Category Archives: My Homemade Pantry

Homemade Taco Seasoning

taco seasoning
Sometimes it’s the little things, like Taco Tuesday on Cinco de Mayo, that really make me happy. I had other plans for dinner Tuesday, but strolling through Whole Foods with their huge displays of nachos and salsa samples, I succumbed to the power of suggestion and picked up a few taco ingredients. One thing I didn’t pick up? Taco seasoning. I love mixing my own tweak-able, MSG-free (you’d be surprised how many ingredient lists include hidden names for MSG), version. Continue reading

Lemon Creme Fraiche Salad Dressing (and my Tough Week)

lemon salad dressing

When it comes to cooking, I’ve had a doozy of a week. For meatless Monday I made baked falafel, substituting canned beans for dried — big mistake! They were way too moist and turned into chickpea pancakes in the oven. Strike one.

On Wednesday I used my only Greek cookbook (first recipe I’ve made out of it and I’ve owned the book for years) to make a baked lamb and pasta dish that was just so very, very disappointing. The pasta got all mushy and slimy. We could barely eat it. Geoff and I spent the whole dinner talking about what went wrong with the recipe, but there’s no way I’m going to try to doctor it up and make it again.

Thursday I made the leftover lamb into sandwiches slathered with tzatziki sauce (yumm!) but as a side dish made oven fries that stuck to the baking sheet and became a huge mess. Grrr!

Then Friday night I made Geoff a happy birthday pavlova for Saturday’s supper. I love pavlovas but haven’t baked one in years. We had guests coming on Saturday, berries were looking good at the store, so it seemed like it would be a great birthday treat. I baked it up, set it on the counter but noticed it slowly sinking as it cooled… I forgot to let it crisp up in the oven for an hour! Noooo! It was a gonner. I threw together a batch of so-so mini cupcakes in the morning.

How could I have so many cooking mishaps in one week? Well, among all the barely edible bad food I churned out this week, one thing, I’m happy to say, was amazing. And yes, it’s this salad dressing. Continue reading

Easy Homemade Chicken Stock

I use boxed chicken stock all the time, but there’s no denying that homemade is both healthier and more tasty. And even if I’m somewhat reluctant to commit to making it, it’s really the easiest thing in the world. All the ingredients just get thrown in the pot and forgotten about for hours. Well, almost. The smell of it bubbling away on your stove is so alluring it’s better than any scented candle. Continue reading

On the Road: Homemade Granola Bars

Homemade Granola Bars Recipe
I’ve watched enough food documentaries to be anti fast food. But in the midst of hectic travel days, with my tummy rumbling, airport fast food places always suck me in with the promise of a quick food fix. It’s sad really. So, inspired by a few recent blog posts (which I pinned for future reference), I decided to bake a batch of nutritious, homemade granola bars for traveling.
Homemade Granola Bar Recipe Continue reading