Making Muesli

After mixing your oats, nuts and dried fruit with coconut oil, spice, et cetera, spread the ingredients on a baking sheet and bake until crisp. Pictured is my tropical muesli, featuring dried pineapple, coconut and banana. ©M-J de Mesterton

Kennesaw Cutlery

Click on the photo for an explanation. Also, see items that Kennesaw’s loyal customers appreciate, in the spirit of preparedness:

http://kennesawcutlery.com/Customer-Favorites

Safety Tips for Power Outages and High Winds

Red Cross Safety Tips:

Preparing for High Winds 

and Power-Outages 

To Prepare for High Winds:

• Make trees more wind resistant by removing diseased and damaged limbs.
• Move or secure lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trashcans, hanging plants and anything else that could be picked up by wind and become a projectile.
• During the storm, draw blinds and shades over windows. If windows break due to objects blown by wind, the shades should prevent glass from shattering into your home.

To Stay Safe During a Power Outage:

• Assemble essential supplies, including: flashlight, batteries, portable radio, at least one gallon of water, and a small supply of food. Learn more about making or purchasing a disaster kit here.
• Only use a flashlight for emergency lighting. Due to the extreme risk of fire, do not use candles during a power outage.
• Use the phone for emergencies only. Listening to a portable radio can provide the latest information. Do not call 911 for information — only call to report a life-threatening emergency.
• Do not run a generator inside a home or garage. If you use a generator, connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. Do not connect a generator to the home electrical system.
• Turn off electrical equipment you were using when the power went out. Leave one light on so you know when the power comes back on.
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. First, use perishable food from the refrigerator. A closed refrigerator will keep foods cold for about four hours.
• If you use medication that requires refrigeration, most can be kept inside a closed refrigerator for several hours without a problem. If you are unsure about your medication, check with your physician or pharmacist.
• Stay focused on the risks of smoke and carbon monoxide. Buy a carbon monoxide detector. They are available at most hardware stores. If you have one, check the battery to make sure it is working. If the alarm sounds, head outside to fresh air. Contact the fire department before you go back inside your home.

Courtesy of M-J de Mesterton

Safety Tips for Power Outages and High Winds

Red Cross Safety Tips:

Preparing for High Winds 

and Power-Outages 

To Prepare for High Winds:

• Make trees more wind resistant by removing diseased and damaged limbs.
• Move or secure lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trashcans, hanging plants and anything else that could be picked up by wind and become a projectile.
• During the storm, draw blinds and shades over windows. If windows break due to objects blown by wind, the shades should prevent glass from shattering into your home.

To Stay Safe During a Power Outage:

• Assemble essential supplies, including: flashlight, batteries, portable radio, at least one gallon of water, and a small supply of food. Learn more about making or purchasing a disaster kit here.
• Only use a flashlight for emergency lighting. Due to the extreme risk of fire, do not use candles during a power outage.
• Use the phone for emergencies only. Listening to a portable radio can provide the latest information. Do not call 911 for information — only call to report a life-threatening emergency.
• Do not run a generator inside a home or garage. If you use a generator, connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. Do not connect a generator to the home electrical system.
• Turn off electrical equipment you were using when the power went out. Leave one light on so you know when the power comes back on.
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. First, use perishable food from the refrigerator. A closed refrigerator will keep foods cold for about four hours.
• If you use medication that requires refrigeration, most can be kept inside a closed refrigerator for several hours without a problem. If you are unsure about your medication, check with your physician or pharmacist.
• Stay focused on the risks of smoke and carbon monoxide. Buy a carbon monoxide detector. They are available at most hardware stores. If you have one, check the battery to make sure it is working. If the alarm sounds, head outside to fresh air. Contact the fire department before you go back inside your home.

Survival Stocking-Stuffer

Toasty Feet Insoles are made of material developed by NASA. They are thin, lightweight and will keep your feet warm in the winter under the coldest conditions. Please visit Nolan and his son  at The Perfect Present.

Elegant Survival Non-Electric Tools

In the event of a power-outage, or complete disaster, you will need certain non-electric kitchen tools. Let’s say that you’ve successfully put away a stock of wheat. You will need to grind it for flour, or crush it for salads and pilafs. The traditional heavy metal meat and vegetable grinder, which attaches by vise to a table or counter-top, is necessary. If you have stored-up a load of coffee beans (whole coffee beans, like wheat “berries”, have a much longer shelf-life than their ground forms), you will need a high-quality, hand-operated coffee grinder. See my Survival Tools link-list on the right side of this page for sources.
Hand-Operated Meat and Wheat Grinder

Here is a photo of my sprouted grains and seeds, showing my hand-operated coffee-grinder.
Click on photo to enlarge Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton 2008

Emergency Foods

A great way to always have some form of cheese, without refrigeration, is to buy economy-sized containers of grated Parmesan cheese–the kind which comes in the plastic cylinders. Kraft has a nice product; check its packaging for shelf-life prospectus. As in my previous posts about dehydrated foods, et cetera, I’m not posting this information for food-snobs, but for people who wish to be prepared for disaster!

You would do well to lay in a supply of pasta and powdered eggs, as well as olive oil and nuts. It may not be the most nutritious food, but there’s a lot you can do with pasta. A recipe I devised years ago is this: sauté some walnuts and chopped garlic in olive oil until they are brown. Add it to your cooked pasta, together with shredded or grated Parmesan cheese. Eggs, of course, are nature’s perfect food, in my opinion. Adding Parmesan cheese to an omelette yields a delicious dish, especially when it also contains tomatoes, sun-dried or fresh. Both pasta and egg dishes are enhanced by dried parsley and chives–two other items to have on hand when it seems that the end is at hand!

~~M-J de Mesterton

Copyright M-J de Mesterton

Elegant Survival Non-Electric Tools

In the event of a power-outage, or complete disaster, you will need certain non-electric kitchen tools. Let’s say that you’ve successfully put away a stock of wheat. You will need to grind it for flour, or crush it for salads and pilafs. The traditional heavy metal meat and vegetable grinder, which attaches by vise to a table or counter-top, is necessary. If you have stored-up a load of coffee beans (whole coffee beans, like wheat “berries”, have a much longer shelf-life than their ground forms), you will need a high-quality, hand-operated coffee grinder. See my Survival Tools link-list on the right side of this page for sources.
Hand-Operated Meat and Wheat Grinder

Here is a photo of my sprouted grains and seeds, showing my hand-operated coffee-grinder.
Click on photo to enlarge Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton 2008

Emergency Foods

A great way to always have some form of cheese, without refrigeration, is to buy economy-sized containers of grated Parmesan cheese–the kind which comes in the plastic cylinders. Kraft has a nice product; check its packaging for shelf-life prospectus. As in my previous posts about dehydrated foods, et cetera, I’m not posting this information for food-snobs, but for people who wish to be prepared for disaster!

You would do well to lay in a supply of pasta and powdered eggs, as well as olive oil and nuts. It may not be the most nutritious food, but there’s a lot you can do with pasta. A recipe I devised years ago is this: sauté some walnuts and chopped garlic in olive oil until they are brown. Add it to your cooked pasta, together with shredded or grated Parmesan cheese. Eggs, of course, are nature’s perfect food, in my opinion. Adding Parmesan cheese to an omelette yields a delicious dish, especially when it also contains tomatoes, sun-dried or fresh. Both pasta and egg dishes are enhanced by dried parsley and chives–two other items to have on hand when it seems that the end is at hand!

~~M-J de Mesterton

Courtesy of M-J de Mesterton

Elegant Survival Non-Electric Tools

eat, 

In the event of a power-outage, or complete disaster, you will need certain non-electric kitchen tools. Let’s say that you’ve successfully put away a stock of wheat. You will need to grind it for flour, or crush it for salads and pilafs. The traditional heavy metal meat and vegetable grinder, which attaches by vise to a table or counter-top, is necessary. If you have stored-up a load of coffee beans (whole coffee beans, like wheat “berries”, have a much longer shelf-life than their ground forms), you will need a high-quality, hand-operated coffee grinder. See my Survival Tools link-list on the right side of this page for sources.
Hand-Operated Meat and Wheat Grinder

Here is a photo of my sprouted grains and seeds, showing my hand-operated coffee-grinder.
Click on photo to enlarge Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton 2008

Emergency Foods

A great way to always have some form of cheese, without refrigeration, is to buy economy-sized containers of grated Parmesan cheese–the kind which comes in the plastic cylinders. Kraft has a nice product; check its packaging for shelf-life prospectus. As in my previous posts about dehydrated foods, et cetera, I’m not posting this information for food-snobs, but for people who wish to be prepared for disaster!

You would do well to lay in a supply of pasta and powdered eggs, as well as olive oil and nuts. It may not be the most nutritious food, but there’s a lot you can do with pasta. A recipe I devised years ago is this: sauté some walnuts and chopped garlic in olive oil until they are brown. Add it to your cooked pasta, together with shredded or grated Parmesan cheese. Eggs, of course, are nature’s perfect food, in my opinion. Adding Parmesan cheese to an omelette yields a delicious dish, especially when it also contains tomatoes, sun-dried or fresh. Both pasta and egg dishes are enhanced by dried parsley and chives–two other items to have on hand when it seems that the end is at hand!

~~M-J de Mesterton