Mixes

Bean Soup Mix

Mix and pour into jar:
1/4 cup dried garbanzo beans
1/4 cup dried navy beans - black beans or lima beans
1/4 cup dried red kidney beans - soy beans or pinto beans
1/4 cup dried whole or split peas
3 tablespoons minced dried onion
2 tablespoons whole wheat berries
2 tablespoons pearl barley
2 tablespoons dried celery flakes
2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon dried basil - crushed
1 bay leaf
Attach to the jar:
To make Bean Soup:
Combine contents of package with 7 cups water in a 3-quart saucepan. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour. (Or soak bean mixture in the water overnight in a covered pan.) Do not drain. Bring beans and liquid to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are tender. Stir in one cup diced ham or 1 pound Italian sausage which has been cooked, crumbled and drained. Remove bay leaf. Season to taste with salt or seasoned salt.
Variation: Add one 16-oz. can tomatoes, cut up and undrained and one medium carrot, chopped. Cover and simmer for 30 more minutes. Season to taste.
To give these soups as gifts, use canning jars for the mixes. Cut a piece of fabric in a circle which is several inches larger than the jar lid and place the flat lid on the jar . (Pinking shears make a nice edge.) Secure the fabric to the lid with a rubber band or use the canning jar ring. Attach the directions to the jar with a ribbon or raffia. These soups would be nice grouped in baskets with bread mixes for a gift of a complete meal.

Beef Gravy Mix

1-1/3 cups instant nonfat milk powder
3/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons instant beef bouillon granules
1/8 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3 teaspoons brown sauce for gravy
Combine milk powder, instant flour, bouillon granules, thyme, onion powder and sage. Stir with a wire whisk to blend. Cut in butter or margarine until evenly distributed. Drizzle brown sauce for gravy over mixture. Stir with wire whisk until blended. Spoon into a 3-cup container with a tight-fitting lid. Label with date and contents; store in the refrigerator. Use within 4-6 weeks.

Bread Coating for Chicken, Pork Chops or Fish

Yield: about 2-2/3 cups, enough for 4 chickens
2 c. dry bread crumbs
1/4 c. flour
3 Tbsp. paprika
4 tsp. salt
2 t. sugar
2 t. onion powder
2 t. ground oregano
1 tsp. ground red pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 c. solid shortening
Mix dry ingredients well together. Cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly.
Store in tightly covered container. Makes about 2-2/3 cups, enough for 4 chickens. Use about 2/3 cup per chicken.
Attach this to the Jar:
Dip chicken pieces into milk then into coating. Arrange in single layer in ungreased shallow baking dish. Bake in preheated 400 degrees oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until tender and brown. Use same method for coating pork chops or fish and bake until done.

Buttery Buttermilk Scone Mix

9 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 cup buttermilk powder
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups (1 1/2 lbs.) very cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
In a large bowl, place flour, buttermilk powder, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Using a large whisk, stir dry ingredients together very well. By hand, or using a pastry blender, cut butter into ingredients to form a grainy, uneven mixture (it doesn’t have to be perfect - some larger chunks are fine). You may also do this with a food processor. Process about one-third of the mix at a time, pulsing the processor to cut the fat into the flour.
ATTACH TO JAR:
To make scones:
3 cups scone mix (see above)
1 egg
1/3 - 1/2 cup water or one of the following - orange juice, lemonade, ginger ale, seltzer
1 teaspoon vanilla
Garnish:
1 beaten egg white
coarse sugar
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place mix in a bowl and make a well in center. Stir together egg, water and vanilla and gently blend in with fork to make a soft mass. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead about 15 seconds. Pat into an 8-inch round and cut into wedges. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake on upper third of oven.
After 10 minutes, reduce heat to 400 F. Bake until nicely golden - 15 to 18 minutes. (9 to 11 scones per batch)

Cider Beetles

6 oranges
brown sugar
cinnamon sticks
whole allspice
whole cloves
Cut in half crosswise and scoop out pulp from 6 oranges. Place orange peel, cut side up on wire rack on baking sheet. Bake in 250 degree gas oven 2 hours or until dry and hard. Cool. Pack firmly into orange halves, mounding slightly, 1 pound brown sugar (about 2 1/4 cups). Arrange in sugar, pressing in slightly, to resemble beetle: 24 lg. whole allspice berries 12 short cinnamon sticks 96 whole cloves
Cover tightly with plastic wrap. To use: Unwrap cider bug and drop into 1 1/2 quart apple cider in saucepan. Simmer over low flame 30 minutes. If desired, add 1/4-1/2 cup brandy. Heat well. Remove orange peel and spices before serving. Makes about 8 servings, 6 ounces each. Nestle a Cider Bug in shredded cellophane in the bowl of a ladle as a gift for a neighbor. Add a bow and greenery at the top of the handle.

Taco Seasoning Mix

2 Tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 Tsp. paprika
1 Tsp. onion powder
1/2 Tsp. salt
3/4 Tsp. garlic salt
1 Dash red pepper
Mix all together. Makes 1 package of store bought mix.

Minestrone Soup Mix

1/2 cup dried onion flakes
1/2 cup dried celery flakes
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
2 tablespoons dried whole marjoram
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup beef flavored bouillon granules
1 pound dried navy beans
1 pound dried kidney beans
2 cups elbow macaroni
Combine first 6 ingredients; divide into 4 gift packages. Add 2 tablespoons bouillon granules to each package. Label and seal. Combine navy beans and kidney beans; divide into 4 gift packages. Label and seal. Place 1/2 cup macaroni into 4 gift packages. Label and seal. Present 1 package herb mix, 1 package bean mix and 1 package macaroni with recipe for Minestrone Soup. Yield: 4 gift packages.

Minestrone Soup

1 pkg. beans for minestrone soup mix
1 pkg. spices for minestrone soup mix
macaroni pkg for minestrone soup mix
2 cans whole tomatoes
3 lb. browned ground beef
Soak beans overnight in about 4 quarts of water. Cover, simmer 2 to 3 hours. Add spices, beef and tomatoes. Cook another 30 minutes. Add macaroni. Cook until tender. Season with salt to taste.

Spiced Tea Sachet

Cheesecloth
1 tea bag
1 cinnamon stick - crushed
6 whole cloves - crushed
1 strip (4 inches) fresh orange rind - (or 1/2 tsp dried)
string
Cut two 4-inch squares of cheesecloth; place 1 on top of other. Place tea bag, cinnamon, cloves and orange rind on top. Pull up corners and tie into bundle with string. Place in mug, jar or basket. Makes 1 sachet, enough for 1 cup tea.
If you use fresh orange rind, let the sachets air-dry for two days before sealing them in containers. Print this post