2012 April

Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning

I am a collector of herbs and spices. I like to have a little bit of everything just in case I need a little bit of anything. I have just about every herb and spice on hand that you could possibly want. (And a few extras: anyone need za’atar or nigella? Anyone?) One thing I hadn’t bought until recently, though, was lemon pepper seasoning.

I can’t really explain why I didn’t buy it. I love lemon and pepper together. My version of using lemon pepper usually involved squeezing and zesting a lemon and grinding a bunch of pepper on top.

Last week, a coupon and a sale conspired to convince me to buy my first ever little shaker jar of lemon pepper seasoning. I got it home, opened the safety seal, dipped my finger in and took a taste. Then I made a face and scraped at my tongue with my fingernails. EW. I mean really. The top note of this well respected manufacturer’s lemon pepper seasoning blend was citric acid followed by chemical followed by IDunnoWhat. Egads, that stuff was awful! If I thought really hard about it, I could kind of taste lemon in there somewhere, but I think that was the power of concentrating on the yellow that was provided by the yellow food dye. FOOD DYE. In seasoning. Sigh.

It’s often the little things -a pinch of this, a smidgen of that- that make the difference between a recipe that is good versus one that is great. I’ve seen quite a few recipes that call for lemon pepper seasoning and I’ve always done my lemon juice/zest/pepper hack, and it usually worked out just fine. After trying the stuff that flies off the market shelves, though, I was convinced that I could easily do much, much better at home.

And I did.

Here you have Foodie With Family’s Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning. All the GOOD stuff, and none of the crizzap. Sprinkle this over grilled fish, chicken or pork. Use in place of commercial lemon pepper seasoning in equal amounts called for in other recipes. Put a dash or two over buttered popcorn. Go nuts. Now that I have the homemade stuff, I’ll never be without it again.

Bonus: The homemade mix comes in significantly cheaper and worlds tastier than the commercial stuff. Give it a try… I know you won’t regret it!

And in case you’re wondering whatever became of the shaker top of lemon pepper seasoning I bought at the store, you’ll be glad to know it didn’t all go to waste. My kids peer pressured each other into trying it as a feat of strength, “Try THIS! It’s REALLY GROSS! Can you handle it?” What can I say? Homeschooled kids have weird peer pressure.

Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Add a punch of flavour to grilled fish, chicken, pork, popcorn, dips, salads and whatever else your heart desires with this perfect blend of salt, lemon zest, cracked black pepper rounded out with hints of onion, garlic and celery seed. You'll never want to be without it again!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons lemon salt , preferably, or kosher salt
2 tablespoons raw sugar
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
the zest of one lemon, just the yellow part- avoid the bitter white pith
a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of granulated onion
a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon celery seed

Instructions

Stir together all of the ingredients and store in an airtight jar at room temperature. This can be refrigerated if desired. Because there are no funky preservatives or anti-caking chemicals added to the mixture, you may find it has a tendency to clump slightly. Just break it up with your fingers or a fork before using if this occurs.

Replace using commercial lemon pepper seasoning by substituting an equal measure of homemade lemon pepper seasoning.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/04/03/homemade-lemon-pepper-seasoning/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Honey Chipotle Oyster Crackers | Make Ahead Mondays

For today’s Make Ahead Monday I wanted to go in a not-freezer direction. You know I love my freezer full of goodies, but there are certain staples I make ahead of time that have nothing to do with the chill chest. They’re too good not to share and so? I shall share!

I specifically wanted to talk snack food-slash-salad toppers. I have a thing for salads. It’s my mom’s fault. (Hi, Mom!) Every night we’d ask mom what we were having for dinner. Nine nights out of ten, her answer went something like this, “Some _____, a little bit of _________, a _________, and A BIG GREEN SALAD.”

As kids, my siblings and I didn’t necessarily appreciate the effort that went into providing a BIG GREEN SALAD (which is always in all-caps because of the enthusiasm with which mom always said it.) in Northern Michigan in deep winter in the middle of nowhere. That took some planning! Mom always pulled out all the stops on salad. This is probably why I’m a salad-a-holic.

My mom’s salads have always been festive. There’s no such thing as a boring salad from my Mom. Heck. My mom is just festive. Period. But we’ve covered that ground before. Mom is big on salad toppings. We would raid the camp kitchen for Baco-s (perennial favourite), but we’d also toss on anything that was handy: frozen peas, hard boiled eggs, onions, bell peppers, cheese cubes, raisins, chow mein noodles, croutons, potato chips, corn chips, crushed pretzels, and anything else that held still long enough to get tossed on top. This brings me to a point…

Have you ever noticed that most things that are delicious and crunchy out-of-hand are also wonderful on salads? It’s true. It is a universal law. These Honey Chipotle Oyster Crackers are not an exception, but they are exceptional. Exceptionally habit forming, that is. Oh, Mama. Oh, Mom. Slightly sweet and slightly spicy with hints of garlic and onion, these crunchy little gems beat snack-attacks and top salads or soups with equal aplomb. Can snack crackers have aplomb you ask? These ones do.

I’ve given the recipe here today in what I think of as a baby amount. In other words, it’s in a quantity calculated to serve a family that is not as big as ours. If you’re a snacky sort (as I am) or you have a bigger family (as I do), you’re going to want to double or even triple the recipe. The crackers last for up to fourteen days in an airtight container, and if they start getting a little on the softer side, they can be recrisped in the oven. Whether you simply munch these from a bowl or pop ‘em on your salad, you’re going to be so glad you made them.

It’s Spring; It’s time to get your BIG GREEN SALAD on and top it in style! Or as Vince would say, “Stop having boring salad. Stop having a boring life!”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWRyj5cHIQA[/youtube]

Honey Chipotle Oyster Crackers | Make Ahead Mondays

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Honey Chipotle Oyster Crackers | Make Ahead Mondays

Turn boring old oyster crackers into these slightly sweet and slightly spicy, crunchy little Honey Chipotle Oyster Crackers with hints of garlic and onion that beat snack-attacks and top salads or soups with equal aplomb.

Ingredients

1 (10 ounce) bag oyster crackers
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon water
½- ¾ teaspoon chipotle powder
½ - ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
½ teaspoon granulated onion

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a rimmed 11-inch by 17-inch (or equivalent sized other pans) with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the canola oil, honey, water, chipotle powder, salt, granulated garlic and granulated onion until it is smooth and even. Add in the oyster crackers and toss gently to coat them evenly, then spread them in a single layer over the prepared pan.

Bake the crackers for 15 minutes, stirring -especially around the edges- every 5 minutes, or until the coating is dried on the crackers. Let cool completely on the pans and transfer to an airtight container. These will be good for up to 14 days.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/04/02/honey-chipotle-oyster-crackers-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com