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Cajun food has such a wonderful kick of flavor! We have updated our basic Chicken Marsala recipe using Kenny's East Texas Cajun seasoning to give it the wonderful flavors of the Cajun/Creole cuisine. It is great fun to play with different spices and try something new and exciting!  A family favorite with amazing flavors!

We hope that you enjoy this too!

A hearty glass of Shiraz pairs beautifully with this dish!

Sunday sauce (or gravy as some call it) is a long standing Italian-American tradition. In Italy many years ago, very poor Italian women made their sauce mostly with tomatoes and vegetables and if they were very lucky pork. After immigrating to America most found that meat here was so much less expensive, and the addition of beef to the sauce became a symbol of prosperity! 

Italian Mama’s and Nona’s put the sauce on first thing in the morning and it puttered all day while the rest of the family chatted and caught up. Each family adds a little something unique to their sauce so really no two family recipes would be the same.

I used Evening in Tuscany because the delicate blend of garlic, Kosher salt, Mediterranean oregano, basil, crushed red pepper, black pepper, rosemary, onion and parleys perfect for a Sunday Sauce!

There are many varieties of pasta available to us today. Spaghetti is traditionally used, but any shape you like will work.

Today, most families are too busy to be cooking all day! This is a quicker version of a Sunday Sauce. Though tradition has it that it only gets richer the longer it simmers.

Mangia! Mangia! (eat, eat!)

I was in a hurry for a quick dinner tonight and wanted chicken. I also had some fresh mozzarella that I needed to use. I decided to bake the chicken with Johnny Pizza and then top with the mozzarella. The result was a wonderful tasting chicken, moist and very flavorful.

Johnny Pizza is another spice blend that is extremely versatile. It is hand blended with Mediterranean oregano, basil, garlic, onion, thyme, fennel seed, red bell pepper, crushed red pepper, parsley and marjoram. It is great to sprinkle on a pre-made pizza, fantastic in a sauce, or my personal favorite—bake it into a homemade crust! So good!

I served it with Italian Baked Rice. Another super simple recipe!

A glass of Chianti was delightful with these dishes.

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

Johnny Pizza is another spice blend that is extremely versatile. It is hand blended with Mediterranean oregano, basil, garlic, onion, thyme, fennel seed, red bell pepper, crushed red pepper, parsley and marjoram. It is great to sprinkle on a pre-made pizza, fantastic in a sauce, or my personal favorite—bake it into a homemade pizza crust. So good!

Today I decided to make an Italian Baked Rice. Added lots of veggies, this is so easy and very flavorful. I served this with a Baked Chicken also seasoned with Johnny Pizza and finished with some fresh mozzarella cheese.

A glass of Chianti was delightful with this meal.

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

I had an abundance of end of the season tomatoes and needed to use them.  

I adore a Roasted Tomato Marinara and decided to make it with Chicken Parmesan and using South Lyon's Own Spaghetti Sauce blend. This is hand blended using minced onion, Mediterranean oregano, red pepper flakes, sweet basil, garlic flakes, parsley flakes and sea salt. Fantastic mediterranean flavor and great in any Italian dish.

A great Tip: 

When roasting veggies use a tomato to cup the garlic. This actually prevents the garlic from burning and as a bonus really infuses the tomatoes with flavor.

A glass of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is perfect with this dish.

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

My family loves spaghetti and meatballs. So today I am making ground turkey baked meatballs with a roasted tomato marinara sauce. Roasting the veggies for the marinara produces a richness that is fantastic. I used Buon Appetito for this because it has the perfect Italian flavor in both the meatballs and the sauce. Buon Appetito is hand blended with Greek oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary and sage.

Baking the meatballs produces a caramelized crust and juicy meatballs. I used a mini-muffin tin to cook my meatballs. Perfect tool for this job! This dish is sure to become a family favorite.

A glass of Italian Chianti is perfect with this dish!

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

Eating healthier in the new year! Trying some new things to lighten up some of our favorite dishes. Cauliflower is surprisingly similar in texture to rice and can be substituted for this usually high carb side. Today I made a “risotto” by pulsing the cauliflower in food processor, then sauteéing and adding mushrooms, chicken broth and parmesan/romano cheese. Very flavorful and satisfying. Even my uber-picky hubby loved it.

I used one of my absolute favorite spice blends—An Evening in Tuscany. This amazingly flavorful blend is hand blended from garlic, Kosher salt, Mediterranean oregano, basil, crushed red pepper, black pepper, rosemary, onion and parsley. Fantastic on just about anything.

I paired this wonderful risotto with some easy baked jumbo shrimp—low calorie and waist friendly.

Hope you enjoy!

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

It is always fun to recreate a favorite dish with a different flavor profile. I decided to play around with Shrimp Scampi. Lemon, garlic, butter and wine—what is not to love! I replaced the lemon with Orange Zest and the wine with an orange liqueur. You can use any good quality orange liqueur like Dry Orange Curaçao or Grand Marnier. The sauce this creates is luscious, glistening and so pretty! Using dried Orange Zest adds a richer, more concentrated flavor over fresh zest.

As with most shrimp entrees you will want to purchase the larger shrimp. They will have a “meatier” texture than the smaller shrimp. A trick that I recently learned is to “dust” the shrimp with baking soda which plumps them up and makes them more tender.

I served the shrimp with pasta tossed in a little butter and parmesan cheese.

A glass of Pinot Noir went very well with this dish.

Enjoy!

Wine and Spice Makes Everything nice!

I adore the cooler weather and making soups from scratch! It is so healthy and fresh! I have been playing around with different spices and found that Johnny Pizza is amazing not only in soup, but for all my Italian dishes. The crushed red pepper adds just a little heat and the mix of Mediterranean oregano, basil, garlic, onion, thyme, fennel seed, red bell pepper, parsley and marjoram is an wonderful combination!

I served this soup with crostini.

A glass of Chianti pairs so well with this meal.

Buon appetito!

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

It is wet and cold outside and I was in the mood to have something special. This Tuscan Pasta Pescatore is super simple and quick to make. An Evening in Tuscany is my absolute favorite Milford Spice Company blend—absolutely gorgeous!

I used a frozen seafood mix containing shrimp, scallops and calamari. You can also add clams or mussels towards the end of cooking and it is done when the shells have opened.

A simple Gremolata tops this dish and really brings all the fresh flavors together.

Some crusty bread is all you need to serve this with.

We enjoyed a glass of Chianti with this meal.

Hope you enjoy!!

Wine and Spice Makes Everything nice!

Click on recipe title to see full recipe.