Seasonings for the Win

Mindy here and guess what hubby found at the grocery store last week?

I could tell by the look in his eyes when I rounded the corner that these were going into the cart.

They did and we could hardly wait to give them a try. You know what? They were pretty good. Of course, we’re used to cheese flavor on chips, and it was definitely there, but you could taste a hint of heat from the jalapenos and then it ended with a slight bacon flavor. I wouldn’t want them all the time, but I’d still give them a thumbs-up.

Here at the café, we love flavor and seasonings, yet our choices will change with our regions. In Texas, we tend to add a little more heat, while Ruthy the Yank keeps things tasty without anything chipotle or jalapeno.

So needless to say, when I was at the grocery one day and saw the McCormick Grill Mates seasonings on sale for a dollar, I was ready to try something new.

 

As soon as I got home, I popped the tops off of those babies and took a whiff.

Yep, each smelled just like their name, although I’m not a hundred percent certain what bourbon smells like.

When it came time to fix dinner, we were off to the races. Grilled pork chops with the Bacon Chipotle seasoning received high marks from my guys. Both the Smokehouse Maple and the Brown Sugar Bourbon were tasty on grilled chicken thighs, though the Smokehouse Maple had a slightly stronger flavor.

In the end, they were all good enough that I picked up another jar of each one on my next trip to the market. I mean, how can you go wrong with bacon flavor?

Things are still creeping along with renovations at the big house. Last week was filled with exciting things like digging out and replacing a bad sewer pipe and finalizing the last bit of electrical. However, there was one change I could see.

Our new front door was finally installed.

 

Now all it needs is some paint.

This week, sheetrock will be delivered and it looks like the new back doors might be installed. Assuming they arrive on time.

 Whatever the case, I'll just keep enjoying the sunsets.

Now it’s your turn. Are you adventurous when it comes to seasonings or do you tend take a more conservative approach? What are some of your favorites?

Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband and the last of her five children. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com 

Life Change = Pork Tenderloin Change

Greetings from the ranch!

Phase one of our big move is finally complete. For the most part anyway. We're still waiting on internet, which has us relying on our phones. At least until we completely lost service. 

Can you imagine? No internet, no email, no text, no phone...

Fortunately it only lasted for a day.

Yes, it's been an adjustment, but we've been so busy that you kind of don't notice. In the last two weeks I think we've only stopped long enough to eat or sleep. Because before things were totally put away at the camphouse, it was time to begin work on the big house.

Here's a glimpse of our demo projects.

Bye-bye dark wainscoting and parquet wood floor.

 And where a brick wall once made a courtyard, we now have a view.

I tell ya, you give a couple of strapping young lads some sledgehammers and it's amazing what they can do.

But all that hard work makes for some hungry workers, which means one of the workers--okay, supervisors--has to pause to fix dinner.

On this night, I was craving grilled pork tenderloin. But I wanted something different. And what better way to do that than to play with some spices.

Cumin sounded good, so that was my starting point.

Here's what I came up with.

3/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

Mix that all together.

***Note: A pork tenderloin package has two pieces of meat. Since I was experimenting, I seasoned one piece with my usual salt/pepper/garlic/paprika blend, then put the cumin mixture on the other. So if you're coating both pieces of meat, double the amounts above.***

Now just sprinkle the seasoning over the meat and give it a nice rub.

The one in front has the cumin blend.

Place seasoned meat on a heated grill.

  And cook until internal temperature reaches between 145 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

The verdict?

The new seasoning was a hit. Everyone loved it. Tender, juicy, flavorful meat.

Yum!

And if you're watching your fat, pork tenderloin is as lean as grilled chicken breast, so it's a win-win.

So...there has been one other thing keeping us busy.

 You've heard of a two-dog night. Well, this was a four-snake weekend that started with this non-venomous fella slithering across the camphouse porch.

Luckily our snake-loving son was there to save the day.

Isn't he dressed appropriately?

But I'll consider it all trade off, so long as I get to hang out here.

Now it's your turn. Do you like to play with spices? What are some of your favorites?

Mindy Obenhaus lives in Texas with her husband and the last of her five children. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com 

What's in Your Dining Room? A Pinterest Adventure

When I promised ManO we would eat in the dining room more often, I didn't realize the ripple effect it would have on my meals, our conversation, and most especially the decor!  One month and I figured we'd be tired of it and I'd get to turn the room I never used into my dream library.

But a funny thing happened. We liked talking to each other and guests without the distraction of the television or dirty dishes (I'm a use all the dishes, spread the mess around kinda cook). There's a reason restaurants are so popular! No television unless we're in a pub and then ManO sneaks looks at the scores. No dirty dishes. Except we have "seat them by the kitchen" faces. We did an informal study once and realized 90-99% of the time, that's where the host leads us unless we say ASAP, "we want to be FAR, FAR, FAR away from the kitchen." I keep hoping it's because that's where a lot of restaurants seat families with children and we look like we're young parents or, at the very least, tolerant grandparent types.

So why didn't we eat in the dining room before now?  It's simple.We'd started referring to it as
"the museum." The dining room was the last decluttering domain, a reminder of times and people past. Last year, we still couldn't bring ourselves to go through all the formal  stuff we'd inherited.

But after our challenging 2014, 2015 needed to start fresh!  This month's experiment proved we liked eating in the dining room. We just needed to make it our own, keep a few valued heirlooms and antiques then mix them with our favorite things. ManO wanted to keep our newlywed furniture (he's sentimental and it's solid wood) but he wouldn't let me paint that maple no matter what Pinterest said!

My $50 budget also kept me under control because Pinterest can tempt you to do things you never thought you'd do.  We wanted an Ameri-Parisien feel to the room. Plenty of ideas on the boards. Faux French linen placemats were a much less expensive touch than the real thing. 

I had a huge grill-front tavern plate rack of my mom's above my buffet. I wish I had a picture. My sisters and I've called it the "pigeon coop" since we were little, if that gives you an idea. It overwhelmed and darkened the room.  Off the wall it went. Wow, a more serene space already.

My favorite antique from my childhood bedroom is the four drawer apothecary chest.

 

I'd spent $17 on four placemats and $20 on wall paint/patch supplies so my personalized art pieces had to be cheap.

 A frame borrowed from another part of the house and an 8x10 print for $3.99 added another dash of  Paris.  ManO looks quite, um, dashing on this bridge over the Seine.

Pinterest helped again when I looked for ways to update our decor.  I love the sign trend out now but that's what it is, a trend. So I went shopping in my house for another frame. I thought about my favorite quotes en Francais and consulted Belle Calhoune  who loves all things French. She also has ten years of French lessons to my seven.

The French have such beautiful words like etoile for star and amour for love. What to choose? But the beauty of making my own "quote art" is I can switch it out. For now I settled on a Matisse quote reflecting my philosophy of life, "There are always flowers for those who wish to see them." It's about finding beauty in the world (see Jan Drexler's Monday post, ) and gratitude in the dark times.

I hope Monet forgives me for using a Matisse quote overlaying a picture we took in his garden. 

By this point my library idea was toast. But no Paris apartment would be without books. Out when all the things that made the hutch look like my grandma's and in came my favorite books and pottery collection.

Best Pinterest book/bookshelf styling tip: No need to buy books by the yard. Use books that you have and love. My flower arranging, spiritual writing and reading, and our travel books look great together without the dust jackets. Bonus, they lighten up the brown hutch I wasn't allowed to paint!

Not everyone can or wants to have a Paris inspired dining room but I leave you with one of the most wonderful spice blends from Penzeys Spices,  Sunny Paris. Such a wonderful blend of purple shallots, chives, green peppercorns, tarragon, and more. I use it on plain chicken and fish to dress it up, in salad dressing, over asparagus and in breakfast dishes. Yummy and so easy to use!

So, if you could have a dining room anywhere in the world, where would it be?  Are you decluttering this winter? Do you have a favorite spice that makes you think of far away lands? PS. Have you visited the Yankee Belle folks' boards on Pinterest? Such fun.