Italian Dressing Mix

Continuing with the seasoning mixes that I made for my Dad, I will share my Italian Dressing mix. This, like almost all of my seasoning mixes, carries the name of the main use I have for the mix, and like the others, this one is great for a lot of different uses. I do think this one is the one that my Dad was anticipating the most. 

When I use this as a dressing mix, I add 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 1/3 cup of oil and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. You can experiment with different oils and vinegars to change the taste. Salad dressings are one of the first things that I decided to stop buying in the store. It is so simple and quick to mix up something to dress a salad with, and the taste is so much better than anything you can buy in a store. As an added benefit, I also a lot less waste. I do like to try many different tastes, so I ended up with a lot of half empty bottles in the fridge that would ultimately end up in the trash. Now, I just mix up what I need and nothing gets wasted.

Italian Dressing Mix

3 tablespoons of garlic powder

3 tablespoons onion powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup oregano

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon thyme

1 tablespoon basil

3 tablespoons parsley

3/4 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons ground mustard

Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.  

I use this as a salad dressing mix, sprinkled on chicken or shrimp or to season tomato sauce. 

Seasoning Mixes for my Dad

It's been a while! Life got a little crazy there for a while and then the business of the holidays set in, to make it even a little more crazy. I love all the hustle and bustle that takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas each year, but I am kind of happy to be getting back into a routine. 

My Dad had a heart attack a couple of months ago. He had to have some stints put in, but his recuperation has been awesome. He is having to adjust his eating habits though. We are a salty snack loving family! Since I also have to watch my BP, I started looking for seasoning blends that I could make that would contain little or no salt, but still pack a lot of flavor. I also did a lot of experimenting and using some of my own recipes, I came up with several blends I am pretty happy with.

I am making Dad his own set of seasoning mixes that he can incorporate into his healthier eating. Most of this blends started out as what they are named but they get used for many more things than just what the name implies. For instance, the Greek Seasoning is great on chicken, as a rub or a marinade, but I will also add it to some oil and vinegar to make a salad dressing, add a little to some hummus, sprinkle some in olive oil for a bread dipping sauce or add it to my dough when I am baking bread.

This recipe is for a basic one serving mix, but when I make it, I make about 10 servings and store in an air tight jar.


Greek Seasoning

1 tablespoon minced onion
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon of thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon of lemon powder (Real Lemon makes this and in my stores it is in the baking aisle)

Combine all ingredients until mixed well.

Forty Pounds of Chicken

I placed my first order from Zaycon Foods and the pick up was this morning. I only ordered one case since I don't have an extra freezer. I was very happy with my chicken and will order from them again. Since I don't have a freezer and I am out of canning jars, my MIL offered to let me keep my chicken at their house. I was able to get it all vacuumed sealed and in her freezer this morning.

I think that will last us for a while!

Taco Seasoning

I have been making my own taco seasoning for a while now, even before I started trying to make as much as I could from scratch. I like to add it to other ingredients sometimes and would often only need a small amount from a package, then would have a package that wasn't enough to make tacos, and then it would get stuck in a drawer and I would forget about it until I cleaned out the drawer.

One day I was making tacos and realized that I didn't have any taco seasoning and didn't want to run to the store either. Google to the rescue! I searched for a recipe and found one, made it and loved it. I have tweaked and added to that original recipe and have some up with this version that I really like.

This recipe does make quite a bit, but I like to have it on hand, so once I have filled my spice container (like the ones above), I put the excess in a mason jar and vacuum seal it so that it stays fresh. 

You can also see my high tech way of labeling jars--I use painter's tape to write the contents and the date on the jars.

Taco Seasoning

1/2 cup chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

3 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons oregano

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 cup cumin

1 tablespoon sea salt

3 tablespoons black pepper 

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon chipotle chili pepper

2 teaspoons beef bullion

Measure all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Store in an air tight container.

To Use: When I use this for tacos, I add 3-4 tablespoons to a pound of ground beef that has been cooked and drained. Simmer seasoning mix, ground beef and 2/3 cup of water for a few minutes.

Other ways I use taco seasoning:

Salad Dressing: Add a teaspoons or two to ranch dressing for a southwestern ranch

Dip: Mix a couple of tablespoons to about a cup and a half of sour cream

Chicken: Sprinkle on chicken breasts before baking

Soup: Add some to a tomato based soup for a taco soup

I have lots of ways of using this seasoning, it is probably the seasoning mix that I use the most so even though it seems like a lot of mix, I go through it pretty quickly. 

Enjoy!

CSA Basket

Not the best photo, but the batteries in my camera are dead so I took a picture with my phone. This week's basket included lettuce mix, various squashes, some peppers, onion, green beans yellow beans, broccoli, cabbage and some greens that I already have in the sink to be washed,. 

I was happy to see that broccoli!

Have a great weekend!

Flavored Oatmeal

I am a old fashioned oats oatmeal eater. I married a flavored, instant oatmeal man. 

He would eat it when I made it but he didn't really enjoy it. I liked adding dried fruit to my oatmeal, but couldn't handle the texture and the sweetness of instant oatmeal. 

Ahhh, the internet! I went searching for some quick oatmeal ideas that would suit both of us. I found several versions of "do it yourself" instant oatmeal packs so I decided to give it a try.

I started with 10 cups of oats, a cup and a half of brown sugar, a cup of powdered milk, and a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon.

Half of the oats went into the food processor and I hit the pulse button a few times to break it down and then added the remaining ingredients and mixed them all together to form my oatmeal base.

At this point, I pulled out a bunch of fruits that I had dehydrated, some nuts and some other seasonings. I measured  about 1/2 a cup of the oatmeal base into a jelly jar (you could do this in plastic bags, but I like vacuum sealing these in jars). I prefer the jars because they last longer and they are easier to deal with in my pantry that is full of other mason jars.

I added about a tablespoon of nuts if I was using them, and a couple of tablespoons of the fruit. Spices were added in 1/4 tsp increments.

These are the varieties that I made and the additions:

Apple Cinnamon--I added an extra 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, and some chopped pieces of apples that I had dehydrated.

Apple Pie--a little cinnamon, some apples, a little nutmeg, golden raisons, and a small amount of walnuts.

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon--a little extra cinnamon and a little more brown sugar.

Strawberries and Cream--an extra 1/2 teaspoon of powdered milk, some dehydrated strawberries.

Cranberry Almond--some dried cranberries and slivered almonds.

Pumpkin Spice--pumpkin powder (dehydrated pumpkin ground into a powder) and pumpkin pie spice.

Banana Nut--Chopped up dried bananas, a touch more cinnamon and some walnuts.

We have both tested most of the flavors and have pretty much been pleased. I made a couple of notes to change for the next time, the biggest being to make sure I added enough of the pumpkin powder in the Pumpkin Spice--you could taste it but is was very subtle. 

When I do things like this, I make a ton of them so that I don't have to do then that often--I doubled this recipe so I have about 35-40 jars of oatmeal vacuumed sealed in my pantry. They make a great quick breakfast and can be tossed in a lunch box for a snack or breakfast at our desks at work.

I love that these have real fruit in them, I can control the sugar, it has a heartier texture for me than commercial packets, but a smooth enough texture for my husband. Pretty much a very tasty win-win!

Homemade Granola

I have always really liked granola and if I am ever in a store with bulk bins with several flavors, I will normally get a sampling of each flavor. I knew I could make it at home, but I thought it was probably a lot of trouble. I was very happy to discover that I was wrong! Nothing that I have ever bought in any store matched the taste in that first batch of granola that I made. Even though I burned it a little, I could taste the reason that people make their own granola.

I haven't bought granola in a store since.

Normally when I make granola, I make what I call "kitchen sink" granola. It really is just a mix of whatever I happen to have on hand that I think will taste good in the granola.

My ingredients for this batch included dried apples, pecans, brown sugar, oats, coconut, honey and dried cranberries. You can also see in the brown sugar canister that I accidentally combined some dark brown sugar with some light brown. Normally I only buy the light brown and just add extra molasses when I need the dark brown.

After mixing all of my ingredients, I spread the mixture out on a large cookie pan.

After it bakes and cools, I pour it into mason jars and vacuum seal so it will stay fresh longer.

There are so many variations on the basic recipe, you can really do almost any taste combination that you like. Here is my basic recipe:

Granola

5-6 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal

1/2 cup of oil ( I usually use coconut )

1/2 cup of sugar ( any kind, here I used brown sugar)

1/2 cup of honey (or maple syrup or molasses

2 heaping tablespoons of seasoning (I used cinnamon in the batch, but you can play around with pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, pumpkin powder, cocoa powder whatever you think might taste good)

Add in ideas: any dried fruit or berries, nuts, coconut, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips,etc

Measure out the oatmeal in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl combine oil, sugar, honey and cinnamon and mix well. Pour this mixture over the oats and stir until all the oats are covered. If the oat mixture looks too wet, I will add a little more oats.

At this point you can add your add in items, excluding anything that might melt. I have seen some recipes that add everything after it cooks, but I like to add them and bake them with the oats.

Spread mixture onto a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool. If you are using an ingredient that might have melted, you can add it now. Store in an airtight container.

Garlic Shrimp Po' Boys

I am always looking at new cookbooks, and used to buy them all the time. After a while I ran out of room and pared down my collection. I kept the ones that I have bought on vacations, all the ones that once belonged to my grandmother, and several others that I just really liked. I don't buy them very often anymore unless they are geared more to a specific interest. 

I have been reading a blog called Lunch Box Blues for quite some time. It is written by a father (J.M. Hirsch) and is about the lunches that he packs for his son. I started reading it when I was packing lunches a lot more often. I usually use dinner leftovers for lunches but don't really care to eat the exact same thing for several meals. Unless it is soup, I can eat soup three meals a day until it is gone. The blog is the same, he starts his son's lunches with last night's dinner, but often changes it around some so it doesn't feel like the exact same meal. 

Recently he released a book called Beating the Lunch Box Blues that I decided met all my criteria for adding a new cookbook to my shelf. There was a promotion that f you pre-ordered the book, you would also receive one of his other cookbooks. 

This recipe is from that book.

I started with the Broccoli Slaw mixture. I have never eaten broccoli slaw before, but I loved it and will be buying it more often, I really liked the crunch.

All I can say about this slaw is YUM!

The recipe called for half a pepper. When I went to the store, the pepper selection was nonexistent. Normally there are several baskets to choose from a variety of different types. That day there were two or three lonely, small, red jalapeno peppers.

Final dinner plate:

How was it? Pretty good. I would have liked to use the pepper that the recipe called for and I wish the one I bought hadn't been so wimpy, it barely had any flavor at all. Other than the tasteless pepper the flavor was great and it was a pretty quick recipe to get on the table. A better pepper would have added just the right touch of heat and flavor. I will make it again, and make sure I have a good pepper. We both loved the slaw topping. It's a keeper.

Here is more about the High Flavor Low Labor cookbook. I have now tried three or four recipes from this book and it is staying on my shelf. One of the recipes I made was the one pictured on the cover and oh, my goodness, that was fabulous! 

Canning Together

I grew up in a gardening and preserving family, so I have been a part of multi-generational canning, prepping and preserving sessions. I remember sitting under the big tree at my grandparents home, breaking and string beans with my grandmother, aunt, mom and my great-grandmother. I bought a couple of cases of beans the other day to split with my sister-in-law and we planned a bean breaking and canning night. She brought her daughter, and my mother-in-law also joined us. I wish I had thought to get a picture of all of us working together to get the beans done, but I forgot. Working with three other sets of hands really made the time go by much faster. We also had two canners going instead of just one, so that we were able to process all 32 quarts of beans in half the time.

I have got to get better at working with two canners on the stove though, I keep burning my arm. Same arm and in about the same place. Actually at this point, I think I have branded myself, there are three marks on my arm that have been there for a while and do not seem to be going anywhere.  

It was fun working with everyone to get all the beans done. I am a big fan of multi-generational activities in pretty much all forms. I think everyone has something to learn in those situations, the oldest can learn from the youngest and the older and/or more experienced person can share so much wisdom that would otherwise be lost. I hear that all the time, especially about canning. When people find out I enjoy canning, they often comment about remembering  watching their moms, or more frequently, their grandmothers while they canned. And then is is followed by a statement that makes me sad "but I never learned how".  Hearing those words is even sadder when you hear the wistfulness and longing in their voices when they say them. Even worse is when they say that they never taught them. I asked my grandmother for years to teach me to crochet, but she never would. I finally taught myself and instead of being a fond reminder of my grandmother, there is no connection. I did however teach my friend's daughters to crochet some, so there are memories of passing on a skill, memories that make me smile, but no connection to my grandmother who loved to crochet. 

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How many skills and how much wisdom have been lost?

I used to attend a craft night once a month with some ladies from church. We had a core group of women that were there almost every month, the youngest was eight and the oldest was eighty five and the rest of us fell in there somewhere. Nothing made me happier than to see that little girl interacting with a woman old enough to be her great-grandmother. Most of the time it was the older woman instructing the younger, but there were times when the younger was able to teach the older. 

I firmly believe that both lives were all the richer for sharing those experiences.

Many years ago I was the director of a large child care center and somehow met a woman that was an activity director for an assisted living facility. Once a month she would bring a bus load of kids to my center, or alternately I would bring a bunch of kids to her center. We would plan activities for them to do together, games, art projects, just different things that would appeal to both generations. Sometimes when they would come to my center, they would enjoy just sitting and watching the kids play on the playground. It was a great program that we kept going for a long time. 

Again, how many skills and how much wisdom has been lost? If you have read this far, all I ask is that you remember to pass on your wisdom and skills. At times you will find yourself the teacher and at other times you will be the student. Be open when those opportunities present themselves. Whether you are taking time to teach or to learn, you are benefiting not only your life, but countless other lives as well.

CSA Box

It has been a little cooler here these past few days, I am seeing pumpkins and mums at the Farmer's Markets, and I am seeing Pumpkin Spiced coffee everywhere! I know that fall is coming and it is my favorite time of the year. With the coming of fall, I also realize that my CSA season will be ending soon. It has been a great season and I will be a little sad when it ends. 

This week we received green beans, basil, tomatoes, apples, summer squash, onion, red onion, potatoes, tender greens, purple hull peas, bell peppers and a patty pan squash.

What dill you miss most about summer produce coming to end? Tomatoes would top my list, tomatoes and peaches. And strawberries and other fruits. I do miss all those things when they aren't in season, but hopefully I have preserved enough of the summer's bounty to last me through the winter months.

Have a great weekend!