Food Storage- What's for Dinner?

   By now I'm sure you have all heard about what I will call the 'old way' of doing food storage. You may have even found a food calculator that told you how many pounds of each grain, beans, flour, powdered milk, and sugar you needed.  But WHAT are you going to make for dinner with those items?

  I had the same dilemma, I was storing the basics as I was guided to, all the while wondering what on earth I was going to make for dinner if that was all I had. Enter the 'new way' of doing food storage. And by 'new way', I mean the way that I will forever do food storage. There is no right or wrong way, but this 'new way' makes sense and works for my family.


This system is based on a survivable worst case scenario, meaning no running water, no gardens, no grocery store and you could still feed your family. This system will allow you know exactly how much food you will need for a year's supply.

                                                             The System

Write down 7 breakfasts and 7 dinners that you would like to have once a week for a year. There are 52 weeks in a year, so you will be having these meals 52 times. After deciding on meals, write down everything it takes to make the meal and multiply that by 52. Don't forget to add the water you will need for cooking.  My personal food storage has 7 breakfasts( x 52 weeks), 14 dinners(x 26 weeks), a daily loaf of bread (x 365 days), and a variety of desserts. This is a very simple system that saves time and money because you only store what you need and know you will eat. It can easily be adapted for those with food allergies. 

Now you may be saying, "What about lunch?" Well, if I'm in a situation to NEED to be living on my food storage, I'm going to sleep late and go to bed early. We won't need lunch. And meals will take longer to cook without modern conveniences. If you would like lunch, feel free to add that. 

A few examples of meals and the total needed for a year of that meal. 

Let's say you choose spaghetti as a dinner and it takes 1 pound of spaghetti noodles and 1 jar of spaghetti sauce to feed your family. You would need 52 pounds of spaghetti noodles and 52 jars of spaghetti sauce to have that meal once a week for a year. 

Or maybe you chose Taco Soup ( makes 9-10 cups) 

1 pint (home canned) ground beef   x 52 weeks =.........52 pints ground beef

1 can kidney beans x 52 weeks = ................................52 cans kidney beans

1 can corn x 52 weeks =...............................................52 cans corn

1 29 oz can tomatoes  x 52 weeks =.............................52 cans tomatoes

2 cups water  x 52 weeks =...........................................6 1/2 gal. water

3 T taco seasoning  x 52 weeks =.................................2 1/2 pounds of taco seasoning

Everything should be looked at for long shelf life. Many of your favorite recipes can be converted into food storage recipes. Instead of frozen hash browns, try dehydrated potato shreds. 

Once you have decided on your meals, written down all the ingredients and tallied a total for all ingredients keep that list with you at all times. Put it in digital format if that is more convenient. Then watch for sales and in a timely manner buy your food storage. 

                                                             Rotation

To ensure that the food you store is still safe to eat, you must rotate the store food prior to its expiration date. With this system, rotation is simple. Get a small notebook and as you buy your food storage write down what your bought, when you bought it, the expiration date, and where in the house that food is stored. Each year look at your book and determine what is near expiration.  If something will expire within that year, buy/can a new item, take the old item out of storage and place in your pantry to be used in your weekly meals. Then replace that item with the new. Be sure to record the new expiration date in your book. 

Soon you will have a full year's supply of meals that you KNOW your family will eat. Rotation will be a simple task  that you may even look forward to. 

Additional food storage tips can be found here.

Food Storage Tips

This list is a general overview of things you may find helpful in storing, using, and acquiring your food storage.

FOOD STORAGE TIPS

Baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, cocoa: These are some of the items you don’t need to can or vacuum seal. Keep them in their original containers or you can place them in buckets with lids. Baking powder test: 1 tsp in 1/3 c hot water = water fizzes.

Brown sugar: 2 Tb Molasses, 1 cup white sugar. Mix with pastry blender until blended. You can also vacuum seal brown sugar in mason jars to keep it fresh for years. Or store unopened in original bag for 2-3 years.

Butter (almost) 1 pound shortening (butter flavored works) ½ tsp salt, 1 2/3 c condensed milk
Whip the shortening and the salt until light. Add the condensed milk a little at a time and blend.

Butter canned: Check the internet for best prices. 12 oz can, 24 Tb or 3 sticks of butter. Home canned works too.

Cheese canned: Check the internet for best prices. A Velveeta tasting hard cheese that can be shredded or sliced, comes in an 8 oz can. Minimum 5 year shelf life. Freeze dried cheese is great too.

Corn syrup: 1 c sugar + 2 c water. Cook in canning jar in solar oven about an hour or until thick.

“Eggs” from unflavored gelatin (Knox): Buy in bulk at bulkfoods.com. In all the recipes in this book I have substituted unflavored gelatin for the eggs. The gelatin is less expensive than powdered eggs (as little as 3 cents per tsp) and has an indefinite shelf life.
1tsp gelatin =1 egg, 1 oz gelatin = 12 tsp, 1 pound gelatin = 192 eggs.
Making one egg: Combine 1 tsp of unflavored gelatin with 3 Tb of cold water and stir until dissolved. Then add 2 Tb of hot water and stir. When using your own recipes, decrease the liquid called for in your recipe by about ¼ cup to compensate for the added water from the “egg”. I have already done this for the recipes in this book.

Eggs: 1 T dry egg powder + 2 T water= 1 medium egg. Add powder to dry ingredients and water to wet ingredients

Eggs: Storing fresh eggs for up to 1 year. Rub warmed mineral oil on your hands and coat the entire surface of the fresh egg with the oil. Replace egg in carton with the point down. In cold climates they can be stored in a cool, dark place. In warmer climates, place in the refrigerator. Rotate once a year.

Milk: Powdered milk: If you have electricity, powdered milk is best if you use warm water, mix with a blender and chill overnight.

Buttermilk: 1 c water, 1/3 c dry milk, 1 Tb vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit 5 min.

Condensed milk: ½ c hot water, 1 c sugar, ¼ c dry milk, 1 c water. Place in canning jar with lid and shake until thoroughly blended.

Eagle Brand: 1 c hot water, 1/3 c corn syrup,1 2/3 c sugar, ¼ tsp vanilla, pinch of salt, ½ c butter, 2 c dry milk. Place all ingredients except butter in canning jar with lid and shake until well blended. Gradually add the butter and shake each time until well blended.

Evaporated: 1 c water, 2/3 c dry milk. Whole 1 c water + 1/3 c dry. Skim: 1c water + ¼ c dry milk.

Milk on the shelf: Technology has given us real milk that sits on the shelf and has at least a 1 year shelf life. It comes in quart containers, available in whole, 2%, vanilla soy, almond and rice milk.

Peanut butter: 2 c peanuts and 4 Tb honey OR 2 ½ c peanuts and 2 Tb butter - salt to taste. Blend until smooth. This really needs an electric blender but it can still be done without one.

Rice: If your rice goes rancid, set it out for 2 or 3 days and rinse with water.

Shortening: I have substituted shortening for the oil in all my recipes because of the longer shelf life. Oil has about a 2 year shelf life, unopened shortening has 10+ years. If you can still find the hard lid shortening (not foil lids) they have an indefinite shelf life. Store shortening in a cool, dark place. Opened shortening has a less than one year shelf life. After opening shortening, melt it in the microwave or solar oven, pour it into mason jars and vacuum seal it for a longer shelf life.

Tomato powder: ½ cup powder mixed with 1 cup water =1 c tomato sauce. Less water makes tomato paste and more water makes tomato juice. Shelf life is 10+ years.

Vacuum sealing foods: Many foods with high oil or high sugar contents cannot be stored in #10 cans because of the interaction with the metal (Chocolate chips, nuts and raisins for example). You can significantly increase the shelf life of your foods by placing them in mason jars and using a Food Saver and a Jar Sealer attachment to vacuum the air out of the jars. Put your ingredients in a mason jar, put a lid on the jar, place the jar sealer attachment over the lid and start the machine. If a jar won’t seal, try placing one lid down and one facing up or heating the lid in boiling water. The jar can be opened and resealed over and over. If you take the lids off carefully, they can be reused indefinitely. You can seal nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, brown rice, cornmeal, candy bars, egg noodles, poppy seeds, dried apricots, malt-o-meal, cookies, granola bars...just about anything in the pantry. Shelf life should be 3 years or more if you keep the foods cool. Remember, the warmer the temperature, the shorter the shelf life.
You cannot vacuum seal foods that need refrigeration…only foods that sit on your pantry shelves.
Don’t vacuum fine powders….they gum up the works of your machine. If you want to seal powders, put a plastic or zip lock bag in your jar, fill the bag, express the air, zip lock it then vacuum seal.
A new Food Saver can be expensive. Used ones are easy to find online and are very inexpensive. Just be sure it has the port hole on top of the machine where the jar sealer attaches. Jar Sealer attachments come in regular and wide mouth.

Water: I store water in the 55 gallon plastic barrels. You can add 1 tsp of household bleach for every 5 gallons of water, but most city water supplies already add sufficient chlorine. 2 - 3 of these barrels per person will fill most water needs for cooking. Store in the garage or on the north side of the house. Do not place directly on concrete.

Yeast: Yeast has an indefinite shelf life in your freezer or one year on the shelf. ALWAYS test your yeast before adding it to your dry ingredients. Add the yeast to warm (not hot) water and wait a few minutes. The mixture will start to bubble and smell good. Add this to your dry ingredients.

Girl's night

March 30 I had a girl's night with some of the ladies in my church. We discussed food storage and sampled some meals.   Here is a recap of the items we tried/made. Whole wheat bread, honey powder, butter powder, creamy potato soup, oatmeal cookies, spiff e whip, and fruit drink mix.

We made whole wheat bread from the recipe found here.

                 Augason Farm Honey Powder-

                                                    We reconstituted honey powder.  

                                 Slowly add 1/4 cup of cold water to 1 cup of honey powder.

                                                                       Mix Well

                                                     Heat on low to dissolve sugars.

                                 Place in a covered jar and cool. Use as you would fresh honey.

The taste of the honey was very sweet. It was rather syrup like, even after sitting on the counter over night. I put it in the fridge for a couple hours and that helped it gain more of a honey consistency. Overall I would use this product again.  It can be used as a sweetener. Substitute for sugar or honey in recipes cup for cup. For liquid honey substitution 1 cup of liquid honey is equal to 1 cup honey powder and 1/4 cup water.

Augason Farms Butter Powder-

I made oatmeal cookies using this. The consistency of the cookie turned out alright, but the nasty smell of the butter powder overpowered the cookie. I threw the entire batch away and remade them with real butter. 

Reconstituted it tastes nothing like butter. Even in the can it doesn't smell like butter, more like sour milk. I would not recommend this brand's product.

Augason Farms Dried Whole Egg-

I have been using powdered eggs for almost 2 years now. I use them in all of my baking. Everything I have made with it has turned out just fine. I use 1T of powered egg and 2T of water to equal 1 fresh egg,

Augason Farms Creamy Potato Soup Mix- 

 

 
2 cups of soup mix and 6 1/2 cups of water is a serving for 6 people. Directions: 1. Whisk soup mix into boiling water. 2.Simmer on low heat for 20-25 minutes. 3. Stir frequently (For a thicker soup lower water by 1/4 cup).

This soup was delicious. It had great flavor, little chunks of potatoes, and it is MSG free. I will be adding more cans of this to my food storage.

Augason Farms Spiff E Whip-

DIRECTIONS:

Whipped Topping

1. Combine one cup Spiff-E-Whip dry mix with 8 oz ice water.

2. Beat on high speed for 3-5 minutes until peaks form.

3. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated after mixed.

YIELD: 1 cup of dry powder yields four 2/3 cup servings

For Frosting: “Just add water”

1. Combine 1 cup Spiff-E-Whip dry mix with 4 oz. water.

2. Beat on high speed until smooth.

Chocolate frosting: Add 1 tsp of cocoa and 1 tsp of powdered sugar or add to your favorite cocoa drink mix.

Fruit flavored frosting: Add 1 package dry flavored drink mix such as strawberry, cherry, etc.

 

Mousse:

1. Combine 1 cup Spiff-E-Whip dry mix with 2 tsp of cocoa, 2 tsp of powdered sugar, and 1 tsp of corn starch with 5 ounces of water.

2. Beat on high speed until smooth

We made whipped topping. I made it ahead of time and allowed it to cool in the fridge for an hour. We put this on our oatmeal cookies and it was absolutely amazing. I will be stocking up on this product for sure. 

Fruit Drink Mix from LDS dry pack cannery-

1 cup of fruit drink mix and 2 quarts of water. The drink was good. I thought it was very sugary, but I don't drink much soda or juice. I watered mine down even more and it was much better. If you had water that tasted funny, this would be the perfect "cover up".

We had a great evening and learned a little more about food storage and which items we would incorporate into our year's supply and which items we would pass on.  I look forward to doing this again in the future.

Food Storage on a Budget

 

FOOD STORAGE on a Budget

Church Leaders have asked us to have our Food Storage at the ready! 

Now you ask, “Where do I get the money for these things? I agree we need them, but I’m having a hard time making ends meet.”

Here is how you do it. Use any one or all of these suggestions:

1. Follow the prophet. He has counseled us to plant a garden and fruit trees. This year, don’t just think about it—do it. Grow all the food you possibly can. 

2. Buy in bulk. If you cannot afford to buy in bulk alone, get together with other families in the Ward and buy in bulk together. You can buy in bulk from Winco, Cash-N-Carry, and Costco, as well as from many other online stores for a decent price.

3. Save during the Holidays. Decide as a family this year that 25 or 50 percent of your Christmas will be spent on a year’s supply. Many families spend considerable sums of money for Christmas. Half or part of these Christmas monies will go a long way toward purchasing the basics.

4. When you desire new clothes, don’t buy them. Repair and mend and make your present wardrobe last a few months longer. Use that money for the food basics. Make all of your nonfood necessities that you feasibly can, such as furniture and clothing. 

5. Cut the amount of money you spend on recreation by 50 percent. Do fun things that do not require money outlay but make more lasting impressions on your children. There are many free entertainment opportunities in our community. Free summer concerts by the city of Kent can be found HERE, Free events at the Kent library can be found HERE,  Home Depot activities for the Kids found HERE.

6. Decide as a family that there will be no vacation next year unless you have your year’s supply. Many Church members could buy a full year’s supply of the basics from what they would save by not taking a vacation. Take the vacation time and work on a family garden. Be together, and it can be just as much fun. 

7. Sell something. If you haven’t a year’s supply yet and you do have boats, snowmobiles, campers, or other luxury possessions, sell or trade one or two or more of them and get your year’s supply. 

8. Shop smart at the Grocery store. The grocery bill is one bill that can be cut. Every time you enter the store and feel tempted by effective merchandising to buy cookies, candy, ice cream, non-food items, or magazines—don’t! Think carefully; buy only the essentials. Then figure what you have saved and spend it on powdered milk, sugar, honey, salt, or grain. Plan your meals for the week. This way you only have to shop once a week and you only buy the things that you need. Also use coupons, price match & shop sales. With the money you save use towards food storage. When something goes on sale for a huge savings, stock up on that one item. You will be able to accumulate your 3 months supply by doing this.

9. Have a Garage Sale. Sell all the clothes that your children no longer fit and the toys they no longer play with at garage sales, on craigslist, or child clothing resale store.  If your family is still growing, save all these things to use for your next child. Also shop garage sales to buy the things you need at a great price.

10. Take a lunch. Make your lunch every day to take it to work. Homemade lunches will save BIG time compared to eating out.

11. Shop Around - When you are purchasing large items, always research the item to find which one (style/model/brand) will be right for your family. Take your time. Do not make frivolous or quick purchases. Pray about it. Contact manufacturers and ask if they have a damaged version of the item you are looking for. Often times they are willing to sell scratched or slightly dented items at half price.

Dry Pack Canning at home- #10 cans

I have been waiting for Winco to open in Las Vegas for a while and a couple months ago I got my wish. Winco offers many bulk items that are great for dry pack canning that you can't purchase at the LDS cannery.

 The week I had the canner I did 43 #10 cans of dry items that I had already purchased and cook with to make sure that I was comfortable using that item.  My list is as follows: Potato slices, Potato shreds, Rotini pasta, Fettuccine, Angel Hair, Honey almond granola,  pancake mix, powdered sugar, and salt.

 On average this is how much a #10 can held of each product.
Potato Slices- 1 lb 3 oz
Potato Shreds- 1 lb 11 oz
Rotini Pasta- 2 lbs 4 oz  20# took 9 cans
Fettuccine (had to be broke in half to fit in the can) -  4 lbs  20# took 5 cans
Angel Hair (had to be broke in half to fit in the can)-  5 lbs  40# took 8 cans
Granola- 3lbs 1 1/4 oz
Pancake mix- 4 lbs
Powdered Sugar- 3lb 10oz
Salt- 7lb

Dry pack canning at home is cheaper than purchasing from a company who has already canned the item for you. For example: I paid about $4 for a complete #10 can of potato slices, but if that were to be purchased from Emergency Essentials that item is $6.95 plus shipping.



                    Even my 17 month old got into canning, but her priorities were her toys.

Dry Pack Canning

Dry pack canning is the best way to maintain a long-term food supply. Properly packaged, low-moisture foods stored at room temperature or cooler (75°F/24°C or lower) remain nutritious and edible much longer than previously thought according to findings of recent scientific studies. Estimated shelf life for many products has increased to 30 years or more. While there is a decline in nutritional quality and taste over time, depending on the original quality of food and how it was processed, packaged, and stored, the studies show that even after being stored long-term, the food will help sustain life in an emergency.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has many home storage centers located throughout the world. Whether you are a member of the church or not, you are welcome to come to the home center and can items. It is preferred that you attend with a member, but there are plenty of helpful people at the home storage center. Visit the provident living website of the church to find a location near you.  


I have been to my local center many times, but with a baby at home I was finding it more difficult to coordinate naps, extra hands, and dry pack canning. So for members of the church you can borrow a sealer from the home storage center. Call or visit the center and ask to be placed on the list to check out the sealer. There was a two month waiting period for the sealer when I called, but that gave me plenty of time to accumulate the product that I wanted to can. All of the things that you need for dry pack canning are available for purchase at the home storage center with an order form.

So, for the week that I had the sealer I was able to seal 72  #10 cans of a variety of food. Some of the food I purchased from the home storage center, some I purchased in bulk from other sources. Since I had two months before I could check out the sealer I was able to get some really great prices on things. If you go to the home storage center to seal your cans you must purchase the items from the home storage center. (Side note: the home storage center prices are excellent.)

This is the sealer I checked out. A bonus to this sealer is that it is silent, so I could work during nap time.

All food items except for sugar will need an oxygen absorber added. Don't open the absorbers too early and make sure to reseal the bag they came in after each opening. They activate fairly quickly and you want them to activate in your sealed can, not in the bag. 

The can on the left is not sealed. The can on the right is sealed.  Be sure to label everything BEFORE you seal it or you will have a great guessing game to play. 

This is one closet where I store our food storage. But under the bed, behind the couch, all other closets are other places I have things stashed away.  Remember the biggest thing is to maintain a cool temperature to ensure that the food lasts as long as it can. 
ROTATE AND USE your food storage!
If you are new to dry pack canning and are unsure how to start I would be more than happy to help you.

Three-month-supply

This is the perfect way to begin your food storage. Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage. To begin make a list of meals your family likes to eat that are shelf stable (meaning you can store them for 3 months or longer and they won’t go bad). After I made a list of 30+ meals I wrote out what ingredients would be used to make the meal. So for example Baked Mac & Cheese- ½ lb elbow macaroni, 9 T powdered milk, 3T flour, 1T mustard, 1tsp onion powder, ½ tsp paprika, 1T egg powder, 12 ounces cheese, 1tsp salt.   In 3 months this meal is on the menu 6 times (twice a month), so I need to multiply each ingredient by 6 to ensure I have enough to make this meal. If another meal also calls for the same ingredients tally that as well. After I had taken the time to hand write all this down I found an awesome website that has an excel format of what I had just done. Figures right? But that’s good news for you, makes it easier and faster. http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/babysteps/step-3-three-months-of-normal-food/ Now I have a list of all the ingredients that I will need in order to have a 3 month supply. As I look through ads and coupons online I can reference my list and purchase things when they are on sale or I have a coupon, or better yet BOTH! I have my menu planned for a month at a time and know what we will be eating for dinner way in advance. Don’t forget to include non food items in your 3 month supply as well. Such as laundry soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, and diapers(if you have someone who requires them). Don’t break the bank and purchase your 3 month all at once. By gradually getting an extra item here and there you will save money. No more running to the store for one or two items you ran out of and paying full price.  As you use an item from your storage be sure to replace it soon.  I keep a note pad handy with a list of what I need to replace. Top 10 Rules for Grocery Shopping 1.      When you purchase something you are running out of, buy two. The plan is to always have at least one on hand. 2.      Keep your three-month-supply list nearby when you go through grocery ad or coupons. 3.      Make a list of items you are running out of, items you need for meals each week and any three-month-supply items that are on sale or you have a coupon for. Don’t forget to take the list with you to the store. 4.      Don’t go to the grocery store hungry! It will persuade you to make poor choices. ( I know I have done it, that and I’m cranky too.) 5.      Just because you can purchase something in bulk does not necessarily mean it is cheaper. Compare prices before shopping at a warehouse- or anywhere else. 6.      Find out if your grocery store has case-lot sales. Save up for them. 7.      If you don’t know if the price of an item is high or low, watch the price for a couple of weeks. 8.      Buy canned foods that look perfect. Torn labels and dust mean it has been sitting on the shelf too long. NEVER buy dented or bulging cans they may contain botulism. 9.      Shop at off peak hours. Early morning or late evening during the week you can often find meat and baked goods at clearance prices. And the check out line is usually very short. 10.  Categorize your shopping list organize it by what you are getting at each store and then group the items together (i.e. all the frozen foods together, etc.). Get your cold and frozen items last that will make sure they stay……. well cold and frozen.

Where to begin

I, like many people I know, knew that I should be gathering my year supply of food and other essentials. I kept using the excuse that we moved all the time, that we were too broke, that we didn't have the space, I didn't know what do to with all that wheat that my family doesn't currently eat, and I just didn't know where to start.
I started with a desire to follow our prophets counsel. My husband and I had family home evening to discuss what meals we liked best and what ingredients went into those meals. I wrote out a weeks worth of meals and I started watching sales for those items. Using coupons and sales I purchased all the items for 1 week of meals. And look at that I had "Food Storage".
I started this blog to help those who also feel overwhelmed at the daunting task of storing a years supply of food. I am here to show you how to start small, use what you store, and have some delicious meals along the way.

Family Home Evening:
Thought: "Perhaps nothing is as unifying in the course of a family's week as to eat together" (Jeffery R Holland, Roundtable Discussion, Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Feb 9, 2008)
Song: "A Song of Thanks," Children's songbook, no 20
Scripture: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20)
Lesson: Tell the story of Jesus feeding His disciples at the sea of Tiberias, as found in John 21:1-17
Jesus had a very important lesson to teach His disciples, and He chose to do it during a meal. Julie B Beck, General Relief Society President, stated,
He [Jesus] had a fire there and coals and fish, and He said, "come and dine." Now, that describes quite a bit of preparation. A meal had been prepared- a family meal, you could say- and He invited them to come and dine, not just run in and eat, but to come and dine. And then the scripture says, "When they had dined." He then began to teach them that wonderful teaching about feeding His sheep (see John 21:9-15). There is something about eating together and mellowing out and having that feeling there... He created the setting for that marvelous teaching, and it was a mealtime. And I think that wasn't accidental. (Julie B Beck, Roundtable Discussion, Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Feb 9, 2008)

Discuss
1. Why it is important for your family to set a specific dinnertime. Then decide on a time that works best for everyone. Be sure to plan enough time for everyone to help prepare the meal, eat the meal, and help clean up.
2. Get everyone involved, and let each family member have a say in what the family eats. Give each person a piece of paper and ask him or her to write down his or her ten favorite homemade meals. If you have young children, you may want to write down what they say. (If you are worried about hearing "mac and cheese" and "chicken nuggets", give options of meals and have the children choose their favorites.)
3. Have the family vote on the meals and list them in order of popularity, then plan that weeks meals.

Game:
Have family members share their most memorable dinnertime stories by drawing one of the following sentence starters out of a hat and finishing it with a dinnertime memory. You can ask only the person who pulled out the starter to answer it, or have everyone answer it.
When I was five or six or something, I remember dinner being....
My earliest dinner table memory is....
My favorite part about eating together as a family is...
The funniest time at the dinner table was when...
My favorite meal my mom makes is...
If I could have a perfect meal, it would be...