Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Vegetable Spice, Garden Herb and Cajun Spice Mix.

More Christmas gift ideas coming from your kitchen, these recipes I found in a BERNARDIN Home guide to Preserving. Pop these in a basket with a nice bottle of specialty olive oil or if giving as a hostess gift...maybe couple it with fancy crackers or homemade bagels. These seasoning blends can be combined with yogurt, sour cream or cream cheese for dips. Or whisk them with vinegar and oil for a quick salad dressing....or use as a rub for grilled foods. Each recipe fills one 125 ml jar.

You might just want to try some out yourself. Use a taste test if you wish...then mix it up a little..not enough heat for that daring friend...then add a little more cayenne....or create your own combo. Remember that the dry buttermilk is a base for the mixes (except the rub) so keep the proportions similar. Have fun!

Vegetable Spice Mix

This is recommended to use for a bagel spread, just add cream cheese! Good as a dip too!

3 tbsp buttermilk pwd.
2 tbsp dehydrated minced onion
2 tbsp dehydrated vegetable mix
1 tbsp each: dehydrated minced garlic, freeze dried chives
1 tsp each: basil leaves,oregano leaves, thyme leaves and dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt (I used sea salt)

Garden Herb Mix

For salad dressings or seasoning rubs for BBQ. foods

2 tbsp each: dried parsley, freeze-dried chives, buttermilk pwd.

1/2 tbsp each: garlic pwd., onion pwd., ground pepper and dried tarragon
1 tsp each: dried oregano leaves, salt

Cajun Spice Mix

Use for fajitas or add to softened process cheese to make a great zesty cheese ball for the holidays.

2 tbsp dehydrated onion
1 tbsp each: dehydrated minced garlic, paprika, cayenne pepper, dried parsley
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp each: salt, ground pepper and dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground cumin.


Sample Gift Tag for Seasoning Mixes

Salad Dressing:
Combine 2 tbsp mix with 1 cup buttermilk and 1 cup salad dressing. Mix well and chill

Veggie Dip:
Combine 2 tbsp mix with 1 cup sour cream or yogurt and 1 cup salad dressing. Mix well and chill.

Want to get green AND give away a gift from your kitchen? Use empty and cleaned jars from various products that you have used. Make instruction tags from last year's Christmas Cards. For this year's gifts I reused tissue from Christmas saved from last year and cut up a calendar envelope - perfect for tags.