"R" is for Rubs

I have been home sick for the last couple of days with a head cold that is sapping all of my energy. It's totally aggravating. But it will not stop me from plowing ahead. I will finish the A to Z Challenge!

So far, a good majority of my projects have been presents for little girls, but today it's more of a manly project. Because to be honest, no one is harder to figure out a gift for than my dad...or Collin's dad. Dads are just tough. And no way am I sticking them both with the traditional "Dad gift" of a tie at every birthday, Father's Day or Christmas.

So when it came time to make presents for last Christmas, I did what any self-respecting crafter would do...I hit the boards. The Pinterest boards, that is.

And that's how we wind up with today's project: R is for Rubs. Don't get too excited people...it's just the spice kind. You know, like for meat. Now knock it off. Get your mind out of the gutter.



I started out this endeavor with a trip to Cost Plus World Market. I love that store. There's just way too much fun stuff in there.

I found these cute little spice canisters for a steal. It ended up costing me less than a dollar per jar.

Source

I like that not only can they rest on either their sides or their bottoms, but they have the adjustable shaker lid. It's pretty much the best thing ever.

As for recipes, I had a nice little pile to choose from. I picked and chose to get the ones I wanted, and ended up with six different varieties.

1. Barbecue Rub from Real Simple
2. Brown Sugar Rub from Kojo Designs
3. Greek Rub from Kojo Designs
4. Mediterranean Rub from Real Simple
5. Cajun Rub from Real Simple
6. Smoky BBQ Rub that no longer apparently exists online, but is very similar to this one over at Epicurious.

I bought my needed ingredients in bulk from our local Winco (a much more economical way to go than to buy individually bottled spices) and mixed all of my rubs up in big batches in the kitchen one night. I had my eyes and nose watering profusely thanks to the pile of spices I was using.

Once everything was nicely contained, I designed a simple label on Publisher and printed them out. I used a circle punch to cut them and ran them through a laminating sticker cartridge. Easy peasy.

Directions for use? Also simple. Apply 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to the meat to be seasoned, then coat with 1-2 tsp. of the mix, to taste. After that, just cook away. Tada!

Thanks to all of you stopping by from A-to-Z Challenge! I love new readers. Make sure to leave me a comment below (including your blog address) so that I can return the favor by visiting you.