Goodbye Old El Paso!

Well, this month has been a lot busier than I anticipated and thus it has been awhile since I've been able to post! I'm not able to write much at this time either as it's been a long day and I'm about ready to get to bed. However, I did say that I'd be posting a recipe each week, so I thought I should at least get that up.

For those of you that enjoy tacos or chili, this recipe is for you. I was really excited when I came across this recipe and I thought some others out there might appreciate it as well. It is a taco seasoning mix, that actually tastes very similar, if not better than the packets you can purchase at the grocery store. I'm sure that it is much lower in sodium as well. I don't think I'll be buying the packets anymore.

I found this recipe in a book entitled Miserly Meals, by Jonni McCoy, that I bought at a Christian Bookstore.

Mexican Seasoning Mix

1/4 cup flour
2 T chili powder
1/4 cup onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp salt
4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano

Put all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until less powdery (don't overblend). Use the "pulse" feature. Add more cayenne pepper if you prefer it hotter.

Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Three tablespoons of this mix equals one purchased packet of taco or chili seasoning mix.

This recipe is great for tacos, or to have on hand to add to a pot of chili.

Hope you enjoy!

The Cookbook

Growing up I can remember several staple foods that my mom served us regularly. These were passed down from her mom but the problem was that they generally came without recipes. Grandma would just tell mom what to do and over the years, mom would likely adjust and change some things. Well, then I got married and I wanted to cook some of the foods that I'd grown up with, but since there weren't any written recipes for many of these foods, mom and I would just chat over the phone and she'd give me the basics to accomplish the dish of choice.

This started me thinking that it would be a good idea to have these written down, so that I can pass these recipes down to my girls. Hence the reason that I've started to put a family cookbook together, an heirloom that I can pass on to my children and hopefully even further. Now, this is definitely a work-in-progress, so I wholeheartedly welcome any advice, tips, or even your favourite recipes!

I thought I'd just jot down some practical reasons for doing this, then I'll go through in more detail what this cookbook will include and purpose!

Practically speaking why make a cookbook?

1. It helps to keep me organized - I'm sure many women can identify with the number of recipes they have floating around the house in different formats such as, cue cards, ripped out pages from a magazine, paper printed from the computer from recipes found online, recipes scribbled down on scrap paper that you've received from a friend, etc. So I keep two folders - one that is labeled "TO TRY", and another that is labeled "TRIED, TESTED, TRUE". After a recipe has successfully made it from one folder to another, I then (when I find the time), type it up into a WORD template that I have for my recipes. I throw out all recipes that do not make into the second folder. Also, it's often good to go back to the "TO TRY" folder when it gets too big and purge, as often our tastes or circumstances may change and we realize we no longer want to try that particular recipe.


2. It's helpful for planning and saving time - During this season of my life it is necessary for me to plan my meals for the week, ahead of time. This way I only buy such groceries that I am going to use for the week and I don't have to scramble to come up with something for dinner on a particular night. So the cookbook is intended to be like a master meal selection... so unless I desire to be creative and try something new that week, I just have to look through one large cookbook with all of my favourite foods to come up with my meal plan.


3. It makes it easier to give recipes to other people - If an occasion happens to present itself where a friend or family member desires a recipe that you served them, it is quite easy to give them a copy of it, especially if you have it on the computer because then you can simply e-mail them the file.
   

What will this cookbook include?

At this point, my book is including all recipes handed over from family, friends and even acquaintances (my husband knows how much I like adding to the book, so if he eats somewhere without me and likes a recipe, he'll try and get it for me... or for him I guess!). It is also including any recipes that I have found in cookbooks or online that I have enjoyed. And, lastly, it also includes any of my own successful creations.

As a side note, for all you foodies out there, I've found it really useful (this tip is courtesy of Chef Michael Smith from the FoodNetwork) to keep a notebook in my kitchen that I leave open with a pen, and whenever I play around with a recipe or create something of my own, I jot it down, so that I won't forget it the next time I want to make it.

I'd also like this book to eventually include some written memorable moments and photos of cooking with my girls, as well notes of encouragement.

I'm also hoping to include photos of my recipes (this idea from my wonderful hubby), and Lord willing, they will be taken by my good friend Rebecca Wagler who takes lovely pictures. You can see some of her jewellery photos at her shop, The Ardent Sparrow.

So right now, this cookbook is on my computer and for now I print off the recipes (colour-coded by type of meal) and put them in protective covers in a binder, but I eventually hope to have a copy published on lulu.com. Check it out, it's really cheap and quite easy I think.

What is the purpose of this cookbook other than practicality and what is the purpose of this post?

For me, it has a couple of purposes and I'll just briefly list them as this post is way longer than I intended. Well, for one, I'm having fun doing it... it's a nice hobby for me, because it's helping in my homemaking duties, but I also really enjoy it. Another reason is preserving relationships, as I alluded to in my last post. It helps me to remember and pray for a lot of the people in my life. The recipes in it are from all of those people that I just love and I can think of them fondly whenever I am going through the book. Also, Lord willing, I hope to pass this cookbook on to my girls so that they can remember our family meals and the people that are or were important in their lives. Whenever I cook chicken paprikas, I think of my late Grandmother and my Mom. I've finally come up with a written recipe for this, so now I can keep this in the family as time continues.

Aside from the fact that I love talking about food related stuff, I thought someone else may like the idea. I got the initial idea from a friend and I've just adapted it to my preferences. As a mom, I love getting new ideas to do with my kids or for my kids or for my home, so I figured maybe someone else would enjoy this! Also, I thought that I would share a recipe from my book on this blog, once a week. And I would gladly welcome any of your favourite recipes!

Whatever You Do...

Quite surprisingly, this is my first actual post on food! This is surprising, because well, I love food. I love cooking it, reading recipes, watching shows on how to prepare it, experimenting with it and of course, I love eating it.

Now I am no gourmet, but I figured since cooking and food seem to take up such a large portion of each day, and since I love it so much, I should really seize it as an opportunity to glorify God. As a homemaker, food preparation is primarily my responsibility (well actually, in my home it is exclusively my responsibility… Julian is still struggling with the microwave), so I want to serve my family as best as I can in this area. So over the past while I've been thinking of various ways to use food/cooking as an opportunity to be a faithful saint.

So far, this area of my responsibility is one that I really enjoy so it has not been overly difficult for me to serve in this regard. For many others this may not be such an enjoyable task, some may just not like cooking, others may find it difficult. I definitely understand such things, as sewing or cleaning the bathroom are right up there on my not so favourite duties list!

Well I thought I'd write this post to encourage anyone that is struggling in their kitchen duties, or for those who love it and want to find even greater value and opportunities in it. Most of the ideas that I'll list here are probably not original, as I have either read them or learned them from women who have more experience and wisdom than me. So here we go... how can we best take advantage of the time we spend in the kitchen and the time we spend eating with our families?

1. Pray or meditate while you cook. Sometimes this is not an easy task, especially if you're not entirely apt in the kitchen or if the day is just a little chaotic and you're rushing around trying to get dinner on the table at a reasonable hour. Regardless, I still think that this is a worthy thing to strive for. Keep it simple, pray for the person that gave you the recipe (if you received it from someone), or pray for the people you’ll be eating the meal with.


2. Have people over for food. Inviting people over for dinner is a great way to serve friends and family. You’ll all be eating dinner, so why not share some meals together? If the people you are gathering with are Christians, you can create great opportunities to engage in true biblical fellowship. If they are not, your family meals can be a witness and serve as a means to potentially share the gospel.


3. Give food away. Make extra on some occasions when you’re cooking, and then give it away to people in your church that may find it a blessing, like young single men, elderly people, new moms, sick people etc. If you just add extra to your regular cooking, you don’t necessarily have to set up a separate cooking occasion in order to minister in this way to someone.


4. Use food and mealtimes to create special memories for your family. I’ve heard of so many great and fun ideas to do with your families over mealtimes. I know families that use mealtimes to memorize scripture, other families that discuss what God is teaching each individual, or what they’ve learned in the sermon that week. I’ve heard of neat meal ideas that children definitely enjoy, like personal mini-meatloaves, or animal shaped sandwiches and many more. I’ve read (mainly on the girltalk blog) of fun ways to eat your meals, such as eating dessert first or using the wrong utensils! There’s just so much you can do to make these times a highlight for your family and an occasion to grow closer together and create memories.


5. Preserve relationships. Well, I’m not going to go into a ton of detail here, because I’m going to do another post on this next. Initially this entire blog post was supposed to be on this but I got carried away while typing! So here we are… and you might be asking how food/cooking preserves relationships. It probably does so in various ways, but I’m just going to look at one practical way that you can do this and that is to create an heirloom. Make a cookbook! This might sound nonsensical right now, but hopefully by the next post will be a little more illuminating. For now, let’s leave it at that and conclude here.
   

All of this to say, I just wanted to write this post to possibly encourage someone who may be having struggles in this area, and for myself, because there are definitely days when putting together meals is not my activity of choice, and I know that given 10 more years a lot of my new cooking excitement will have waned. I hope that this post will remind me of the benefits and joys that can come with this part of family life! So there ya go... cooking and mealtimes don’t just have to be about filling your belly, but they could be filling your heart, soul and mind with good things from above!

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31)