Homemade Seasoning Salt

Are you ready for some good ingredients?  Ingredients at Their Best?  My Favorite and My Best as Charlie and Lola would say...in the cutest English accent.

I wanted to post a recipe that has been a part of my kitchen for awhile now, it is actually a copy-cat recipe of another popular Seasoned Salt. It is "Tastefully" and "Simple" to make. Yes- it is a mock Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt recipe! Everyone loves a good copy to something great. This is just that. I actually like this one better than the one I used to buy at $8.99 a bottle.  Many have added sugar, MSG and cheap starchy fillers. I don't think that T.S. did, but many do, especially spice blends and mixed spices with salt.  All I know is that I don't need to waste my money on that anymore.   I always double, triple or quad this recipe at a time.  *If you are salt sensitive, leave out the salt for your own version of a great all-purpose mock up of Mrs. Dash.

Hint hint, you may need a seasoned salt for future recipes! 

My Favorite and My Best- Homemade Seasoned Salt

Print recipe here

10 TB Medium to Coarse ground sea salt (Celtic Sea Salt is the best!)
4 TB dried parsley flakes
5 tsp Hungarian Sweet paprika
1 tsp dried Thyme
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dill (weed or seed is fine)

1.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined or put all ingredients into a blender/ food processor & blend until all combined.

2.  Place seasoned salt in a jar, Parmesan cheese shaker or Tupperware type container and use often!

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Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  I found this on a blog a long long time ago, I tried to find it in my bookmarks and emails (to myself!)  but could not locate.  It has been rearranged to my liking anyways, but I did search for the owner of this...

Pumpkin Pound Cake with Butterscotch Ganache

This is my first time joining in to bake with The Cake Slice Bakers!  Unveiling today is the new book we will be baking along with for the next 12 months, Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.  Starting with Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake.  I love the simple excuse I got to make to go to Barnes and Noble to look for this.  I paged through it and decided it was worth the purchase, oh darn! 
My chocolate chips called in and used a vacation day, butterscotch will be the kitchen temp for this cake- to be made into a ganache (pronounced guh-nosh).  Ganache sounds fancy, you can add to any cake recipe, making it sound like you slaved away in the kitchen.  It is actually much easier than making frosting or making the cake itself!  Give it a try if you have never made it, make sure to throw the word around to feel impressive.  I want to include the original recipe for anyone wanting to just dump in a cup of chocolate chips and call it a day.  Which would also be a very good choice. 

Pumpkin Pound Cake with Butterscotch Ganache
Print recipe here

1 3/4 C all purpose flour, unbromated and unbleached
1 TB golden flaxseed, ground (optional)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Vietnamese Cinnamon
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 C canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 C heavy cream
1 C walnut, coarse chopped

Butterscotch Ganache

1 C butterscotch chips

1 T unsalted butter, softened

1/3 heavy cream

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the inside of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the walnuts on the bottom of the pan and set aside.

2. Combine the flour, ground flax, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl.

3. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.

4. With the mixer on medium low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Stir in the heavy cream.

5. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turn over onto your serving plate so that the walnut crust is on top and let cool.

7. Make ganache while the cake is cooling.

          a.  Place butterscotch chip and butter in small mixing bowl.

          b.  Heat cream in small sauce pan until a boil.

          c.  Pour over butterscotch and let sit 3 minutes, whisk until smooth and let cool to thicken to your desire and pour over cake or individual pieces.

8. Store uneaten cake at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic for up to 1 week.

We however, could not let it cool.  We poured the hot sauce over the hot cake and ate it as a bedtime snack.  This had the 3 necessary senses to make good food.  Flavor, color and smell of October in a piece of cake.

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Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:

and     

Maple Apple Pecan Bread

Top 5 reasons you will "Fall" in love with this Fall bread today:

5.  This is a bread that is so rustic and beautiful.  Slices and behaves very well.

4.  Apples in October are in natural abundance, so I know your fridge is packed with local orchard apples right now.

3.  Maple.  That is all.

2.  It makes your whole house smell better than anything in the entire world.  Open the windows to make all your neighbors jealous.  (Oh Yeah!  Neighbors...that smell is coming from my house!)  I left shortly after baking this loaf and smelled it when I turned back into the block.  Pure heaven!

1.  So yummy, so healthy, so Fall. 

Maple Apple Pecan Bread
Print recipe here

1 C + 3 TB white whole wheat flour
3/4 C white flour, unbromated and unbleached
2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 tsp aluminum free baking soda
1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
1 tsp ground Vietnamese Cinnamon- KT#4
generous pinch ground nutmeg
3/4 C 100% pure Maple syrup
2/3 C cultured sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/3 C unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 C grated apples
1/2 C coarsely chopped apples
1 TB golden flax seeds, ground or whole
1/2 C pecans, chopped

Topping
1/4 C pecans, chopped
2 TB Turbinado or Sugar in the Raw
1/2 tsp Vietnamese Cinnamon- KT#4
small pinch nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×5×3-inch loaf pan. Grate up your apples.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Make a well.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream or yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract.

4.  Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients well. Add the grated apples, chopped apples, flax seeds and chopped pecans. Combine just until mixed.

5. Scoop batter into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with Topping mixture.

6. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

7. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack to cool before cutting to enjoy.

 
Lastly, smother with pasture butter and sink into a bliss.

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Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from: Cooking for Seven

Baked Tortellini

I love homemade.  Everything homemade is ideal.  Who lives in a perfect ideal?  Who would want to?  Perfect ideal would be boring.  But sometimes dinner suffers somewhere in there.  Using these high quality, prepackaged and fresh ingredients make this a great alternative to making homemade tortellini on the fly.
I don't know if I will ever have enough time to make homemade tortellini!  I'm willing to admit that is something I will never make from scratch.  I will accept defeat for that, but who knows!  So maybe there should not be a white flag waving just yet.
This is an easy, healthy, delicious weeknight meal.  This comes together fast all in one dish.   Perfect for those busy nights in the middle of the week like tonight!

Spread. Layer. Sprinkle. Repeat. Eat!

Baked Tortellini
Print recipe here

2 - 20 oz. bags fresh or frozen tortellini

2 jars your favorite organic Tomato Basil pasta sauce (like Muir Glen or Newman's)

1 - 5 oz. package fresh spinach*

10 - pieces frozen breaded chicken tenders

1/2 C Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 C Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 3 Qt casserole or glass dish with olive oil.
2. Spread 1 1/2 C pasta sauce (half of a jar) on bottom of the dish, lay 1/2 of spinach* down and pour 1 bag of tortellini.  Note: You can always sub for stuffed shells and ravioli too.

3. Spread 1 1/2 C pasta sauce, rest of spinach*, last bag of tortellini and another 1 1/2 C pasta sauce.

4. Place chicken tenders over top, sprinkle with Parmesan, pour last of pasta sauce over chicken and Parmesan.

5. Layer Mozzarella cheese, sprinkle Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.

5. Bake for 45-60 minutes until cheese has turned golden and bubbly.

* Kitchen Technique #5- Spinach cooks down much more than you think it will. Even though it looks like a lot piled high now, it will not be when you take it out of the oven.

You know it is a winner when you hear "More please!"  Dish up, this dinner is loaded with protein, calcium, lutein, lycopene, Vitamin A & C, folic acid, omega 3's and much more.

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Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from: Me! Natasha @ Saved by the Egg Timer.