Montreal Steak Spice (Whole 30)

Saturday was a good day. I met my friend, Steph, and we had a properly masked and social distanced day out. I really needed that. One of the last things we did is hit the ARC thrift store. I love hitting vintage and thrift stores because you never know what you are going to find. I get a lot of my vintage pyrex from thrift stores.

This time I didn’t find any pyrex but I did find a shit ton of Trivial Pursuit games. Trivial Pursuit is one of my favorite games. Most days I can barely remember my name but somehow I can remember obscure details of movies I watched 30 years ago, among other minutia of life. I haven’t played in years though because my family won’t play with me because they think I cheat. I don’t. I am just really good at trivia.

My friend, Steph, is made of sterner stuff. She said if I bought the games, she would play with me. So when we got back to my apartment, we played a game of Trivial Pursuit. We played and laughed, played and laughed some more. We played and laughed until we snorted and tears ran down our faces. It was a good day.

Montreal Steak Spice

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

From The Primal Gourmet Cookbook

2 kosher salt

2 tsp dehydrated onion flakes

2 tsp dehydrated garlic flakes

2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dill seeds

1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.  Mix well.   Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. 

Old Bay Seasoning Blend (Whole 30)

This recipe is for all my followers who reached out to me over my Primal Palate post concerned I wouldn’t be posting any more spice blend adaptions.

You don’t have to be concerned. I still have tons of seasoning blends in my to try pile that I want to adapt and try and I’ll probably find more as I look for and try new recipes.

Old Bay Seasoning Blend

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

I have been using this spice blend for so long I no long remember where I got it

1 TBS celery salt

1 TBS ground bay leaves

2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Store in a cool, dark place. Note: you will have to grind the bay leaves yourself. Use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle if you have one or the back of a spoon, if you don’t. You want the bay leaves ground as finely as possible.

Castaway Seed Blend (Whole 30)

Yesterday was a good day. It was filled with small acts of kindness, a three hour long nap and best of all, a long, properly social distanced, visit from my dear friend, ess. We haven’t seen each other in over 2 months. We very seldom go more than a week without seeing each other. I didn’t realize exactly how starved I was for in person human contact until she showed up.

Ess brought me three dozen fresh from the chicken eggs. They are so pretty and I can’t wait to start using them. What a nice surprise. Ess is one of the few people in my life that gets my “cooking thing” as my family calls it.

The first thing on my agenda was to get ess some time with my cockatiel, Squeak. Ess loves Squeak and I think Squeak loves her right back. He puts up with ess doing things to him he doesn’t even put up with from me. I know of all my animals, Squeak is her favorite. Don’t worry, ess, I won’t tell.

I think Squeak has missed ess as much as I have. None of my birds like to be held much or sit with me for long. We interact with each other in different ways. However, when I brought Squeak out and handed him to ess, Squeak went to her shoulder and sat there the entire time we waited for our dinner to be delivered.

Then we sat out by the picnic table and ate and talked and ate and talked and then talked some more. It felt normal and that hasn’t happened in a long time.

Castaway Seed Blend

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

From The Made Whole Made Simple Cookbook

2 TBS cumin seeds

2 TBS garlic powder

2 TBS ground mustard powder

2 TBS white peppercorns

1 TBS onion powder

1 TBS sesame seeds

1 tsp dried minced lemon peel

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Combine the spices in the skillet and toast until the seeds begin to sizzle and pop and the sesame seeds smell toasted, about 5 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.

Immediately transfer seed blend to a spice grinder; let cool for a few minutes then grind to a fine powder. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Cajun Spice Blend (Whole 30)

This week I struggled with everything, even things I love. Physically, I am not sleeping, for the first time in years, my allergies are killing me. I am not hungry so I am not eating regularly and when I do eat its junk food, a lot of junk food. I don’t feel good. None of these things is helping me be in a good place mentally to deal with all the crazy going on in th world right now.

So I have decided to start a Whole 30 on May 15. The program’s structure will get me back into cooking and eating 3 good for me meals a day. I know from past rounds that my allergies and sleep will improve as I move through the 30 days. These things will help me feel better and when I feel better my mental outlook will be better.

Guys, I have another spice blend for you. Make it tonight because you are going to need it for tomorrow’s air fryer recipe

Cajun Spice Blend

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Adapted From Air Fryer Revolution

1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

1 1/2 tsp dried onion flakes

1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all the spices in a clean spice grinder. Process into a moderately fine powder. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to two months.

Sunrise Spice Blend (Whole 30)

WHOSE FREAKING IDEA WAS IT TO HAVE OUR FIRST BLIZZARD IN OCTOBER???!!!

Sunrise Spice (Whole 30)

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Adapted From The Well Fed 2 Cookbook

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground marjoram

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground all spice

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. This recipes makes enough spice to flavor 1/2 pound of meat and a ton of vegetables. I also use some of the spice blend sprinkled over my eggs and vegetables.