Your Spice Rack

Not everyone, especially not those people with small babies to care for, can have their own herb garden, and so most of us rely on cans of dried spices. I thought that while the baby is taking another one of her dead-to-the-world overtired naps, I'd share with you the secrets to a well-stocked spice rack.
If you are not used to cooking, or feel that you are a bad cook, spices can be a life saver. If you are still learning how to cook, a good plan is to always use a recipe, especially when cooking something you've never made before. Once you get good enough to eyeball measurements on certain dishes, however, there are some spices you will find that you probably cannot do without. Always check your recipe first to see if there is some new spice you don't have stocked that you'll need to run to the grocery store for. Remember most, if not all of these, are dried and ground.

My basic spices are: Lawry's seasoned salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley flakes.

I also like to keep on hand: basil, bay leaves, oregano, cinnamon, ground cloves, rosemary, garlic pepper, garlic salt, nutmeg, ginger, sea salt, sage and thyme.

Of course there are others, and I keep specific spices for making certain dishes, such as cayenne pepper for making chili and ground mustard for putting in my meatloaf. But to each person his own tastes, and you will soon figure out which spices you need and use most.
Also remember to check the expiration dates on your spice jars at least every two years. Yes, these things do actually expire, and they taste dry and crappy when they do.
Note from the photograph that I also own a mortar and pestle, so in case I run out of ground something (like cloves) and I still have a jar of the whole spice, I can just grind the kernels up myself.

Herb-Rubbed Roast Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

A friend of ours came over for dinner last night, which was perfect because any time the baby gets to play with a new person it tires her out more. So I made this meal while my husband and our friend watched the baby.

Ingredients for the chicken:

3-4 lb. roaster/fryer whole chicken
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
a couple shakes of seasoned salt
1/2 tsp Poultry Seasoning
thick pat of butter
1 stick of celery, quartered
1/4 of an onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, cut in half

Take chicken out of packaging and rinse it off under running water, removing the giblets to a small pot. Set chicken on poultry grate inside roasting pan. Mix all spices together in a small bowl. Use fingers to separate skin on chicken breast and legs from the meat and then rub the spice mix all over the skin, under the skin, and throw whatever's left inside the cavity of the bird. Stuff inside of bird with the vegetables and plop the pat of butter right on top center of bird. Roast uncovered at 375 F for 1 hr and 15-25 minutes (depending on actual weight of chicken).

To make the gravy:

Boil the giblets in about 1 1/2-2 cups of water until cooked, then remove and discard. (I fed the heart and lungs to my cats). Add 2 Tbsp cornstarch, 1/8 tsp pepper. 1/8 tsp poultry seasoning, and a couple shakes of seasoned salt. Cook on low until thickened.

Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:

5-6 red potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp basil flakes
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Boil potatoes in just enough water to cover the tops of the chunks for about 15 minutes, or until you can easily poke into them with a fork. Drain, then return to pot (make sure burner is off!) Add butter, milk, and spices and mash well.

We served this with a Green Giant veggie mix (I think it was broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower in cheese sauce) and everyone was very happy with the taste. The skin on the chicken was particularly good, especially for us fatties who love to eat chicken skin. By the way, sorry I forgot to take pictures of the mashed potatoes and gravy...they got eaten REALLY fast....

Today's Cupboard Tips

Since my family and I are going out to eat at Olive Garden with friends this evening, I thought I would take today's post to just share a few tips on stocking your food cabinets. Keeping a well-stocked cupboard will make things much simpler when you are trying to throw a meal together during the twenty minutes of calm your baby gives you a day.

Foods to always keep on hand:

bulb of garlic
onions (at least one or two of whichever kind suit your personal tastes)
red or yellow potatoes
sweet potatoes/yams (at least 2)
frozen peas
frozen corn
canned or boxed beef and chicken broth, or bouillon cubes
A well-stocked spice rack (including most, if not all, of the spice jars that you can find at your nearest Wal-Mart. I say this for people who may be afraid to spend too much on spices)
carrots: a bag of baby or a package of regular ones
eggs
milk
cornstarch or flour
white and brown sugar

It may seem like a lot, but this stuff will probably only take up one shelf in your cupboard, and combined with just about ANY meat you can easily use these to make a delicious dinner any night of the week!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Today's dinner is brought to you by the "I haven't been shopping in so long that this is all that's left in my refrigerator" club.
Thankfully, I started putting this together so early in the morning that I didn't even disturb the baby's normal 8am nap.

Ingredients:

2-3 pound round rump roast (beef)
3 fat carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks
2 large red potatoes, cubed/chopped into large chunks
1 sm-med sweet onion, sliced vertically into strips
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp dry parsley
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp garlic pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp seasoned salt

Set meat into Crock Pot fat side down. Surround with chopped vegetables. Pour in the water. Sprinkle first 6 spices over top of meat, shake the rest over all meat and vegetables. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Lamb Neckbone Stew

Phew! What a holiday week! I haven't made an entry since Christmas Eve, I know, but with all the family here for the holiday I had no time to blog or take photos of the dinner I made for Christmas. Suffice to say some of it didn't come out as I would have hoped, so you're not really missing out. We had ham, duck, maple squash with parsnips, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, and my grandmother's baked beans recipe. And yes, if you click on the word duck in that last sentence you will be linked to the recipe I use every year, which is fantastic!
We had a very nice Christmas with my mother, stepfather, aunt and uncle, and my daughter got lots of attention. Now that most of the leftovers have been eaten, I raided the remnants from the freezer. I found a package of lamb neck bones that my husband had thrown into the shopping cart from the discount meat bin a few weeks ago, saying something to the tune of "I'm sure you can make something with these."
So I have! The baby enjoyed sucking on her butterfly toy while I kept an eye on her in the kitchen as I put this together.

Ingredients:

About 1-2 pounds of lamb neck bones (yes, there's meat on these)
3 cups water
4 red potatoes, cubed
4 fat carrots, chopped into rounds
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
2 celery stalks, halved lengthwise and chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp parsley
1 Tbsp dry rosemary
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
2 Tbsp cornstarch
pinch/2 small sprigs of fresh oregano and fresh rosemary, if you have it

Pour water into 7-quart Crock Pot. The next step is up to you; I think it would be easiest to put in all the vegetables (once again, I've taken to not peeling my potatoes to retain the vitamins from the skin), cornstarch and spices and mix them together with a large wooden spoon, then throw the meat in on top and mix it in. If you start it early enough, it would be best to cook on low for 6-8 hours, but if you can't then cook on high for 4 hours and low for the remaining time you have available, hopefully at least 2 hours.
This came out wonderfully tasty, the meat falling off the bones, and was a welcome treat eaten with crescent rolls and a glass of champagne for the new year. Happy New Year, everybody!