One of our family mantras we’ve embraced for years now is the simple mindset of “dammit, we can do that”.
The first time I personally uttered that phrase was back in 2003 as we shopped around for barns to board our daughter’s first horse back then. That critter was entirely her project – from purchase to boarding to ongoing maintenance (if you’ve never been involved with horses, the ongoing costs are never-ending and impressively varied) – though that animal led us down a path none of us expected at the time.
The “dammit, we can do that” approach to that particular challenge led to buying a horse farm and show operation the next year, which we managed top to bottom as a family, and used as a learning lab for a plethora of life lessons, including teaching both of our then early teenage kids how to run a business.
The “dammit, we can do that” mantra works wonders in the kitchen too.
With a bit of research, creativity, and a modicum of skills there a host of great recipes and techniques available to the home cook these days; making home spices mixes with great ingredients is a prime example.
We love spicy, full-flavored foods around our camp, and have taken of late to buying organic, fresh as possible spices at our favorite local grocer, using them in various dishes as called for, and mixing up our own classic spices mixes as well.
This Easy Peasy Italian Seasoning is one that we find ourselves reaching for more and more often this fall; if you can measure and stir with a spoon, you can put this one together in minutes, and it’s a wonderful spice mix to have on hand for a host of recipes.
The Grilled Diablo Chicken Margherita from a few weeks back is a prime example of a dish where this spice mix shines; we’ve thrown it on chicken and pork headed for the grill all fall, and my wife thinks it works on grilled shrimp too.
I’ve very intentionally left the volume of the recipe up to you – I’m making a giant batch for gift giving this holiday season, though when I’m throwing together a quick recipe of this one at home, I typically use 1 part equal to 1 teaspoon using the following ratio.
(And note, while many commercial Italian spice mixes will have salt added, I’ve left it out so you can better control how much salt you’d like to add when cooking. Want salt in your mix? By damn, put it in.)
6 parts dried basil
6 parts dried oregano
6 parts dried parsley
3 parts crushed red pepper flakes
3 parts rosemary
3 parts thyme
2 parts marjoram
1 part granulated garlic
Combine the dried spices in a small bowl and mix well. Store in an airtight container or bag in a dark cabinet or the pantry.
Enjoy.
