Like most, we kick off the year with healthy eating every January. It all started the year we got married when we gave Whole30 a try for the first time. Who knew it would turn into a good premarital lesson of balancing how to encourage each other without scolding?!?
Each round brought new favorite recipes that have become staples throughout the year. A house favorite has lovingly been dubbed “Love Rub Chicken” – the secret weapon being “Mama’s Love Rub.”
Mama’s Love Rub is a spicy ranch seasoning to put on everything – chicken, pork, ground beef, even mixed with olive oil and shaken with saltines. I adapted this recipe to have a bit more zing and use spices we always have on hand.
I found myself making a serving of the rub every week. Finally, I got smart and mixed up a bulk batch and stored in a cute little mason jar.
As a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur, every good idea becomes a possible business opportunity. (Some may see it as a blessing – trust me, it really isn’t.) Every time “Love Rub” was on the menu, my husband and I would talk about how to mass produce it, dream up clever taglines, and punny recipe names.
A couple years ago, I decided to put my recipe to the test and jar up mini batches to send to our family for Valentine’s Day (along with a photo of our little heartthrob). I even designed a logo and recipe tag! I had way too much fun with that project and we got good feedback!
Sharing the love
Since I don’t have plans to mass produce Mama’s Love Rub, I’d rather share it with all of you to pass along as a sweet {and spicy} little valentine. The bulk recipe, SVG cut file of the logo and PDF recipe tag are available to download below
Mama’s Love Rub
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp chili powder
- 4.5 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1.5 tsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1.5 tsp oregano
- 4.5 tsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp onion powder
- 3 Tbsp parsley
Notes
Mama’s Love Rub – Bulk Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 3 oz container chili powder (12 Tbsp)
- 1 2 oz container ground pepper (6 Tbsp)
- 1 5 oz container salt (4 Tbsp)
- 1 2 oz container cumin (2 Tbsp)
- 1 3 oz container paprika (4 Tbsp)
- 1 1 oz container oregano (2 Tbsp)
- 1 2.5 oz container garlic powder (6 Tbsp)
- 1 3 oz container onion powder (8 Tbsp)
- 1 0.5 oz container parsley flakes (12 Tbsp)
Notes
Get Making!
While you could combine all of the spices in a large bowl, mix and then divide equally amongst 4 jars – it’s not the easiest! I choose to make just one jar at a time, either pouring in a bowl first or directly into my jar.
Get an assembly line going and you’ll be finished in no time! Depending on age, your kiddos can help with this too!
Once all spices have been measured and added, give it a good stir and/or shake.
Take it to the next level!
My favorite part of making this gift the first time around was going overboard on the branding! I still love it!
If you have a Cricut or other cutting machine, download the SVG logo file and follow your machine’s instructions for importing an image into your design software.
My lid is 2.75″ in diameter, so I set the logo to be 1.75″ wide.
Cut 4 (or however many batches you’re making) vinyl logos and apply!
I wanted our family to know our favorite ways to use the love rub, so I typed up a little recipe book to tie around the jar. If you don’t have a Cricut machine to add the logo to the top – no worries! The card has the darling logo to ensure your recipients will no exactly what they’re receiving.
Just download the PDF file, cut on the dashed lines, fold and the dotted lines and punch a hole in the corner.
Tie the card around the neck of your jar with twine or ribbon.
If you really want to kick it up a notch, add a precious wooden tablespoon as an all in one gift. I found these on on Amazon!
Your Secret Cooking Weapon
So there you have it. The secrets behind one of our favorite family recipes. It’s easy, affordable and oh so versatile! Perfect for a busy week night when you don’t want to sacrifice flavor for ease.
What deliciousness will you cook up? My absolute favorite lunch is mixing leftover Love Rub Chicken (AKA Mama’s Favorite Chicken) with just a bit of mayo and another dash of love rub. It’s the chicken salad of your dreams! Keep it healthy on top of a salad – or treat yourself to tortilla chips as your food delivery system.
It’s so good, some little hands grabbed a bit before I could take a picture! Enjoy, y’all!
