Using holiday leftovers

While this may not seem like much of an emergency issue, this contains elements of food safety, proper nutrition, and thriftiness, so I'm going to allow it. Also, this exchange happened on Twitter yesterday:

"My family isn't large enough to save me from a future of excessive turkey sandwiches, and turkey pot pies."
"May I also recommend turkey and dumplings and turkey fajitas? I am thinking of trying turkey quesadillas."
"Ooooh...turkey quesadillas! Sounds wonderful. I'm saved!"

All in a day's work, ma'am.

I will be focusing on leftover meats. The sweet potatoes we just use as a side dish until they are gone, which is pretty much true of any of the sides. I wish I had a good use for cranberry sauce, because really only two people eat it, and maybe they will have some the next day too, but we will end up throwing some out. Probably my aversion to eating it would transform into some aversion to cooking with it though, so it may be for the best.

Regardless, the meat is the biggest expense, and it is the largest quantity of the leftovers, and that is more true for us because for both Christmas and Thanksgiving we do turkey and ham. (For Easter, we only do ham.) This satisfies the different tastes, but also provides us with different meals, where it ends up really helping instead of hurting the grocery budget. Using sufficient variety so that people don't get tired of the leftovers is important though. Being able to alternate between ham and turkey probably helps us with that, but if you only have one, do not fear.

Actually, one important thing to remember is that you don't have to eat it all now. Let's say you thaw your turkey, you cannot refreeze it like that, but having cooked it, and changed its physical state, you can then freeze the cooked turkey. So, if you want to eat half the leftovers now, and then half in March, that is fine. Separating frozen meat is a pain though, so instead of a gallon bag, it will make more sense to freeze the amounts you will use for different meals separately.

Now, let's talk about some recipes. Obviously, people know how to make turkey pot pies. Mine involves the leftover turkey, whatever leftover vegetables we have (usually baby corn, green beans, and carrots, but I have used celery, potatoes or regular corn), cream of chicken soup, some salt and pepper, and then just baked in a pie crust.

I do a very similar turkey and dumplings, where instead of baking in a pie crust I heat it in a slow cooker all day, then for the last twenty minutes top it with dumplings made from about flour, baking powder, salt, and milk. This works for me, because I am not really good at making pie crust.

I also like to do a soup totally from scratch. I will put bones and skin in a stockpot, add some salt, and cover with water. I let that simmer for several hours, and then strain out the bones and skin, adding vegetables and meat to the broth and letting that boil. I was once told a pioneer recipe for homemade noodles, which is that you crack an egg, then add one half of the shell full of milk, just enough salt to fill the small space in your folded hand (I guess that's like two pinches), and then enough flour to make a dough. Now, if you want to add ready-made noodles, that is completely fine, but if you are rolling out dough, let me strongly recommend using a pizza cutter instead of a knife for turning the dough into noodles. It works much better.

Obviously I have tried the fajitas, and they work okay. I have thought about trying other chicken recipes for turkey (croquettes, a la king, tetrazzini), so the question is, is turkey a good substitute for chicken? Yes, with some caveats. One is that it is a bit less flavorful. This is less of an issue with the fajitas, because with the seasoning and the peppers, there is flavor added.

There is also a matter of texture. There is a recipe that I have for ground chicken enchiladas that I always make with ground turkey, but using the leftover roast turkey would not work, because of the texture. Often, even in fillets, the chicken will have a smoother texture than the turkey, so you need to think about that. However, freeze some, and use the recipes that work for you all through the year.

I should add that I always roast the turkey upside down. A family in Modesto taught me this. What happens this way is that as the cooking fat drips to the bottom, it moistens the breast, which gets notoriously dry otherwise, instead of the rib cage. I don't even stuff or baste anymore, and I still have a moist, delicious turkey, so even if you are only going to do sandwiches, this gives you a leg up.I highly recommend it.

Ham is a less healthy meat then turkey, and we use it in less healthy dishes perhaps, but they are also delicious.

The most popular one by far is the Breakfast Bake Casserole. This was from a Pillsbury cookbook, so it involves a lot of processed food, though you could do some of the things from scratch. You start with hash browns (frozen, then cooked), and spread them in a greased casserole pan, and cover with shredded cheese. I think the recipe calls for Swiss, but I tend to use mozzarella, maybe with some cheddar mixed in. You then scramble eight eggs mixed with ham, and as that is almost cooked ad a cubed packet of cream cheese. Spread that over the hash browns, cover with crescent rolls (unrolled, obviously), and bake for about 20 minutes. I have forgotten the cream cheese, changed the shredded cheese, used bread stick or regular biscuit dough for the topping instead, and it doesn't matter, it is always good. Still, don't forget the cream cheese, and the crescent rolls work best.

Another fun thing to do is make scrambled eggs with ham and cheese. I strong recommend cooking the ham separately then mixing it in when the eggs are done, then adding the cheese. It just works better.

I will also always do a ham pizza. The ham basically acts the same as Canadian bacon. I have found pizza crust recipes online, and there are yeast packets specifically for pizza dough with a recipe on the back. There are recipes for pizza dough with no yeast, but the flavor is just not as good. Go for the yeast.

Also, there is a casserole from my childhood, where you combine potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks) with a can of cream of mushroom soup, one of cream of chicken soup, 2 cans of water, and then you top with slices of ham and cheddar cheese. This works well with some of the slices.Yes, it probably sounds very poor white people in the 70's but that's what we were.

Also, for lunch I am going to try a ham quesadilla. I believe it will work, cutting the ham in tiny cubes. Obviously, there is a lot more that can be done than I have covered here, but that's the point. Leftovers don't have to be boring if you use your sense of adventure.

Winter storms

Although our winters are relatively mild, storms and cold temperatures still happen. Here are some ways to be ready.

Battery-operated flashlights: You can’t count on having electricity. After the December 12^th 1995 storm, some areas did not get power back for two weeks.

Emergency survival blankets: Regular blankets are good too, but emergency survival blankets efficiently preserve your body heat, are lightweight, and don’t take up much space. They can work at home, but they may be even better tucked away in a coat pocket, glove box, or desk at work. Consider stocking up and stashing them in key locations.

Carbon monoxide detector: If the heat and power are off, people may try other methods of cooking and heating. Some of them are fire hazards (candles for light can also fall under this), but some are also asphyxiation hazards. If it is designed for outdoor or camping use, chances are good that you should not use it indoors. Even if you use all items only as directed, you will be running the heat more, windows will be closed, ventilation can get blocked, and a carbon monoxide detector can save your life.

A first aid kit: Slippery sidewalks can result in sprains, scrapes, or bruises; clearing snow can result in muscle strain; and any received injuries can be worse if the roads are in bad condition. Supplies can include pain relievers, antibiotic ointment, bandages, gauze and medical tape, and warm and cold packs.

It is also important to know when it would be worth braving the roads or calling an ambulance. Bone breaks should be set professionally, so those rate a trip. Chest pains or possible stroke symptoms at least rate the 9-1-1 call, because the operator can help you assess the risks.

Take falls seriously, pausing to make sure that everything feels right before getting up. If there is a head injury, whether from a fall or some other cause, watch for signs of concussion, bleeding, or swelling. Keep an eye out for lethargy, trouble focusing, feeling foggy, nausea, or lapses in consciousness, and if you see these issues, make that call. Better safe than sorry.

Plenty of drinking water: Pipes can freeze or flooding can contaminate water. Having water is good, but so is prevention. For freezing, this can include leaving a trickle of water running, leaving cupboards and doors open so that pipes get more heat, and maybe even wrapping pipes or covering spigots. If your pipes do freeze, let them thaw on their own. Creative ways of warming the pipes tend to go badly

There is not a lot you can do to prevent flooding contamination, but as a good citizen you should keep an eye out for clogged storm drains. Also, keep an eye on the news so you at least know what’s likely. A battery-operated radio is probably a good idea as well.

If we do run into poor road conditions, getting out to buy groceries may be difficult. Sure, some places keep delivering pizza, even in the worst conditions, but if they lose power they may not be able to cook it.

Ultimately, even if you are not ready to get in your three-month supply of food, you should always have some extra, ideally including some that does not require cooking. A 72-hour kit perhaps?

Finally, imagine a storm where you still have power but can’t leave the house. All of the local television stations will switch to 24-hour snow coverage, even though nothing happens. If we lose power you don’t even have that. Have a backup plan for amusement—books, games, crafts—and if you need extra lanterns or yarn or a pencil sharpener to make it work, get ready for that now. Sanity is a great thing to keep in an emergency.

Food Storage

The overarching theme that I  hope is coming through in these posts is that you should not panic or feel rushed, but all of your preparations should be done in an orderly manner. This becomes especially important with food storage.

It's not that you can't acquire food storage quickly. For example, you can order an MRE food supply for one year, and be done at once. The last time I checked, that was about $5000 per person, and that's been a while. There is another company that makes packets that they load into buckets, and for four people for a year it was about $7000. That is an option.

There are some problems with this approach. First of all, it's rather expensive. Also, this food is not particularly good. However, if you have the available funds, and ordering this way would give you peace of mind, that's worth something.

It is worth remembering that the Church is now encouraging three months rather than one year, though they do point out that more is better. I believe that was to take away some of the stress. One year seems so insurmountable, that reducing that to just a quarter should feel much less stressful.

Also, think of it as a starting point, like having a 72 hour kit gets you started on food and water. Get in two weeks, than one month, then three months, and then with luck you have learned to accumulate and rotate, and things start seeming more possible. Most likely, a year will not seem possible until you have started.

Our method is shopping the sales. Actually, one huge advantage of having storage is that we don't usually run out of things before they are on sale. Some of that takes paying attention, and organization helps. My sisters recently completely reorganized the back storage, and I found that we were doing far better on certain soups than I realized. This is partly because we don't use them as much as we used to. There are some things that I used to cook a lot that I don't make as often. That's okay. You should expect the process to involve adjustments.

Some of those adjustments become great opportunities to examine your eating habits and improve them. I buy less mixes now, and cook more from scratch. That's healthier. We still use a lot of canned vegetables. That is not ideal, but they store well and it works for us, so that is something we are doing now. You need to start with where you are.

I remember having a conversation with one coworker where she was frustrated by trying to cook healthy and save money, and I said that I tried to arrange our weekly menus based on the sales. She had not thought of that. That can be one starting point. Look at the ads, figure out what you need for that week, and get a little bit extra of whatever is on sale. Even if you can only allocate $5 per week, on the right week that can add to your supply of flour or cooking oil or rice, and then you do not have to buy it at full price when you actually run out.

I know some people who have needed their 72 hour kits at different times, or water storage, but I know a lot of people who have relied on food storage, because of employment issues or weather issues. More to the point, you can use it anyway, even if there is nothing keeping you from going to the store and buying more. You can always use food.

Evacuation

I was about to do food storage, and then I realized that I had missed this.

It seems like emergency evacuations would be covered in between 72 hour kits and emergency plans, and that is partially true. There can be important variations that will affect what you can do and what you should do. Mainly these will be matters of time.

So, in case of fire, we all know that we are supposed to get out of the house as quickly as possible, not taking anything. In case of an earthquake in a tsunami zone it is probably reasonable to grab the kits on your way to higher ground, but you don't want to dilly dally too much.

However, what if there is a superstorm building up off shore that may hit in the next few days? What if there is an unusually large snow pack, and there are concerns that a sudden spring thaw will lead to flooding? What if there are wildfires that may or may not veer in your direction?

All of those are things that have really happened. In the case of the large snow pack, what a lot of people did was move their food storage to higher ground. It is the sort of thing that is valuable to have, especially in a situation where there is the potential for a large disaster, but that can probably not be moved quickly. Moving it early gave one less thing to worry about.

When the situation happens, the issues to think about will be your destination and the amount of time you have. There may be other preparations that are possible, like hosing down the outside of a house in the hopes that it will be less flammable, but also packing up more possessions to take away, so that even if the house is burned down, there are at least some things that do not need to be replaced.

I am in no way trying to emphasize the importance of material things. People are the priority. Safety is the priority, but if you do have time and means, it's worth thinking about. You will need food. You will need clothing. There are also things that you do not need but you care about, and that's fine. So, a good preparation for a time when you may need to flee is to take a look around now. What do you care about? What have you forgotten that you even had?

I have magazines and craft projects that I have not done yet. I do still want to get to them, but I would not replace them if they were lost. Is that a reason to get rid of them now? I don't think so at this time, but if I were to move, maybe I would decide that. It's okay.

I have old notebooks and sketches from when I was younger. I like going through them sometimes, and remembering, but I probably still would not flee with them. I could live without them. At the same time, if the threat was flooding, and I could move them to a higher part of the house, or seal them up, I might. If planning an evacuation ends up being kind of a housecleaning moment, that can be fine, but it doesn't have to be. At this point, we are just thinking.

There are two areas that it would be especially valuable to think about. One is important documents. It is possible to replace birth certificates, marriage certificates, tax records, insurance information, and mortgage agreements, but it tends to be a hassle, and may take longer than is convenient. You may want to have these gathered together and easily located, where you could grab them and take them along just as easily as a 72 hour kit. It may also be worth including contact information for credit cards and bank accounts and even the numbers, though be careful about how you store those and how accessible they are.

The other thing that I strongly recommend is having some easily found and brought along photos. Maybe it can be just one album. It's so easy to store photos digitally, and we do that, but imagine losing power, or losing the computer, or the phone, and not being able to pull that image back up.

(Full disclosure: My last completed writing project is this post-apocalyptic thing and there's a scene where the heroine starts to melt down as she realizes that the only pictures she has of her fiancee are on her phone, and the battery is going out. She doesn't know that she is not going to see him again for six year, but I do. And no, I never watched "Revolution" or "Walking Dead". Anyway, print a few pictures.)

Emergency Water Storage

One concern about 72-hour kits is that it may take longer than 3 days for help to arrive, especially as escalating disasters strain resources. I mention this because I have no idea how realistic the 2-week supply for water is. Will two weeks be sufficient to get water running and drinkable again? Well, it will depend on what happened with the disaster and what resources are available for dealing with it.

Given that, I still feel like two weeks is a good rule of thumb. It is probably not realistic to store more, as water takes a lot of space - much more than food. The OCEM document that I am going to link to only mentions three days, which is a start, but really not that much. Still, a big part of successfully preparing for emergencies is being comfortable starting small and moving up.

http://www.ocem.org/pdf_resources/Food&Water_Take5.pdf

So let's say you start merely with everyone having a 72-hour kit. That's great. Everyone has water for three days, and it is a start. 

The next step can be remembering that in kits you tend to have only one liter per day, while when looking at actual water storage tips you generally look at having one gallon per person per day. I have seen some recommendations for two liters per person per day. The gallon recommendation is covering both drinking and washing and other uses. With that in mind, add three 2-liter bottles per person, and you now have a more full supply for that three days.

And 2-liter pop bottles are great for water storage. They are strong and portable and already food-safe. They also don't degrade the way milk containers do. This is an important thing to remember: if you are buying water for storage, it is coming in HDPE (high-density polyethylene) plastic, and this breaks down and is prone to contamination. Pop bottles are made of PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) and are much better. They should still be stored out of sunlight, but are generally easy to obtain. (I don't drink much soda, but that' still what we have for all of our water storage at this time.)

If you do drink pop on a regular basis you could just take every 2-liter bottle as it is emptied, wash it, fill it with water, and store it away until you accumulate two weeks of storage, and this is easy to do. However, it will accumulate slowly. In my case, we have four adults, requiring 56 gallons. We also have two dogs and one cat. Using the handy calculator at http://mycockerspaniel.com/h2o.htm as a starting point, it is about another 10 gallons for the three of them. 

It is also fairly common to find 5 gallon containers and 55 gallon drums (and 30 and 15-gallon drums as well). That sounds like it would be easiest for us to go straight for the big drum, and then supplement, but it is more expensive, and once full would be very difficult to move, and we really don't have a good place to do it. Slowly accumulating 5-gallon containers may actually work better in our situation. (What I really want to do is fix up the shed as storage space, and there would be room there, but then it could easily freeze in the winter and you would have to keep going back and forth from the shed.)

So, those are the kinds of things you need to think about. One other thing to think about is flushing your water heater on a regular basis. You do have water here, and a large quantity. If you are not able to use the tap water, you are probably not going to be using the water heater, so that water is up for grabs. However, sediment tends to build up, which would make it less suitable for drinking. Periodically flush this, and that improves your drinking water options and should help your water heater run better. One set of instructions can be found here:

http://news.consumerreports.org/home/2010/03/how-to-drain-a-water-heater-sediment-drain-valve-best-water-heater-reviews-consummer-reports.html

Some things to not think about are using water in a water bed. I don't even know anyone who still has one, but if you do it should have chemicals in there that you do not want to drink.

You can think about using water in the toilet tank. (Not the bowl. Never the bowl!) However, even knowing that the water in the tank should be clean, I find it gross and don't want to do it. 

The other thing I don't want to think about is chemically purifying water. I know it can be handy, and then you don't need to store as much water as if you don't have the option of purifying, but then I read about how crystalline iodine is the most effective method, and then I read the warnings about evere skin burns, toxic fumes, corroding and discoloring, and how it can be fatal if swallowed, and I just don't want to go there. There is lots of information out there, especially if you are chemically inclined, or an engineer might want to look into siphoning, and go for it! I just want to store water.

For shelf life, different sources say anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. I have seen no evidence of water going bad, but containers can be compromised so even if you aren't changing the water you should be checking on it.

The one other thing that is vitally important is to know what is going on with your local water supply, which adds to the importance of having a battery-operated radio available. In emergency communication I focused on staying in touch with your loved ones, but you also want to stay in touch with the community, especially in times of emergency.