Make-A-Mix

by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward, Madeline Westover

Make-A-Mix is really two cookbooks in one. The cookbook begins with 67 make-ahead shortcut mixes for everything from all-purpose cake mix to meatball mix. These can be made on a weekend-or whenever there’s free time-and used to speed food preparation on busy days. The mixes are a key ingredient in one or more of the 306 recipes that follow. The kitchen-tested recipes run the gamut from breakfast dishes to after-dinner treats. They include hearty dinner entrees, like enchilada casserole, onion pot roast, and shrimp & vegetable stir-fry; international fare like green chili burritos and quick chow mein; soups and other appetizers, like New England clam chowder, and even freezer treats like fruit slush. With the Make-A-Mix method, home cooks can control the amount of sugar, salt, and preservatives in a recipe, and save money on store-bought mixes. This cookbook is the updated and expanded version of Make-A-Mix that sold over a million copies.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Frugal

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 31, 1995

Reviews

[Kate Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I now have all three and I love them dearly already. I spend mornings or evenings pouring over recipes and making a list for the pantry. This book or the other two are excellent for turning anyone into a scratch cooker. This is great for people with little time but want home cooking and healthy food without the chemicals and junk of premade and store-bought. You will also save a lot of money.

[Brenda]

Not bad but not quite what I was looking for.

[Yolanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some recipes seem high in sugar, and I wish the baking mixes used more whole-grain flours. Otherwise, have had total success with these recipes. They streamline cooking tasks, allowing me to cook at home more and eat out less, which saves on the food budget while simultaneously eating delicious meals. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to divorce themselves from McDonalds and enjoy eating at home with the family.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to take meal prep to the next level this is the book for you.

Has lots of mixes you can make up in bulk to use in recipes later in the book. Many of the mixes make multiple recipes.

My Mum loves the cake mix one as with simple additions she can make a range of cakes and you can mix it all the the cake tin itself.

I love the protein powder for so many things.

[Dray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great idea, provide background recipes for basic mixes (pancake, muffin, soup etc etc.) and then do add ons and variations in subsequent chapters. The draw back is that you need to keep flipping back for the main original recipes which to me is somewhat frustrating. Not all recipes follow this pattern and there are some worthwhile presentations.

[Eperdu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic

I grew up with these books and drinking the hot chocolate and spice tea drink. I’ve always wanted to make more of the mixes but the timing is never right—you know, you see the taco seasoning mix and want to make it but you JUST bought the giant one from Costco. Someday. 😊

[Sharon Shoemaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karine Eliason has provided a nice group of mix recipes to use instead of purchasing box mixes. From "bisquick" spice mixes, you'll find something you like. I'd love to see something like this for those who eat paleo or gluten free. I think I can use these, though, to create my own.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning has the basic mix recipes to keep stored up in the pantry. Nice thing was the shelf life was included. Then read the rest of the book to make your recipes using those pre-made homemade mixes. Some photos were included but don't set your sight on them.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up making the recipes out of the first version of this book. A lot of nostalgia for me.

[Rita Strub · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated recipes. I have to read three recipes to make one dinner recipe. I like to meal prep, but I’d rather prep the whole dinner, not a portion of it.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 3 out of 5]

In at least one case, you already know if Make-A-Mix is for you: Are you the ultra-organized mom who inspires jealousy -- some would say, resentment -- amongst the other moms at church, the PTA, your child's preschool? Then this book is definitely for you. You can save quite a bit of money by making your own cookie mixes, Bisquick substitute, onion-soup mixes, soup and casserole starters, chicken broth, etc. For you, Make-A-Mix is a four-star addition to your cookbook library. (It isn't five stars, of course, because you're so organized and efficient that you could well manage to run the perfect household without it.)

However, this book might be somewhat useful -- a three-star cookbook -- to utter klutzes like me. As a teacher, I'm inclined to make up my mixes in the summer, when I have a lot more free time, and then save myself time and effort during the school year. Other less-than-efficient homemakers like me might find other times of the year when they're more at leisure when they can make mixes and save time and money. After all, it takes time to rush out to the grocery store for onion-soup mix and ground beef for last-minute meal plans. So it's definitely still worth buying.

For apartment dwellers and others who don't have a stand-alone freezer, this cookbook is of limited use. You might be able to make up a few seasoning packets, but, over all, it won't be worth the price for you. In your case, just check it out of the library and jot down the few recipes that might prove useful for you.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook used sit permanently on my counter but I haven't used it as much as I should recently. During the last snowstorm I pulled it out to make Hot Cocoa mix. In contrast to Once a Month cooking this cookbook is very user friendly for partially making huge proportions of meat and veggie mixes that can be pulled out of the freezer for quick dinners. All the recipes are included: the mixes and the meals (it never takes a whole day to prepare a few mixes). A few nice gift recipes make it one of the most versatile cookbooks I own.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was looking for, but interesting, all the same. I will copy a few recipes from this book, but for the most part --like I stated-- it's not what I was looking for. It's a neat concept, with recipes for mixes and how to store them in the front, then recipes to use the mixes in the back. I just wish it had more explanation of what commercial mixes they could replace, so you could use them in other recipes, other than the ones in the book. That would make this more of a 4 or 5 star book for me. But it's a great concept.

[Lizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have had two of these cookbooks forever and love them both - very good and also budget-friendly. Gotta love budget-friendly. It does help to have a deep freezer to hold the "mixes" for easy weeknight meals!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen very few *mix* books. This book is a very easy read. It has the mix recipes in the front of the book while the last half has a bunch of recipes with which to use the mixes.
I believe many would find it useful to own.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for making your own mixes from scratch. It has the mixes in the front and then recipes to use those mixes in the back. It's pretty budget friendly, not crazy ingredients you can't find at your regular store.

[Helena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the idea of making mixes at home in theory, but in practice I don't see many of these I would actually use. I think it's less of a pain to make a recipe all at once than it is to have to store pancake mix, muffin mix, etc.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't remember when I bought this exactly but it intrigued me & since I LOVE giving consumable gifts this was perfect. I have given BUCKETS of brownie mixes to friends & have been able to use a powdered mix in place of a can of cream of chicken soup I thought I had. It is a very useful cookbook.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for make ahead meals and mixes. It's a great way to save time, money, and use your food storage.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my most worn, loved cookbook.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic make ahead mixes for just about any family. Easy and delicious!

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good concept, just seemed really dated.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the updated 2006 edition. New mixes, new recipes, and updated nutrition information.

[Denise Logan]

great resource

I use the mix recipes. I use this book all the time. It's a great way to have homemade mixes. you know what the ingredients are and what you're eating.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the cookie mixes and how one mix could be used for several cookies.

[Rambling Killeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this from the library, and decided to buy it. I like the concept.