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Holiday Mix and Gift Recipes
by Deborah Taylor-Hough - DSimple@aol.com

Description: Recipes and ideas for holiday gift mixes.

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Looking for ways to save money at the holiday season? How about giving gifts specially made in your kitchen? My kids' 4-H Club made several of these gift items for a holiday project a few years ago.

The following recipes are for various mixes that you can give for special treats, and even for whole meals. Just nestle all the ingredients that go together in a basket, and decorate! Maybe include a small kitchen utensil, a dish towel, or a festive ornament.

For the following mix gifts, include a typed, handwritten or calligraphied label with preparation instructions.

Winter Solstice Tea Mix
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2 cups Tang or other orange-flavored drink mix
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup instant tea
1 (3 oz.) packet lemonade mix
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves

Label: Put 1 to 2 teaspoons into a cup or mug. Fill with boiling water and stir for a wonderful Winter's day treat.

Corn Bread Mix
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1 cup flour
1 cup corn meal
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup dry milk powder
1 Tbsp. baking powder

Sift ingredients together and put into a bag.

Label: Put dry ingredients into mixing bowl. In small bowl, combine 1 cup water, 1 egg, and 1/3 cup oil. Stir into dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a well-buttered pie plate. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, or until golden.

Chili
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3 cups dried beans (pink, red, or kidney -- sorted).
Put into a jar or large bag.

3 Tbsp. mild chili powder
2 Tbsp. dehydrated onions
1 Tbsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine spices and put into a small bag. Include in your gift basket:

1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce

2 (14-oz.) cans diced tomatoes in juice

Label: Wash beans. Put into pot with spices. Cook until done, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, brown 1 lb. ground beef (if desired), and drain. Add meat to the beans with the tomatoes and sauce. Simmer to blend flavors. Serve with Chili Corn Bread, if desired.

For: Chili Corn Bread

Include in the package with the Corn Bread Mix, 1 small can whole kernel corn and 1 small can diced green chilis (not the hot kind). Stir the well-drained corn and chilis into the corn bread just before baking. Bake in a well-buttered 8" square pan at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
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3 cup black beans, sorted -- put in jar or bag.
3 Tbsp. dehydrated onion
3 Tbsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. crushed oregano
2 tsp. salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (do not omit)

Combine spices in a small bag.

1 1/2 cups white rice in a seperate package.

Label: Wash beans. Put in pot with seasonings. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and cover beans with 2" water. Bring to boil and simmer until very well done (about 2 hours). Beans should be very soft. Add water as needed to keep beans from sticking. There should be some liquid left on beans when done. To cook rice, put 3 cup water and 1 tsp salt into a pot and when it boils, add rice. Lower heat, cover and steam for 20 minutes. Serve about 1/2 cup rice in bowl, and put beans on the top. Sprinkle with minced cilantro, finely chopped green onion, and a squeeze of lime juice. This is very healthy. It has almost no fat, and is mainly from the bottom of the food pyramid.

Cajun Red Beans and Rice
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3 cups red beans, sorted -- put into jar or bag.
1/4 cup dehydrated onion
2 Tbsp. granulated garlic
1/4 cup dehydrated celery (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (do not omit)
2 tsp. salt

Combine seasonings in a small bag.
1 1/2 cups white rice in a seperate packet.

Label: Wash beans, put into pot with spices and 1/2 to 1 lb. pork neck bones, smoked. Cook until beans are well done and meat falls from bones. Take out bones, and shred meat into small pieces. Serve in large bowl with cooked white rice on bottom. Garnish with finely minced green onion, and pass bottle of hot sauce. To cook rice: Bring 3 cup water and 1 tsp. salt to boil. Add rice, cover and steam for 20 minutes.

Serve this dish with Cornmeal Pancakes. Use Corn Bread Mix, but add 1 1/2 cups water instead of just 1 cup. Make small, thick pancakes in a greased skillet, and serve with the beans and rice.

Copyright 2002. Deborah Taylor-Hough (free-lance writer, wife, and mother of three) is the author of 'Frozen Assets: How to cook for a day and eat for a month' and the soon-to-be- released 'Frugal Living for Dummies(r)' (Wiley, Feb. '03) For helpful ideas on simplifying daily life, subscribe to her e-newsletter by sending a blank e-mail message to subscribe-simple-times@ds.xc.org. Visit Debi at: http://hometown.aol.com/dsimple/.