When I make cornbread, I always make extra and then I’ll make cornbread croutons for this particular salad. It’s a nice twist on the same old boring side dishes and it’s got a little bit of a spicy, sassy kick to the flavor as well. The recipe is even better Read more…
Frequently when the term “emergency” is used, it is usually connected to a visit to the hospital. In the event of an earthquake, terrorist attack, or pandemic one can expect the hospitals to be taxed greater than 600% of what they are equipped to handle. Ironically, any time you have a situation in which there are more patients than a hospital is equipped to handle, you’re faced with a sub-crisis within your crisis. Today I wanted to give you some real numbers and some real facets to consider with regard to a hospital’s ability to respond in a disaster.
Having sufficient food for a weekend full of house guests may be a bit overwhelming. So when it comes to attempting to have a year’s supply of great food on hand, one might start thinking about taking psychiatric medications in order to measure up to the task. But I assure Read more…
Voting Officially Begins April 17th – April 26th (midnight)
Are you ready for THE most EPIC contest in the preparedness community ever?! Not only is it chock-full of AWESOME prizes, but if you win one of 37 prizes, you’ll actually get to select which prize you win! You can’t beat that! All of these great preparedness prizes are being offered to a super-duper winner and they are being offered by businesses that actually VALUE the kind of preparedness lifestyle that you’re trying to live, so this is a great opportunity for you to get to know them better. But even more importantly the Prepper Outreach Contest has the potential to benefit everyone around you to jump on board the “Preparedness Way of Life”—simply by you entering to win! Now that’s what I call a true WIN-WIN-WIN scenario!
, The Preparedness Pro
One of the things that I enjoy most about the beginnings of a new year is laying out my list of library books to study that year based on what 
my new targeted aspect of self-reliance is for that year. For example, this past year my goal was to master auricular therapy and to at least try my hand at raised garden beds. This year I want to master making artisan breads and some other alternative health care modalities. So I mosey over to Amazon and do some looking around based on my chosen topics, add the library books to my wish list and purchase them throughout the year. (I frequently purchase used library books because they are can be significantly less than the new ones and in great condition.)
Frequently I’ve written on this blog as to how simple it is to make delightful dairy indulgences such as yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, ice cream, 
cream cheese and other cheeses. So today I’ve decided to share with you just one of the many scrumptious dishes you can make—preferably from whole milk. After trying this yourself you might catch the same bug that pesters me—the one which entices me to move to big, green pastures where I can drink all of the raw milk I want, enjoy fresh eggs, and thick slices of ham knowing completely what Frankenstein-ian chemical additives are lurking behind my meals.
Many of the meals in the U.S. rely on the delicious addition of pasta or rice to soak up all of the great meat juices or gourmet sauces. 
Pasta is a great filler for a meal, is loved as a comfort food for many, and is a significant part of the recommend 350 pounds of grains, per person per year that self-reliant persons have on hand for their family. The problem, though, is that the preparation of pasta usually requires a significant amount of water and fuel to make properly. While few of us would ever consider this thought when cooking among running water and on the modern appliances we enjoy in our kitchen, this fact presents a challenge if we are ever in need of making some drastic modifications in these cooking and eating habits in the future.
Some time ago I was greatly disturbed by an article which announced that a state judge ruled that New York Subway employees who stood by as mere spectators as as a young woman was gang-raped were innocent of any wrong doing. The judge stated that the workers had no obligation to help the girl regardless of the all of the safe options that such onlookers had to help the woman such as the telephone, walkie-talkies, or at least the intercom system.
You know. One of the most consistent battles we have to fight in our pursuit of self-reliance is misinformation. There’s always plenty to mislead us, cause us unnecessary heartburn, or make us worry. I believe that allowing ourselves to be swayed by misinformation 
actually diminishes us of our real capability and value in our lives. Take couponing for example. It’s one of my most important strategies in my preparedness efforts because it impacts so many of the Principles of Preparedness. But I suspect that the new show, TLC’s Extreme Couponing, is doing more to dissuade folks from couponing rather than taking it up and that bothers me. I bothers me because I KNOW that couponing is a great way for folks to actually achieve a year’s supply of food, clothing, medical needs, etc. for free or cheap and I KNOW that doing so doesn’t require a person to be some kind of a psychotic hoarder with nothing else to do but cut coupons and clear shelves. So, I’ve decided that today’s article will be dedicated to helping folks cut through the shine-ola and hear the truth about couponing one more time. So, do your worst TLC, ‘cause I’m talking.
So, you’re trying to get your friends and family on board with the whole concept of preparedness because you care about them and you have a firm conviction that preparedness is vital to everyone’s life. You have some semblance of an idea of the consequences that can be expected if one heads into their life everyday without a single thought for tomorrow, let alone being ready for it. As such, you share, and you share, and you plead and you reason with your friends and family in an effort to persuade them to be better prepared. Many grow weary of these efforts, feeling like they are fighting the entire British army singlehandedly and thus turn for help from a greater power. You petition God to help you convince those you love–perhaps in the form of a wake-up call, or a memorable moment of enlightenment? “Oh, if they could just get it”, you say to yourself.