Make Your Own Mexican Seasoning

This was my breakfast this morning!

Delicious?  Yes.

But all the more better because they were prepared from a mix I made myself.

As part of our be-mortgage-free lifestyle I've decided no more buying prepackaged food.  From now on I'm making my own mixes.  What a concept, making something from scratch.  Yes, I do agree at first thought it does sound like more work and time than we all care to put into it, but I assure you it is not. 

Case in point, in about a half an hour with many of the same ingredients out I was able to make and jar up

* Sweet Bread Mix for making all kinds of yummies

*Mexican Seasoning (see recipe below)

* Buttermilk & Waffle Pancake Mix (about 3-4 store bought boxes worth)

*Bread Machine Mix for about 6 loaves ( we use about 1 a week)

*Quick Mix (think Bisquick)

And the result so far was a loaf of Banana Nut Bread, Loaf of Honey Golden Wheat Bread and my delicious pancakes this morning.

Onced mixed all that was left to do was jar them up and label them.

On the front a label letting me know what it had in it and on the back I put the recipes for quick mixing.

Trust me, this couldn't be easier.  And the benefits are wonderful.

1.  I get to control the quality of the ingredients I put into my mixes (I like to use organic)

2.  Not only do you save money from making your own mixes but if you buy in bulk from one of the wholesale club stores you will save even more money.

3.  And most importantly, they just look so darn cute in these jars - don't you think?

Most of these recipes I got from the book Make-A-Mix by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward & Madeline Westover. Not only does the book have the mixes but it includes over 300 recipes to use the mixes in.

Next up, soups and hot chocolate dry mixes.  I've got some books from the library I've been searching through.  I'll let you know if I come up with any great concoctions.

In the meantime, try this recipe for Mexican Seasoning, this is my own creation.  We use it in Fajitas, tacos, etc.  Total thumbs up from everyone in my family on this one, and trust me, they are a tough crowd to please.

Jamie's Mexican Seasoning

Mix the following together and put in a spice jar.

1/4 dried ginger

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp dried mustard

1 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

3 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp crushed dried red pepper

1 tsp cornstarch

My son doesn't like spicy food and this combination was fine with him.  To make it a bit hotter just up the amount of red peppers.

Let me know what you think? Jamie