Make Your Own Spice Rack

Spice Rack group

No place to store all the spices you like to use? Do you happen to have some vintage pop crates? Some baby food jars? These items and some craft paint or washi tape and you’ll be well on your way to a new spice rack.

I started with some Coca-Cola crates my sister gave me a while back. I got baby food jars from some friends but it might be helpful to ask for them on Freecycle.org. I painted the lids of my jars a solid color. After that was dry, I used a sharpie to write the name of the spice and added a few squiggles of color for decoration. After that was dry, I added a coat of varnish. In hindsight, I wouldn’t have used the dark green. It’s hard to read the name of the spice, especially when the grand-kids are helping and don’t put the jars back in the same slot they got them out of.

So, in retrospect, I saved the baby food jars from the land fill and used some paint I had on hand. The jars stay sealed and the spices stay dry, even after a long time. I have to admit, I actually made this over twenty years ago!

Have you done any projects using items already in your possession? I’d love to hear about them.

Spice Rack group
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recipes

Healthy Granola Bars

Can granola bars be healthy? They’re sold as healthy but have you read the ingredient list? We just have to make them ourselves. This recipe is very easy and involves no cooking. I mix them in my Kitchen Aid mixer. Of all my kitchen appliances, that is the one I miss the most when the power is out for whatever reason. Back to the healthy part. There is a bit of honey but I use local raw honey. That way I at least get the possible allergy relief. Old-fashioned oats are used at my house, but quick oats will work. As for the nuts, whatever you like. I tend to use a couple of different kinds. Whatever you like will work. Most of my recipes are just basic guidelines. Feel free to adapt them to suit your taste. Anyway, here is the recipe:

Healthy Granola Bars
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Healthy Granola Bars

Recipe by grannymarieCuisine: Breakfast, snackDifficulty: Easy
Servings

16

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking timeminutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups old-fashioned oats

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped dried fruit

  • 1 tbsp chia seeds

  • 1/2 cup ground flax seed

  • 2 tbsp cinnamon

  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup raw honey

  • 1 1/2 cup natural nut butter (the kids like peanut butter but the adults in our house like cashew butter)

Directions

  • Stir the dry ingredients until mixed. (I use my stand mixer)
  • Add the honey and nut butter and mix well.
  • Place a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper in the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan so it sticks up on 2 opposite sides.
  • Press the mixture into the pan and refrigerate for a few hours.
  • Lift out of the pan and cut. We cut into 16 squares. Wrap in waxed paper. It can be reused several times.

Notes

  • Please let me know how you like them and what fruit and nut combos you’ve used. Thanks and enjoy!

Hamburger Rocks

Want a new way to store hamburger meat? Have you ever dehydrated it? It’s called hamburger rocks and has been very helpful for me. I have more room in the freezer and the meat is safe if the power goes out for very long. This also allows me to buy more hamburger meat when I find it on sale and still be able to store it relatively long-term.

Divide the hamburger into approximately 1 lb. sections. Fry one pound at a time until it’s brown. Drain the grease off and rinse under hot water in a colander to get as much grease off as possible. We want as little grease as possible left on the meat.

Line each tray of your dehydrator with parchment paper. I put one pound of browned hamburger on each tray in my round dehydrator.  Set the temperature at 135° and dry at least 12 hours. To test, I break open the largest piece I can find to verify it’s dry in the middle.  Now you’ll understand why it’s called hamburger rocks.

Put each tray in a clean pint jar. Make sure it’s dry. If you have a vacuum sealer with a lid attachment, just seal it up. If not, put an oxygen absorber packet in the jar with the rocks and close it tightly.

To use them, pour the jar of hamburger rocks in your pan and add about ¾ of the jar of water. Put a lid on and turn the fire fairly low. I tend to put dried spices and onions in at this point. Leave it about 10 minutes.  Looks and tastes like fresh hamburger. Just add the rest of the ingredients for what you are making.