Tag Archive | parsley

Make At Home: 7 Simple & Essential Spice Mixes

spicesSpices are like shoes for me. I have way too many! Unlike my shoes, with as much as I cook and bake, I get plenty of uses out of my spice. One life hack that I’ve recently discovered is making my own spice mixes. I’m sensitive to monosodium glutamate (MSG) which is in just about everything nowadays so I love that I can eliminate MSG from my seasonings, limit the amount of salt that goes into them, and save a ton of time and money all at the same time. Seriously, how often have you run to the store to pick up a packet of taco or Italian seasoning because a recipe called for it and you were out? Chances are you actually already had all of the spices needed in your cupboard! Even better, if your family really loves an herb or spice (in my house it’s garlic and parsley) you can add extra to your spice mix to create a truly unique family blend. Use empty spice containers or small mason jars to hold your spice mixes. As long as you place these spice mixes in an airtight container, they should keep for six months. 

So here are my top 7 spice mixes or blends which you can make at home. Don’t forget, be creative! If you don’t like something then don’t add it. If you really like something else then add even more! Treat it like a fun home experiment. 🙂

#1: Taco Seasoning Recipe
Old el Paso taco seasoningThis is a great substitute for your store-bought taco seasoning packets like Old El Paso and McCormick. This recipe equals one ounce of taco seasoning or one packet of taco seasoning mix. Use for tacos, fajitas, or anything you want to add a little zip to.

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Directions:

Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container.

#2: Italian Seasoning Recipe
italianI use A TON of Italian Seasoning in my house so finding my own recipe was a must. This is a great copycat of the pricey bottled variety which never lasted long in my home. 

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons dried basil
  • 3 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 3 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Place the ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times until the herbs are uniform and thoroughly mixed. Store in an airtight container.

#3: All Purpose Seasoning Recipe
all purposeI love a good all purpose seasoning and is great on meat, fish, veggies, and pasta. Basically great on anything savory. 🙂

 

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper
  • ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon ground bay leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container.

#4: Apple Pie Spice Recipe
pumpkin pie spice
As soon as the leaves start to turn my family starts to crave some homemade apple pie and pumpkin bars. Those teeny tiny bottles of apple pie spice can cost $3-$4 but what’s really in them? Just a few standby spices you already have in your spice cupboard! 🙂

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom (optional)

Directions: 

Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container.

#5: Seasoned Salt Recipe
lawryIf you like Lawry’s Seasoned Salt then you’ll love this MSG-free copycat substitute. Great on just about everything.

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tablespoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container.

#6: Dry Zesty Italian Dressing Recipe
Italian dressing
Dry Italian Dressing is one of those items that’s called for in a lot of my favorite crockpot and pasta salad recipes but it’s pretty pricey and always seemed to be that one item I never had on hand. Not anymore! This is a great copycat recipe for “Good Seasons” and MSG-free!

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon garlic salt
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery salt

Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Italian Salad Dressing Recipe:

  • 2 Tablespoons of Dry Zesty Italian Dressing (Recipe Above)
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 2 Tablespoon water

#7: Dry Ranch Seasoning Recipe
ranchThis is a great copycat and MSG-free version of a packet of dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing and equals one packet. I see these packets called for in a lot of casserole and crock pot recipes so it’s great to have a home-made version for the seasonings instead of buying all of those packets.
Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Ranch Salad Dressing Recipe:

  • Dry Ranch Seasoning (Recipe Above)
  • 1 cup of mayonnaise
  • 1 cup of buttermilk

Directions:

1. Mix ingredients in a medium bowl and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve with salad.

Ranch Dip Recipe:

  • Dry Ranch Seasoning (Recipe Above)
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 3/4 cups sour cream

Looking for other great recipes and ideas? Be sure to subscribe to my blog for the latest updates or see a few of my favorite previously published recipes and ideas below:

Cuckoo for Candy Corn: 33 Fun Recipes, Crafts, and More

Crock Pot Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup

4 Ingredient Crock Pot Balsamic Pot Roast

Pizzeria Garlic Knots

Plated Knots

I love baking garlic bread to go along Italian dishes and these homemade garlic knots are my favorite. They’re very simple, kids love to help with knotting the dough, and they taste just as good as any Italian restaurant or pizzeria’s garlic bread and tons better than the frozen stuff. They also make a great appetizer when served with marinara for dipping. Warning: these disappear quickly so consider a double or triple batch. 🙂

I’ve included both the bread machine and by hand directions below.

Pizzeria Garlic Knots
Makes 24 knots

Dough:

  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 1 3/4 cups bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Garlic Butter

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Bread Machine Directions:

If using a bread machine, add the ingredients as recommended by your bread machine and set to dough setting. Continue with “Making the knots” (below):

Risen dough

By Hand Directions: 

In a small bowl, add the warm water and sugar and mix. Add the yeast and let rest for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, olive oil, salt, and Italian seasoning. Make a small well in the center of the four mixture and pour in the yeast water. Mix and then knead together for 5-10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, lightly coat with olive oil, and place in a covered dish to allow to rise (approximately 1 1/2 hours).

Making the knots: 

After your dough has finished rising, grab a handful of dough at a time and roll out on a floured surface. Roll to a small rectangle, about 4 inches long and 1/2 an inch thick.

Rolled dough

Using a pizza cutter, make 1 inch strips.

Strips

Take each strip and tie to make a knot.

Knotting

 

Knotted

Lay on a greased baking tray and leave plenty of space in between so that the knots can rise a second time.

Knots on a tray

Cover pan of knots with seran wrapped sprayed with olive oil and let rise until doubled in size (about two hours).

Second rise

After knots have finished rising, preheat oven to 400°F.

Remove seran wrap and bake knots for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven to cool.

Browned knots

While knots are cooling, melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add garlic. Heat on low for 2-3 minutes then add salt and parsley and remove from heat.

Garlic Butter

Generously brush garlic butter onto the still warm knots. I just pile all the finished knots onto one tray and brush away.

Garlic Brushing

Enjoy!

Plated Knots

Lemon Shrimp Linguine

This recipe pushes all the right flavor buttonslemon, garlic, herbs, and buttery shrimp with just a hint of heat. It comes together very quickly and is on the table in no time. This refreshing shrimp pasta is perfect for a date night in or for sharing with guests over a bottle of wine and some crusty garlic bread.

Plated Lemon Shrimp Linguine

Lemon Shrimp Linguine
Serves 2

Ingredients:

  • 9 ounces linguine
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, devained, and rinsed (If you don’t have fresh then frozen is also totally fine. Just be sure it’s thawed before adding.)
  • 1 cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped
  • 3 lemons, zested and juiced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of liquid.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for several minutes, until softened. Add butter and ¾ cups of parsley and heat until  butter is melted.

Garlic, onion, parsley

Add shrimp and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until shrimp is cooked.

Shrimp

Add cooked pasta and pasta water and toss.

Add water

Add lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and ¾ cups of Parmesan cheese and toss until well incorporated.

Lemon Zest

Lemon Zest and juice

Serve onto two large plates and garnish with remaining parsley and Parmesan.

Plated Lemon Shrimp Linguine

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

It’s been a rainy and dreary couple of days here in Charleston so perfect weather for curling up with my pugs and a book and making some soup. My Papa actually shared this recipe for Hungarian Mushroom Soup. He had it at a restaurant a few weeks ago, went crazy for it so made it at home for the family. I couldn’t stop thinking about it so this icky weather was just the necessary push to make a pot of my own. I made it for dinner and it was phenomenal! The richness of this mushroom soup really comes out with the flavors of parsley, dill, lemon and Hungarian paprika.  Definitely one to add to the recipe book for cold or rainy days.

Plated Soup

Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup sour cream

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and melt butter. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Onions

Add mushrooms and garlic and sauté an additional five minutes, stirring regularly.

Mushrooms

Mushroom and spices

Stir in dill, paprika, cumin, soy sauce, and broth. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Broth simmer

In a small bowl, whisk together flour and milk and add to soup.

Milk

Cover and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Milk 15 min

Turn off the heat and add salt and pepper, lemon juice, parsley and sour cream.

Parsley

Mix together until incorporated. Serve soup in bowls with a dollop of sour cream, a dash of paprika and parsley for color, and a crusty wheat or french bread for dipping.

Plated Soup

This soup is so good that you’ll start wishing for cold and rainy days! Many thanks to my Papa (@LifeCoach4Men) for another amazing recipe!

Kitchen Sink Salad

I’m not a salad person. At all. Sure, it’s fine when a little salad comes with my steak or spaghetti and meatballs but you’ll never catch me ordering a salad as my main. Unless it came with a side of fries. 🙂
So I’m not sure what happened but I’ve turned a new (wait for the pun) leaf. Maybe it’s spring in the air but I had this craving for the ultimate salad for dinner and I think I’ve got it in the bag. I gobbled it down as if it were a plate of spaghetti & meatballs though I wouldn’t have turned down the garlic breadsticks. Too delicious not to share!

Image

Here’s what went into my Kitchen Sink Salad (makes 2 large salads):

  • 1 bag of mixed greens
  • 1/2 a cucumber, cut into rings
  • 2 roma tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup of corn
  • 1/2 cup of sliced olives
  • 1 cup of garlic & cheese croutons
  • 1/2 cup of shredded ghouda
  • 8 ounces of cubed ham
  • 8 ounces of sliced turkey

I made my own dressing but you can use any bottled variety as well:

  • 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 t. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 t. red wine vinegar
  • 1 T. sugar
  • 1 t. fresh or dried parsley
  • 1 t. dill
  • 1 t. garlic salt

Mix together in separate bowl.

Toss the mixed greens in a large bowl with dressing. Plate the greens on two dinner plates then add all the toppings.