I decided to take on the challenge of dehydrating chili… And so many of my friends were critics that it couldn’t be done. So I sat and I googled ideas, of course there’s also Pinterest and YouTube videos to check into. And I found that it is something that can be done.

The people that I saw on YouTube were going backpacking or camping and so this was an idea that they would have to bring with them for a simple and easy meal to rehydrate. It might be something you want to use to keep in storage just for an extra meal, or if you live in an area where there’s frequent power outages due to weather conditions it’s something that’s a simple meal to make. For me I have a son with Autism and I don’t allow him to use the stove… So to have something that I make homemade, and he can add hot water to and rehydrate and have a nutritional meal that I prepared ahead of time …I think is fantastic.

I took my favorite chili recipe… then I let it cool in the refrigerator overnight to thicken up. Next I put it on my dehydrating trays. It took about 18 to 20 hours to dehydrate and it came out fantastic.

To rehydrate it all you have to do is to add 1 cup of hot water to 1 cup of dried chili let it sit for 10 minutes and you have a delicious meal.

You can use a Mylar bag with an oxygen absorber to keep it fresh for a long time until you need to use it.

Check it out… It might be something you would enjoy having on a cold winter night, by the fireplace… for when the power goes out.

Lynn A. C. Wilson- Resume of a Mother