When they first began their merry mix-in, Nevada Harward, Madeline Westover and Karine Eliason were simply doing what they did best - raising young families.
All three were trying to economize on groceries, searching for ways to save precious time.And like most homemakers who are seriously into 24-hour-a-day research projects (raising kiddies), the meaning of life is often linked to the daily pilgrimage to the pantry - in search for one more dinner menu.
The trio, who had all attended college in Utah (Karine and Nevada were sorority sisters at USU, and Madeline was a BYU home economics major) wanted to give their loved ones something a bit more interesting than a can of Campbell's soup dumped over chicken parts accented with a predictable portion of rice.
All together, they were facing 18 little mouths to feed, not to mention husbands.
And then there was that inborn self-reliant thing.
That's the introduction - now here's what occurred:
All three families were looking for interesting new ideas for their Monday night Family Home Evening activities (part of their LDS Church program).
The Westover gang went to the market for a Monday night family jaunt. They were each given a small amount of money and 15 minutes in which to buy something they liked.
The only catch was that it had to be something that would feed all seven family members.
Oh, yes. The purchaser had to prepare the food alone.
The Westover kids learned a lot about the cost of food, stretching their food dollar, and the simple but stark reality: FOOD TAKES PREPARATION.
Phoenix TV personality Rita Davenport heard about the Westover family and contacted Madeline, engaging her to appear in a regular feature on her program to be called "Family Home Evening."
Friends Karine and Nevada (members of Madeline's LDS Church ward) began to appear regularly with Madeline on the TV show.
And then the MIX THING OCCURRED!
The trio offered program viewers a 50-cent pamphlet containing a few recipes for basic mixes and their uses.
Try this for a phenomenal response - 1,000 pieces of mail in three days. (3,000 copies were eventually requested.)
Needless to say, the three mix mavens were shocked and somewhat overwhelmed. Here they were with mucho kids, little time and a regular television show to do.
As they tell it, necessity became the mother of invention. They put their home economics training from college and practical experience together and started testing mixes and kicking around ideas.
HP Books contacted the women, and after a year of testing, typing (no computers in those days) and heavy digestive tract exercises performed by each and every family member, 1978 brought the birth of HP Books "Make-A-Mix Cook-ery."
The book sold over a million copies.
In a phone interview last week from her Arizona home, Karine Eliason recalled that her goal when they wrote the book was to "earn enough money to get a microwave oven."
And now here's the GOOD NEWS . . . the grand triumvirate is back, better than ever, this time with a newly revised, expanded and updated edition called "Make-A-Mix," published by Fisher Books, chosen by Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book Club as their May main selection.
The smaller, and de-fatted "Make-A-Mix" (recipes were re-invented with a good deal of the fat removed) is a collection of over 60 mixes that can be made ahead of the dreaded dinnertime dilemma.
The cookbook includes 300-plus recipes for using the timesaving mixes.
The Mexican Meat Mix has been a family favorite since the original book was published in 1978. It's a combination of beef and pork roasts, onions and spices, simmered for hours in the oven (or pressure cooked). The meat is then shredded and used for making the best chimi-changas I've found.
The Chicken Mix alone makes 21 different recipes! The Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas featured on the cover are a delicious quick-fix meal - using the mix method made so popular by the Har-ward/
West-over/-Elia-son cooking team.
Be assured that the new and improved "Make-A-Mix" has been thoroughly studied, taste-tested and then sampled again.
Remember the 18 children who were guinea pigs during the writing of the mix ladies' first book?
Their 20 kids are now singing the praises of Grandma Harward, Grandma Westover and Grandma Elia-son's latest book.
And who cares if some of the grandkids can't even read yet?
They know a good mix when they taste one!
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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Recipes
CHICKEN MIX
11 pounds chicken (4 medium fryers), cut up
4 quarts cold water
3 tablespoons parsley flakes
4 carrots peeled and chopped
4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
Combine all ingredients in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cover and cook over high heat until water boils. Lower heat and simmer until chicken is tender, about 11/2 hours. (Less time is required if you use boneless chicken breasts). Remove from heat. Strain broth and refrigerate until fat can be skimmed. Cool chicken, remove and discard bones and skin. Put chicken into six 1-pint freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch space at top. Pour skimmed chicken broth into six more 1-pint containers, with 1/2-inch space at top. Seal and label with date and contents. Freeze. Use within 3 months. Makes 6 pints of CHICKEN MIX. Makes 6 pints of CHICKEN BROTH.
- Each pint chicken mix contains 899 calories, 51g fat, trace carb, 273mg sodium, 402mg cholesterol.
- Each pint chicken broth contains 18 calories, trace fat, 5g carb, 745mg sodium, 0 cholesterol.
- From "Make-A-Mix" by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward & Madeline Westover
PINTO BEAN MIX
6 cups dried pinto beans (about 3 pounds)
Soaking water
10 cups water
3 large onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons butter, optional
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Wash and sort beans. In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine beans and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let soak 1 hour. Drain and discard soaking water from beans. Rinse beans and return to cooking pot. Add 10 cups water, onions, garlic, butter (if desired), salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 2 hours until beans are tender. Cool. Ladle into 3-or 4-cup freezer containers with tight-fitting lids. Leave 1/2-inch space at top of each. Cut through mixture with a knife several times to remove air pockets. Label with date and contents. Store in freezer. Use within 6 months. Makes about 14 cups Pinto Bean Mix.
- Each cup contains 292 calories, 3g fat, 54g carb, 941mg sodium, 4mg cholesterol.
- From "Make-A-Mix" by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward & Madeline Westover
CREAMY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
2 cups CHICKEN MIX, thawed
1 (4-ounce) can diced roasted green chiles
1 (7-ounce) can green chile salsa
10 ounces (21/2 cups) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Vegetable oil for frying
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Optional: Guacamole, sour cream, chile peppers
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine CHICKEN MIX, green chiles, salsa and 1 cup of the cheese. Heat oil in medium skillet. To soften tortillas, quickly dip them in hot oil with tongs, one at a time. Drain on paper towel. Put about 1/3 cup filling in center of each tortilla and roll up. Place close together in a shallow casserole dish or baking pan, seam side down. In a bowl, combine whipping cream and salt. Pour cream over pan of enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until bubbly. Garnish with cilantro and green onions. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
- Each serving contains 869 calories, 51g fat, 33g carb, 1268mg sodium, 158mg cholesterol.
- From "Make-A-Mix" by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward & Madeline Westover
- NOTE: If you prefer not to soften the tortillas in oil, you can quickly dip them in hot water instead.
HOT CHOCOLATE MIX
1 (25.6-ounce) package instant nonfat dry milk (102/3 cups)
1 (6-ounce) jar powdered nondairy creamer
2 cups powdered sugar
1 (6-ounce) can instant chocolate drink mix
OR
Substitute 2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder for chocolate drink mix. Increase sugar to 4 cups.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Put in a large airtight container. Label with date and contents. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months. Makes about 17 cups HOT CHOCOLATE MIX.
To make hot chocolate: Add 3 tablespoons HOT CHOCOLATE MIX to 1 cup hot water. Stir to dissolve. Makes 1 serving.
- Each serving contains 61 calories, trace fat, 12g carb, 48mg sodium, 1mg cholesterol.
- From "Make-A-Mix" by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward & Madeline Westover
SLICE & BAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
2 cups butter or margarine
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 2/3 cups brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts
Cut four 14-by-12-inch pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap. In a bowl, cream butter or margarine, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in vanilla and eggs until light and fluffy. In a bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture until blended. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Shape each piece into an 8- to 10-inch roll. Wrap rolls in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Place in a plastic freezer container with tight-fitting lid, or wrap airtight in a 14-by-12-inch piece of heavy-duty foil. Label with date and contents. Store in freezer. Use within 6 months. Makes 4 rolls of dough or about 12-dozen cookies.
To Make CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES:
Remove from freezer 1 roll frozen cookie dough; thaw slightly. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange cut pieces on an ungreased baking sheet about 11/2 inches apart. Bake 10 minutes until browned around edges. Remove and cool. Makes 36 cookies.
- Each cookie contains 80 calories, 4g fat, 10g carb, 76mg sodium, 13mg cholesterol.
- From "Make-A-Mix" by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward & Madeline Westover
- HINT: If you wet your hands first it is easier to shape the rolls of cookie dough.