Dehydrating Eggs (DIY)

Being the cheap errr.. frugal person that I am I am always looking for a less expensive way to do things. I was checking out dehydrated eggs on line last year and was amazed at how expensive they are. So I set out to find a cheaper less expensive way to do them myself. The #10 cans go for around $17.00 and have on average 80-90 eggs per can.(plus shipping) That's about 7 dozen eggs. Which comes out to a little over $2.00 a dozen. Pretty expensive don't you think? And so I set out to try my hand at doing my own. Now let me add my disclaimer right up front,ok? The USDA does NOT recommend doing this at home. 

Drying your own eggs is quite simple really.  There are two ways to do this. Most people who do their own scramble their eggs first and then dry them.  I personally don't care for the re-hydrated flavor.  Maybe it's just me because I'm pretty picky about my scrambled eggs.  I like mine on the softer side of scrambled and cooking them first just doesn't work for me.  So I decided to try doing them raw.  This method works for me because I can use them for more things than the cooked ones.  Including making soft scrambled eggs! 

The method is simple.  Beat your eggs really well and pour into your fruit roll up trays.  My trays will hold 6 eggs each.  Turn your dehydrator up to 165 degrees and let them dry until they are done.  Mine take an average of 16-18 hours.  When they are done they will be hard and all pretty much in one big piece.  You have to sort of  "pop" them out of the trays.  They will be hard and yet a bit  "oily"  to the touch.  Then I put them in the blender (because I don't have a food processor) and powder them up as finely as possible.  I store them in glass jars and seal them up with My FoodSaver.  A quart jar will hold about 3 1/2 to 4 dozen eggs.  I have some that I put up last September and upon checking them today I found they are still good and storing well.  To re-hydrate them I use one tablespoon of egg powder to two tablespoons of  water.  Let them re-hydrate for about 20 minutes and stir well. 
You can use them for scrambled eggs, omelets, dredging chicken and other fried foods and baking.  When using them for baking you don't need to re-hydrate them.  Just add the powdered eggs to your mix.
Some of us aren't able to raise chickens and so this is a great way to add eggs to your food storage.  And for half the price of buying them online.  When SHTF eggs will be a nice addition to anyone's food storage.  Even if you don't have chickens!!
Sorry I don't have a picture of our breakfast this morning....my camera batteries are dead. And yes, I need to stock up on more batteries.... hey... it's on my list!!!

DIY Smoker on the Cheap

Mar's finally couldn't stand not having some sort of smoker.  As I have often said in the past we do most all of our spring and summer cooking outdoors.  It's just to hot to cook indoors, especially in an RV.  When we moved we didn't bring the old smoker with us.  It served us well for several years but the fire box was beginning to rust out.  We did bring some of the parts though!  We brought the grates and the door (which has a working temperature gauge) because you just never know when you might have a need for something like that right? 

So what can you do with a smoker door, some concrete tiles from the old patio, and an old metal trashcan with a rusted out bottom, a bit of old sheet metal and a some ducting pipe? 

 Pretty ingenious isn't it?  And it works well too!

Okie Heaven?

I was going to post yesterday but something my Mom used to tell me made me rethink it.  She always said if you don't have something nice to say....well then just don't say anything!  And so I didn't.  What a difference a day can make...

  Oh and just when you think old cowboys are all rough and tough....  they will turn around and bring you wildflowers. Pretty aren't they? 

    When we moved up here I opened a checking account over in Little Big Town.  No big deal really although they did want my drivers license and something to prove my address.  Ok , got it... no problem.  I recently received a letter from them which said that they didn't have the information on record and to please bring it in so they could have a copy.  Excuse me?  You had the information.  What happened to it?   Where did it go?  So now they expect me to rush right over and supply them the "required" information.  Needless to say I am in no hurry to do anything except move my paltry little account to another bank.  If they can't hold onto my information how the heck am I supposed to let them hold my freaking money?  GRRRRR

    John and Mars had helped the neighbors with some field work and helped load up a cow for market last month.  Today he comes to the door bearing what appears to be about 50 pounds of beef.  Man you just have to love country folks!  T-Bones, chuck roasts, arm roasts ,hamburger, sirloins and beef ribs.   Oh, and John tossed in a fryer rabbit as well.After watching "Food, Inc." I feel much better knowing where all this actually came from.  If you haven't seen it- you really should.  I've also got a couple of dozen fresh eggs in the fridge.  I've been wanting to make a pound cake with a recipe I got from MMPaints  Man,  I think we died and ended up in Okie heaven!!!

I made spaghetti and meatballs last night for dinner.  I cooked the sauce all day and I have to say it turned out to be some of the best I've ever made.  Sorry I don't have a recipe though.... it just sort of evolved into a good thing.  Served with fresh spinach and garlic toast it was wonderful. 

Mars has built us a smoker.  We are both really into outdoor cooking and have been missing the old smoker we left back in Texas.  I've got some pictures and will get them posted soon.  Pretty ingenious actually!  I can't wait to show ya'll!

It's a beautiful day here with temperatures headed to about 85.  We didn't get the rain that was predicted for the weekend either.  Well it rained a little but not enough to skip watering the garden.  I'm sure glad the big garden has its own watering system or we would be having to water 24/7 and its not even hot yet!  The radishes are ready!! And boy are they good. 

Speaking of water... have you heard about the water outage in Massachusetts?  They are actually  fighting in the stores over bottled water.  This should make you consider what would happen if SHTF where you are.  It also is a great reminder for us all to keep on prepping like there is no tomorrow.  Hey who knows what tomorrow will bring... and if it brings something bad how ready are you?  It might be a good time to do a little inventory and see what sort of holes you might have in your preps.  And then work on plugging some of those holes up as best you can.

Our little "herb" garden is doing well. Only its not much of an herb garden at this point.  Some things didn't come up and so Mars has been putting other "things" where they were.  So there are now some squash, cantaloupe, brussel sprouts and who knows what else he's put out there.  It will be interesting to see what we end up with.  The tomato's are doing good.  When we plant tomato's we start by burying about 80% of the plant.  It makes for some really sturdy plants.  As there seems to be a lack of "pollinators" around here Mars resorted to being "IT".  You just take a q-tip and lightly touch around the flower and then touch the next one... and so on and so on.  It works!  Another thing to remember if your tomato's are blooming is to water at the base of the plant.  You don't want to "rinse off" the pollen!

The oil spill in the Gulf will most certainly hurt the environment for months if not years to come.  If you like those little cans of shrimp and crab and other seafoods it might be in your best interest to stock up on them now while you can  A. Still find it and  B. Still afford it.  Just a thought.

Hey... I'm just sayin.....

Brownies and Down Time

   I try to post regularly... I really do. Its just that sometimes I just needed to take a little time and "regroup".  I've been feeling a little burned out lately and just needed to take a couple of days off.  A 9 x13 pan of wonderfully delicious brownies later I am feeling back up to my old self!  (recipe is at the bottom of the post)

  To my surprise when I logged in the first thing I noticed was that there are missing links and pictures that were there just the other day.  I don't know how or why but it seems strange to me.  Especially since all the missing pictures and/or logos are preparedness ones.  Has anyone else noticed anything like this?  I am in the process of re-posting them so bear with me.

  We have baby tomato's!  I'm so excited.  It's like the spring version of Christmas  every year to see the first of the veggies bearing fruit.  A precursor of things to come soon.  This year will certainly be different as we are lending a hand at the Pioneer LivingHomestead.  It won't be much longer now and things will be in full production in the garden.  With that comes the harvesting and canning and drying of vegetables.  I've never been involved in a garden this size before and so it should be quite a summer.  The vegetable stand is coming along nicely too.

On another note, I received a great award from my friend char_char ! Thank you so much!
"The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all…"

I'm passing this along to:

A Homesteading Neophyte
Self Sustained Living
Double Nickle Farm
Coffee With The Hermit
Small Farm Girl

   I didn't have the confectioner's sugar and so opted for no frosting.  I also doubled the recipe since my 8" pyrex dish was broken in the move.  Dang.... to bad I had to make a whole 9x13 pan.  :)

Best Brownies  (All Recipes)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
•  
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
4. To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Frost brownies while they are still warm.