Posted by Because disasters and emergencies never take a holiday, you may find yourself stuck at home or in your bunker during an important traditional celebration like Thanksgiving. Rather than scrapping it and waiting for next year, just a little planning can actually help you create a meal you and your family will remember. Many traditional Thanksgiving dishes are made from root vegetables, which are easy to store. Stash some onions, potatoes and squash or pumpkin then add gourmet dehydrated staples from and you’ll be ready to create a memorable Thanksgiving meal.
Stuffing – Stuffing is great emergency food because it requires stale bread. Cube stale bread and combine it with rehydrated Wise apples, a little chopped onion, salt, pepper and Wise mushroom sauce. If you’ve got a camp stove, toss it in a skillet until the bread is crispy.
Turkey – Wise roasted chicken drizzled with mushroom sauce is a great substitute for the old stand by.
Mashed potatoes – Cube a few potatoes from your cellar storage and soak them in hot or boiling water. Drain and add Wise butter sauce. Mash them the old fashioned way, by hand, for that old-fashioned texture.
Cranberry sauce – You can always add a few cans of cranberry sauce to your food stores if your family likes it. If they’re used to the real stuff though, it’s easy to make. Unprocessed cranberries are quite sturdy so they’re easy to store for a few weeks. Add 4 cups to a cup of sugar and a cup of hot water and let them soak (or simmer if you have a camp stove). When they’re soft, add dried cinnamon and rehydrated Wise peaches or strawberries for sweetness. Mash by hand.
Green bean casserole – A pop culture favorite at many tables, there are a couple of ways to mimic this creamy, crunchy classic. Traditionally this dish is made with mushroom soup, which you could easily store. If you don’t have it, you can use Wise mushroom sauce combined with our cream sauce. Add rehydrated Wise green beans and stir together in a skillet over your camp stove. The traditional fried onion topping is easily added to food stores because of its long shelf life.
Pumpkin pie – The fastest way to pumpkin pie in an emergency is to use canned pumpkin puree combined with equal amounts of Wise vanilla pudding. Spread in a dish over any crumbled cookies you have on hand. (Even if the cookies are stale, they’ll absorb the moisture from the pudding and you’ll never know the difference.) Alternatively, it’s easy to store a couple of boxes of just-add-water piecrust mix. Take note, pumpkin pie is often improved by adding a dash of dried ginger and topping with bananas, so keep some Wise dried bananas ready. Instead of whipped cream, drizzle with Wise caramel sauce – if you’ve got an acetylene torch in your supplies, give the caramel sauce on top of the pie a quick pass for a crunchy, crème brulee topping.
Happy Thanksgiving, from our bunker to yours!
