cheese I threw away before I realized the difference between the packet powders and what I have in the #10 can.  To help prevent ya'll from having the same problem in this and other recipes, here is what I learned:

Cheese Blend: A blend of cheees and dairy products like milk or whey.  This is what comes in most #10 cans for food storage.  This is why you can get away without adding any milk or butter into this recipe.

Cheese Powder: The orange stuff in the mac and cheese packet.  No additional dairy products, which is why you need to add milk and butter to the box mix.



On the Left is CHEESE BLEND from a can.  On the Right is a CHEESE PACKET with the added MILK and BUTTER.