GREAT VALUE BEEF FAJITA STRIP - For Food Storage - REVIEW

Ever wondered what the Great Value Fajita Seasoned Beef Strips tasted like? 

I surely did, as this was either going to be a YAY, or a NAY for our food storage. 

Okay, lots of MSG. My bad. I didn't read the label. I literally tossed this in the shopping cart (Walmart) as this can was less than $3 (forgot exact amount)

The main reason I am interested in canned meat is for longterm food storage.

Lot's of "sauce" 

Meat was drained for the beef fajitas 

Initially, the meat did not have the firm texture of fajita strips. The taste of this meat is just like

eating the beef from a can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew. If you're not familiar with Dinty Moore,

then the best way to describe this meat is that it is very tender and has a processed (chemical) taste. (Dinty Moore, actually tastes better) 

After trying a piece by iteslf, AND after pan frying with salt, pepper, garlic, and turned into a fajita.... 

This Great Value Beef Fajita Strip meat has earned a score of....

 4.5 out of a possible 10 

(2 opinions sampled this. Spouse scored this a 5, I scored this a 4)  

(Pros - cost, precooked food storage / Cons - overly processed flavor, msg) 

NAY! 

PORTABLE GENERATOR - Aeiusny 500 Watt REVIEW

500 Watt Aeiusny Portable Generator

I purchased this from Amazon in June 2018 for $279.99 

Currently, the price has gone up to $300.00 

Why I purchased a portable generator

Power Outages

Camping

Boondocking

Mobility 

Why I chose the Aeiusny generator

Can be charged 3 ways:

electricity

car

solar 

Off Grid Portable Generator

The Aeiusny came with everything I needed to charge from the wall outlet, car, and solar. 

With no electricity, and air conditioning, I was dependent on this generator to keep my fans running, my phone charged, and something to plug my USB light into while boondocking overnight on a roadtrip, as well as primitive camping for several days in July. 

Having plenty of battery to run my fans all night, life was bearable, and I was impressed at how quickly the Aeiusny Generator recharged by using my car charger while driving.  Now I needed to test it with solar. 

Mighty Max 100 Watts Solar Panel

Purchased in August for $103.95  Currently on Amazon for $96.95.  

Unfortunately, the solar panel needed an adapter cable to hook up to the solar input connector that came with the generator. I purchased the connector cable from Amazon for $8.99

MC4 Connector Adapter Cable

My solar panel is charging, but the cable is so short, my Aeiusny generator has to remain nearby in the shade. This is not ideal, especially if needing to charge out in the open, risking theft. Not to mention, when it's extremely hot outside or it starts to rain. 

I went online and purchased another cable to add length. 

ACOPOWER Solar Extension Cable 

I paid $28.99 for the 20 foot extension cable and was finally able to charge via the solar panel while the battery remained indoors. No problems recharging with solar. Naturally it takes longer to charge than the conventional method with electricity, but it works! And best of all, in a worst case emergency, I now have a back-up plan.

Now I have everything I need to successfully charge my battery from every source possible, whether plugging it into electricity at home, or at a coffee shop. I can charge from my car while on the road, or I can bring my solar panel and charge while camping and boondocking in the sun.  With this battery, I have so far tested with my laptops, tablets, cellphone, Kindle Fire, Christmas lights, box fan, lamps -- completely happy with this battery and would buy this again. This portable generator is perfect in every way as I have so many connectors and options. Not to mention, the built in flashlight comes in handy, and there's no guesswork when needing to know how much charge is left. As for sound, from a scale of 1-10, the "rushing air" hum is about a 2-3. This means you can stealth camp without bothering your neighbors. 

As for the Mighty Max solar panel, I am on the market for something with the same watts, but smaller and easier to pack. THIS panel is as large as a window, heavy and bulky. It was the cheapest I could locate at the time. What I will end up doing with this panel is having it installed to the top of my van permanently, and buy a foldable panel to keep at home for back-up. 

All of the links are included on what to buy to make sure your generator has everything you need - saving you the headache of trying to piece together the exact cables and connectors. 

Hope this review helps with all of the links, and stay tuned for my next review as you won't believe how I retested this battery! 

FREEZE DRIED BEEF - Is it any good? - Augason Farms REVIEW

Review for Freeze Dried Beef

This food review is for the Freeze Dried BEEF from Augason Farms. I purchased this can on October 25, 2018 for $40.84  - A one pound can --- EXPIRATION DATE is  2048     

$40.84 is a LOT of money for 1 pound of meat, but when it comes to LONG-TERM food storage, and the fact that freeze dried doesn't expire for more than 30 years... kind of makes up for the price. Kind of. 

Okay, let's get to the meat of this! 

Freeze Dried BEEF

WHERE'S THE BEEF??? 

Okay, the can is filled half way. That number #10 is half empty. I can fluff this up and say it's half full, but I just paid $40.84 for a can of meat that is filled somewhere in the middle. 

 Here's a close-up. The size is smaller than the eraser of a pencil. According to the photo on the can, I thought the meat would be chunky BEEF STEW sized, or at least the size of a dime. 

Maybe something magical will happen when I add water. INSTRUCTIONS: add boiling water and allow to stand 5 minutes. 

size of the meat has not increased much 

Water has been drained and now the taste 

Both spouse and I tasted the meat and we're in agreement that it resembeled GROUND BEEF in texture. 

As for taste, it tastes like - ground beef that used to be dry.

It tastes like it used to be freeze dried, and brought back to life.

It tastes like it used to be paper. 

PROS 

• Freeze dried meat will last for 30 years in the pantry
• Lightweight (the entire can felt as light as a feather)
• An option to have beef long-term without refrigeration

CONS 

• $40.84 for 1 pound of beef
• Meat has little substance - size is minimal 
• This product is deceptive (you are not buying a full can)
• No wow factor on taste 

CONCLUSION 

This beef was purchased for an upcoming camping trip I'll be taking OFF GRID for several weeks. I needed a meat product that didn't require refrigeration, and would taste good while cooking in the desert. This opened can will maintain freshness for several months -- giving me plenty of time to create recipes and to offer a more indepth review. 

But would I buy this again? Probably not. I'm a home canner. I would much prefer to can my own beef, or do without. Freeze dried beef is very pricey, and for the money, I feel I could have done better spending the $40 elsewhere. That is my two-cents for now. 

Perhaps I will change my mind after my camping trip. Stay tuned! 

DEHYDRATED BELL PEPPERS - Augason Farms Review

For anyone curious about commercialized Dehydrated Bell Peppers, I opened up a can of my Augason Farms brand. I had purchased a prior can (shown on left) of Augason Farms Dehydrated Bell Peppers about 6 years ago, and you can see the difference in labels. 

21 years till this can expires. My recent purchase is good for the next 30 years! 

Packed solid with 3" of clearance from top 

Vitamin A - 20% Vitamin C - 160%

The dehydrated bell peppers pack a lot of flavor - very good. As you can see, the size has not changed much after adding water, so the dehydrated is best used as seasonings, or toppings. 

Some ideas for meals:

Soups

Goulash

Casseroles

Seasonings 

toppings

omelets

Chili

 

I paid $11.32 on Amazon, and with the high prices of produce, I think the dry version is easier on the buck. But better, you can't beat this longterm food storage option, especially when growing your own is not possible due to climate or circumstances. Not to mention, dehydrated food takes up less space/weight!  I give this product a HIGH FIVE 

NON-REFRIGERATED BACON FOR FOOD STORAGE? Appleton Farms Bacon REVIEW

A quick review for  Appleton farms precooked bacon. The package cost less than $3 bucks from a nearby Aldi's store. 

Comparing these ingredients from a package of refrigerated bacon (another brand) from my fridge, they are identical!

Huge bonus - long shelf life and no refrigeration needed. To be honest, if the shelf life was less than a month, I wouldn't have been interested in this product.  

2 layers of bacon on wax paper, with 6 slices per section. 

These are precooked, but we wanted to pan fry (heat up) to test the amount of fat (for frying eggs) and to compare with raw pan fried bacon. 

For taste and texture, from 1-10 this bacon is a 7 or 8 and we (self and spouse) would purchase this again for our food storage. This bacon is similar in taste/texture to restaurant dining - thin and crisp.

Due to the success of this pre-cooked bacon, I plan to keep an eye out for other brands that don't require refrigeration.

We've started a tradition whenever we fry bacon in our home -- 3 pairs of hungry eyes wait in anticipation, so our dogs enjoy bacon each time we dine, and for this review, no exceptions were made! 

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5 BENEFITS for using a bread machine - Oster REVIEW

This review is for those (like me) who don't have a need for another space-hogging-kitchen-gadget.

So after hearing my mother/sister rave about their bread machines and the fact that they were out baking me by ten to one... 

I broke down and purchased the Oster - 2lb EXPRESSBAKE BREADMAKER  (due to my mother's recommendation, as she had owned several brands) 

The top 5 benefits I've discovered: 

1.) JUST ADD INGREDIENTS - No bowl needed - no mixing - plop pan into machine and press buttons. So easy your kids could bake!

2.) NO BABYSITTING -  After pressing buttons, linger just long enough to ensure dough is mixing/consistent, then allow machine to do the timed intervals of allowing dough to rise and bake! The booklet that comes with your machine gives a glimpse into the timed stages for each process. 

3.) NO OVEN NEEDED - During the summer, cooking from the machine is a breeze as this doesn't heat up the house. Not to mention, a safety feature if you want to press the button and leave the home for the day (this machine has a 13 hour delayed timer) Return to some fresh baked bread! 

4.) TIME SAVER -  We could save money by doing things the old fashioned way, but isn't time more valuable than money? Not to mention, how many times have you skipped baking bread because you were just plain tired or short on time? 

Ingredients from the store...  

5.) NO PRESERVATIVES - And of course, how can one dispute  the health benefits of fresh homemade bread with minimal ingredients? Not to mention, if you're on a restricted diet, you can save money by making your own gluten, or sugar free loaves. 

                                             ~~~

I am thrilled with my new Oster bread machine. My only recommendation if you are contemplating on buying one is that this machine needs to be placed on a counter or table where it cannot move. If the surface is slippery, the machine could move while in the mixing process. I now place mine on a non-skid surface, or block with an object. I am speaking from experience! With my first machine, I left the kitchen to hear a crash 5 mintues later. My machine was across the kitchen floor, dough lying in a heap in front of my guilty looking dog. The cord yanked from the wall, as it had tumbled off the counter. Believe it or not, it still worked, but the heating element was off by a bit. 

Amazon replaced my machine free of charge, so this is my second machine. 

Recipe for my favorite wheat/oat bread machine recipe 

KEYSTONE GROUND BEEF - For Food Storage - REVIEW

Keystone Ground Beef for food storage? Sounds good to me! I think...

We're about to find out as I'm pulling a slick one on my family tonight. Without them knowing, I opened a can of the Keystone Ground beef, tore off the label, and trashed the evidence. I'm making my family's favorite dish tonight - BEEF & POTATO CASSEROLE

They won't discover that they were guinea pigs until they've eaten! Wouldn't you agree that this is the BEST way to get an unbiased review? 

So, lets examine the ingredients first...

This can holds 1 pound of ground beef

This is the main reason why I'm considering this for my food storage  -- ONLY 2 ingredients - beef and salt. 

Lean meat, nothing artificial... 

Upon opening, I pinched off a taste... Not bad!

 Smell, taste, and texture is exactly what I would expect from canned ground beef. In other words, if I had to eat this straight from the can, it's do-able. 

Fat drained

This is an example of what my own pressure canned ground beef looks like in comparison--same texture, fat rises to the top, and stored in its broth. The Keystone brand says their beef is minimally processed, which I presume it was canned the same way I do - raw packed, and cooked during the canning process. 

okay back to my science lab and my unsuspecting family.... 

For this review, I did no prodding and my family was completely unsuspecting. 

My daughter cleaned her plate and went back for seconds. After my husband finished his second helping, I asked if everyone was done eating -- so I could put away the leftovers. 

HUSBAND stood with empty plate, "that was good! That was real good!" (he rubbed his belly)

Daughter nodded in agreement. 

I replied "Well good! Ya'll ate canned ground beef from our food storage!"

Husband responded, "In that case, I will puke!" (he was joking)

Daughter grunted, "I could have gone my whole life without knowing that!"

I asked my husband again, "So do you like this ground beef, and would you like more for our food storage?"

He nodded, "Yes, it was very good. I couldn't tell the difference! Could you?"

I couldn't agree more. Other than maybe a texture - (it's creamier) due to the fact that it was pressure cooked, that was the only difference. If anything, it tasted better than some "fresh" ground beef I've cooked in the past (ever noticed that liver taste?) 

So, the score for the KEYSTONE GROUND BEEF, I would give it an 8-or 9. I doubt I would score any cooked beef a 10, as mentally you always think fresh is best.

For purchase, I found the Keystone Ground beef online at WALMART.  (It's not carried locally on our shelves) Currently $6.28 for the 1 lb can. Free shipping for orders over $35.  This isn't a bad deal as fresh ground beef locally costs between $3-$6 a pound. I also think it's well worth it to have some in storage as this doesn't require refrigeration, and it is perfect as a back-up meal for power outages, camping, and even stocking an RV. And lets face it--- inflation hits, economy dives, meat prices are going to go UP. 

"Expiration" says, BEST BY 2022 - which is 5 years from now.

This doesn't mean it's expired, but that it is best to eat within 5 years. Food can last for YEARS (beyond expiration dates) if properly canned and stored. So think of all the circumstances that can arise between now and then ---and the importance of having emergency food reserves for a rainy day... 

Of course, the reason I'm doing the review is to make sure this meat IS edible so that we can be confident before buying more. 

Pinterest 

So a hearty thumbs up!