Stock the Spice Cabinet

Every cook needs to rely on her spice rack to enhance the flavors of the meals she prepares.  Here are some of the things I CAN'T be without in my spice cabinet. 

I have a corner cupboard that I use--so if your space is smaller, find another location for some of these items (and once opened, some of these items MUST be stored in the refrigerator).  I also store fresh herbs in the freezer if I can’t use them all before they’ll deteriorate.
  sauce
Baking powder
Baking soda
Balsamic Vinegar
Basil
Bay Leaves
Cayenne pepper
Chili Powder
Cinnamon
Cloves, ground
Coriander
Cumin
Garlic Powder (I only use Lawry’s)
Hot sauce
Italian bread crumbs
Lawry’s season salt
Minced Garlic
Nutmeg
Old Bay Seasoning
Onion powder
Onions, dehydrated
Oregano
Oyster sauce
Paprika
Parsley
Pepper corns
Rosemary
Thyme
Sage, rubbed
Salt (Kosher and iodized)
Sesame oil
Soy Sauce
Thyme
Worcester
Yeast
Oil (vegetable and olive)

I have a lot more stuff than this (saffron, lemon grass, etc.) but don’t use them with great regularity.  You’d go broke buying these all at once…so if you are just starting out add a new spice to your spice rack monthly! 

Spices lose their potency over time…so you’ll have to replace periodically to get the most flavor from them.  Purchase the highest quality spices you can afford.  Keep your spices in a cool, dry space (NOT over the stove!) for the best flavor and the longest shelf life.

Cajun Pasta

A delicious Pasta Dish!

Fettuccine, prepared according to package directions

1/2 green pepper diced
1 red onion, divided
     mince 1/2 onion
     reserve other half, sliced for garnish
2 Tablespoons celery, minced
2 Tablespoons sliced black olives, for garnish (if desired)
6-8 broccoli florets

6 sea scallops
12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 link andouille sausage, pan fried  and drained of grease

1 pint heavy cream
butter
Cajun seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Pan fry the sausage until browned, drain and set aside
Cook pasta according to directions
add 1 TBS butter to the pan and saute green pepper, celery and onions for 2 minutes until tender
Return sausage to pan
add sea scallops and shrimp and saute 2 minutes until done
add cream, turn up heat and allow sauce to thicken
Add Cajun seasoning to taste
Once sauce has thickened, add broccoli and pasta
Top with black olives and onion slices. 

Not healthy, but sure is tasty!

Chicken with Gnocchi

I made this at the request of DD2 for dinner on the first day of school yesterday.  It was delicious and not as complicated to make as the recipe may seem

Gnocchi (I used store bought potato gnocchi)

1 chicken breast per person, seasoned with salt and pepper, sliced into think strips

Marinate chicken in
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced,
2 stalks rosemary
Marinate chicken for at least an hour for the best flavor (overnight works too)

Julienne
1 medium zucchini
1 red pepper
1 medium onion cut into large slices and halved

Sauce:
Mix together the following
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup ricotta (I used low fat cottage cheese)
1 pint heavy cream

Prepare gnocchi according to package directions (place in boiling water for about 3 minutes or until the float to the top)

In the mean time,
Saute vegetables in a couple of tablespoons olive oil until tender, do not brown
Add chicken, turn up the heat and allow to cook until browned on all sides
Add cheese sauce and allow to thicken,
add drained gnocchi
Serve immediately!

The family declared this was delicious and I agreed!

Smashed Potatoes and Shrimp

This is a lovely summer dish which is fairly easy to prepare and can be modified to use the produce you have on hand

New potatoes (I prefer red)
mushrooms
asparagus (trimmed)
raw Shrimp, peeled, deveined

bacon grease (or olive oil)
Cayenne
2 (or more) cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1/3 cup white wine

Prepare a skillet with the bacon grease,
Boil the potatoes until tender, drain and add to the skillet.  Add garlic, Cayenne, salt and pepper to taste
Allow potatoes to brown
Add mushrooms, cook for about 5 minutes, allow to brown if you desire
add asparagus and allow to cook for an additional 5 minutes
Add shrimp, cook for 3 minutes or until done
deglaze pan with white whine and allow sauce to thicken slightly.  Serve immediately

Marinated Flank Steak

We're heading out of town for a wedding and getting ready to send DD1 back to college early next week so we needed a delicious, quick meal this evening:

Marinated Flank Steak

Score the flank steak for maximum tenderness
Place the meat in a gallon Zip lock bag and add the following
(Measurements are approximate)
2 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp capers

Allow to marinate overnight (or for at least an hour) and grill as desired.
We're serving this with corn on the cog, marinated cucumbers and fresh red ripe tomatoes!

Taco seasoning mix

Make your own taco seasoning mix to control the ingredients for better nutrition.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup instant minced onion
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. crushed dried red pepper flakes (if desired)
• 1 Tbsp. instant minced garlic
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano (if desired)
• 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram (if desired)
• salt and ground pepper if desired (I don't usually add salt)

Preparation:

I like to use my coffee grinder to reduce all the ingerdients to dust...but this is not necessary.

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and blend thoroughly. Place in a tightly sealed container , store in a cool, dry place.

Makes 6 packages (about 2 Tbsp. each) of mix. 2 Tbsp. equals 1.25-oz. pkg. purchased taco seasoning mix.

Use within 6 months.

Walking Tacos

A couple of weeks ago I made dinner for about 40 middle schoolers attending a church event.  We made Walking Tacos at the request of our daughter, Alayna.

Walking Tacos
taco seasoned ground beef
individual bags of corn chips (we used Fritos)
assorted toppings such as shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, salsa, etc

Each diner opens the bag of chips, spoons in some taco meat and toppings and VIOLA'-a walking taco.

We had a significant amount of the seasoned ground beef left over so I packaged it in a freezer Ziploc bag for use at a later date.  That was last night!  I thawed out the meat, reheated it with a bit of water to "re-sauce" it and had tacos for a quick dinner before another event.

I decided that I am going to purposefully prepare seasoned taco meat and freeze for later use since taco prep seems so laborious when we're in a rush.  I'll use 5 lbs of ground chuck to create 4 packages of seasoned ground beef.  Prepare the meat according to the taco seasoning directions (I'll use 5 packages of  purchased taco seasoning (or look for tomorrows post on making your own seasoning).