Frugal Living: Dip into summer parties

Summer brings people together for casual backyard barbecues. Some parties are potlucks and you simply bring a dish to pass. But there are occasions when you want to bring a hostess gift. Maybe you usually bring wine, flowers or a dessert. Another gift idea is to bring a few homemade dry dip mixes. The dry mixes can be placed in different containers, such as cellophane bags (with a card stock label stapled on top), sandwich baggies, paper bags or recycled baby food jars or plastic containers. If you want to glam up the presentation, include a pretty serving bowl or dish and arrange the dry mixes in it. The hostess can make dip for the party or save it for later.

The following dry dip mixes were shared by Denise from Illinois. These make wonderful gifts for any occasion and they sell well at craft shows and school fundraisers (priced around $3 each), too.

RANCH DIP MIX:

3/4 tablespoon dried parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon dried chives

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

Combine the above ingredients and stir until well blended. Place in a small bag. Attach a gift tag, adhesive label or recipe card with the directions below on how to prepare the dip.

RANCH DIP:

1 package Ranch Dip mix

1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 cup sour cream

Combine the Ranch Dip mix with the mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir until well-blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

FRUIT DIP MIX:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger (found at health food stores or specialized grocery stores)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Process the above ingredients until ginger is finely chopped and mixture is well-blended. Place in a small bag. Attach a gift tag, adhesive label or recipe card with the directions below on how to prepare the dip.

FRUIT DIP:

1 package Fruit Dip mix

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

Combine the Fruit Dip mix with the softened cream cheese. Beat until well-mixed. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to blend. Serve with fresh cut fruit, graham crackers or vanilla wafers.

VEGETABLE DIP MIX:

1 tablespoon dried chives

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Combine the above ingredients and stir until well-mixed. Place in a small bag. Attach a gift tag, adhesive label or recipe card with the directions below on how to prepare the dip.

VEGGIE DIP:

1 package Veggie Dip mix

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cups sour cream

Combine the Veggie Dip mix with the lemon juice and sour cream. Stir until well-blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with chips, crackers or fresh vegetables.

CHEESY ONION DIP MIX:

2 tablespoons minced onion

1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Combine the above ingredients and stir until well blended. Place in a small bag. Attach a gift tag, adhesive label or recipe card with the directions below on how to prepare the dip.

CHEESY ONION DIP:

1 package Cheesy Onion Dip mix

2 cups sour cream

Combine the Cheesy Onion Dip mix with the sour cream. Stir until well-blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with chips, crackers or fresh vegetables.

If you prefer to mix dip up ahead of time to bring to a party or want to make some for yourself at home, visit www.frugalvillage.com/2008/03/13/dip-into-tasty-side-of-entertaining/ and www.frugalvillage.com/2009/07/02/dip-into-summer-cooking/ for sweet and savory dip recipes.

Dear Sara: We grow our own corn in the garden. Two years ago, I blanched the corn, then froze it. But it was so bad that I threw all the corn out that winter, when we wanted to eat it. Last year, I kept the husks on and sealed them in airtight packages before freezing them. The corn had a good taste, but there was a lot of water in the kernels. I am thinking that it may have been the type of corn that produced the large, watery kernels after freezing. This year, we chose a different kind of corn and I plan to freeze it before it gets too ripe.

However, I don't want to get to winter, looking forward to eating corn, and have it not taste good. Do you have another process that might work better for us? - Roberta, email

Dear Roberta: It's possible your bad results were just because of the variety of corn, or maybe the corn was harvested too soon. I use the 5-5-5 method. I husk and remove the silks. Then I place the corn in boiling water and blanch them for five minutes. Remove the blanched corn from the water and plunge it into a large bowl of ice water for about five minutes. Remove the corn from the ice water. Store it in freezer bags and remove as much air as possible, or vacuum-seal. When you're ready to eat the corn, remove it from the freezer bag and place it in boiling water for five minutes.

Here's another method you can try on my forums: www.frugalvillage.com/forums/oamc-homecanning-freezing-preserving/133410-these-started-day-31-ears-corn.html.

Dear Sara: I bought a Homestead hummingbird feeder in the spring and still haven't had any luck bringing in birds. I used 3 1/2 parts water to 1 part sugar. Now that it is late summer, do you think I should change the mix? Does it get stale? Also, the feeder is in an area that gets very little light and is away from other plant life. Could this be a factor in lack of visitors? If I put it in a sunnier location, would that help? - Dan B., Wisconsin

Dear Dan B.: Yes, you'll want to change the mixture often, according to the outdoor temperature. For temperatures in the 80s, you should change the mixture every couple of days. You'll notice if you don't change it often, the mixture becomes cloudy or gets black specks of mold. This can be the reason you aren't attracting any hummingbirds. Bleach the feeder if there's any sign of mold. Try a 4 to 1 ratio of water to sugar: Boil for two minutes, cool, then fill your feeder; store any extra in your fridge for a week.

Ideally, you'll want the feeder to be in an open location. If your feeder is in the shade as opposed to a sunny location, you can get away with changing the nectar mixture less often. I hang mine from a plant hanger (similar to a T-Bar feeder stand), which is about 6 feet high. It's easily accessible and viewable from all angles. Choose a spot that is close to plants that they love, such as bee balm, honeysuckle, liatris or columbine. You don't have to color the nectar mixture red, but you can hang a red ribbon from the feeder. That way, they can find it easier.