Homemade Seasoning Salt

The salt reduction struggle is real at 18082. Both E and I have high blood pressure so any chance I get to lower or eliminate sodium in our diet I take it. A couple of years ago E had a scare that sent him to the hospital.  Seven days and one surgery later, I knew I was going to make some drastic food changes to our diet.


I started with purchasing those salt free seasonings. At the time the selection was limited and they were running about $3.00 for a 2.4 ounce container. I cook nearly everyday there is no way I could afford that on an ongoing basis; plus we like curry spices, garam masala, BBQ seasonings, etc and I just couldn't find low or no sodium versions of the seasonings we liked.

So I started experimenting with my own. I started with a taco/chili seasoning, moved on to a tandoori mix and now a seasoning salt mix. Homemade mixes use better ingredients and waaaaaaaay less sodium than the store purchased brands. You can adjust the spices to your liking and you will definitely taste the difference.




Homemade Seasoning Salt
Adapted from http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/search?q=seasoning+salt&x=0&y=0


What you need: 

• 3/4 cups chili powder
• 1/2 cup each

ground black pepper
onion powder

• 1/4 cup each

garlic powder
paprika
salt
dried parsley
cayenne pepper
allspice
ground cumin
celery seed

• 1 heaping Tbs turmeric

What to do:

• Mix all of the spices together in a medium bowl until well combined
• Store in an airtight container

Oatmeal Cream Sandwiches

Do ya'll know how much I love Pinterest? Seriously I could spend hours upon hours pinning stuff. I've decorated my entire house, filled my closet with shoes and clothes and hats and every accessory imaginable...all on my Boards! LOL


Two of my most favorite boards are 'Recipes to Try' and 'Pinterest Recipes I've Tried.' Recipes to Try is slowly getting out of control so I am on a mission to make what's already there before I add anymore. 


I couldn't wait to make these delicious cream filled cookies!

The only thing I changed about this recipe was adding chopped pecans to the batter for the last batch. The cookie alone was soft and chewy and could totally stand on its own. These will most definitely be among the rotation at 18082!


Oatmeal Cream Sandwiches
http://www.burning-down-the-house.com/2011/09/01/oatmeal-cream-pies/


What you need:



For the cookies

• ¾ cup dark brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups quick cooking oats

For the marshmallow frosting

• 2 egg whites
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla

What to do:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cover baking sheets with parchment paper. Set the baking sheets aside.
• In a medium bowl cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and honey and beat until the ingredients are incorporated.
• In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Stir in the oats until evenly distributed. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• Remove the bowl from the fridge and place 1 Tbsp of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. 
• Bake the cookies 10-12 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. The cookies will be soft but will firm up a bit as they cool. Let cookies cool completely before spreading with marshmallow cream.

While the cookies are cooling, prepare the marshmallow cream. 

• In a double boiler (or using a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water) combine the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. 
• Whisk the mixture frequently until it is very frothy.
• Place the mixture into a clean bowl.  Whisk on high speed until the egg mixture holds stiff peaks and is a light texture (several minutes). 
• Carefully fold the vanilla into the egg whites mixture. 
• Add the frosting to the underside of one cookie and assemble.

Last Night's Dinner

Broiled Jerk Catfish, Sauteed Squash Mix w/parmesan Have a lovely day!