Class Review: Chef Tess at Honeyville

Floyd and I are fortunate to live within driving distance of the Honeyville Grain store in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.  We have attended several classes there, and really recommend them to anyone who can get there.

For those who haven't been to Honeyville for awhile, their new kitchen is up and functional.  It looks great, and functions so much better than the previous setup.  Having the camera/flat screen setup to see into the bowls being stirred and pots bubbling away makes a huge difference.

This past weekend we attended a class by Chef Tess  (Cheftessbakeresse.com).  The class we were able to get to was on healthy recipes for her 52 method meals in a jar.

We had attended one of her classes in the past, so we already knew that she sounds in person just like she writes for her website.  She is zany funny.  If you ever have a chance to take one of her classes, do yourself a favor go.

Apparently the word has gotten out, because the class was packed.  People just kept coming and coming and coming.  I've never seen that many people at a class there, nor have I ever seen that many people in the store at one time.  It was pretty crazy, but in a very good way.

One of the best parts of classes at Honeyville is the opportunity to sample.  Floyd likes to sample just because he thinks any class with food is a good class.  I like to sample so I can be sure whatever they are doing up there actually tastes good before I go home and attempt it myself.

We especially enjoyed the Pistachio Spiced-Peach Pie Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal.  I will definitely be making this.  We both also liked the Polynesian Sweet and Sour Chicken Baked Beans.  Both recipes are on her website.  

Another reason I appreciate sampling during classes is having the opportunity to try storage products before committing to a large quantity.  While sampling during this class I learned that I like freeze dried chicken, quick cook beans, granular Erythritol, potato pearls, and freeze dried peaches.  Yum!  All will be on my shopping list in the future.  I am not a fan of the texture of freeze dried beef, and that is very good to know before purchasing a #10 can (Floyd liked the beef "okay" but I'm guessing I will just sub chicken or turkey).

One of the things I love the most about her classes is her emphasis on food safety.  I am very much the same way, and I spend a lot of time double checking things I see and hear and read to be sure they are safe for my family.  I learned some interesting food safety/shelf life things as she answered questions, and I will definitely be following up about them with another post.

Chef Tess was delightful from start to finish.  We got there about 30 minutes before class time, and she was very graciously answering questions when we got there, and continued to do so until the start of class.  I'm guessing she did after class, as well, but we were shopping at that point.

Oh, I almost forgot!  Her new book is out.  The Gourmet Food Storage Handbook by Stephanie Peterson.  I only got to glance at it briefly, but I can tell you those books were FLYING off the shelves.  Seriously.  They were moving like crazy.  If you want a copy, you might want to get it quickly.

Ova Easy Egg Crystals

This was our first attempt at using an egg product as a stand alone.  We have dehydrated egg products in baking and cooking in the past, but never to scramble for breakfast.  The product could not have been simpler to use.  The smell was good.  The texture was very good.  The taste was very, very good.  It passed the taste test for every member of the family, including our picky-palate daughter and grandson, which is exceedingly rare.

I would absolutely recommend Ova Easy Whole Egg Crystals.  Wholeheartedly.

The only concern we have is the price, but definitely will buy more when we find them on sale.   I would much rather spend more for a product we will happily eat than less on a product no one likes.  Because of price concerns, I will probably use the other egg formulations for baking, but definitely will only use Ova Easy for stand-alone scrambled eggs.

PRODUCT REVIEW: HARMONY VALLEY VEGETARIAN BREAKFAST SAUSAGE MIX

First, I am working on getting a camera as ours broke.  Hopefully pictures to follow.

Having heard a horror story about how horrible TVP was, and how much money this person had wasted by stocking up on it before realizing they would never eat it, we knew we wanted to start small.

When shopping together at our nearby Henrys/Sprouts store, we came upon a packet of this breakfast sausage mix and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try TVP without spending a fortune (or opening a #10 can of something we would never eat again.  Goes along with the whole "eat what you store and store what you eat" motto.

First thought, upon opening the packet was that it smelled okay.  Not exactly like sausage, but no real off-putting odor.

The directions were super simple.  Blend the packet ingredients with 1-1/4 cups water, let sit for 15 minutes, then cook (they had microwave, oven and pan-frying directions.  I chose to pan fry (too hot to turn on the oven, and thought it would probably taste better than microwaving).  The mixture formed very easily into perfect round patties.  No nasty fatty yuck left on my hands as there would have been with pork sausage.  The patties smelled good while cooking, browned beautifully, and were easy to flip over and also to take out of the pan.

Taste test:
Floyd says:  It doesn't taste like sausage, but it isn't bad.  Probably would be better on an egg sandwich or in a scramble (we had ours as a side with pumpkin waffles).

I say:  Taste pretty good (I absolutely will not eat something I really dislike).  Texture was good.  No real off-putting taste.  Not sausage, but not bad.  I agree with Floyd that they would be better mixed into something.

I will probably try this again.  There is a recipe on the package for a green chili and sausage quiche.  I may try that.

We liked it well enough that we will try some of the flavored TVP products made for food storage.

Happy New Year

I am so excited about the new year.  Each year, we see our stores grow, our knowledge increase, and our interest and satisfaction in preparing continue.  It seems the more we research, the more we attempt, the more we successfully accomplish, the more we want to know, want to attempt and want to accomplish.

Some of my preparedness goals for the new year include:

• Store even more water.
• Find an organization/rotation system that really works for us.
• Obtain a pressure canner, and can protein sources.
• Obtain a dehydrator (or build one until we can afford the one we want).
• Utilize our Food Saver even more.
• Figure out our sun cooker and use it.
• Utilize educational opportunities (classes, web, videos).
• Continue to grow our storage.
• Increase our garden size and scope.
• Put our 72-hour or bug-out-bags together (much has been gathered but not put together)
• Make smart cost/benefit evaluations.
• Enjoy the process.

There is really so much more.  Will I get this all done?  .  Other than the purchases, I am confident that I will.  Why am I confident?  Past successes.  We have already stored much water, so I know we can and will store more.  So much of what I want to do is a continuation of what we have already done.  Stepping stones, building blocks, continuing on the path - whatever you call it the end result is the same.  Success leads to success.  And honestly, failure has also brought us to success.  For every failure, we have found a solution, or are determined to do so.

It really is easy.  If we can do it, anyone can.

As for the purchases, it would be lovely if a pressure canner and dehydrator made themselves available at a yard sale by some other means.  If not, they will come eventually.  We have plenty to do until then, as you can see.

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