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

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It’s Time to Make Granola and Muesli

In anticipation of a food shortage or an absence of electricity, I made muesli (“granola”) today. 

Some of the Ingredients for M-J’s Tropical Muesli To Be Continued…. It appears that Blogger is having a malfunction. I haven’t been able to consistently upload whole photographs since the end of last week (see photo of ingredients for a sample of what has been happening).

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Minute Rice, a Boon to American Cooks for 60 Years, Saves Energy

Minute Rice is an Economical, Delicious and Energy-Saving American Food--M-J Congratulates Riviana Foods of Texas on the 60th Anniversary of Minute Rice

Riviana Foods

Minute Rice is available at Sam’s Club in a 4.5 lb. box, for $5.42.

M-J’s Elegant Apple Pie Recipe

M-J’s Elegant Apple Pie Recipe

• 4 cups of white flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 stick of salted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• ¾ cup of chilled lard (“manteca”)
• 7 Fuji or Sonya apples–cored, peeled, and thinly sliced (reserve peels and cores)
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1/4 cup light-brown sugar (or more, according to your to your taste)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup of cold water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• 1 additional half stick of butter
• An extra 2 tablespoons of sugar, either white or brown
• One cup of water
• DIRECTIONS

• 1. Make the dough: put one stick of cold butter into a large mixing bowl, together with the 3/4 cup of chilled lard and a teaspoon of salt. Add flour gradually, working it into the butter and lard. Add approximately 3/4 cup of cold water, then cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms small pea-shaped balls, and when formed into a large mound, it holds together. Sometimes less cold water is required–believe it or not, the amount needed to make a pie dough with this recipe depends upon the moon.’s current phase. Mix this by hand, since machine will create a tough pie crust. I use an old-fashioned wire potato masher and a wooden spoon. When the dough sticks together but doesn’t stick to your hands, shape it into 2 balls, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• 2. Put all of your apple peelings and cores into a saucepan on the stove with a cup of water and two tablespoons of sugar, and boil until the liquid becomes syrup. Strain liquid from solids and reserve it. The peelings can then be eaten or ground into applesauce–it’s important not to waste any edible part of your apples.
• 3. Assemble the pie: heat your oven to 425°F. Roll out one ball of dough into a 12-inch round about 1/8-inch thick, on a lightly floured surface. Fit the dough into a 9 or10-inch pie pan. Place one layer of apple slices into the dough-lined pan. Cover them with two tablespoons of cornstarch and a quarter-cup of brown sugar. Repeat this process with apples, sugars and cinnamon. Distribute the half-stick of butter on top of the apples after slicing it into bits. Add your apple syrup over the top of the pie. Alternatively, I sometimes skip the step of creating syrup from my apple peelings, and just use some apple juice concentrate (found in grocery frozen juice section).
• Roll out the second ball of dough for the top crust. Brush the edges of the bottom crust with water or milk, and lay the top crust down, pressing the edges together to form a tight seal. Use your imagination to pierce or slice a design into the top of the pie to allow steam to escape. Bake for ten minutes at 425*F, then lower your oven heat to 350* and bake for another hour. Let the apple pie cool for a minimum of two hours before serving.
• Elegant Apple Pie Recipe Copyright M-J de Mesterton 2008

Copyright M-J de Mesterton

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Everyday Survival: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things, by Laurence Gonzales

Thursday, Nov 6, 2008

Laurence Gonzales will appear on Saturday in Santa Fe at Collected Works bookstore off the Plaza. His latest book is entitled, Everyday Survival: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things

A New, Versatile Product from Pillsbury

Believe it or not, some very elegant creations can be made with this new product from the Pillsbury Doughboy. It is a sheet of “crescent (croissant) roll” style dough, which can be cut into any shapes and dimensions you please.

Note from M-J: I really do not appreciate the following site copying my headlines. It is a cynical practice to garner him more hits. We are not affiliated. http://www.survival-food-kit.com/category/articles-survival

How to Make Elegant Canapes from Soda Crackers: New York Times 1913

OF INTEREST TO WOMEN: Uncommon Dainties that Can Be Made of Common Crackers When the Cake Box Is Empty.

August 10, 1913, Sunday

THE Summer hostess should know how to make the most of ordinary, inexpensive crackers. In case of an emergency, when the cake box is empty or the baker has failed to come, a knowledge of how to utilize plain crackers is by no means to be despised. 1913 Article in the New York Times

I really do not appreciate the following site copying my headlines. It is a cynical practice to garner him more hits. We are not affiliated. http://www.survival-food-kit.com/category/articles-survival

Oak Leaf Vineyards: Elegant Survival Wine at $2.97

Oak Leaf Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon

The French drink their local wines for a couple of euros per bottle. Now, Californians can drink excellent wines by award-winning Oak Leaf Vineyards for $1.97 a bottle, and the rest of America is able to buy them for $2.97, providing they can shop at the right store.

At the prestigious Florida State International Wine Competition in the spring of 2008, a new brand, Oak Leaf Vineyards from California, won gold. With 84 wineries competing in the Chardonnay category, only four received gold medals, and among them Oak Leaf was the biggest bargain by far, at $1.97 suggested retail price in California and $2.97 in most other states.

“With the economy slowing and as we move into tax season where dollars are tighter, finding value in the wine aisle is ever more important,” said Mario Pulido, winemaker for Oak Leaf Vineyards. Oak Leaf Vineyards provides very high quality wine at extremely good prices. Available in five varietals — Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and White Zinfandel — Oak Leaf Vineyards wines have the qualities of wines costing three times the modest price. The traditional label highlights four seasonal oak trees.

“Our first awards — Gold and Bronze at the 2008 Florida State Fair International Wine Competition and Silver and Bronze at the 2008 San Francisco Wine Competition show our approach — ‘easy to drink with plenty of flavor’ — is a winning one. With the money you save on wine, your family can enjoy those little extra things in life,” continued Pulido.

Oak Leaf Vineyard wines are available nationally at Wal-Mart superstores that are licensed to sell wine.

Extreme Value Wines Mean what they Say

Never in the 6,000-year history of wine has there been the choice, the quality, and more than anything, the values, available to the American wine consumer. With 100,000 labels in the market, that consumer can now find what he (and more likely she) wants at prices less than $2.00 a bottle. Amid new concerns about the current economic climate, everyone wants their dollars to go farther. Oak Leaf Vineyards is part of the new set of extreme value wines that are easy to drink, flavorful and over-deliver for a modest price.

~~Elegant Survival Wine Recommendations

Article on Wal-Mart’s Oak Leaf Vineyards Wines, in the Dallas Morning News