Tajin Classico Seasoning

There is a Latin Food Market here in E-town called Paraiso Tropical. It offers a nice modest selection of groceries, candies, drinks, snacks, hot food, and cookware of Latin America. I bought this Tajin seasoning. It is a blend of chili peppers, sea salt and dehydrated lime juice. Very mild however great for seasoning just about anything. Veggies... possibly fruit, meat, tofu, dips, and popcorn. They do offer a low sodium version however I didn't see any on the shelf. Regardless, I am sure a light hand for those that are watching their sodium intake will do. To me it didn't taste outrageously salty. Just spicy, sweet with a hint of zesty tang.    

Tajin does have a website, click *here* and so does Paraiso Tropical, click *here*. Both websites have loads of information for you to check out. 

A few days of warm sunshine only to have a snowy wet and very windy Wednesday. - JD 

Chicory Root

A new shop opened in E-town - The Silk Road Spice Merchant. And of course I had to pop in to see what they were all about. The minute you walk into the shop your nose... and senses are in spice heaven overload. They have just about every spice imaginable and the staff are friendly. I bought Chicory Root to add to coffee. The smell faintly reminded me of Camp coffee. Not surprised seeing how Camp coffee is mostly chicory. On the side of the bottle was a suggested recipe for an authentic New Orleans coffee. It states to use 2/3 coffee and 1/3 chicory. I made as recommended and the coffee tasted richer with a slight malted flavour. Not a true Camp coffee taste however pretty close. I was thinking you could add just a touch of cinnamon however it wouldn't be New Orleans coffee anymore. Of course you can play around with the amounts to have a preferred taste.  

The chicory resembles instant coffee crystals and when blended with ground coffee it virtually goes undetected. It has a slight roasted malted caramel aroma. I also bought a Chai Spice blend for the shortbread I will be making.  

- JW  

Supermarket Finds

My father-in-law must have been psychic because look what I found at the local shop... So Juicy! He will be pleased, my son will be pleased.     

Four O'Clock tea - Cucumber Mint Green tea sounded refreshing and soothing. Also I thought it would make a nice iced tea and a lovely iced tea with gin. It did.

I have been battling a wicked cold since the weekend. Chili Con Carne and Cornbread is what I am making for dinner tonight. Hoping that something as comforting and spicy as chili will help. Hope everyone had a good weekend. - JW   

Sumac, Mixed Spice, Edible Flowers and So Juicy

The label on the side said new and that is all I needed to buy this jar of Sumac at Marks & Spencer. Not really sure what to use this spice for or with had me pondering my way through the rest of the aisles and the rest of my trip. Until I came home and placed it on the spice shelf in the pantry and pondered some more... well... I actually forgot about it until now. I searched a few cookbooks however none mention this particular spice. Turning my search to the internet proved positive. As I found out that it is used in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a lemony flavour to salads or meats. It can also be used as a garnish on hummus. 

Since I was down to the last little bit of Mixed Spice I decided to pick up a replacement at Marks & Spencer. Considerably larger than the one I already have, I was pleased to find a bigger size. I do use it quite a bit in baking. It just adds that bit of comfort. 

Edible flowers from Scotland. This reminded me of Herbs de Provence, although it has more flowers and some what less herbs. With 45% of ingredients being Flowers such as safflower, cornflower, and purple heather; 30% being Herbs such as thyme, bay, ransom, rosemary, basil, marjoram, oregano, parley, and tarragon; 12% being Fruits such as juniper berries, and rosehip and 7% being Spices such as black pepper, all spice and salt (6%). Still I could not pass this small 10g bottle up and look forward to using some when I cook or bake.  

So Juicy! My father-in-law was not going to have me leave England without bringing a packet of this back. He easily baked us up some chicken using this bake the chicken in the  bag provided seasoning mix. It was tasty and the chicken was so tender. It is like what North Americans call Shake'n'Bake however there is no shaking just massaging the raw chicken with seasonings and cooking it in the oven proof bag.  I was very happy my father-in-law was so insist! 

Funny story. I used the packet of Garlic Chicken, So Juicy one night for dinner. Not telling the kidlets what I had used or more importantly the name, So Juicy. When I served the cooked chicken soon after his first bite my son exclaimed "This chicken is so juicy!" So... juicy...! I laughed and he got all concerned and had this why are you laughing look on his face. When I stopped laughing I told him the name of the product and he laughed too. Actually we all had a good laugh around the dinner table that night. 

- JW      

Maple Bacon Seasoning

This seasoning was one that came as a suggestion from a friend. The smell is smoky with just a distinct touch of sweetness. Inhaling the aroma for the first time my senses tingled reminiscent of a good curry. Fenugreek is used to flavour some maple syrups and is also used in Indian cooking. So my thoughts reminding me of Asian food was not far off.

I went on a bit of a hunt for this seasoning and found it only at two places. Save On More and Walmart here in E-town. I first sprinkled it on popcorn. Very savoury and a bit salty. So I added a bit of white cheddar popcorn seasoning to tame the saltiness. It was quite flavourful popcorn.  

My second attempt with the Maple Bacon seasoning had me adding some to the chicken burgers I made over the weekend. I did not add an exact amount. Shaking enough into the raw meat until I felt I had the right amount of seasoning. As the burgers cooked the smell throughout the house was wonderful. As you can probably guess from the picture, they tasted very delicious!   

  

Herbes de Provence

And here is the infamous Herbes de Provence that seasoned the roast beef on Wednesday night. Silly, but I just had to open the jar and have a good smell before writing this post. Truly this makes me forget about the weather outside! - JW 

Mixed Seasons

I luv going to Winners mostly to check out their food hall/cookery sections. You can find all sorts of things you need and don't need. I really couldn't say no to this bottle of spice. It is so versatile. I shake it on my popcorn, add it to my guacamole and dips... you can even season chicken and fish with it. Sprinkle it on potatoes whether it be baked or mashed. There is a real sense of fresh tanginess followed by a bit of heat with this mix spice. Makes me dream of summer days... sipping refreshing beverages, lounging in the sun, the gentle summer breeze, the smell of a BBQ, the endless summer sky and the late summer nights... I guess anything goes when paprika, lemon and lime are involved. It's all on how you use it!

What is your favourite seasoning combination? - jw

Paprika

When I see the word paprika two things pop into mind: deviled eggs and Hungary. I have got my spice on for Spanish Smoked Paprika. I have been using it quite a bit with my cooking. Although there is a spicy and *very spicy* I was only able to find mild. Because of that I tend to use a heavy hand when dishing out this spice.

Paprika is made from ground dried bell peppers or chili peppers. And is used to colour or flavour any dish. This mighty spice is produced in many countries such as Hungary, Serbia, Spain and America. Hungary being the major source. In North America paprika is mostly used to garnish. Whereas in Europe it it mostly used to season sausages, goulash, rice dishes, stews and soups. The latter is exactly how I like to use paprika. I have read that if you gently heat paprika in oil it brings out the flavour. The Netherlands is another major producer and distributor of paprika. The peppers used to make paprika are high in Vitamin C. Paprika retains so much Vitamin C it contains more Vitamin C, by weight, than lemon juice. High in Vitamin C and antioxidants. No wonder I use it whenever I can.

What is your spice? - jw

© photo by Jacqueline Williams