The Storm Gourmet

I have mentioned previously that I live in hurricane country, and that it is, in fact, hurricane season. Having lived through five days without power following hurricane Wilma, I know first-hand about the challenge of meal preparation without electricity or refrigeration.

Which is why I am so excited to tell you about one of my favorite storm-preparation books, The Storm Gourmet by Daphne Nikolopoulos. This is the ultimate guide to creating extraordinary meals without electricity or refrigeration. This is way more than just canned beans and tuna.

With shopping lists and suggested menus, there is no shortage of great ideas. The book has more than 70 recipes using nonperishable and shelf-stable food items. In addition, there are instructions for growing a storm-proof herb garden and lots of tips about how best to weather the storm.

If you are looking for a book with recipe ideas that go beyond the ordinary food storage fare, this is the book for you. Although the recipes tend toward the tropical (Avocado Salsa, Tropical Tuna Salad, and Island Shrimp), it provides some great new ideas for using nonperishable food.

Full-Length Mirror Transformation

I wish I had a "before" photo for this because this mirror came from Goodwill. It was not in great shape but was priced at only $8. The frame is wood but it was painted a very bright gaudy gold color.

We painted the frame a pretty green that coordinates nicely with my daughter's bedroom. She loves having a full length mirror in her room and it looks really cute. It was quite a transformation!

Find more great projects at Metamorphasis Monday and 2nd Time Around Tuesday!

Our Favorite Easy Hummus

With only a few simple ingredients, you can make this Mediterranean-flavored hummus. This recipe does not use tahini but instead uses spanish olives. You will want to adjust the amount of olive oil so as to obtain your desired consistency. I start with the 3 tablespoons, but always end up adding more to make it really smooth and creamy.





Easy Mediterranean Hummus

1 (15.5 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup pitted Spanish Manzanilla olives
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon cilantro leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Cover and puree until smooth. Add additional olive oil if necessary. May be served immediately or stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Thanks to the following sites for hosting a link to this post: Homemaker Monday at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

One of my favorite uses for frozen banana slices is a smoothie. Nothing beats peanut butter with bananas.

This smoothie is so simple that I make it just about any time of day (and sometimes night). I really don't use any exact measurements (another reason it's so quick and easy) but I think you can get the idea from these pictures and instructions.

All you need is frozen banana slices, milk, and peanut butter.

Place frozen banana slices in a blender. For two servings, I use about two cups of frozen bananas.

Add milk until it's not quite covering the bananas.

I really like peanut butter, so I use a tablespoon and scoop out two big scoops. Put it all in the blender and whirl. Yummy!

The Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie has become one of my family's favorite snacks. Thanks to Money Saving Mom for the idea! These great smoothies work for me.

Hurricane Season

It's hurricane season where I live, which means lots of preparations. Of course the season technically started in June, but nobody really starts thinking about getting ready until we have the first named storm (that would be today--it's Ana).

Whether you live in hurricane country or not, you should always be prepared for severe weather.

The most immediate inconvenience of severe storms is a power outage. I wrote about my favorite power failure lighting options in an earlier post. I really feel that having power failure lighting in a home is a huge comfort and I consider it a must. But beyond the initial loss of power there comes a need for more long term power sources.

There is the need for light, a means of cooking, communication, and the need to get information from radio or television. We'll look at each of these needs in upcoming posts.

Thrift Finds: Plant Sconces

On a drive through Metropolis, Illinois, we stopped to visit the thrift stores along Main Street. For those who may not know, the claim to fame of the city of Metropolis is the huge Superman statue and museum. Although we decided against the museum, we did enjoy taking some pictures at the statue.

My souveniers from the trip are these two great plant sconces. I picked up the sconces (minus the pots) for $1.20 a piece. I have a perfect sunny spot for them on my trellis.

I hope to use them for some herbs I've been planning to grow--perhaps the culantro I posted about here.

Visit the Southern Hospitality Blog for more Thrifty Finds and 2nd Time Around Tuesday for even more.

Culantro Instead of Cilantro?

As a companion post to the Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup recipe that I posted a few days ago, I thought I would write about my adventures in growing cilantro (which, by the way, is a perfect addition to the taco soup).

While I have grown cilantro successfully from seed, I am always surprised at its short life span, particularly in the warm climate in which I live. Before I know it, the plant bolts to seed. The cilantro I started from seed is long past it's prime. In fact, the seeds (corriander) are already dried.

Wanting a photograph to go along with my discussion of cilantro, I stopped at the local garden center this morning. No cilantro, but they did have culantro. The label said that the flavor is similar to cilantro but more pungent--sounded good to me. So I began to search for information about this new (to me) herb.

The culantro leaves are thicker and more succulent than those of cilantro. As a result, the leaves can reportedly be dried or frozen easily. Culantro is widely used throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Far East and is often used interchangably with cilantro.

More information about culantro can be found here and here. Let me know if you have tried growing culantro or have used it in your cooking.

Looking for Books?

You may have guessed by now that I love books! I am always looking for an inexpensive way to add to my collection. One of the first places I look is Paperback Swap. Paperback Swap is not just for paperbacks. They have hardcover and audiobooks as well.

This is how it works: When you sign up, you list 10 books that you are ready to part with. Just for listing the 10 books, you get 2 book credits. If someone requests one of the books you have listed, you accept their request and mail the book via media mail. The cost to you is the cost of shipping your old book (around $2.50, depending on the book's size). You may pay for the postage and print the mailing label online, or print the label without the postage and add it yourself. If you choose to pay for the postage online, you will receive immediate credit for sending the book. Otherwise you will get credit when the receiver marks the book received. For each book you mail, you get a book credit.

When you see a book you would like, you simply request the book. You "pay" for the book with your book credit and another member sends the book to you. You also have the option of purchasing book credits through the site for approximately $3.45 each. However, if you buy several at a time, the price goes down. You can even find other members selling their credits on the discussion boards for an even greater discount.

If you are looking for a particular book that is not currently listed, you can add it to your wish list. You will be put on a waiting list and will receive an email when your "wish has been granted". I highly recommend the wish list system. I have been able to get many books this way without waiting too long.

Using Paperback Swap I have been able to complete several book series for my children, I have found many fiction and nonfiction books for myself and have even found some great workbooks for my kids.

If you think this is something you might use, go to the site and watch the great introductory tutorial. It does a wonderful job explaining how everything works.

I've saved lots of money purchasing books this way. And I feel better knowing that the books I am finished with will be sent to others who will enjoy them. Check it out and let me know how you like it.

Submitted with special thanks to Frugal Fridays.

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Make Use of Your Local Library

One of my favorite frugal activities is to make use of the local library. If you haven't utilized your library recently, you may be in for a very pleasant surprise.

Besides the obvious (books), many libraries have music, movies, games and more available for check-out. Better still, if you live near a branch location of a larger library system, you may be able to have books sent from other locations to your local branch.

This is a feature that my family uses regularly. Recently I posted about my favorite food preservation books . From the comfort of my home computer, I was able to see the selection of preservation books available in my library system.

Since most of these books were not housed at my local branch, I was able to put the book on "hold" and have it sent to my local branch. I receive an automated phone call when the book is waiting for me. I can also check the status of my request online.

In this way, I have been able to check out nearly twenty different books on food preservation. I was able to look them over carefully and decide which books are best for me. Then, if I feel a book is worthy of a place in my home library, I may decide to buy it. By using this process I am able to make a very informed decision before making the purchase.

And it is so convenient! Take some time to check out the options available at your local library.

Submitted with special thanks to Works for Me Wednesday, Things I Love Thursday and Frugal Friday.

Feather Quill Pen

Quite by accident we discovered a fun activity this week. On a nature walk my son found this large feather from a wild turkey. The next day we were visiting a historical museum where we got the idea of using the feather as a writing instrument.

If you are unable to find large bird feathers where you live, the local hobby store will have some that may be suitable. Look for feathers that do not have a crushed tube and do have a significant portion of nearly transparent tubing underneath the plume of the feather.

You will need a very sharp cutting instrument such as an XACTO knife to cut the nib. Obviously, this is the job of a parent or very responsible older child.

To write with the pen, dip the tip into a jar of ink, then dab on a piece of paper towel before writing. We used black india ink that would have been a mess had it spilled (it didn't). You may want to use another more washable variety.

Since I was so nervous that the ink might spill, we got to thinking about the ink wells on old writing desks. We made our own version of an ink well using two 3"x3" blocks of wood. We drilled a hole in one (large enough to accomodate the ink bottle). We then glued the two blocks together. We gave our ink well three coats of polyurethane finish to protect it. The ink jar fits perfectly in the hole which prevents the jar from tipping.

Another safety precaution, you can see in the photo above, is the large piece of plastic sheeting covering the table.

If you want to learn much more about using feathers as quill pens, check out this website "Cutting Quill Pens from Feathers". For even more, detailed instructions for cutting the nib, as well as some very interesting historical information can be found here and here.

Submitted with special thanks to Thirsty Thursday and Show & Tell Friday.