The # 1 Spice I Use In Just About Everything I Cook...

I don't have just a single spice rack in my kitchen, I have a Spice Cabinet!  I love cooking and I enjoy experimenting (because I can't follow a recipe for the life of me) with different spices to create different dishes.  Because of all of this experimenting I tend to collect lots of different spices.  Some are used often, others are only used on rare occasions.  Here is a peek into one (of 3) sections of my spice cabinet (not including my swiveling 5 tier spice rack on the counter-top).  Many of these are my primary go-to spices.

Of all the spices I use, my #1 spice is 'Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend' 

I sprinkle Mrs Dash into just about everything I cook, other than desserts of course. I use to be able to buy it in a bulk shaker from Costco or Sam's Club but I cannot find it in any size but these small shakers that are very pricey for the size.  (If you know of a bulk source, please do share!)   I love it so much that I'm willing to fork over the dough anyway.  I also like some of the other of Mrs Dash's blends, but this is by far my favorite one.

I like to use Mrs Dash because I don't use salt in my cooking.  Well, now that isn't totally true, I do add a teaspoon of course kosher salt to my bread dough, but that would be it.  I have a little 2.5 oz sized salt travel shaker that I've had for at least 2 years.  I keep it in the house for dinner guests who feel the need to add salt to their food.  Even though it makes me crazy when someone covers their food in salt before they have even tasted it!

Perhaps I need one of these, for when those guests come to dinner!

[I actually bought this at Amazon for $9.97 + s&h]

Do you have one spice that you use in just about everything?  What spices do you never use? 

Keeper of 1 husband, 3 dogs,

3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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I made Blackberry and Strawberry Jam for the First Time!

I consider myself to be quite the domestic person.  Any of my family and friends could vouch for me too, but I have never canned food.  I have dried and frozen foods from my garden, but have not canned.  I really wanted to learn, so I decided to start with one food that others 'in the know' say is easy to do...making Jam.  I love Blackberry and Strawberry Jam and since both fruits are in season right now, I decided they would be the first jams to make.  I've never been able to get strawberries to grow for me, so I had to get my strawberries from someone with a greener thumb than I.  While I was there I got a huge batch of blackberries too.

Like I said, this was my first time making jam...of any kind.  I was more than a little nervous about messing it up and wasting all of this beautiful fruit.  To help me, I bought an awesome book about canning from Ball, the leader in the Canning industry.  The book is called "Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving" available at Amazon for under $18.  Since they've been in the business forever, I figured their recipe book must be pretty good.  And fortunately, they speak in terms a newbie canner like myself can understand.

It looked pretty simple, just rinse, de-stem, and dice the berries.

Mash the berries.

Cook fruit with Pectin and sugar...(lots of sugar).   While also boiling jars and lids in a separate pot.

When the fruit finishes cooking, spoon off the foam, then pour the cooked jam into your jars, put the lids on hand tight, and place in the hot water bath pot to 'process' for a short time.

Set the jars out to cool for 24 hours.

The next day you have these beautiful jars of jam ready to enjoy yourself and share with friends.

The chickens got to enjoy these strawberry parts 'n pieces.

 

And what is the best way to enjoy good Jam?  On fresh baked Artisan Bread of course...I had to bake a few loaves just for the Jam...mmmm!

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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Chicken Teriyaki Stir-Fry Over Rice ~ A Quick, Delicious, Fresh Meal

Tonight I made the most delicious Chicken Teriyaki I have ever made.  Part of what made it so delicious is because I used fresh organic veggies and Free-range Organic Chicken breasts.  I don't raise meat chickens because I am not able to kill and process them myself.  So I buy my chicken meat at a local natural grocery where they have local, free-range organic chicken (FR/O).  The flavor of a FR/O chicken compared to a store-bought factory-raised chicken is 180 degrees apart.  The FR/O has such wonderful flavor and is so juicy that you could literally cook it with nothing more than a bit of salt and pepper (if you even needed that) and it would taste wonderful.  The factory-raised chicken has no flavor at all so you have to use a lot of spices just to make it taste like something, and the texture is just blahk!

So I baked up two FR/O chicken breasts in the oven, wrapped in foil to hold in all the wonderful juices.  Then I diced them up into bite-sized pieces and tossed them into my hot wok with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and some low-sodium teriyaki sauce.  I tossed the chicken to cover it with the oil and sauce, then dumped on my chopped and grated veggies (see veggie list below), gave it all a toss and pushed it up the sides of the wok.  Then drizzled a little bit of teriyaki sauce on top, then put the lid on to allow the veggies to steam.

Chicken Teriyaki Stir-Fry over Rice

Veggie List:
1 head of broccoli chopped up in to small bite-size florets.
4 Green Onions diced
2 medium Zucchini's grated up
1 carrot grated up (grated cross-wise for short pieces)
Sun-Dried Tomatoes (Julienne cut, small handful)

When the broccoli florets were just about done (tender, but still a little snap left in them) I put two bowls of rice (that I cooked earlier) into the microwave to heat the rice up.  When the rice was warm I ladled some steamed veggies and chicken onto the rice, drizzled a little more teriyaki sauce on top and served it up.  Delicious!!

This made enough for two more meals so we have lunch or dinner waiting for us tomorrow when we are too busy to stop and cook a meal.   If I feel like it, I could even add some different steamed veggies to this for a little variety in our next meal.  What are your favorite veggies to add to a stir-fry?

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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Did this post stir something inside of you? If so, Please leave me a comment, I would love to know what you're thinking!!!