Soul Food Seasoning Recipe for Collard Greens in 5 Minutes

Instructions:

1. Place your sieve over a large, dry mixing bowl. Pour in the granulated garlic, onion powder, and both types of paprika. Sift these together until no lumps remain and the powder looks like soft sand. This ensures that every pinch you take later has the same ratio of flavor.
2. Add the smoked and sweet paprika into the sifted base. Use your whisk to stir in a circular motion. Watch for the color to transition from a pale tan to a deep, burnt orange.
3. Pour in the kosher salt and the black pepper. Whisk vigorously for 30 seconds until the white salt grains are evenly speckled with black pepper.
4. Rub the dried thyme between your palms as you drop it into the bowl. This friction releases the dormant oils in the dried leaves. Stir in the celery seed and red pepper flakes until the green flecks are distributed throughout the red mix.
5. Add the cayenne pepper and the teaspoon of sugar. The sugar is tiny here, but it acts as a flavor bridge, mellowing the sharp edges of the cayenne. Stir one last time until the mixture is completely uniform in color.
6. Place your funnel into a clean, bone dry jar. Slowly pour the homemade soul food seasoning into the jar.
7. Wipe the rim of the jar with a dry cloth to remove any stray spice dust. This ensures a tight seal. Screw the lid on firmly.
8. Mark the jar with the date. Even though spices don't spoil in the traditional sense, they lose their aromatic punch after about six months.