Jennifer Rader uses Wagyu ground beef in Spicy Salsa Mac and Beef, and the family loves it.

The following is a blog post from a new friend, Jennifer Rader, who I met at a conference in April. She lives in remote Nevada and is a prepping against "the end of the world as we know it" or TEOTWAWKI, and has written several books on surviving through global upheaval.  You can check her blog at prepschooldaily@blogspot.com  

I had trouble capturing her food photo, so I thought I would put up an easier-obtained photo of Jennifer Rader, the actress--not the Jennifer Rader the prepper.

Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café—Spicy Salsa Mac and Beef
I spent most of last week in Salt Lake City, visiting with my son and daughter-in-law late in the evening after selling books all day at a convention. I’d rather not do the selling part, preferring the role of keyboard warrior instead. Unfortunately for me, however, I need the opportunity to promote my books in person so that people can see how great they are and buy them. Saturday is normally the most profitable day at this event. Unfortunately for all of the vendors, we discovered that the day before Easter is a terrible day. In a family-oriented community and at a convention whose regular attendees are highly family-oriented, our customers were spending Easter weekend with their loved ones. Even the food trucks were lamenting about having half the normal business volume.
The lack of traffic provided the vendors time to visit with one another and sell or sometimes trade products. And so Alan Mitchell, one of the owners of Bennion Beef, stopped by for a chat. We discussed food storage (a lot of his is on the hoof) and emergency preparedness. He offered me a couple of pounds of (American Wagyu) hamburger in exchange for a few food storage recipes (with pictures) featuring beef
that he could post on his website. That was a no-brainer. Of course, I would be delighted to. The brainer part was remembering to take pictures. Fortunately, there is still one small serving in the refrigerator.
Spicy Salsa Mac and Beef
1 pound ground beef
1 can (10.5 oz) beef broth
1 1/3 cups water
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup chunky salsa
½ cup Magic Mix
¾ cup water
½ cup shredded cheese (Cheddar, Colby-jack, pepper jack, or Monterey jack)
In a large saucepan over medium heat, brown the ground beef. Add the broth and water and stir in the taco seasoning. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook until the macaroni is tender and water absorbed, adding more water if necessary.
Meanwhile, combine the Magic Mix, water, and cheese.
When the pasta is tender, stir in the salsa and cheese mixture. Cook and stir until hot and bubbly.
Garnish with shredded cheese and fresh oregano.

*Magic Mix: 2 1/3 cups powdered milk, 1 cup butter or coconut oil, and 1 cup flour, combined until it resembles fine cornmeal.
**Taco Seasoning Mix: 2 teaspoons hot chili powder,1 ½ teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 1 pinch cayenne pepper, optional, 1 pinch red pepper flakes, optional 

Family reviews: Everyone really enjoyed it, including Lydia, Keaton, QOTPE (Queen of the
Picky Eaters) and Aaron. I absolutely loved that all the ingredients are food storage items. If the beef isn’t fresh, it can come from the freezer. Or it could have been canned, dehydrated, or freeze-dried. Freeze-dried cheese. Home-canned salsa and DIY taco seasoning mix, and of course, Magic Mix.