Salmon Patties, stored food, and cooking cheap

A few years ago I was at the drugstore and I noticed they had 16 oz. canned salmon on sale for a dollar each.  I bought 50.  I should have bought more.  Last night we had one of my favorite dinners. It fed six.  This meal is easily adaptable to your food storage program, especially ours since we have fresh eggs from our chickens. Every once in a while I post a recipe to remind people that having a food storage program is great  but if you don't use it then everything will be new during time of crisis.  This will only make things worse. 

Salmon Patties

1 can salmon

1/2 cup chopped onion (I used about 1/4 cup dried onion) although in summer it would have been fresh (I buy dried chopped onions in bulk at Winco)

2 tablespoons shortening or butter (I used butter flavored Crisco)

2/3 cups dried bread crumbs (made from left over pieces of homemade bread)

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

2 or 3 more tablespoons shortening for frying

Open the can of salmon.  Take out most of the bones and skin, although if you don't get it all it's not a big deal.  The bones are good for you... Reserve the liquid.  Cook the onions in butter until tender.  Since I used the chopped onions I cooked them in the shortening for about a minute or two.  It softened them up a bit, but again, this isn't a big deal.  You could actually use the dried onions without cooking them in the shortening.  Mix all the ingredients together (except the shortening for frying).  Stir it well so it looks sort of like a sandwich spread.  You don't want big chunks.  Small chunks are ok.  If you want big chunks then keep big chunks.  It doesn't really matter here either.  Stir as much or as little as you want.  Shape into patties.  You can make big patties or small ones.  I made 12 small patties.  You can make six big ones.  Fry them until they brown on each side and look done (just a couple of minutes - more if they are thicker).   

We top it with a lemon cheese sauce.  Again, we are able to use all storage food and what's in our garden.

Lemon Cheese Sauce

2 tablespoons butter or shortening (again butter flavor Crisco from our storage)

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

1 cup milk (powdered works)

Cook this all over a low flame.  stir a lot.  Heat until it is thickened.  After it thickens add

2 beaten egg yolks

1/2 cup shredded cheese (from storage or even cheese powder (which I also buy in bulk from Winco)

2 tablespoons lemon juice (we picked our first lemon off our tree!!!!)

Cook, keep stirring, until all is melted and smooth.

We also cooked a big pot of rice.  The lemon sauce goes well with the rice and over the salmon.  The entire dinner cost two or three dollars and fed six.