Food Storage Essentials: Food storage gifts that make a difference

Give simple instructions for cooking dry beans and a few favorite fast recipes. I like to put beans in a pan to soak after cleaning the kitchen at night. For 1 cup of beans, add 3 cups water. In the morning, add a tablespoon of oil. Cook beans, covered, for 1 to 1½ hours until tender while the family gets ready and off to school and work. Drain beans and put in the fridge for a fast meal at night.

Consider giving a case or two of chili, baked beans, pork and beans or canned beans, which are very easy to use.

A crock pot or pressure cooker will cook beans easily, as long as electricity is available. These are versatile gifts.

This summer I met a woman who said, "My husband owned a big company. We were doing well for many years and thought we were very secure. Overnight, his company was gone! We were completely devastated. I now understand why church leaders have counseled us for years to store food. I’m thinking differently about how I feed my family now. I look for every way I can to stretch our funds using basic food storage."

Among the many wonderful gifts we give at Christmas time, why not include a food storage gift that will keep those you love safe. It’s a gift of love that really matters.

Try this delicious food storage recipe at a holiday gathering. It’s truly so good you can't stop eating it.

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Warm White Bean Dip

1¾ cup soaked and cooked dry white beans or 1 15-ounce can white beans, drained

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, well drained

1 tablespoon dried minced garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon dried parsley

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except parsley. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and mash with potato masher. Season to taste. Stir in parsley. Serve with tortilla chips. Makes about 2½ cups.

— "Emergency Food Storage in a Nutshell," 3rd edition, Leslie Probert and Lisa Harkness

Leslie Probert graduated in home economics from Brigham Young University. She has spoken to thousands of people about food storage and is coauthor of new book "Emergency Food Storage in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition." Email: foodstoragechick@gmail.com