Wedding Favors from the Kraftela Kitchen

Wedding favors... I know they aren't necessary but, to us, they were one of the most important details of our celebration. We wanted to show our appreciation to our friends and family with a small token that represented us, had a local connection, was useful, and would make it into carry-on luggage for our out-of-town guests. Looking for that sweet spot on the spectrum between Jordan almonds and custom wine bottle openers, I was inspired by a wedding favor I received two decades ago -- a mostly-folk-music mix CD of the bride and groom's favorite songs.

Thankfully we live in an area that has a vibrant culture so it didn't take long to check that box. Kansas City = barbecue. Sauce from any of our local BBQ institutions wouldn't get past TSA so we had to get creative. And that is when we decided to package up our favorite dry rub.

Spices in bulk can get pricey so I went straight to the local Indian grocer and cleaned him out of paprika, mustard seed and garlic powder for a fraction of the chain store cost. Then with the help of my giant Tupperware bowls and a Nutribullet milling blade, I started mixing the spice blend. FIFTY pounds of the spice blend. I ordered 8-ounce jars with bamboo lids and printed glossy labels to finish the project.

I'm hoping the BBQ rub will strike a similar note to that mix CD that introduced me to Brian Joseph's song, "We're Gonna Laugh." As I'm writing about the memory, the lyrics immediately came back to me: "We're gonna laugh. We're gonna cry. We're gonna dance. We're gonna sing. We're gonna buy fish tacos at Burrito King." Unfortunately, that CD has lasted longer than the marriage. Here's hoping twenty years from now our friends are still using my BBQ rub recipe AND we're still together to enjoy it.