DIY - Italian Seasoning, Steak Seasoning, & All Purpose Seasoning

I am really loving making these seasoning mixes myself, rather than have to buy them at the store.  I typically ensure I have these types of spices, so it is easier (and cheaper!!) to make my own mixes.  Plus then I know what is in the seasoning mixes.  It is even a better buy if you can get your spices in bulk from a Dutch pantry.

Italian Seasoning

3 T dried basil

3 T dried oregano

2 T dried marjoram

1 T dried parsley

2 t dried thyme

2 t dried minced onion

1 t dried garlic granules

1 t dried rosemary

1/4 t red pepper flakes

Pulse ingredients into desired consistency.  Store in an airtight container.

I make two versions - one with red pepper flakes and one without for the kiddos.  

Steak Seasoning

½ cup Paprika

¼ cup Sea Salt

¼ cup Sugar

¼ cup Cumin

¼ cup Granulated Garlic

¼ cup Chili Powder

2 tablespoons Mustard Powder

2 tablespoons Ground Black Pepper

2 tablespoons Red Pepper flakes

1 T coriander seeds, crushed

Combine the ingredients. Pulse to desired consistency.  Store in an airtight container. 

Rub steaks with olive oil and generously coat with steak seasoning. Marinate 1 hour before grilling.

All Purpose Seasoning

1 T Sea Salt

1 T Paprika

1 T Garlic Powder

2 t Black Pepper

1 ½ t Cayenne Pepper

1 ½ t Onion Powder

1 ½ t Thyme

1 ½ t Oregano

Combine all ingredients and whisk.  Store in an airtight container.

DIY Mixes ~ Granola

One of my favorite things now is to find semi-healthy, delicious snacks for the kiddos and I to eat.  Otherwise we would pig out on junk food all day long in the summer.  I ran across a recipe for granola last year that was good, but wasn't great.  After messing around with that recipe, adding and subtracting, changing amounts, etc. I have come up with a recipe that is better suited for the littles and me.  

My personal fave is throwing in dried cranberries and chocolate chips (but not icky dark chocolate, ugh!!).  Dried blueberries, strawberries, or cherries or golden raisins would be great too.  Flax seed is a strange little thing.  However, it doesn't have a lot of flavor and is said to be very nutritious.  You can buy it at Dutch stores, like Shirk's or at the one in Tipton.  They probably have it up north in Jamesport.  Or you can get it online at Amazon or in health food stores.  Flax seed has been studied and preliminary reports say that flax seed may help fight heart diseases, diabetes, and breast cancer.  Save the heart and the girls, you just can't beat that.

So here it is...my recipe for granola.

GRANOLA

5 c old fashioned oats
1/2 c sliced almonds (optional - I use them if I have them)
1/2 c sunflower seeds (optional - I use them if I have them)
1/2 c flax seed
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 t sea salt
2 t cinnamon
1/4 c coconut oil or butter, melted (I use coconut oil if I have it)
3/4 c applesauce (I use homemade)
1/2 c honey
1/4 c maple syrup
1 t vanilla
dried fruit and/or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray a baking sheet.  Mix first seven ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Melt your coconut oil or butter in a small bowl in the microwave.  Add the applesauce, honey, maple syrup, and vanilla, and mix.  Pour over the oat mixture and stir.  Spread out evenly onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Stir and bake an additional 15 minutes, until golden.  Pour cooked granola onto waxed paper and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.  Once cool, mix in the dried fruit or chocolate chips.  Store in an airtight container.

DIY mixes ~ Lotion bars and House Seasoning

Here are a couple more random "mixes" I do.  

Lotion Bars






This winter the cold, dry air has taken a toll on J's hands.  He works at Building Trades II with school on building a house and tearing sheds and another house down.  He messes with concrete mix and chemicals and sawdust and insulation and such, then washes his hands a LOT.  His hands have gotten so red and sore and we tried everything we could think of.  I know the pic to the left it is a little hard to tell that they are super red, but you can see the little bumps all over his hands that looked like, but weren't, blisters. The red line went all the way up to just under the edge of the picture.  





I ran across this recipe for a lotion bar, so I bought the coconut oil at Walmart (although it was cheaper at Shirk's) and the other two ingredients (almond oil and beeswax) on Amazon.








I didn't have a double boiler, but do have a metal mixing bowl, so I improvised.  I also only had one small silicone mold, so I tried it in the ice cube trays that go unused at our house.  I must say, next time I am going to put some lavender oil or something in it, because it doesn't smell great.  It doesn't smell horrible, just not great.  

At any rate, it cleared his hands up in two days.  Amazing!!

Here is the recipe:

• One part Beeswax
• One part Almond Oil 
• One part Coconut Oil 

I used 1 cup of each.  That made the number of lotion bars in the pic above.  You can always make more or make less.

In a double boiler (or a metal mixing bowl on top of a saucepan), melt your beeswax slowly. When it is melted, add the almond oil.  It makes a funny white shape in it (it is supposed to) that you need to slowly stir to help melt.  Then add the coconut oil.  Once it is melted as well, pour it into your mold (or ice cube trays).  I actually chose to use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to do the pouring, I found it easier to not make a bigger mess than I did.  Let it rest overnight, and voila! 

Love these things.  When you first put them on they feel greasy, but the greasy feeling goes away quickly, unlike some lotions you buy that feel greasy until you give up and wash your hands. Just rub it in gently.  

Base recipe from Frugal by Choice.  

Warning: There is some language not okay for littles in her post.

House seasoning

1 cup of salt (I prefer sea salt)
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/8 cup black pepper (PD uses 1/4 c, but we aren't fans of pepper)

Mix ingredients together and store for up to 6 months.  I have an old big spice jar that I washed out and store it in.  Then I can just shake out the amount I want.

The base recipe is from Paula Deen.

DIY mixes ~ Laundry Soap, Taco Spice, and Onion Soup Mix ~ Oh my!

I am definitely not a DIY-er.  I am not handy enough to fix things or sew things or make things or cook things.  However, there are a few things I have figured out are just easier to make if I do them myself.  I did not make these up, I did research and copied them.  Then I tweaked them to suit me.  This post is partly FYI and partly a place for me to keep the ones I really liked.  If I know where the base recipe came from, I included that link.

Laundry Soap

1 - 4 lb 12 oz box Borax
1 - 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
1 - 55 oz box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 - 5 lb container of Oxy Clean 
3 bars of soap - you can use Fels-Naptha soap, but I use whatever soap I have around 
1-2 - 55 oz container(s) of Purex Crystals, depending on how much scent you like 

You can shred your soap, or put it in the food processor and pulse it to make small pieces instead of shreds.  Dump all the ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket and mix.  I use just shy of 1/8 cup per load, with a full or heaping 1/8 cup if really dirty clothes.  (For those of you that are math-challenged like I am, 1/8 cup - 2 T.)  This typically lasts our family of five 5 months.

My base idea comes from Being Creative.

Taco Spice

1 T chili powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t paprika
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1 t sea salt
1 t black pepper

Mix the spices together and store in an airtight container.  I make these in big batches and store in a mason jar.  

The recipe for the bigger batch is:

1/2 cup chili powder
2 t garlic powder
2 t onion powder
1-2 t red pepper flakes
4 t paprika
1/4 c ground cumin
2 T sea salt
2 T black pepper

I often double this as well.  Mix the spices together and store in an airtight container.

My recipe is a mix between $5 Dinners and All Recipes.

Onion Soup Mix

4 t beef bouillon granules or powder
8 t dried onion flakes
1 t onion powder
1/4 t pepper

Mix the ingredients together.  Store in an airtight container.  Use within 6 months.  One single recipe (above) is equal to 1 package/envelope of onion soup mix.

BUT...I make a lot of it at once and store it in a mason jar.  1/4 cup of this mix is said to be equal to one packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix.

I have no idea where I got this one.

I have a few other recipes and mixes, and I will share them later.