Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition [Survival Today

Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.

To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.

How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)

Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)

Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)

Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)

40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)

Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)

5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)

* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance

Swedish Rye Bread (Limpa)

A dense, but moist rye bread, with hints of orange and anise. Makes 2 loaves.

Ingredients
2 packets dry yeast (4 tsp)
2 cups water, divided
1/2 tsp sugar (I usually substitute sucanat or rapadura)
2 cups rye flour, preferably dark (Bob’s Red Mill has good stuff)
3 cups wheat flour, plus more as needed (white, whole grain, or a mixture)
1 TBSP anise seed
2 TBSP butter, coconut oil or palm oil
1 TBSP sea salt (Gray salt)
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup sugar (sucanat, rapadura)
2 TBSP freshly grated orange zest
cornmeal, for dusting baking pan

In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup warm water and 1/2 tsp sugar. Sprinkle with 2 packets dry yeast and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add remaining water and 1 cup wheat flour to yeast mixture. Mix vigorously for several minutes, then let stand while preparing remaining ingredients.

Crush anise seed slightly, to release flavor. Grate orange peel. Mix rye flour, remaining wheat flour, and sea salt. Set aside.

Add molasses, sugar, butter or oil, orange zest, and anise seed to yeast mixture. Mix in well and begin adding flour mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition.

Flour a work surface and scrape dough onto it. (If dough is too sticky to handle, mix in another 1/4 cup flour). Knead dough for at least 5 minutes, flouring work surface as necessary. Use the smallest amount of flour possible, since dough shouldn’t be dry.

Put kneaded dough in a bowl about twice as big as the dough ball. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until about 1 1/2 times original size. This may take an hour or more, depending on temperature.

Punch dough down by pressing your fist into it in several places, butter the top of the dough and turn over in bowl; let rise again for about an hour.

Remove from bowl, divide in half and form into flattened rounds about 7 inches across. Dust a baking sheet or stone with cornmeal (be generous with the cornmeal) and put the loaves on the sheet with several inches between them. With a razor blade or very sharp knife, make 3 slits across the surface of each loaf. Cover and let rise until almost doubled.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Bake loaves until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 35 minutes. When done, remove from pan and cool on a rack.

**I sometimes add golden baking raisins, or I soak some craisins in warm water for about 1/2 hour and add those to the batter.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

SWEDISH MEAT PIE

2 TBSP cooking oil or butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 pounds ground beef (or you can use 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground pork)
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp sea salt
pepper to taste
Pastry for a double-crust pie (9 inch)
1 egg, beaten, optional

In a skillet, over medium heat, melt butter or put oil in pan. Saute onion until tender and opaque. Remove and set aside. Brown beef (or beef and pork together) and drain. Combine onion, meat, potatoes and seasonings. Line pie plate with pastry and fill with meat mixture. Place the top crust, seal and flute the edges and make slits to release steam. Brush top crust with beaten egg, if desired. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 6-8 servings

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

SWEDISH SPICE CAKE

This dessert is a dense gingerbread like cake topped with a crisp brown sugar meringue. The meringue and cake complement each other in a way that prevents this dessert from being too sweet or too spicy.

1 cup white sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cardamom

**Icing (see below)
1 egg white
1 cup brown sugar
Chopped nuts

Cream the butter and the white sugar.
Add the egg and the egg yolk. Beat to incorporate.
Sift together the dry ingredients.
Add alternately the buttermilk and the sifted dry ingredients.
Beat between each addition.
Make the dry ingredients the final addition.

Oil and flour an 8 x 8 two quart baking pan.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

**The icing goes on the cake before it is baked.
To make the icing beat the egg white until stiff.
Fold in the brown sugar, by hand, of course.
Spread the icing over the batter in the baking pan and sprinkle the top with chopped nuts.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

How to dry herbs;

http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/pdf_pubs/DRYHERBS.PDF

I’m sorry Darlene. I lied. The pepper jelly has a layer of watery liquid on top. I had to open a jar to find out. I have alot of banana peppers and needed a recipe and I found this one in one of the yahoo groups. I used Certo liquid fruit pectin (2-3oz. pkgs). Here’s the recipe: Hot Pepper Jelly

25 whole Hungarian Wax Peppers or peppers of your choice
6 cups Sugar
2 cups Cider Vinegar (labeled 5% acidity)
2 3-ounce Pouches Liquid Pectin
10 drops Red Food Coloring

Wash and halve peppers lengthwise. Remove stems and seeds. In a food
processor or blender, blend peppers and half of the vinegar until smooth. In an
8-
quart saucepan, combine sugar, pepper mixture and remaining vinegar. Bring
mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 10 minutes,
stirring
constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in liquid pectin. Return to a full rolling
boil and
boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring.
Skim foam, if necessary. Immediately fill hot, sterilized half-pint jars,
leaving 1/4
inch head space. Wipe jar tops and threads clean. Place hot lids on jars and
apply screw bands. Process in boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

Dill Onion and Rye Loaf

1 1/4 cups water
2 Tbsp olive oil
scant 1 cup rye flour
generous 3 cups unbleached white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
2 Tbsp nonfat dry milk
2 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp rapid rise active dry yeast
1 Tbsp dried dill
1 Tbsp dill seeds
2 Tbsp dried onion

Place ingredients into the bread pan in the order recommended by your
manufacturer excluding the dried dill, dill seeds and dried onions. Set
to dough cycle, use raisin dough cycle if available. Press start.

Add the dried dill, dill seeds and dried onions as the machine beeps or
during the last 5 minutes of kneading. Lightly oil baking sheet.

When the dough cycle has finished, remove the dough from the bread pan
to a lightly floured surface. Punch it down gently.

Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll out each piece to a disk,
about 1” thick. Fold one side to the center and press gently with the
rolling pin to seal. Repeat with the other side, then fold again along
the center line.

Press gently along the seam to seal it, then roll backward and forward
to make a loaf about 12” in length. Make a second loaf with the
remaining dough.

Place the loaves on a baking sheet, leaving plenty of room for rising.
Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 30
to 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Remove plastic wrap and dust the tops of the loaves with flour. Using a
sharp knife , make slashes along the top of both of them. Let stand for
10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bake the loaves for 20 minutes, or until they sound hollow when tapped
on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes: 2 loaves

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FoodPreservationDryingCanningAndMore/

http://www.brooklynfarmhouse.com/2009/03/25/homemade-candied-ginger-ginger-syrup-and-ginger-ale/

Homemade Candied Ginger, Ginger Syrup, and Ginger Ale

· 30 Comments

Homemade Candied Ginger

A trifecta of ginger deliciousness! Actually, the candied ginger is a byproduct of the ginger syrup (or is ginger syrup the byproduct of candied ginger??): you can’t create one without the other. I had a bit of a hankering for homemade ginger ale, because it’s so much spicier than store bought and I felt like something a little tingly. Oh, but I can think of so many other ways to use ginger syrup…on pancakes, in cocktails, in ice cream…and, of course, candied ginger is good in lots of baked goods (scones? cookies? muffins?) and as a sweet nibble.

Slice your ginger into very, very thin disks if you want a more chewy candied ginger. Because I was looking for a more al dente candied ginger, like the kind you find packaged in grocery stores, I chopped my ginger into small-ish (about 1/2-inch) squares. Just note that it will take quite a bit longer to soften ginger cut into chunks than ginger sliced into thin disks. If you can find young ginger, which has a much thinner skin and is often a bit pink in color, definitely use it instead of regular (read: old) ginger. Older ginger, like the kind I used, tends to be more fibrous, so you won’t have the creamier interior consistency that you will get if you can get your hands on young ginger.
Homemade Ginger Ale

Homemade Ginger Ale

Ingredients:

For the Candied Ginger and Ginger Syrup:

1/2 pound ginger (8 oz.), about 2 large knobs, peeled
2 cups granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup extra for coating the ginger pieces
2 cups water

For the Ginger Ale:

Seltzer or sparkling water
Ginger syrup (recipe above)
Lime slices (optional)

Procedure:

1. Slice or chop the ginger (as discussed above).
2. In a medium heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and the water over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Add the ginger pieces.
3. Simmer over medium heat for 1 hour if you’ve sliced your ginger very thin, and at least twice that if you’ve cut your ginger into larger chunks. (Check on them occasionally to make sure they aren’t drying out and that the water isn’t evaporating too quickly.)
4. Meanwhile, line a small sheet pan with wax or parchment paper, or with tinfoil. Spread the remaining 1/4 cup sugar on the lined sheet pan.
5. When the ginger is done (it will be soft), remove with a slotted spoon to the prepared sheet pan. Toss the ginger pieces in the sugar and spread them out. Let dry for several hours, or overnight. Let the ginger syrup cool, then refrigerate. If you want a thicker ginger syrup, continue to cook over medium-low heat until it reaches the consistency you want.
6. To make homemade ginger ale: add 3-4 generous tablespoons (or more, to taste) of ginger syrup to a large pint glass. Top with seltzer or other sparkling water. (I also like to add a bit of lime. Uh, and a bit of rum.) Garnish with candied ginger, if desired.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups ginger syrup and approximately a cup of candied ginger.

Over 200 Cute & Spooky Halloween Ideas

Posted By TipNut On October 4, 2008 @ 6:44 am In DIY Projects | 3 Comments

Are you ready to be inspired with all kinds of Halloween spookiness? Tipnut’s DIY Halloween [1] has just been updated and is now loaded with over 200 creative DIY projects, ideas, recipes & tutorials–some spooky, some cute–everything free to access and dedicated to all things Halloween!

This hand-picked collection features my favorite projects & ideas I’ve found around the net plus those I found impressive. There’s something for everybody: scary projects that are sure to cause a shiver or two as well as some of the cutest projects youngsters will enjoy. You’ll find:

* Over 50 Costume Ideas & Accessories [2]
* Over 50 Halloween Decorations & Prop Ideas [3]
* More Than 25 Halloween Craft Projects [4]
* Over 20 Pumpkin Carving Tutorials, Stencils & Tips [5]
* Over 60 Halloween Party Recipes [6], some cute, some spooky

Plus a few assorted DIY Halloween Videos [7] to get your creative juices flowing and in the Halloween spirit.

Halloween is just a few short weeks away but there’s still plenty of time to make this one a fun, spooky event with handmade treats, check it out: Tipnut’s DIY Halloween [1].

Don’t Miss These Tips:

* 250 DIY Halloween Ideas, Projects & Crafts [8]
* Christmas Keepers: Over 200 Crafty Holiday Ideas [9]
* Trick Or Treat: Computer Desktop Goodies For Halloween [10]

Article printed from TipNut.com: http://tipnut.com

URL to article: http://tipnut.com/spooky-halloween-projects/

URLs in this post:

[1] Tipnut’s DIY Halloween: http://halloween.tipnut.com/

[2] Over 50 Costume Ideas & Accessories: http://halloween.tipnut.com/category/costumes/

[3] Over 50 Halloween Decorations & Prop Ideas: http://halloween.tipnut.com/category/decorations/

[4] More Than 25 Halloween Craft Projects: http://halloween.tipnut.com/category/crafts/

[5] Over 20 Pumpkin Carving Tutorials, Stencils & Tips: http://halloween.tipnut.com/category/pumpkin-carving-decorations/

[6] Over 60 Halloween Party Recipes: http://halloween.tipnut.com/category/recipes/

[7] DIY Halloween Videos: http://halloween.tipnut.com/category/videos/

[8] 250 DIY Halloween Ideas, Projects & Crafts: http://tipnut.com/halloween-ideas/

[9] Christmas Keepers: Over 200 Crafty Holiday Ideas: http://tipnut.com/christmas-keepers/

[10] Trick Or Treat: Computer Desktop Goodies For Halloween: http://tipnut.com/trick-or-treat/

Sourdough Starter:

Here it is again

1.5 c warm water
4 T honey or sugar or molasses
1 c flour, white or wheat

Stir mixture and place in plastic or glass container, covered. Store in a
draft-free area, mixing daily. In a few days after mixture becomes bubbly and
sour smelling, starter is active. You may feed mixture every day to speed up
the process by removing 1/4 c of mixture and replacing with equal amounts of
water and flour. OR another method

1 c Yogurt
1 c Milk skim, reg or buttermilk
1 c Flour

Mix the milk and yogurt together in a glass, or plastic container. Keep a lid
on it, but don’t seal it. (sealed starters have been known to explode!) Put
this where the temperature will be 80-90F for about 24 hours. Then add the
flour and put it back in the warm place for 3-5 days. Stir it daily. It will
bubble and have the odor of fermentation.

________________________________________________________________________
3.2. Re: Sourdough bread questions
Posted by: “Marty”

This recipe works!

San Francisco Sourdough Bread in a Bread Machine http://www.sourdoughbreads.com/BreadMachineRecipe.html
Total Ingredients:
½ cup cold sourdough starter from your stock in the fridge
4 cups white flour
1 ¼ cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Put the starter in the machine pan with 1 cup of the flour and ½ cup of the water. Mix and knead with the machine for 15 minutes. [snip] {L)eave at room temperature (68° to 75° F.) for about 12 hours or for 6 hours in a proofing box at 85°F.

[snip] (A)dd 1 cup of the flour and ½ cup of the water. Mix for 10 minutes and then proof at room temp. for 8 hours or 4 hours in the proofing box.

[snip] (D)issolve the salt in the remaining ¼ cup of water and add to the pan along with the remaining 2 cups of flour. Let the machine mix and knead for about 15 minutes. Assist the blending with the “bread stick”, scraping down the side walls of the pan and adding the scraped-off dough to the ball. * Adjust the “bouncing ball” with more water or flour as usual *

[snip] (P)roof until the dough rises about ½ inch above the pan top (2-3 hours at room temp), or 1½ to 2 hours at 85°.

If your machine can be set to a manual bake, [snip](B)ake at 375° for 50 to 60 minutes. If not, put the pan in your oven that has been preheated to 375° and bake for about 45 minutes. Cool finished loaf on a wire rack.

I removed all references to removing and replacing the pan from the machine. It isn’t necessary. You can make any kind of sourdough bread in this fashion.

The recipe yields about a 1 1/2 pound loaf. This is a true sourdough load. You don’t need or want to use dry yeast. Timing and patience is what makes this bread possible. Thanks, Linda. Check out her site at the URL provided above.

Marty in Panamá

A sourdough starter should be just flour and water.
Read How to get a good starter:
http://www.sourdoughhome.com/sourdoughfasttrack2.html

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bread-machine/

[I did not check the links]

Make a clean burning fuel for running an engine and heating from the
gasification of wood waste. See the video and read more at

http://www.green-trust.org/wordpress/2009/10/03/wood-gasifiers-hydrogen-and-co-from-biomass/

You can make covers for windows and to go along doors and window bottoms.
It’s just how much work you want to do. I am in the process of making a
covering for my sliding glass doors which face north. I noticed the cold
last year particularly during the ice storm when there was no power. I
checked the edges and the cold was not coming in there it was diffusing
through the glass in spite of it being a double paned door. I thumb tacked
an older quilt up last winter and now have sewn a ribbon with round plastic
circles which will hook over the little nails I’ve installed around the
window. I know you can do plastic and I may with those north windows that
don’t need to open. I need to be able to use that door. I’ll add this as a
suggestion to keep in mind. You can make your own curtains and if you use
cheap sheets they will cost very little as you can get a twin sized sheet
from Wal-Mart for $4 while curtain material is at least $4 per yard.

Here’s what I did when I was in philly first if you have gas set the heat at
55 degrees. Take old blanket and hang over windows. I sewed long tubes of
old fabric and stuffed them with old clothes and stuffing I had and place
them at the bottom of the doors. We slept under quilts. If I had to do it
again I would iron the sheets while they were on the bed before I jumped in.

I have 6 video clips on you tube describing my simple solar homestead, solar cabin, and the systems I use to run the homestead.

Each clip is about 5 minutes long. you can watch them all or pick the ones you are interested in.

1- Solar Homesteading Introduction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXu45MHrnTk

2- Simple Solar Homesteading Intro continued...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyPkT5P5ysQ

3- Solar electrical system:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLnZLypphgk

4- Cabin Interior:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FacIm3bHbYc

5- Composting toilet and solar tv:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdG6hOqFTd0

6- Loft and office:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZLJ3CkgdZE

Also have my son Follow your heart on youtube if you like country/folk music:

As a kid, i would camp outside every chance I would get. Would never sleep in a tent unless a deluge of rain. Even in the coldest of weather I would sleep well. I would take a flat rock, heat it in my campfire, then wrap it in a thick turkish towel and use it for a pillow. If really cold, would do 3, one for the head, one for the kidney area (buried to ground level, and one for my feet. Slept warm as toast. Those areas as well as wrists are where you lose most of your body heat, and also gain it. The rocks wrapped in towels would stay hot all night.

Best sleep ever.

Buckshot, the straw bales are a wonderful idea although knowing how
itchy oats can be it would need to be well covered if they were hay
instead. I have always been cold on those stretcher cot type beds even
with several wool blankets underneath but then I do tend to feel the
cold in winter.

Several times over the years we have slept on hay bales while carting
them but our weather is usually conducive to sleeping outside for much
of the year and especially at hay and harvest. We have swags which are
just bedding rolled up in a sheet of canvas so we would unroll them on
top of the truck. Same as when we cart wheat which also is quite
comfortable to sleep on. As we got older I added a thin mattress and
pillows but until middle age it was just two blankets underneath for
padding with clothes under the top for a pillow. I hate being cold in
bed so I always use wool blankets which cost the earth new these days
but I can sometimes pick them up in thrift stores where they sell them
for dog blankets because they have a hole in them. I can darn a hole,
not very neat but serviceable, and that adds to my pile. You can never
have too many blankets.

—
Ginny - In West Australia

To visit group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/misc_survivalism_moderated/

Post 3023, salt amount corrected....sorry about the mistake.

Swedish Rye Bread (Limpa)

A dense, but moist rye bread, with hints of orange and anise. Makes 2 loaves.

Ingredients
2 packets dry yeast (4 tsp)
2 cups water, divided
1/2 tsp sugar (I usually substitute sucanat or rapadura)
2 cups rye flour, preferably dark (Bob’s Red Mill has good stuff)
3 cups wheat flour, plus more as needed (white, whole grain, or a mixture)
1 TBSP anise seed
2 TBSP butter, coconut oil or palm oil
1 teaspoon sea salt (Gray salt)
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup sugar (sucanat, rapadura)
2 TBSP freshly grated orange zest
cornmeal, for dusting baking pan

In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup warm water and 1/2 tsp sugar. Sprinkle with 2 packets dry yeast and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add remaining water and 1 cup wheat flour to yeast mixture. Mix vigorously for several minutes, then let stand while preparing remaining ingredients.

Crush anise seed slightly, to release flavor. Grate orange peel. Mix rye flour, remaining wheat flour, and sea salt. Set aside.

Add molasses, sugar, butter or oil, orange zest, and anise seed to yeast mixture. Mix in well and begin adding flour mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition.

Punch dough down by pressing your fist into it in several places, butter the top of the dough and turn over in bowl; let rise again for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Bake loaves until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 35 minutes. When done, remove from pan and cool on a rack.

**I sometimes add golden baking raisins, or I soak some craisins in warm water for about 1/2 hour and add those to the batter.

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