I originally bought this book a few years ago when I wanted to cut out more of the preservatives in our diet from prepackaged mixes. I was also expecting another baby and wanted to stock my freezer and pantry with some items that would make meal prep a little bit easier once the baby was born.

What I found was not only a book full of great recipes for things like Taco Seasoning or Ranch Dressing mix, but also meal starter recipes like All-purpose Ground-Meat Mix or Freezer Pie-crust Mix. These recipes have you make them up in bulk and portion out to use in more than a dozen other recipes like Saturday Stroganoff, Enchilada Casserole, or Simplified Quiche or Luscious Lemon Pie. Chicken, pork, cookies and so many other starter mixes are included as are all the corresponding recipes for them.

There are lots of recipes for items like breads, soups or beverages–perfect for gift-giving too! Why not treat yourself and a friend (or two) to some homemade mixes for the holidays and pass on the preservatives.

One final note…I have switched over many of my spices to the ones from Penzey’s Spices. They are fresh, intensely flavorful and the prices really are not that bad. They will make all your mixes taste really great! They’re primarily a mail order company but if you’re lucky enough to have a retail store in your city (and I do!) I highly recommend a visit. My kids love it too (granted, when I first brought them they were little–like 1 and 4 but are now old enough to behave themselves and enjoy!)

I hope you like it too!