If you grow your own herbs and have some healthy well-growing plants, you may eventually find yourself in the predicament of wondering what to do with all that basil, or mint, or dill, or what have you. I recently found myself in this situation after receiving an AeroGarden for Christmas.Read More
A Dozen Homemade Spice Mixes
I still remember when I first came up with my recipe for homemade taco seasoning. I proudly told my husband, “No more of those seasoning packets for us, I figured out how to make my own!” “Well, that’s great” was his reply, “But maybe next you could work on somethingRead More
Bread Dipping Oil & Spices {Copycat Carrabba’s}
You never know what treasures you might find on a trip to the thrift store. Sometimes there’s nothing at all to grab your interest, but other times . . . well other times you may just stumble across the perfect find at a great price. And that’s what keeps lotsRead More
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe
There are some recipes, that as much as I enjoy them, are just seasonal recipes for me. I make them once a year and that’s it. Like pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie is yummy stuff but I only make one when Thanksgiving rolls around, which I suspect is pretty typical forRead More
Vegetable Seasoning Spice Blend
Many months ago I wrote about some ideas for homemade popcorn seasonings, one of which was a savory blend with a main ingredient of celery salt. As time went by though, something happened. I wasn’t using this blend on my popcorn anymore, and instead found myself ALWAYS using it onRead More
Homemade Cajun Seasoning Blend
I love seasoning blends. They’re such a simple way to add a little flavor and fun to your home cooking. A few shakes of this spice or that spice can really jazz up what would otherwise be a boring weeknight meal. So yes , I enjoy spice blends and haveRead More
Make a DIY Emeril Essence Spice Blend
One of the strategies I’ve used for increasing my “Make Your Own” recipe options at dinner time is to get more familiar with my jars of ground spices. It’s much easier to start eliminating processed foods and those pre-packaged spice mixes once you get more comfortable with how to flavorRead More
Homemade Gifts: Southwestern Dip Mix
Almost every Christmas I give a few homemade gifts from my kitchen. It’s been a nice way over the years to give a little something to neighbors, co-workers, teachers, or relatives. And most of the time my thoughtful little somethings were the traditional holiday sweet treats like cookies, candies, andRead More
Fajita Seasoning
What do you do when you have some leftover steak to use up? You make Fajitas! And do you buy a Fajita Seasoning Mix Packet ? Heck no – you make your own! This easy homemade fajita seasoning recipe uses many of the same spices as my homemade seasoning forRead More
Chicken Seasoning Spice Blend
Keeping a little bottle of this chicken seasoning spice blend in the kitchen can sure come in handy on those nights when once again you’re wondering: What can I make with chicken ?? We eat chicken a lot at our house and I’m guessing that’s pretty common in otherRead More
DIY Ceasar Salad Dressing Mix
Summer is almost here and that means more grilling, more picnics, and more salads. Lots and lots of salads please! Of course lots and lots of salads means we have to think about salad dressings too. This summer instead of reaching for my usual boring bottle of ranch dressing,Read More
Make Your Own Italian Seasoning Blend
Sometimes I think you can tell a woman’s age by the color of her Tupperware and the number of spices she has lingering about in her cupboard. I have some harvest gold Tupperware and neglected bottles of Herbs de Provence and Fennel Seed. ’nuff said This week however, IRead More
Fake Shake & Bake
It’s been almost 50 years since the clever folks at Kraft Foods first introduced us to Shake ‘n Bake. Shake ‘n Bake was created as a healthier way to have a tasty crumb coating on chicken that eliminated greasy deep frying. They even used slogans like “Why Fry? Shake andRead More
Make Your Own Montreal Steak Seasoning
Homemade spice blends are a quick and simple way to add a boost of flavor when cooking a meal. Of course there’s lots of ready made spice blends and rubs to choose from at the stores, but it’s really just as quick and easy to stir them together yourselfRead More
Using Pantry Spices to Season Chili
Have you been relying on a packet of seasoning to spice up your chili? Here’s a frugal way to use spices you probably already have in your pantry to season your chili instead. Now I know some folks can be pretty competitive about their chili and even compete in contestsRead More
My Top 10 Spices
The $5 Dinners website posed an interesting question today. What are your top 10 spices? Gosh, I don’t think I can narrow it down to just 10 but I’m going to give it a shot! Spices are a big part of the Make Your Own lifestyle and my spice collection keepsRead More
Don’t Have Pumpkin Pie Spice? Try This Mixture Instead
What’s a busy cook to do when a recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice and you don’t have it in your supply? Try substituting this handy mixture that uses spices you probably do have in your stash. PUMPKIN PIE SPICE 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8Read More
Quick and Easy Way to Make Garlic Salt
Here’s a really quick and easy way to make your own garlic salt. If you have salt and garlic powder in the house, all you have to do is combine the two for a simple way to create a garlic salt mixture. How easy is that! I haven’t bought garlicRead More