8 Spice ~ DIY Seasoning Mix

We spend Wednesday afternoons with Grandma nearly every week, and often stop to play for the morning with friends on the way. It was just such a Wednesday morning when my dear friend Julie invited us to stay for lunch. She had extra eggs and some avocado… and for the likes of us, that’s lunch. 🙂 I happily chatted away while Julie fried up some eggs and sprinkled them with a homemade seasoning blend she’d found in “The Earth Diet” cookbook. WOW! Those were the best eggs I’d ever had! Funny what just a little seasoning spice can do! I don’t even like eggs all that much.

I took the recipe home with me that day, put it away in a drawer and forgot all about it for over a year. Then one day I stumbled across it again and pulled it out. I had most of the spices it called for, so I mixed up a jar for our family. I’m SO glad I did! We love this seasoning on eggs, rice, or chicken, but our very favorite is to sprinkle it on our Sunday afternoon popcorn! ~ homemade popcorn + a little maple syrup + 8 Spice + a little extra salt~ People! It’s sweet. It’s salty. It’s amazing!!! You’ve got to try it.

Over time this recipe, which was originally called “10 Spice Seasoning Blend” has dropped a couple ingredients. I cut out the thyme because… well, because I hate thyme. It tastes like mold to me. Anybody else??? Am I crazy? Another spice seems to have been dropped along the way too. Maybe because we just didn’t have it in the pantry? I don’t know. For whatever reason, over time, 10 Spice has become 8 Spice, but we love it just the same, better actually without the thyme!

Here you are! Enjoy!

8 Spice ~ DIY Seasoning Mix

Ingredients

4 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons (granulated) garlic powder

2 tablespoons (granulated) onion powder

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons dried parsley

5 teaspoons (or approximately 1 & 1/2 tablespoons) ground black pepper

1 tablespoon (REAL) salt

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a half pint (8 oz) jar.

Stir well and shake.

Keep the tightly closed jar (or other air-tight container) in the pantry.

Use it on anything that needs a bit of spicy flavor!

Homemade seasoning mixes are quick, easy, and much more affordable than buying pre-made mixes. They are also a much healthier option for your family. Did you notice that I didn’t put any anti-caking ingredients or MSG in my seasoning mix? ~ that’s the kind of thing you’ll likely find in store-bought mixes. We buy our spices in bulk at our local health food co-op, but they can also be purchased from Frontier Co-op in bulk online at Amazon or Mountain Rose Herbs.