My Everyday Curry Spice Blend

When I say this is my everyday curry spice blend, I don’t mean the one I use regularly, I mean I use it just about EVERYDAY. In soup mostly because I make soup for lunch everyday. And you know what? I still get excited to eat my curried soup everyday so I know I am doing something right.

I have been making a version of this curry spice over the years but have added more and more spices to the mix. Sometimes I might even add a few more but these are the ones that always make the cut and that I pretty much buy in large quantity bulk. (Especially cumin. I buy in a pound container just about every 2 months) The only missing spice that I usually put in here is fenugreek but for some reason the two places that sell bulk spices are not carrying it currently so I don’t have it.

Anyway, this is my blend. I Iove it and you probably will too because it is good! And yeah, it makes a good cup or so of spice but that is not a lot when you use it everyday and use like 2 tablespoons at a time.

I really really like my spices.

Now to the everyday curry spice!

The stuff. Cumin, ginger, turmeric, oregano, peppercorns, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, brown mustard seeds, cayenne powder, paprika, and cinnamon.

Basically take any of the whole spices and blend them up into powder or as close to powder as you like. I actually like some whole seeds and such in my powders because a whole peppercorn or fennel seed once in a while is pretty tasty.

Dump the blended spiced with the rest of the already powdered spices and mix together .

Dump into a airtight jar and use in soups and curries and vegetable dishes and casseroles.. Everyday.

-C

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My Everyday Curry Spice Blend

makes about a cup of spice blend

• 3 tablespoons cumin

• 2 tablespoons ground ginger

• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric

• 2 teaspoon ground chili powder or red pepper flakes (you less for less heat)

• 1 tablespoon oregano

• 2 teaspoon fennels seeds

• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds

• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons paprika

• 2 teaspoons mustard seed pods

Place all the spices that are not already ground into a spice mill or mortar and grind until well, ground. Add to the rest of the spices and mix together well.

Transfer to a airtight jar. Use everyday on anything

Blend will last a good few months when stored properly.

Winter Spiced Coffee

Coffee. Do you drink coffee? I know there are some people out there that don’t, and that is ok, but me, I drink coffee… A lot of coffee. It is a joke between me and the mr that we get excited to go to bed just because we know that when we wake up we will have coffee. More truth then joke. Coffee makes me happy.

This winter spiced coffee is a little something that I concocted a month or so ago. Not something I drink a lot, but ever once in a while, a nice spicy coffee drink is just what is needed. Especially after a nice long morning of playing out in the snow (or shoveling) and coming back inside sore and tried but fresh and feeling all the good winter feels. Just a little spicy kick to really get you in the winter mood.

I drink my coffee black and un-sweeten but I have made this for one of the sisters with milk and maple and she said it tastes better then any Starbucks crap you could spend a paycheck on. So there is that. And for those of you who do not drink coffee, well you can add some of these spiced to black tea too. Just as good!

Enjoy your coffee (or tea!)

The spices. Cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon.

Ground coffee and a pinch of the spice mixture is all you need. Oh, well, hot water too.

Steeped and ready to drink.

A nice spiced coffee situation.

-C

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Winter Spiced Coffee

makes two cups

For the spice mix

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom

Make coffee

• 4 heaping tablespoons ground coffee (any non flavored but a good medium roast is nice)

• 16-18 oz hot water between 195-205 degrees or boiled then let to sit for a couple minutes. (And use the lesser water for stronger coffee)

And if you want

• sweeter of choice to taste

• Milk of some sort to taste

Mix all the spices together in a small jar or bowl. Add about 1/3 teaspoon of spice mixture to the ground coffee (save the rest of the spice mixture for later use) and place in a large jar of coffee carafe.. Pour the hot water over and let steep for 4-6 minutes. Pour through strainer into cups. You can also make this coffee in a french press of regular coffee maker.

Add sweetener and or milk if you want. Drink.

Pickled Ginger Dilly Sprouts

What are you even doing if you are not pickling Brussel sprouts?

Ok, I get that you might have some other stuff going on in your life right now so I won’t judge you, but you all really need to get on getting some sprouts in the next few weeks while they are good and seasonal and pickle yourself some. They are truly some kind of amazing. Crisp and crunchy. Vinegary with all the flavors of dill and ginger and the slightly sweetness of the sprouts themselves . Oh jeez, they are just so good. And they are refrigerator pickled so you don’t have to do a hot water bath which means you really have to excuse to not make them.

And while you are at it you might as well just make a bunch of jars to give to people this holiday season. Think about it, wouldn’t you love a delicious jar of deliciousness instead of another stupid whatever or what not? You will be the coolest person with your jars of sprouts. Guarantied!

Now to the pickled sprouts!

The stuff. Brussel sprouts , vinegar, fresh dill, chunks of fresh ginger, mustard seeds, peppercorn, red chili flakes, and salt.

Nice and clean spouts. Cut them in half.

Cut up the dill into smaller pieces and as for ginger, I minced a little and cut some up into larger chunks.. I like to eat chunks of pickled ginger too.

Vinegar and water go into a pot with the ginger, salt, peppercorn, pepper flakes, and mustard seed and brought to a rapid boil.

Once boiling dump in sprouts and dill and keep on heat for about 3 minute so the sprouts tenderize a little.

Then dump it all into a clean jar. And that is it. Yes you can eat one, but really, you should wait like a day or two. And after a week.. Perfection.

So yeah, once you got them in a jar, let them cool to room temperature, top with a lid, and place in the fridge.

If you are wise you will make multiple jars because these sprouts will not last.

-C

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Pickled Ginger Dilly Sprouts

makes 1 quart sized jar

• about 20 good sized Brussel sprouts

• 2 cups white vinegar

• 2 cups water

• 3-4 sprigs fresh dill

• inch of fresh ginger root

• 1 teaspoon pickling or kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon peppercorns

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

• 1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more for spicer)

Clean and halve all the sprout. Stick them all into a clean quart sized jar to make sure they all fit then dump them out.

Grab ginger and rough chop it. Cut dil up into smaller pieces.

Dump the vinegar, water, salt, peppercorn, red pepper flakes, mustard seeds, and salt into a pot. Bring to a rapid boil. Add in the halved sprouts and ginger and toss around. Keep on heat for about 3-4 minutes just to give the sprout a little bit of time to soften just a bit. Remove pot from heat and carefully dump all the sprouts and everything in the pot into the clean jar. Pack sprouts down with a wood spoon and make sure they are completely submerged in liquid. If all the liquid doesn’t fit, just dump into a smaller jar and use for a salad or something.

Let sprouts cool to room temperature then stick a lid on jar and place in fridge. Sprouts are good eaten whenever, but are at their best after a few days in the fridge.

They will keep for a month or so but who are you kidding, there is no way they will last that long.

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Soup makes everything better and that friends is a fact. Seriously think about it. When you are cold, a hot cup of soup will warm you. Are you hot, a cold cup a of soup will cool you down. Feeling a little sick or a bit blue? Of course you need soup. And if you are happy as a calm, well soup will just make you happier. There is not one situation were soup doesn’t enhance the situation. Unless it is shitty soup. Or you asked for pizza and got soup, But pizza soup..I bet you would like that.

This butternut squash apple soup is not shitty, it is fantastic so you are good. Creamy and lush and packed full of flavor without being overbearing. It feels indulgent but it is not for it is made of basic ingredients that may sound a little simple, but sometime simple is all you need to really pull a deliciously flavorful soup together. The butternut, when blended, gets super thick and creamy. The apple adds a nice brightness and depth, and there is onion and spices to round it all out. It is just a great soup. And even better for me, I made it the other day when I woke up to the first snow. It really was the best just looking out the window, seeing snow, eating soup.

Snow and soup. My happy place. HA!

Now to the soup!

The stuff. Butternut squash, a couple apples, an onion, ground ginger and thyme, apple cider vinegar,a couple cloves of garlic, and salt and pepper. Red pepper flakes if you want a little heat.

Start by dicing up the onion and garlic. Small pieces are good so you don’t need to be fancy. just cut it up and toss it into a big pot along with the ginger and thyme. Place on the stove on medium heat, add a splash of water, and let it start to cook down.

Now apples. Remove cores and chop 3/4 of the apple into chunks. Reserve a piece and cut into thin pieces. Place the pieces into a bowl and dump the apple cider vinegar on top.

And now the squash. Peel or cut skin from flesh (I have left the skin on before but it gets a little creamier without it so I cut it off and roost the skin separately… The skin is my favorite!) then cut squash into smaller cubes.

Once the onions soften up a bit, add in the squash and apple. Add in water and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring heat to high and get water boiling, then place a lid partially on pot and turn heat to medium again. Let cook for about 40 minutes.

Tender and falling apart. A few minutes before you take it off the heat, pour the apple cider vinegar from the reserves apples into the soup.

Now it just needs it to be blended. (Immersion or regular blender in small batches will do the trick)

Blended and creamy dreamy good.

All is left to do is grab a bowl, ladling in soup, top with some sliced apple, a pinch of red pepper, and lots of black pepper.

Spoon? Why yes, that would be great.

Happy souping!

-C

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Butternut Squash Apple Soup

makes 4-6 serving

• 1 small butternut squash (about 4 cups cubed)

• 2 Macintosh apples

• 1 large onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 3 cups water

• I teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• red pepper flakes (optional)

• salt and pepper

Start with the onion. Remove skin and dice it up into smallish chunks. Grab garlic, remove skin and cut into small pieces. Place it all into a big pot. Add in the thyme and ginger and add a few splashes of water just to wet the onions. Put the pot on stove on medium heat to start to sweat the onions.

Now grab apple. Remove cores. Take about 1/4 of a apple and cut into long thin pieces and place into a small bowl. Dum in apple cider vinegar and set aside. Cut the remaining apple into chunks.

Squash. Cut away or peel the skin, cut in half and remove the seeds (keep both the seeds and skin to roast and eat later) and cut the flesh into chunks.

Add the cut up squash and apple to the pot with cooking onions. Add in water, stir around, and turn heat to high. Once the soup starts to boil, partially place a lid on the pot and bring heat back down to medium. Let cook until the squash is tender and is starting to fall apart, which should take about 40 minutes. A few minutes before you take the soup off the heat stir in the apple cider vinegar from the cut up apples.

Once everything is cooked through it just needs to be blended either with a immersion blender or a regular blender. IF doing a regular blender, just be careful and do it in batches so you don’t burn yourself. Blend until smooth. Taste it and check for seasoning (salt and pepper).

And then you eat it. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with pepper and red pepper flakes and top with a few pieces of pickled apple slices. Spoon to soup to face.

Apple Spice Donuts

Have you ever sat in front of all your baking pans and tins just go through them and see which ones haven’t gotten much baking time lately? That is basically what I did the other day and that is when I realized that the donut pan hasn't seen the light of the oven in quite some time.

I fixed that right then and there. I made apple donuts. Donuts are always a good idea and apple donuts are always Always a good idea, especially when it is fall and the weather is nice and cool and crisp and you just want to bake stuff to keep the kitchen warm.

And the guilt of not using my donut pan in a while pan is no longer an issue… But the big bundt pan, that is another story. (Probably going to be a bundt cake coming soon)

So donuts. Baked in a pan (obviously), super easy to throw together, and bake up really fast. Full of warm spices and small shreds of apples then tossed in cinnamon sugar after baking and there it is. Everyones favorite fall donut. Don’t think about it to much, just make these donuts because you will be happy eating the donuts and make anyone you choose to share with happy too.

Now to the donuts!

The stuff. A couple apples. Flour, baking powder and soda, salt. Cinnamon, ginger, and cardamon, and vanilla extract. Apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, oil, water. a little white sugar with cinnamon, and vegan butter.

First to do is grate the apples. They will turn brown fast but it don’t matter.

Add in the wet and mix, add in the dry, and mix and Ta da! Donut batter.

Scoop batter into well greased donut pan. (if you have 2 pans you are better then me. I have to do one batch a a time)

Poof. Baked and donut.

Flip hot donuts out of pan and let cool for a few minutes. Once they are cool enough to handle, brush each donut with melted butter all ver and toss in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Donuts are done.

We are good.

-C

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Apple Spice Donuts

makes 12

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup warm sugar

• 1/2 cup boiling water

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 teaspoon each ground ginger and cardamon

• 2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/3 cup neutral oil (I used canola)

• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 2-3 apples that equal 1cup shredded (I used 2 big Macintosh)

  For cinnamon sugar coating

• 2 tablespoon melted vegan butter

• 3 tablespoons white sugar

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, shred your apples until you have 1 packed cup. Eat any left over apple.

Add in the brown sugar, oil, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, and water and mix until combined. In seperate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and powder, and all cinnamon, ginger, and cardamon. Dump dry into wet and gently mix until completely incorporated.

Scoop batter into greased donut pan(s) and place into oven. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the donut is big and fluffy and a when poked with a tester, it comes out clean.

Remove donuts from oven and flip our of pan onto a wire rack. (Clean and and bake second batch if you are working with one pan.) Mix together the cinnamon and white sugar into a wide shallow bowl. Once donuts cool enough to handle, bruh each donut with melted butter all over then toss around in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place back on rack to cool completely.

Eat.

Left overs wiill last in air tight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. The cinnamon sugar crunch will just not be crunchy anymore after the first day.