Canned food

We keep the Chef's Ravioli on hand. As well as some cans of Dinty Moore Stew. Neither is as good as I remember them being as a kid. But their food, and easily stored. And as pointed out they don't have to be cooked to be eaten.

We prefer to add biscuits to them. For the ravioli we do a garlic/cheese variation. A fresh hot home made biscuit can go a long way toward making a bowl of ravioli or stew much more appealing.once you get used to the process it is about ten minutes prep time. We actuallu premeasure our flour. So it's just grab a jar and jump it in.

Biscuit Recipe,


Hudson Bay Biscuits
2 cups Flour
2 T. powdered milk
1 t. salt
1 T. sugar
1 T. plus 1 t. baking powder
½ cup shortening
¾ cup milk

Mix dry ingredients together.



Cut in shortening until pea sized.



Stir in milk until all dry ingredients form a ball and pull away from sides of the bowl. Do not over blend.



Like this,



Put on a floured surface.
Knead 8-10 times. Do not over knead.



Flatten into circle approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick. Using a cookie cutter cut 7-8 biscuits.



Put scraps together to form last biscuit. Again, do not over handle the dough.



Bake in pre-warmed, oiled Dutch oven over medium heat (5 second rule). Time will depend on how hot your fire is. Probably 12-16 minutes.



Coals on top,



Check mid way to make sure the bottom isn’t burning but do not keep checking or it will impact the quality of the biscuits. If bottom is baking more quickly than the top, the biscuits can be turned midway through the bake.


And there ya go!



Bacon, Eggs, and Cheese, with home made biscuits on a sunny Saturday morning.



And for dessert, home made biscuits, with home made, home canned blackberry jelly.


Options:
If baking for a sweet treat, increase the sugar to 2 T. They taste great with fruit and whipped cream.

Also if you are doing them away from home you can substitute olive oil for the shortening and use water instead of milk (because there is already powdered milk in the mix). You can mix the whole thing in a gallon size plastic bag. This will change the consistency of the final product but they still taste good.


Another thing that I find noteworthy. Besides better taste and consistancy. Storing your ingredients such as flour and baking powder seperately. Greatly increases the shelf life. As opposed to a mix like Bisquick which has a rather short shelf life.

These can be done inside, outside, in your gas grill. Sometimes we will add butter and cinnamon and make a very passable cinnamon breakfast roll. Not as good as yeast cinnamon rolls. But I doubt anyone would complain in a camping or emergency situation.
 
We store our sugar, salt, cornmeal, and flour in glass canning jars. It has some advantages, and some disadvantages.

Advantages,
Waterproof,
Bug and rodent proof.
Pints are just the right size for flour to be used in the biscuit mix.
Half gallons are perfect for premeasuring the yeast bread flour.
Easy visual identification.

Disadvantages,
Somewhat Fragile, but tougher than you think.
Heavy.
Expensive.
If you break one or more, there is glass everywhere.

I like this method because I can split it up. So! if something bad happens. Even like a shelf collapse. I don't loose it all.
Also the pre-measuring and jarring the flour has greatly cut down on our prep times for baking.
 
The cardboard cases with packing dividers that the jars are shipped from the factory in are perfect for storing the filled jars. Reduces breakage, eliminates light (light can degrade a lot of stored grains etc.), and makes it easier to move the jars.
 
Ausseknifeknut said:
Looking at some of those prepper videos a grain mill does seem like something worth having
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Agreed but I don't store grains so it's not going to get any use here. I do canning though and have since I was a kid. It's a very worthwhile skill to learn.
 
We tend to make our own home made soup, but do keep some cans around for fast meals and as a backup in case we can't get out for some reason.

And then there are the ones we keep around as guilty pleasures like Puritan Irish Stew. My wife loves the stuff and she got me liking it too. So there are always a number of cans of it around.
 
Lol,I've got left over pizza from last night sitting in the fridge , is reheating that considered a survival skill ? :)
 
Ausseknifeknut said:
Lol,I've got left over pizza from last night sitting in the fridge , is reheating that considered a survival skill ? :)
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Not really, you have to eat it cold along with warm beer for breakfast. Cold pizza and warm beer, right up there with meat and potatoes.
 
That pizza reminds me of another thing we keep extra of in the pantry.
Aluminum Foil.

A few roles of foil have many uses. I ususlly have at least one role of the heavy duty stuff and one or two regular. We do a lot of meals over the wood fire wrapped in foil.

Here is our Thanksgiving Turkey going in the ground,



And back out, all moist and juicey,
 
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I like my turkeys to be at least a tad browned on the outside to at least give me the illusion that it's cooked.
 
I have to apologise Lostviking I called you a mall ninja awhile ago , it was uncalled for , I realise you aren't , I'm sorry
 
Aus,

No worries man!

I do remember that. I thought about asking why. But I saw no sense in challenging you. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Since some time has passed. I find a great deal of character in the fact you took the time to clear it up now.
This could possibly be the most sincere apology I have ever received. And it is greatly appreciated. Not necessary, but accepted wholeheartedly.

Besides, I have been called much worse over my lifetime.

Beyond cool move on your part.
LV,
 
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22-rimfire said:
I like my turkeys to be at least a tad browned on the outside to at least give me the illusion that it's cooked.
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It was cooked. It was in the ground for over four and a half hours with hot coals on top and bottom. The stupid button couldn't pop up. Because it was wrapped in two layers of cheese cloth, and then two layers of H.D. Foil.

I don't disagee. It could have been browned a bit more. But it was the best tasting most tender bird I have ever done. I like the dark meat and I was worried that they would be dried out after seeing the meat pulled up from the bones like it was. But the legs were serously moist.

As noted above, all food cooked and eaten outdoors tastes better than its indoor counterpart. So I may have been prejudiced.


A few round rocks placed in the bottom of the hole are a good idea. (Not Creek Rocks)

I built a small fire in the hole to prewarm things. Then I added more wood coals on both the bottom and top of the bird.
 
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I have no doubts it was cooked completely through. Maybe in this case it would be better for some one else to cut the turkey and I just take pieces off a serving plate. :D
 
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