I have a love/hate relationship with spices in general. I always forget about buying those dang packages of Taco Seasoning and Italian Dressing Mix when I'm at the store. And I get Italian Dressing mix confused with Italian Seasoning a lot of times. I know that they are different but one recipe will call for the dressing mix and another recipe will call for the seasoning and I can never remember which it is. Also, the dressing mix costs $1.22 for a pack which will only be used in one recipe. Really? It's kind of ridiculous. But the thing is; food would be so bland without spices.
A friend of mine gave me the idea of mixing my own seasoning. She presented it in a way to make them more healthy by only putting healthy stuff in it. (as far as onion soup mix is concerned) I could care less about that, just give me a way to avoid having to pay a dollar plus for seasoning for one meal and let me stock up so I don't forget it when I'm in the middle of making dinner and I'll be a happy camper. I don't know why it was such a novel idea to me, but it was a huge awakening. She also opened my mind to Winco's amazing spices that they sell in bulk. If you haven't shopped there for spices/oats/soup mixes/nuts/trail mixes, you should check it out. They sell things buy the pound and it's super inexpensive. So I decided to make Italian Seasoning. (Not Italian Dressing Mix, I'll get to that one later.)
I had some of the spices I needed already but I headed to Winco for the rest. I bought 4 spices. Guess how much I paid... 35 cents! The most expensive spice I bought was dried cilantro at $8.80 per pound. Do you know how much cilantro you'd need to make a pound? A whole lot. I got about 2 1/2 tablespoons (which was more than what I needed) and it cost me a whole 9 cents. 9 cents for a spice? I could get used to this.
In my search, I saw many variations of Italian Seasoning recipes and since I can never follow one recipe to a "T", I used ideas from a few of them. Here is what I ended up with:
Bridgett’s Fancy Homemade Italian Seasoning Recipe
(I also included the cost of the spices that I purchased)
2 tbsp. Basil
2 tbsp. Oregano $.03
2 tbsp. Rosemary $.03
2 tbsp. Cilantro $.09
2 tbsp. Thyme $.20
2 tbsp. Parsley
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Dried Red Pepper
I'm really happy with how it turned out.
In the next few days/weeks I'm looking forward to mixing lots of seasonings. Taco Seasoning, Ranch Dressing mix, and Italian Dressing mix will be the next on my list. I think I might buy everything at Winco just to compare the cost of making it myself to buying it pre-made.
*I think I'm going to start sharing what I'm currently listening to with each post.
Right now, I'm listening to Mercury by Bloc Party from their album Intimacy. It has such a great breakdown.
6 comments:
Oh my goodness! I'm sold. That is so cheap. Thanks for the info. There isn't a Winco super close to me, but it just became worth the drive.
(This is Mindy, btw, and I like your blog. Lots of good and useful info.)
I don't even know if you remember me from way back in the Physics Department days, but I wanted you to know that I love your blog! I'm loving the idea of making my own seasoning combos. I made a dish last night that called for Italian seasoning, and I didn't have any on hand, so I just skipped it. Making my own I think will be a much better solution.
Thanks!
@Mindy- I know! When I figured all this out, I was freaking out. I'm glad I'm not the only one who was so excited about this! Just so you know, they sell small spice containers right next to the spices too.
@Charlotte- Of course, I remember you. You are welcome to read my blog as long as you don't mind me reading yours. I'm going to start reading it now.
This morning I decided I wanted to have tomato-basil soup and grilled cheese for dinner, so I was going to go to Zupas and just buy the soup, but decided to make my own. I needed 4 ingredients to make it, and came back from the store spending $23!!! I just decided I'm going to start growing my own spices, and also a tomato plant.
@Megan- Funny you should say that about growing your own stuff; I just bought a couple of cilantro plants on Saturday. I don't know much about plants so I thought I'd learn. Tomatoes would be good to grow too. My dad has always had tomato plants.
I am totally using this recipe. Spice. Recipe.
Sam and I have been talking about making our own pasta sauce for months. This will be perfect. Thanks for posting it! You rock.
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