Do yourself a favor and make your own seasoning. Don’t buy the salty stuff at the store. I mix it and store it in a large mason jar. It should keep for a while, but I wouldn’t know because I use it pretty quickly. 
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
- 2 tablespoons dried sweet basil
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon celery seed
- 5 tablespoons sweet paprika
How to do it:
Mix the ingredients and use it. I use it on meat, poultry, pork and in various gumbos, stews and jambalaya
Ingredients:
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini
1 eggplant
1 tomato
1 red onion
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 pound cremini mushrooms
Marinade:
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
How to do it:
1. Quarter the squash, zucchini and eggplant lengthwise then cut in half. Slice the tomato and onions into thick slices. Quarter the bell peppers and add the mushrooms whole.
2. Combine the ingredients for the marinade. Pour over the vegetables and refrigerate for 2.5 hours.
3. Arrange the vegetables on a broiler pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Ingredients:
10 ounces pitted green olives, rinsed
10 ounces pitted black olives, rinsed
6 ounces capers, rinsed
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 fluid ounces lemon juice
4 fluid ounces extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped oregano
2 tablespoons chopped basil
How to do it:
1. In a food processor, combine the olives, capers and garlic. Blend, incorporating the lemon juice and oil slowly, until the mixture is chunky and easy to spread. Do not overmix.
2. Season with pepper and add the herbs.
3. The tapenade is ready to serve now or it may be refrigerated for later use.
Yield: 32 fluid ounces
Ingredients:
16 fluid ounces plain yogurt
1 lb cucumbers, peeled, seeded, small dice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt and ground pepper to taste
How to do it:
1. Place the yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined strainer or coffee filter. Set the strainer in a bowl and drain for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Combine the yogurt and cucumbers.
3. Add the garlic, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper.
4. The sauce can be served chunky or pureed until smooth. It is ready to serve now, or it may be refrigerated for later use. Stir the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary before serving.
Yield: 32 fluid ounces
Ingredients:
12 fluid ounces chili sauce
14 fluid ounces ketchup
1 fluid ounce lemon juice
1 ounce sugar
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 /12 teaspoons prepared horseradish
Salt and pepper to taste
How to do it:
Combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly.
The cocktail sauce is ready to serve now, or it may be refrigerated for later use. Stir the sauce and adjust the seasoning before serving.
Yield: 32 fluid ounces
Ingredients:
1 cup loosely packed fresh tarragon
2 cups white wine vinegar
How to do it:
Place the herbs in a clean sterile jar and use a spoon to bruise them. Pour the vinegar over the tarragon and cover the jar tightly. Place the jar in a dark place at room temperature and allow the tarragon to steep in the vinegar. Shake the jar every few days and taste the vinegar after a week. If the flavor is not strong enough, allow to steep for another 1-3 weeks, checking the flavor weekly. When the flavor is to your liking, strain the vinegar into a different sterilized jar and cap tightly.
Ingredients:
3 sticks lightly salted butter
1/2 cup tarragon wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry vermouth
2 tablespoons finely minced green onions
2 tablespoons finely minced parsley
1 teaspoon dried tarragon or 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
2 teaspoons dried chervil
10 cracked peppercorns
7 egg yolks
3 teaspoons warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
6 thin slices butter, room temperature
How to do it:
In a saucepan, melt butter, clarify and set aside. In a separate saucepan, combine vinegar, vermouth, green onions, parsley, tarragon, chervil, and peppercorns. Over high heat, reduce this liquid until it barely covers the bottom of the pan. Cool the mixture by setting the pan in cold water before adding the eggs. In a heavy saucepan, not over heat, place egg yolks, water and cooled reduced vinegar mixture, beating with a wire whisk until frothy, approximately 3-5 minutes. Place over low heat and continue beating vigorously several minutes longer. The pan should be removed from the heat often during this process to ensure slow cooking. Beat constantly until it is the consistency of a thick cream sauce.
Remove the pan from the fire, and while continuing to beat, slowly add clarified butter to the mixture a tablespoon at a time until all the butter is used. Add salt, parsley or chives, while beating in well. If mixture curdles, add 1 tablespoon cold water and beat vigorously. To prevent scum from forming on the top, cover the sauce with 6 thin slices of butter and place on top of the stove near the pilot light or place in a double boiler over lukewarm water. You may add a tablespoon of warm water and beat again before serving.
Yield: 2 cups
Béarnaise Sauce is very rich sauce that can be served on chicken, seafood, veal, beef or pork. It’s also excellent on eggs.
Ingredients:
1 pound unsalted butter
6 tablespoons margarine
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons white wine
1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
How to do it:
Melt the butter and margarine in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat. Increase the heat and bring to a rapid boil. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Skim the froth from the top of the butter and discard. Pour the butter into a large glass measuring cup and set aside.
In a separate 1-quart saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons of the wine, the tarragon, salt and pepper. Cook over high heat until most of the liquid had evaporated, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool for 5 minutes.
In a medium size stainless steel mixing bowl, combine the remaining 2 teaspoons wine, the cooled tarragon mixture, and the remaining ingredients except the butter. Mix together with a metal whisk until frothy, about 1 minutes.
Place the bowl over a pan of slowly simmering (NOT boiling) water. Do not allow the bowl to touch the water. Vigorously whisk the egg mixture, picking up the bowl frequently to let steam escape. Whip until the egg mixture is very light and creamy and has a sheen, about 5 to 7 minutes. This beating allows the cooked egg to hold the butter. Remove the bowl from the pan of hot water. Gradually ladle about 1/4 cup of the butter mixture (use the top butterfat, not the solids from the bottom) into the egg mixture while vigorously whipping the sauce. Make sure the butter is well mixed into the sauce before adding more. Continue gradually adding the butterfat until you’ve added about 1 cup.
Ladle out and reserve about 1/2 cup of the surface butterfat in a separate container to expose the butter solids. The butter solids will add flavor and thin the sauce. Gradually ladle all but 1/3 cup of the butter solids into the sauce, whisking well. Then gradually whisk enough of the reserved top butterfat to produce a thick sauce. The butterfat thickens the sauce, so you may not need to use all of it. Keep the sauce in a warm place until ready to serve.
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
3 cups milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
1/2 stick unsalted butter, clarified
How to do it:
Sift flour into mixing bowl and gradually add milk, beating with a wire whisk. Add eggs, salt and 1 tablespoon butter. Beat until fluffy and let stand for 20 minutes to allow flour to absorb liquids. This prevents tearing when turning crêpes. Beat again before ready to use.
Pour 2 teaspoons clarified butter into frying pan, coating bottom. Heat pan until almost smoking. Pour just enough crêpe batter into pan to make a thin coating. Lift pan and roll mixture until bottom is covered. Loosen edges with spatula and flip when brown. Brown other side and remove to a platter.
Continue until batter is used up. These can be stacked as cooked. Roll up with favorite preserve or syrup.
If a sweet crêpe is desired, add 1 tablespoon sugar to the batter.
Yields 16 nine inch crêpes.
This is a great recipe for barbecued shrimp – you don’t even need to fire up the BBQ.
Ingredients:
8-10 pounds jumbo shrimp, heads and shells on (10 shrimp per pound)
1 pound butter
1 pound margarine
6 ounces Worcestershire sauce
8 tablespoons finely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground rosemary
4 lemons, sliced
1 teaspoon Tabasco
4 teaspoons salt
2-4 cloves garlic
How to do it:
In a saucepan, melt the butter and margarine. Add Worcestershire sauce, pepper, rosemary, lemon slices, Tabasco, salt, garlic and mix thoroughly. Divide shrimp between two large shallow pans and pour heated sauce over each. Stir well. Cook in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, turning once. Shells should be pink and the meat white and not translucent when done.