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Recipes to use up Food Bank supplies.

Creative meals

Please stick with me as I attempt to use tech in new and interesting ways. This article will (eventually) have hyperlinks to the recipes themselves. If it works, items that have been underlined will lead you to other websites where I found recipes that worked well.

Food banks are amazing. They offer free food packages to families in need. Service varies by state, county, and town. In general, they all have an abundance of dry goods. Anyone who has survived with the help of food bank programs knows that after several weeks a household can end up with an abundance of supplies that can be difficult to integrate into menu items. I have experienced periods of my life where it was necessary getting creative with staples from the food bank programs. I have a few ideas that are pretty popular. I will link them here as I learn how to do so.

Recipes

  • Chicken pot pie: For this recipe, I mix two packets of “gravy” mix, a can each of drained carrots, corn, peas, and chicken (larger sized). If I have any I will dice potatoes and onions and cook them in some butter before mixing the gravy into the water. I do this all in the same pan. This is the filling to put into whichever crust you might have on hand. This can be made with variations for crusted, crust-less, and a Deconstructed version to use up Biscuit mix. If you try it, leave a comment below to let me know if you and your family enjoy it as much as we do?
  • Fry-bread / Fried dough is a great way to uses up dry flour, powdered milk, and vegetable oil. This can be served with chili and taco toppings, covered in a stew for a tasty, filling dinner, or as a dessert with honey butter and powdered sugar. Mmmmmmm. Not that there is any leftover, but if some pieces survive the onslaught of your horde it can be lain flat to freeze, then put into a zipper in the freezer. They work well in a toaster to re-heat. The same process works for leftover pancakes or french toast. Indeed, many times I have made triple-batches of these recipes just so that I could freeze a portion of them for quick meals to be pulled out later. What a time saver!
  • Vegetable soup. It was a revelation to me that I could add various canned vegetables to a pan and it would become soup! I use canned vegetables of several varieties, tomato paste or sauce, and dry beans can be added, soaked or not. Whatever you have in your stores. I usually start all my soups with a quart of broth, which can be homemade from leftover bones and veggies or canned. See the link below for a simple at-home broth. Usually, it takes a bit of tweaking to figure out which spices and flavors taste best, but this is by far the best and simplest way to use up those cans. Soup can also be frozen in small containers and brought out later for quick healthy meals.
  • Goulash. I think of goulash as a dry-soup. I use whatever pasta I have on hand and cook that until it’s just under-done. I add canned or frozen veggies and a can of pasta sauce. I might even throw in canned soups that are hanging around. I add the pasta once everything else has had time to heat through. This can be made in a meat or veggie version. Add salt, pepper, and garlic to taste.
  • What to do with canned cranberry sauce: You can make muffins, cookie bars, smoothies, or add to turkey sandwiches! I love cranberry sauce on my sandwiches.
  • Canned pumpkin. This changed my life. When I realized that pumpkin could go way beyond the pie, I realized how much I loved pumpkin in everything. My favorite recipe is to make a curry garlic pumpkin soup. We also like to make pumpkin pancakes. Let me know how you like to use up your pumpkin?
  • Make your own broth: It’s amazing how simple it is to create delicious, nutritious veggie or bone broths from the food you might otherwise have thrown away. I try to keep a zipper bag in my freezer and add the ends of veggies I’ve used in other recipes. when the bag gets full I dump the whole thing in a pot with water. I usually add any bones I have as well. I let it simmer with a little bit of vinegar added, sometimes overnight. This can also be done in a crockpot. Can be refrigerated or frozen. I suggest using smaller containers so you can pull out as much or as little as you need.
  • Easy dinners with rice as a base: There are so many ways to eat rice. Even leftover cooked rice can be turned into appetizing meals. I’ve made casseroles, Risotto, Fried rice, Veggie rice bowls (with or without egg), Rice cakes, and scrumptious easy rice pudding. For the pudding, I add a can of sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, and raisins to a pan. I warm it up, adding a splash of water or milk if needed to thin it out. When it is warm enough to steam a little I add the cold leftover rice and stir until it is all warm.

I hope you find some use for the lingering items in your kitchen. If I have missed any good ones, please let me know in the comments below.

If you are hungry click here to find a food bank near you.

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In Plain Sight – Human Trafficking (Guest article by Doug Cox)

At first glance I hardly noticed her. Nothing was distinguishing about the girl.  Perhaps 16-17 years old she simply looked plain and simple in appearance and attire. Instinct told me to observe for a moment, something wasn’t right. Instead of moving toward the bus, she stayed back along the fringe of people waiting. Someone asked the time as he pointed toward her wrist. She turned away, head down. I realized how obvious this situation was as one observation led to another. 


It wasn’t long until it became clear she was waiting for something else, not the bus. As I looked closer her clothes were not tattered nor was she unkempt. What bothered me was that unlike most girls that age she wore no makeup, no jewelry, nothing to identify her. She carried no purse, no bookbag or backpack, she simply folded her arms in a protective or concealing way.  As I approached and spoke she was clearly scared and constantly scanning the cars approaching the intersection. Again she was clearly waiting for someone. 

I identified myself as a police officer and encouraged her not to be afraid, however, I needed to ask a few questions. I called for a female unit to assist in hopes she would be more comfortable. After calming and reassuring  “Mari” we discovered she had no identification, did not know her address, or even what neighborhood she lived in. Not a single coin or folded bill in her possession.  Finally, Mari offered that she had been working and missed her ride.

To cut to the chase, we learned Mari was previously living in a homeless shelter when she was offered work and housing by a nice woman she had seen helping others at the shelter. Mari and two other girls had been taken in approximately two months earlier but she had lost sense of any specific time.  Mari described the single room several girls were sharing. All of her identification and few possessions were taken. She recited the rules she was given and explained how scared she was of the man and woman in charge of the “apartment”.  The girls were emotionally abused and physically threatened. All were told they would receive their identification and possessions once housing debts were paid and they were relocated. Mari felt her only chance was to cooperate and accept the labor tasks as assigned. 

There is much more to this story however this clearly was a case of a young woman being held captive, enslaved, and waiting to be trafficked elsewhere. This is one example of human trafficking targeting homeless and vulnerable young women and teenage girls.  This situation may have been resolved however these investigations are far-reaching and seemingly never-ending.  Any suspicious activity such as described should be reported to the Department of Homeland Security and the “Blue Campaign” for immediate response and investigation. 

Please take the time to learn how human trafficking operates and warning signs to look for. Resources are available through several federal and local agencies including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs (ICE), local Police Departments, and Victim’s Assistance offices. 

Utilize these “Trafficking Indicator Resources”, and if ever in doubt contact: National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH), 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733)

Doug Cox can be found at https://twitter.com/Doug200C

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Educated. Tara Westover (Random House, 2018).

To read a memoir is to immerse oneself in the life, and trauma, of another person. If doing so also triggers flashbacks of my own trauma, it can take me weeks to recover. I generally take care to avoid or prepare for such experiences.

As happened with The Glass Castle, this story surprised me. I wasn’t expecting it. I joined a group of women in my town who all agreed to read it. We were given a timeframe and planned to hold a discussion once we were all done. It sounded like a fun way to maybe meet some new friends. I hadn’t read the blurb. I agreed to read it, knowing nothing about the subject matter. Despite the surprise at how triggering the content could be, I am so glad I did.

Tara Westover was raised by parents who ascribed to some of the more radical beliefs I knew to be part of the LDS faith. I met some people like them growing up in the Utah/Idaho area. I even share some of their desire to be self-sufficient and to be prepared for ‘the worst.” It was strange to read her story and identify with both the author and her family at times, given the divide between them today.

Like mine, her story is one of leaving all she knew and held dear as a child to reprogram herself: to decide for herself what was right, good, and valuable. We also both lost many of the family relationships we valued in our process of becoming who we are now. I honestly hope to meet Ms. Westover one day, share a glass of wine and talk over who she is today. Her story is inspiring and stays with me. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35133922-educated?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=3mGCyQW7H1&rank=1

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How to Apply for a Birth Certificate

For most people, when you need a copy of your birth certificate you go to your parents who have one stored safely away in a file or baby book. Parents may tearfully hand it over because you are growing up and need to use it. You will eventually need one to gain identification or apply for some school, program, or job.

When you have neglectful, abusive, addicted, or otherwise non-functioning parents, that is usually not the case. For myself and many of the others I have met who have spent time in foster care or otherwise raising themselves, needing a birth certificate or social security card can be a barrier that is insurmountable unless help is found. I hope to write this and help someone else manage that hurdle easier than I did.

Step one: Find as much information about your birth as you can: Parent’s full names, date, and city of birth are a must. If you do not have this information, find any files or paperwork you have about yourself (Medical bills, foster care files, dental records). Look in unusual places for clues and ask anyone you come into official contact with. Someone will have the information on file.

Step two: Find the vital records office for the county you were born in. Usually, a search for “Vital records” on a mapping program will show the ones nearest you and can be set to any location. Your town office may have the information if you can’t find it.

Step three: Once you know where you were born, you can usually order a copy on the phone, online, or in person. If cash is your only means of paying for a copy (they usually run between $6-20), then it will have to be in-person. Anyone’s credit card will work (if you have permission) so if going in-person is not an option then you can ask someone you know to use their card and give them the cash directly.

Step four: Keep it safe. Plan ahead to have a safe folder, binder, or box to keep important papers in. If you order online it will come in the mail, and if you go in they will give you a copy. Either way, you will need to keep it safe so that you don’t have to pay for another copy. Don’t plan on keeping it in your purse or wallet. It’s too easy to lose.

I have a folder like this that I keep in a safe place and only bring out when I need to go somewhere important. ((Not an advertisement, no ad revenue)) https://www.staples.com/staples-13-pocket-expanding-file-folder-coupon-assorted-51828/product_2757021