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Salmon is one of my family’s favorite things to eat. Today I decided to marinate using Taco Tuesday and tequila. It turned out to have a fantastic flavor and the tequila was a background note that was really pleasant.

Taco Tuesday is hand blended from chili powder, domestic paprika, granulated onion, cumin, granulated garlic, Mexican oregano, brown sugar, black pepper medium, and cayenne pepper.

Serve this salmon on a bed of veggies tossed with a Tequila Lime Dressing. The whole family loved it—great summer dish!

I enjoyed a chilled glass of White Shiraz with this salad.

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

Seared Ahi Tuna is one of the most delectable dishes you can eat. It practically melts in your mouth. Of course I could eat this completely raw. If you are not a sushi fan, you can cook to your liking. I chose to use Big Easy Bourbon Molasses because of its smoky sweet heat. Hand blended with granulated blackstrap molasses, demerara sugar, orange zest, bourbon barrel smoked sea salt, garlic, onion, chipotle, paprika and bell pepper. Amazing on fish, chicken and pork!

I found this wonderful Wasabi Arugula at the farmers market. I have never heard of this variety. It tastes just like the wasabi you get at a sushi restaurant but without the heat! Fantastic.

A gremolata is the perfect accompaniment to use the Arugula in, it adds a nice texture to this dish. This version does not have any cheese typically found in this type of recipe. You can add parmesan cheese, parsley and garlic and use it to top a pasta. Delish!

I made sushi rice as a side for this meal—1 cup of short grain white rice, rinsed really well and 2 cups water. Cook per directions and then add 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt that you have mixed together. Stir and you are ready to go!

A chilled glass of Pinot Noir paired perfectly with this meal.

Wine and Spice makes everything nice!

With the warmer weather approaching, My family to eat lighter.  Big Easy Bourbon Molasses is one of our favorites so we  decided to try it on Sea A rich and deep full-bodied spice blend will add an incredible flavor to your grilled chicken, fish or pork. Your guests will beg for more when you bust out this new grilling champion. Flavorful and bold with the smoke of bourbon barrel smoked salt, a touch of bitter sweet with natural, granulated black strap molasses from New Orleans, and other flavors to give you a unique taste of Louisiana.  

As with all sugar, grill over indirect heat or watch carefully as it will burn—if done with a little patience you shall arrive at the perfectly crusted masterpiece! Hand blended with granulated molasses, demerara sugar, orange zest, hickory smoked sea salt, garlic, onion, chipotle, paprika and red bell pepper.   I am so excited, this seasoning is absolutely fabulous!!!! This is super easy to make and delightful to 

I served this with a simply dressed salad with homemade croutons seasoned with the same spice.

I enjoyed a glass of Pinot Grigio with this salad.

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

I was so excited to have my first crop of the season—Russian Red Kale!  

I decided to make a Cod seasoned with the fabulous Habanero Garlic Pepper. It adds such a dimension of flavor. Not overpowering, just a lot of zing on your tongue. The recipe instructions are for the oven, but these are also fantastic grilled—15-20 minutes, medium heat, do not turn over.

Habanero Garlic Pepper is hand blended from black pepper, garlic, habanero, orange zest, onion, chipotle and marjoram, this blend gives a bite backed up with lots of layers of flavor. Great on hamburgers, chicken and pork as well.

A nice cold Pinot Grigio went very well with this meal.

Wine & Spice makes everything nice!

We have a new partnership with Gourmet Gary’s Natural Foods.  He has the most amazing beef and seafood, sustainably raised without any hormones, antibiotics, or any GMO's.  To see Gary's introduction, chick here.

Today I used the Prawns.  They are huge, plump and sweet.  You get two, 2 lb frozen sleeves in a box.  I seasoned them with our new Louisiana Blackened Seasoning.  This is a SALT FREE mix hand blended from paprika, garlic, yellow mustard, onion, black pepper, oregano, cumin, cayenne, thyme, bay leaves and celery seed.  It has a touch of heat and is great as a traditional blackening seasoning or as a dry rub.  It has an amazing complex flavor.

I served the Blackened Prawns with a Lemon Risotto.  Amazing flavor combination!

To check out Gary's Crazy deals, click here: HTTP://WWW.GOURMETGARYS.COM?AFF=6

A light Chianti went beautifully with this dish.

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Big Easy Bourbon Molasses is truly one of my absolute favorites!  It is flavorful and bold with the smoke of bourbon barrel smoked salt, a touch of bitter sweet with natural granulated black strap molasses from New Orleans, and other flavors to give you a unique taste of Louisiana. 

Today I decided to immerse myself in the South.  I made Bourbon Molasses Shrimp, succulent and so flavorful!  I served with white cheddar cheese grits and sautéed collard/mustard greens.

Any iced cold Iced Tea is perfect with this meal.

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

Grilled or sautéed fresh pineapple is one of the most amazing things I can put into my mouth!  Add perfectly seasoned shrimp, avocado sauce and turn it into taco, it becomes a truly amazing flavor sensation!

Today I used Fabulous Fajitas.  This blend is created using cumin, Mexican oregano, sea salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic, coriander, paprika, white pepper, cinnamon, rosemary, marjoram and cardamom.  Soo great on steak, pork, chicken, seafood or just veggies.  

You can also use Easy Enchiladas or Taco Tuesday in this recipe!

I enjoyed this meal with an ice cold Tecate Beer.  Mmmmm!

Wine & Spice

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

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!

My wonderful hubby went fishing with his brother and they brought back some fantastic fresh trout! There is something so earthy and satisfying about eating what you have grown or caught. I love living where I live, it's so beautiful!

Citrus Sea Salt is made for fish! This is hand blended from sea salt, orange zest, lemon zest, coarse black pepper, lime zest, smoked Pacific sea salt and ginger root. It is fabulous on anything from fish, veggies, chicken and pork. So versatile and truly special.

This recipe could not be any simpler and can be adapted to use on any fish. Serve with herbed rice and fresh veggies.

We enjoyed an ice-cold glass of Chardonnay with this meal.

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

What is there not to love about Honey Chipotle! It has a little sweet and a little heat, I use this on just about everything. The flavor is so fantastic, natural honey marries beautifully with the smoky heat of the chipotle for a combination you can't beat on fish, chicken and veggies! Hand blended from granulated honey, sea salt, chipotle powder, granulated onion, Spanish paprika and Italian seasoning.

This salad is so refreshing and perfect for a light meal on a hot summer night. The shrimp can be grilled outside or inside in a grill pan.

A glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc paired very nicely with this salad!

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!

Fish Tacos are a staple in our menu rotation. I love to use almost any type of fish, light and healthy. This time I used a beautiful fresh Cod. It has a great firm texture and holds up really well.

I paired Fabulous Fajitas with the Cod. This blend is hand crafted from cumin, Mexican oregano, sea salt, red pepper, black pepper, garlic, coriander, paprika, white pepper, cinnamon, rosemary, marjoram, cardamom and basil. This is delicious on veggies, chicken, steak and seafood.

Serve with warmed corn tortillas and a blender salsa…  So delicioso!

A cold mug of Corona Beer tastes great with this taco!

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.

Salmon is one of my absolute favorite fish!  The Honey Chipotle seasoning is THE perfect seasoning for salmon.  It adds a sweet and spicy element that is truly out of this world!  The honey component caramelizes this fish so beautifully!  I served the salmon with a light side salad, garlic bread and lentils. This is a quick and easy meal to make that the whole family will love!

A glass of Pinot Grigio is a great complement to this dish.

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

My family loves fish! Being in a landlocked state the “fresh” fish we get are lake fish. Everything else has been frozen and lacks that “fresh from the ocean” taste. They are great but we miss a good fresh variety. I had never heard of the fish I used in this recipe until now. It is called Silver Corvina and tastes like sea bass. Granted it too was frozen but truly had the fresh taste I wanted. Delicious! This is a quick, easy and healthy meal that the family will love!

We enjoyed a glass of Pinot Grigio with this meal.

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!