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If you’re looking for a lightening fast and cost efficient homemade holiday gift, I have just the thing for you!
I love to make homemade food gifts for friends and family around the holidays. It’s fun to give them and all, but mainly, I love having a reason to buy more glass jars. SEE ERIC, I ACTUALLY NEEDED THESE JARS. And cute tags…oh my goodness, the cute tags. I die.
I almost didn’t get a chance to make any homemade gifts this year because the past two weeks have been consumed with the cookbook photoshoot (behind the scenes one, two, three). So, we just started our Christmas shopping/gift planning on Saturday which was fun. Our tree is still not up yet, but it is what it is. We’re squeaking in at the last minute this year, and I’m just going to have to make peace with the fact that the holiday season is never “perfect”. Isn’t it so much better when you just accept that?
My motivation was running a bit low after the excitement of last week, but sometimes inspiration strikes when I least expect it. I got a text from my sister Kerrie on Friday night. She wrote:
“Mixing up your 10-spice mix and putting them in jars with your recipe attached! I’m giving some out for Christmas! How’s that for an idea?”
Then she attached a photo. Immediately, I knew I had to do this.
Then a short while later, I received another text from Kerrie:
“Do NOT touch your face when using the CAYENNE pepper!!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!”
I just about died laughing.
A short while later, another text:
“A frozen face cloth helps.”
She kills me, she really does.
So, a big thanks to Kerrie for this post’s inspiration (and hilarious personality). I love you.
Also, thanks to Eric for being my crafting partner in crime yesterday (he was the one who insisted we do this idea!) and for being the best hand model eva. If you are following me on snapchat, you saw the entire process (as well as the Crispy Almond Butter Cookies from my cookbook)! We had a blast.
The fine print: Do not attempt to use a mixing bowl this small. I only used it for the photo and then promptly transferred the spices into the biggest, baddest bowl I own (a bamboo Caesar salad bowl that could feed 25 people – 3 pics down).
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10-Spice Mix Gift Jars
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Yield
7 packed cups of spice mix
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
This 10-Spice mix takes just a few minutes to throw together, and it can be used in a variety of dishes, such as soups, stews, pastas, potatoes, salad dressings, and more! I love using it in my 10-Spice Vegetable Soup with Cashew Cream (also see: page 137, The Oh She Glows Cookbook) which is one of my most loved soups of all-time (and a reader favourite, too!) These spice jars make a quick and easy holiday gift that won't set you back much money. Just pair the spice mix with the soup recipe or, if they don't have it, The Oh She Glows Cookbook with the page bookmarked.
Ingredients
- 2 cups smoked paprika
- 1 cup garlic powder
- 1 cup dried oregano
- 1 cup onion powder
- 1 cup dried basil
- 2/3 cup dried thyme
- 1/2 cup ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup white pepper (optional)
- 1/2 cup fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup cayenne pepper
Directions
- Gather 8-9 (3/4 cup/175 ml capacity) glass jars.
- Add all of the spices into an extra-large bowl (I used a huge Caesar salad bowl) for easier mixing.
- Whisk together all of the spices until thoroughly combined. It takes a while to mix it all together, but keep going until you don’t see any clumps or patches of spice.
- Divide the spice mix between small jars using a funnel.
- Secure lid, tag, and ribbon on each jar.
- Print off the 10-Spice Vegetable Soup recipe and give the recipe (or The Oh She Glows Cookbook) with the jar for a fun gift! Shake the jar before each use.
Tip:
1) To make the soup: If the gift recipient doesn’t have a high powered blender such as a Vitamix (which can get the cashew cream in the soup very smooth), I recommend making a note for them that they can substitute 3/4 cup of cashews for 1/2 cup of raw cashew butter. It’ll blend much easier.
2) I bought my spices in bulk at a bulk food store called Bulk Barn. I also found the jars there too. You can also find small jars for a good price at the Dollarstore.
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p.s. – I have a couple exciting tidbits to share today!
– Pinterest selected The Oh She Glows Cookbook for their Pinterest 100 list which features the top trends and predictions for 2016! So cool and exciting. Thank you, Pinterest! Check out the top 100 trend predictions for 2016 here.
– The Oh She Glows Cookbook was selected by Publisher’s Weekly as one of the Top Cookbook Stories of 2015! You can read the article here.
– I’m hosting a big giveaway on Instagram this week! Up for grabs is a signed copy of my book and a $200 Amazon gift card! See the deets here.
p. p. s. – My jars are from Bulk Barn and they hold 3/4 cup of spice mix. The funnel is from Lee Valley (had it for years and so in love). Tags and ribbon are from Michael’s craft store.
Last but not least, I’d like to wish you all a very happy holiday! Merry Christmas to those of you celebrating later this week. I hope you can enjoy some downtime spent with loved ones, and lots of delicious food! We have a lot of exciting things in the works for 2016 and I can’t wait to share them with you. Thank YOU, as always, for your incredible support and encouragement this year. xo
Regarding the Oh She Glows! cookbook: OMG. I bought this and it was fabulous. I gave mine away and got a Kindle verson for myself. I heartily recommend it, and Angela is a fellow Canadian to me!
Thank you Louise! I appreciate your enthusiasm and support for the book. :)
Where did you purchase the funnel for the spices?
Good idea Kerrie, thanks sis! Finally my old-man hands have some use. Hope everyone has a happy holiday!
hah old man hands photograph the best ;)
You are so funny! Fabulous hands! Hands down :)
Beautiful pictures! Great idea! I will try to remember it for next year’s gifts. This year with a new baby – 15 weeks old this week – I didn’t have time for sweet, little personal touch presents. I ordered frames, hubs and I took 1 decent family photo of all three of us, and they are getting pictures!
that’s what we did last year with our 3 mo old! :) Way to go. Even that was challenging for us to pull off last year. All the best with your little one!
Congratulations on being selected! You deserve it so much! & I just can’t wait for your second cookbook to come out! & homemade food gifts are such a great idea! Who wouldn’t love to receive one of these cute little jars for Christmas? I know I would!
I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas! :)
Great gift idea!!
I always get in trouble with my husband for the number of jars we own and I continue to buy. :P
This is a great way to use some of the smaller ones up!
P.S. just made the African peanut soup last night, one of our faves from your book.
Love this DIY gift idea! And that text is too funny. happy holidays Angela! xoxo
I actually made this soup from your cookbook last month! One of my daycare moms bought your cookbook several months ago but her mom “borrowed” it right away and she is still waiting for it to be returned so I packaged up some of your 10 Spice Vegetable Soup for her…she in turn brought it to work for lunch and all of her co-workers were commenting on the delicious scent. I can’t take the credit for that, it’s your recipe :) A wonderful gift giving idea!
My little daycare kids are making a granola recipe from your upcoming cookbook and your maple-cinnamon almond butter from your original cookbook for their parents’ Christmas gifts. Nothing like having breakfast already made on early Christmas mornings with kids!
Thanks for the yummy recipes and packaging ideas. Michaels is only a few minutes away from me.
These jars are so fun and cute! I love giving fun practical gifts like this!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
This is such a great idea!! I LOVE making gifts way more than buying them – I think it shows a huge amount love! And gifts in little glass jars are the cutest :)
Just in time for the teacher gift, bus driver gift and newspaper girl gift. I have gift cards for them but wanted to add a little something to spice up their lives. This should do it! Love the tags, glad I can get those from Michaels. And I’ll make an extra set for my Ugly Christmas Sweater Party I’m hosting next week. I need a prize for the 1st and 2nd winners (you know, who’s comes up with the bets Goodwill or Salvation Army Sweater. And will include on my $200 wood board I’m giving away on my blog this week. Thanks!!
This is such a great idea. I still need to get around to making my own chai masala since I can’t find any that I like aside from ones from India haha. I’ve been making big batches of my maple spiced pecans to give to people but this is even quicker!
Sooo cute, love the idea!
http://purrfectlyinspired.com
This is such a great idea! Thanks for the inspiration :)
Hey Sis, so happy I could be your inspiration for a change :) Love you, see you soon! Thanks for sharing!
These are so adorable, Ange!! I really do miss having a Bulk Barn so close by, but one of my Christmas presents from my mum was a Bulk Barn gift card so I’m planning to drive to New Westminster after the holidays and stock up on my essentials – it’s been too long! Major congrats on your recent blog awards – that is a BIG deal and you deserve all the praise! I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas. I imagine that now with Adrianna growing up, Christmas must be SUCH a fun time for her because she understands more about what’s going on. Sending you all a great big virtual hug!
Love these spice jars!
Nourishing Amelia | Food, Health and Lifestyle Blogger
I did this weeks ago! My cousin was very happy to receive the spice mix and soup recipe, she’s a fan of yours too! And bonus for me I get to keep the left overs :D
This is a lovely idea! Homemade gifts are my favourite and these little jars are so cute and easy to put together! Not to mention, that spice mix sounds heavenly. Would be so yummy on roasted potatoes.
I was in hospital recently for some minor day surgery. The anesthesiologist came to visit and after she had checked me over, she asked why I had become vegan. Apparently that info had been included by my family doctor. We chatted for a few minutes and then she said “I bought a really great cookbook recently. You should look for it. It’s called the Oh She glows Cookbook”. I laughed and told her that everyone in my family cooks from that book and my daughter often references it in her blog. It’s good to see that non-vegetarians are intrigued enough to buy your book. Good for you!!!