April 2014 | Page 3 of 3

6 Apr 2014

Don’t Peel Potatoes with an Electric Drill

I am sure that I could get this to work, but I promise I did not do this because I wanted it to work – this is an example of a neat idea that is creative but inefficient.

Sometimes it is better just to stick with traditional ways of doing things.

I guess that if I was a professional chef that had to peel hundreds of potatoes each day then this would be worth it, but for the rest of us just dig out the potato peeler.

This Don’t Peel Potatoes with an Electric Drill post was an attempt at humor – even though my wife says I am not as funny as I think I am. She is right of course, but I am also more funny that SHE thinks I am.

It also did not HAVE to make such a mess, after a potato or two I learned how to make it peel as well as how to make it throw peels. It has to do with the angle and firmness you hold the peeler. However, there are plenty of how to peel potatoes with a drill posts on the internet. I figured making a joke post would be something different.

Don’t spend so much time preparing for disaster that you don’t take a little time to enjoy yourself. I mean, if you can’t have fun, why are you wanting to survive so much?

Anyway, even though this did work, I still don’t think it is efficient or some kitchen skill that is useful. Who actually wants their potatoes touching power tools? Do you know where power tools are used? Just be careful if you decide to Peel Potatoes with an Electric Drill

3 Apr 2014

Recipe: Homemade Cereal

I was surfing the internet the other day and found the coolest family – they have a neat website that happens to be their YouTube channel name (mylittlehomestead.com)

This family of 6 moved from the city to the county and lived in a 24 foot trailer while they hand built their own home. – (earthbag under cob).

Their channel is really cool – the kids build all manner of things, and I got some great ideas from them.

The youngest girl makes some good cooking videos – and one of them was a recipe for homemade cereal. I took this one and modified it a bit (my wife says this is a make again and ate a bowl as soon as it cooled)…

Ingredients

2 cubes of butter (1 Cup)
teaspoon of Salt
2 Cups of sugar (this is flexible – I used one cup cane sugar, 1 cup honey, and a bit of maple syrup)
2 pounds of Oats – Instant or regular

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Put butter, sugar and salt in sauce pan over medium heat until the butter is melted and sugar is somewhat dissolved.
Butter a roaster pan to keep oats from sticking.
Pour in the oats.
Mix in the butter/sugar sauce until all the oats are somewhat moist.
Bake for 45 minutes with the lid on.
Stir and place back into the oven with the lid off for 15 minutes to brown the top.

Eat plain or add cranberries, raisins or any type of dried fruit. I mixed in dried apples, strawberries, and bannanas that I had left over from the Excalibur review.

But no matter how you like to eat your cereal, you really ought to check out the mylittlehomestead channel – those parent’s are raising some fine kids who are making some awesome videos.

3 Apr 2014

How to Make a Chip Clip Using a Clothes Hanger

If you ever needed to know how to make a chip clip using a clothes hanger I got you. This tip is stupidly simple. So simple in fact that it does not need any explanation other than a quick video or a clear picture.

I added it this website because I like to constantly search for new ways to solve problems, even if the problem is a first world non-prepper problem.

The ability to break a problem down into its components and see things for what they could be and not just what they were designed to be is an essential life skill.

Skills need practice to develop. As I have built this website and turned it into a mission my ability to MacGyver solutions has grown exponentially. While stupid little tip videos are not the sole reason for this, they do help. And remember if it looks stupid but it works it is not stupid.

The simple solutions from looking at things from new perspectives is the main way I solve problems. I bought into the Einstein idea that you can’t solve problems with the same thinking that caused them. I have learned to break things down into component parts and uses.

Besides, nobody likes soggy chips. This DIY Chip Clip solves the soggy chip problem for ever. Or until you stop using it.

3 Apr 2014

How to Make Camp Fire Baked Potatoes in a Can

Recipe: Camp Fire Baked Potatoes — Buy at Amazon

Here is a great recipe/technique for Camp Fire baked potatoes that would work well for camping, grilling out, or making food in a grid down SHTF scenario

To bake a potato in a can simply:

Remove the entire top of a soda can. (Using you P-38 can opener gets extra points)
Smear the whole potato with butter or oil (and any other seasoning you like).
Insert the raw potato into the soda can
Cover top with aluminum foil and place the can onto the hot coals of your campfire.

The Potatoes bake in the can just as they would in the oven.

This is a great campfire recipe – especially for kids. It is easy and takes no effort at all. I find my boy is more likely to try new foods if he was excited about cooking them. I did say more likely though, he will get out of bed just to crack and egg, but I can’t get him to put one in his mouth for all the sweets in the world.

He will, however, do this. Maybe its the excitement of cooking on a fire like a mountain man? I don’t know, but I do know that done right so the potato gets crispy but not burnt this is one awesome tater in a can.

3 Apr 2014

How to Estimate Campfire Temperature: The Hand Test

This is camp cooking temp that tip is handy to know.

If you have ever tried to manipulated something in a campfire fire, you know that the hotter the fire the less time you can stand to have your hands near it.

This means that you can learn to judge the temperature of a fire by knowing how much heat a common person can stand.

Please use some common sense with this.

If you cautiously hold your hand, palm side down, over the fire at cooking height and count the number of seconds you can hold that position and you will have an indicator of how hot the fire temperature is.

Camp Fire Temperature Estimation Times:

5 seconds = low
4 seconds = medium
3 seconds = medium-high
2 seconds = high

This is an awesome prepper skill to have, it works great with outdoor baking as well as other cooking skills.

I have used it to cook steak over coals for a really impressive and testosterone fueled dinner. This skill really separates the woodsmen from the campers.

Until you do this enough to memorize, I would laminate an index card with the chart below and stick in somewhere with your camping/bugout equipment

Monthly Archives: April 2014