The blog

Recipes & pantry tips

Mixes worth making, how long they keep, and how to turn a jar into dinner or a gift.

Homemade soup mixes in glass jars on a kitchen counter

Recipes

Dry Onion Soup Mix: Make the Envelope at Home

Five ingredients replace the onion soup envelope for dips, pot roast and meatloaf. Here is the exact amount that equals one envelope.

A jar of homemade taco seasoning on a wooden board with a brass spoon

Recipes

Homemade Taco Seasoning: One Small Jar, Three Packets' Worth

Six pantry spices, two minutes, no added salt or fillers. My everyday taco seasoning, with exactly how much equals one store packet.

Jars of homemade hot cocoa and drink mixes beside white mugs

Gifts in a Jar

Classic Hot Cocoa Mix (and How to Gift It in a Jar)

Three ingredients make 22 mugs of hot cocoa. Plus how to layer it in a jar, what to write on the tag, and five easy add-ins for gift sets.

A row of homemade dry mixes in labeled glass jars

Pantry Basics

How Long Do Homemade Dry Mixes Last? A Shelf-Life Guide

Seasonings keep a year, baking mixes a few months, anything with butter or cheese powder even less. What shortens shelf life, and how to store every jar.

A jar of homemade baking mix next to measuring spoons and flour on a wooden table

Recipes

Master Baking Mix: The Homemade Biscuit Mix Behind a Hundred Breakfasts

Five ingredients make a big jar of all-purpose baking mix for biscuits, pancakes and anything that calls for a boxed baking mix, cup for cup.