make your own | spice mixes (or season's greetings for neighbors and friends)

Each year we exchange small gifts of food with our neighbors during the holiday season. This year I decided to share some of the homemade spice mixes that we enjoy.

I made double batches of Chili Seasoning, Spaghetti Sauce Mix and Onion Soup Mix. At Hobby Lobby I found mini ziploc bags that are perfect for holding the mix, sticky labels perfect for the name and directions and then I also found mini gift bags which are perfect for gifting. Better yet is that they were all 50% off so it was more than affordable.

Each of these mixes are easy to make and they use spices that are always in my cabinet. What I like most about them is that I know and can pronounce all of the ingredients.

I'll share my recipes with you. If these are mixes that you typically buy in the convenient envelopes at the grocery store, try mixing up a batch and see if you can tell a difference between the homemade and commercial versions. You might be surprised and find that you like the homemade version better!

Onion Soup Mix (I got this recipe from my niece years ago)

3/4 c. dried minced onion

1/3 c. beef boullion granuals

1/4 c. onion powder

1/4 t sugar

1/4 t celery seed

Combine all ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix well. 4 T is equivalent to one commercial "envelope."  To use: Mix 4T to 16 oz of sour cream for a dip. It's also good with potatoes; wash, dry and quarter some red potatoes, drizzle with oil and sprinkle 4T of the onion soup mix on them. Mix well and bake.

Spaghetti Sauce Mix (from Miserly Meals)

1/4 c. Italian Seasoning

1 T celery salt

1 T garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp pepper

1 T onion powder

1 tsp sugar

Put all ingredients in a blender, cover, and blend 5 seconds or less until powdery (don't overblend). Use the "pulse" feature if your blender has one. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. To use: Add 2 T to 28 oz. of tomato sauce, 6 oz. tomato paste, and any meat or vegetables you like in your sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat, then serve over pasta.

Chili or Taco Seasoning

3 T chili powder

1 T salt

1 T garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp black pepper

3/4 tsp ground red pepper

Combine all ingredients; store in an airtight container up to 1 month. To use: 2-3 T can be used to season chili or tacos.

They have been delivered and everyone was thrilled with them. Several of the folks that received them knew that I made my own mixes and they were excited to try them. And the goodies they gave us? Oh yum. We've got homemade salsa, homemade Bailey's Irish Creme, a homemade cheese ball, a spiral ham and peanut brittle.

harvest blessings snack mix

Each year we share small gifts, usually of the food variety, with our neighbors and friends at Christmas as a gesture to show our appreciation of their friendship or neighborliness. This year, I've decided there's no reason to wait until Christmas. What better time of year than Thanksgiving to say "thank you" to neighbors and friends?  This weekend I made a double batch of Harvest Blessings Snack Mix to share with those we are thankful for.

It's easy to make and the ingredients are simple.

HARVEST BLESSINGS
1 c. of Bugles (corn snack)
1 c. of small pretzel twists
1 c. of Goldfish crackers
1 c. of Wheat, Rice or Corn Chex cereal
1 c. of raisins
1 c. of dry roasted corn nuts
1 c. of peanuts or other nuts
1 c. of Hershey's chocolate kisses

Mix all together in a very large bowl. Package in individual baggies for gifts. Include a notecard that explains the symbolism of the snacks:
Bugles - shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty
Pretzels - arms folded in prayer
Goldfish crackers - fish are a symbol of abundance
Chex Cereal - they look like baskets, which hold the harvest fruits
Corn - food was so scarce the first winter that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day
Nuts - promise of a future harvest
Raisins - harvest gifts from our bountiful land
Hershey Kisses - the love of family and friends that sweetens our lives

(By making a double batch, I ended up with 6 bags, containing 2 cups of snack mix.)

A Late Delivery

Turns out our mail carrier is one of Santa's elves. I received a gift in the mail today. Lawman, bless his heart, got a subscription to this magazine for me.

I SPY ~ Homemade

My family will be gathering for our Christmas celebration on Saturday. Our family is quite large when we all get together so this year we have rented a community facility rather than gathering at someone's home.

I thought I'd try to come up with something that could keep the littlest ones busy for a while. Here's what I did with the help of my youngest.

We filled empty (and dry, that's important) water bottles with bird seed, about halfway. Then we added little treasures which could be searched for and added more bird seed so the bottle was about 3/4 full. We added a tag with this poem:

Some pirates got it all mixed up

And did things wrong way 'round.

They put the treasure in a bottle

And buried the map in the ground!

Their treasure was some silly stuff

Like needles, screws, and beads.

Then dear old Polly Parrot

Added all her extra seeds!

So find the items hidden here

No two are quite the same.

On the backside of the tag we listed the items to be found. Here's what we used:

• paper clip
• safety pin
• cup hook
• bird (miniature from Hobby Lobby)
• feather
• rubberband
• ribbon
• marble
• button
• shoe (miniature from Hobby Lobby)
• jingle bell
• gem
• rosette
• beads

For safety reasons, we hot-glued the lids on.

I think Madison and I had as much fun making these as the little ones will trying to spy all the treasures. These would make great party favors for a pirate themed birthday party.

Note: I don't know who to credit for the idea or the poem. I read this in an email several years ago and didn't think to write that information down.

It's All About the Food

If you've learned anything about me from this blog, you know that I love food. Not just eating it but preparing it, reading about it, etc. You've probably also learned that I read cookbooks as if they were novels. I have scads of them in my kitchen. So many in fact that I don't have enough shelf space for all of them. You can find them in my cabinets and drawers as well as on my bookshelf.

I have a special fondness for vintage cookbooks. Several of the ones I own belonged to my mother and grandmother at some point. I love reading through them and finding their hand-written notes scrawled in the margins or seeing spattered pages and knowing that the recipe on those pages must have been a much-loved dish.

Food is a very important subject in our lives. Not only is it necessary for sustaining our bodies but we also have emotional attachments to it. Many times a particular dish transports us to a particular place in our lives -- a special birthday or a memorable family holiday. We use food to celebrate special occasions. We share it with neighbors and friends during difficult times.

Two years ago I purchased, what I would call, kitchen journals for each of my daughters. My thought was that at some point they will want to be able to re-create all the wonderful meals they've enjoyed at home.

I have a tendency to come up with these good ideas and then I have difficulty following through. Well, I pulled them out of my closet today (you can see that the price tag is still on them) and decided that I was going to start filling the blank pages. The point is to create for them one place that will hold their favorite childhood recipes and notes about special occassions that the dishes were prepared for. For example, the first entry in B2's book is the chocolate and peanut butter dessert she requested for her 13th birthday party. I also included in the margin the names of her friends who she shared the dessert with.

I'm not keeping it a secret that I'm creating these. In order for them to have real meaning to the girls, I want them to have a say in what recipes are included. It may be years before they appreciate what these books represent but I hope they will become a treasure to them and maybe to their future husbands and children. I guess time will tell. And, when they're in college and wanting to know how to make a favorite dish, hopefully, it will be included in this book and I won't be creating recipe cards.