The following “CHEW THIS!” column originally appeared in “The Courier-Times” and / or “The Shelbyville News” as well as other publications. Check their websites for further information or write to me for more details as to where this can be viewed.

Make Your Own Seasonings, Soup and Dip Mixes 

I love to hear from my readers and so many of you reach out and we have some of the best conversations surrounding food, food trends, recipes and cookbooks. My very favorite reader email is one where they will suggest something I had never heard or thought of before and that is the case with this column today. Beki McKown reached out to me via emailed and said, “I know you and most of your readers want to use shortcuts to getting dinner on the table, but take the time to read the list of nasty ingredients on the labels of mixes and canned soups. Maybe give people a few quick recipes to create their own “mixes” to keep on hand so they can reduce the number of useless chemicals in their food?” I thought this was a great idea! I have shared before several recipes for homemade “cream of…” soups thanks to my relative and friend, Phyllis Riggs. I also shared several of those recipes in my cookbooks. However, I am not sure how many I have shared here with all of you, so here we go! 

The recipe below can be used for all sorts of things! Chip dip, sprinkling on roast, in meatloaf, in mashed potatoes, on roasted potatoes, in slow cooker meals and on chicken! Look at the ingredients below and then look at what Beki listed in her email in the store bought variety. “Compare that to the ingredients on the package of soup mix (Onions, salt, corn starch, sugar, corn syrup solids, caramel color, hydrolyzed soy protein, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, yeast extract, monosodium glutamate, natural flavors, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.” 

Yikes! And let me clarify by saying I am not “shaming” anyone for buying their own “cream of…” soups or dried mixes. Honestly, 8 times out of 10, I will be buying, shopping and using ingredients that just about everybody else will be using too but I do understand where the knowledge of homemade pantry staples may need to be shared.

My motto is, “Everything in moderation…including moderation”. There is a time and a place for everything and nobody should ever be “food shamed”. Do what is right for your family, bank account and yourself at the end of the day. 

Homemade French Onion Mix

To store, keep in an airtight container at room temperature.

5 tablespoons of this mix equals one packet. 1/2 cup dried minced onion
7 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Combine everything into a bowl.

Store in an air tight jar. 

Ask and Answer: Do you have a recipe for “homemade pantry staples”? If so, send me an email by visiting my website. Thanks!