Homemade Fajita Mix

In my last post, I decided to forgo the purchase of spice mixes and start with fresh spices and less preservatives in my cooking. I tried this out when cooking fajitas the other night. I think that it turned out fabulous. A lot of the recipes out there are very similar and I tweaked mine to my own tastes. My husband thought that my spice mix was perfect and from there, I was sold. I will no longer spend $1 or more for fajita mix!

Here is my recipe:

Fajita Mix
Makes approx. 3 batches

3 T. Cornstarch
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne (amount depends on how much heat you want)
1 T. cumin
1 T. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
2 T. chili powder
2 chicken bouillon cubes, crushed
1 T. sugar


Mix spices together well and store in container. Use 2-3 T. of fajita mix with 1 cup water on cooked beef or chicken and vegetables.


Also, I wanted to share something that I learned when researching this fajita mix recipe. Did you know that chicken bouillon cubes could contain MSG? I didn't. I try to not cook anything with MSG because my husband has had hives from MSG before. There is organic chicken bouillon out there that doesn't contain MSG. Luckily, mine did not contain it so I didn't have to make a special trip to the grocery.

Make Your Own Spice Mix

Warning- Read close to a lunch or snack break!!

I LOVE spices. If you look in my spice cabinet, you will have a hard time seeing it all and if you touch 1 bottle, 3 bottles fall out... With that being said, I try to rein myself in whenever I shop for spices. Penzeys Spices is my favorite spice shop. They have an awesome magazine/catalog that comes with free coupons (for spices!) and recipes that are flavorful.

Ordinary spices that have been sitting around for 10 years no way compare to fresh, good quality spices. Also, adding spices enhance flavors to foods that ordinarily would be bland and boring. Think garlic, lemony, curry or even pickled vegetables...

The majority of spices out there are not very expensive and a little usually goes a long way. That is why it is silly to go out and buy the little packets of spices for tacos, chili, or pickling. Yes, I have to admit, I buy them too but not anymore! It is convenient but think, most of those spices you probably have in your cupboard already! Also, making the spice mix yourself, you will be able to control what is in there. You probably won't be adding the MSG or preservatives, right? Also, you will save a bundle especially, if you buy the general ingredients in bulk.

Storage Containers: you could save and recycle the old spice jars, use small Tupperware containers, or even use plastic baggies to make your spice mixes. Just make sure they close tight!

Make labels for your spices: you could use scrap pieces of paper to make labels, write with a sharpie on the jar, or do an internet search for some pretty labels to print!

Most importantly: Date your spice bottles!! Some recipes do contain expiration dates listed so it is good to say when you made the spice or if known, when it expires.

I am not an expert when it comes to spices but my rule is it needs to be remade after 1 year. Will it make you sick? Most likely, no. However, the flavor could be compromised.

As I plan and test some of the spice mixes out there, I plan on updating my progress with you and letting you know what my household likes. Do you have a special spice mixes out there? Let me know! I would love to try it!

Recovering a Lampshade With A Lighter Fabric

I found this lamp at a yard sale for $5. Forgive me, I didn’t get a pic of the original lampshade and the base together.

I wanted a white shade with some sort of rubber ducky theme on it. Maybe some yellow bric brac on the edges or other binding. When I draped the white fabric over the original lampshade, I could see the crayon design. I decided to try to peel the fabric away from the fragile plastic underneath. Yes, that was silly…. Sorry, no pictures of that failure attempt!

I started to research what the plastic lining was on a lampshade since I had to start fresh. Turns out it is styrene. I found various styrene sheets at websites such as Hobby Lobby. Instead of paying for shipping, I decided to seek out the Hobby Lobby store in the area because I have never been there. When I got to the Hobby Lobby store, I looked up and down every isle and found every kind of sheet but styrene. However, when I was shopping in the fabric department, I found a huge sheet of plastic for $3.99. I bought 2 sheets-just in case.

So the first thing I did was to finish tearing off the old shade from the wire frame and also trying to keep it in tack. Then I cut the old lampshade in half from top to bottom and traced it on the plastic sheet. Give yourself a little extra on all sides to overlap. If you have too much in the end you can always trim.

I repeated the tracing and cutting onto my fabric. Again give yourself extra fabric for wrapping around the plastic liner.

Next, play with the plastic liner on the wire frame until you get it even. Secure with clothespins. Cut the plastic liner if necessary at the top and bottom to make the circle a bit more even.

Then, secure again with scotch tape.

Wrap your fabric around the plastic liner and make sure it fits and you have enough fabric cut. Start near the middle of the shade and spray the plastic liner and smooth the fabric with your hand.

Keep going around and repeating the spray and smooth process until you get to the edges. Then, fold the edges to a pretty seam. After that, fold the edges over, secure the fabric with spray adhesive and then clothes pins.

I then added some rubber ducky 3D stickers. Later, I plan to add some yellow edging but I haven’t decided exactly what yet.

Here are some tips on things I learned after 2 shades: 1. Test your spray adhesive to make sure it sprays clear. I had to make 2 shades because of this. 2. Iron your fabric before you begin to smooth it out because you can see the fold seams on my shade. 3. Have extra plastic and fabric!! If you look at my shade long enough you can see some inconsistencies such as the fold lines, uneven bottom etc etc. That is okay. It is a learning process and I am happy with the outcome. Next time, maybe I will double up on the white fabric to overlap the dark lampshade to make things a little easier on myself.

Total Cost= $23

Lamp/shade= $5
Plastic $8
Fabric $4
Rubber Ducky 3D stickers= $4
Clothes Pins $2

Not exactly cheap but customized for the rubber ducky nursery!