Why i LOVE my Home Store.

To you, I'm a Shelf Reliance Consultant

to me....I'm a mother.
so excuse me while i gloat in my son's adorable-ness.

me: "hey bud, what should we make for dinner tonight?"
bo: "oh mom, can we please have some of the shwelf rewiance?..i LOVE that food!"

isn't that cute?

..wait...now before you go off believing that i deceive my kids in an effort to get them eating more vegetables..i don't. bo is fully aware that vegetables grow from seeds in the ground...and that they are not magically chopped and ready to eat.
but heck, maybe i don't need to spend my days teaching the kids about this.
perhaps the future will include all our groceries coming to our door, fresh, clean, chopped and delicious.
hmmm....maybe we ARE the future!

anyway, i'm off my soapbox
(for now)

the reason for this post was to tell you why i love my Home Store.

I love food.
(isn't it obvious?)
thus i am a fan of food blogs.
i found one a few years ago. it was simple home cookin'.
and since i'm simple...i was on board.
i would find a scrumptious new recipe on the blog and write down all the ingredients so that the next time i was at the store i would be sure to get everything i needed.
sometimes this method worked like magic.
everything was purchased, AND, i remembered where i had found the recipe and what i was planning to make with it.
other times it did not.

now things run differently,
no matter the blog,
no matter the recipe,
i have the ingredients on had!
i am confident NOTHING has gone rotten in the back of the fridge.
(cause it's not in the fridge, just our yummy leftovers are!)
i am certain the meal will be eaten, and possible cleaned up,
LONG before the suggested cook time.
and i just KNOW everyone at the table will enjoy!
so now, when i find something that sounds good..
i make it!
right then.
not after going to the grocery store.
or making a list for hours.
right then.

and i love that.

here's what we made tonight...

Potato Casserole, aka. Shepherds pie.

from Caviar Shmaviar.
clever, huh!

here is her recipe:

1 lb Hamburger
1 Can Kitchen Cut Green Beans - drained
1 Can Tomato Soup - not sauce, soup
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 Large or 4-5 Medium Russet Potatoes
2 Tbsp. Butter (or Margarine in my case)
Paprika

Mashed Potatoes: Peel potatoes, wash and cut. Put in a pan with water an inch above the potatoes. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to medium low and set timer for 15 minutes. Drain water and mash. Add a little butter or margarine and a little milk or lactose free milk :) Mash a little more.

Hamburger Mixture: While the potatoes are cooking, brown hamburger. Remove grease. Add beans, tomato soup, and salt and pepper. About 1/2 Tbsp of each. Place hamburger mixture in baking dish. Then add potatoes. Place pieces of butter or margarine on top of the potatoes and then sprinkle with Paprika to your liking. Cook on 350 for about a half an hour until it's completely warmed through.

I added THRIVE onions, while browning the meat...
THRIVE carrots
THRIVE peas, and
THRIVE green beans.
after reconstituting them together in the same bowl of cold water for about 3 minutes.
(and no, i didn't measure)

then i dumped it all in a stone to bake.
(now, i'm thinking some THRIVE corn would have been yummy in their too.)

put your mashed potatoes on top.
I added THRIVE sour cream to my mashed potatoes.
(how ever much sour cream powder you add, add half that much water.)

then spread some butter cubes on top, and some paprika!

walaa...bake at 350!

now, don't be a hater, give this good ol' fashioned casserole a shot. it won't disappoint.

hello winter.

So, winter finally showed up here in Utah. oh joy.

but no worries,
we had the BEST tomato bisque soup today for lunch.
thanks to our "produce in the pantry."
(aka. THRIVE)
Tomato Bisque

by Chef Todd Leonard

1/2 c. THRIVE chopped onions
2/3 c. THRIVE carrot dices
1/2 c. THRIVE celery
2 qts. water
1/2 c. THRIVE tomato powder
1/2 c. THRIVE tomato dices
1/2 tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tbsp seasoned salt
3/4 tbsp THRIVE iodized salt
1/2 tbsp Cholula hot sauce (the secret ingredient :)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. parmesan cheese

directions: in a 6-quart stock pot, combine the onions, carrots, celery, water, tomato powder, diced tomatoes, italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and spice blend and bring to a simmer, stirring to blend well. Let soup simmer for about 20 minutes covered, until all items become tender. Add the hot sauce, vinegar, cream, and parmesan and stir well to blend. (for thicker soup, reduce more before cream is added). Place soup in a blender or use a handleld blender and puree soup to a silky smooth consistency. Pour soup back into pot, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed.

top with some THRIVE sour cream.
chopped herbs or balsamic reduction are also nice accompaniments.

bon appetit!

Did you know?

Did you know we have Freeze Dried Cheese??

You better believe we do!

(with a 20 year shelf life i might add!)

Twice Baked Potatoes

2 c. THRIVE potato chunks

2 tsp THRIVE chopped onion

1/4 c. THRIVE bacon TVP

1 c. THRIVE cheddar cheese, rehydrated and divided

1/2 c. THRIVE instant milk, prepared

1/2 c. THRIVE sour cream, prepared

2-3 tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

rehydrate and cook potatoes by placing them in to boiling water. add 1 tsp of salt and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and mash the potatoes, then add the other ingredients and whip together until creamy. Place mixture into large dish and top with additional cheese. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown. Makes 4-6 servings.

we had this with dinner last night.

SO good.

give it a try.