In The Kitchen with Dan

Well, hello there. You're in the kitchen with Dan. Hi, I'm Dan Cunningham. For those of you who know me, hello again. And for those of you who don't, I am a culinary organization and life coach here at Cadre. I love to talk about saving time, saving money, especially in the kitchen. And I love tips and tricks. I've spent my life organizing and spending time in the kitchen and dog sitting. I'm watching some dogs for it. Friend of mine. So that's who you hear over there. Hey, I can't remember if it's Gracie or Molly.

Oh, she's right here. She's so little. So after I'm done here, I might introduce you to her. So that's a little bit about me. I am talking today about spice mixes, different mixes that are so easy to put together that normally you pay not tons for, but, you know, you pay for them and you pay for a lot of filler and a lot of products that prevent clumping and thickeners and all sorts of different things that maybe you don't want to spend money on. So one of the biggest things out there right now is the pumpkin spice mix.

Molly. I hear you, girl. Molly. That's the one. Molly. Molly, you in danger, girl. I gotta show you this dog. These dogs. After I'm done, Molly and Gracie are the two we're watching. And Jack, you'll see Jack down then. Okay, so back to the pumpkin spice. So it's. It's everywhere, right? So if you haven't found enough of it and you want to make your own, going to show you how. So look, you can buy the McCormick makes the pumpkin spice stuff, and you can turn it around. You can actually see what ingredients they use to put together the pumpkin spice.

And they also add something to some agents that prevent it from clumping. Okay, so our stuff doesn't, because our stuff is, you know, already just ground spices. So this is what's in. This is what's in pumpkin spice. Three tablespoons of cinnamon, right? Everybody has cinnamon. Three tablespoons of cinnamon. And you want to put this, you know, whatever. Find a container, a tupperware or like, a really cool bowl that you have a cover for. Whatever, anything. Glass jar with a tight fitting lid. You want it.

Actually put it in something with a tight fitting lid. And if you want to, I always recommend this, too. Make extra batches while you're making the one. Either make them all separate doses or put them all in a container and measure out however much you need for your beverage or baked good or whatever. Okay, so three tablespoons of cinnamon. There's four things in this. Wait for. Yeah, four things. Cinnamon. Two tablespoons of nutmeg. Nutmeg. Nutmeg. Whole. Let me look in my little bag drawer tricks here.

Whole nutmeg. It's like this. So if you just need a little. It's great to have these and take a microplane or cheese grater and just, you can grate fresh nutmeg like that. All right. A little bit about nutmeg. So two teaspoons of nutmeg, and then one and a half of both of these. One and a half teaspoons of cloves and one and a half teaspoons allspice. Now, I cook a lot. I had, you know, all of this in the pantry. But if you purchase these spices or you just need one or two additional, you can make a lot of mixes like this.

Cinnamon is called for in so many different cuisines, mediterranean cuisine and Caribbean. So there's so many different things. As you explore different spice mixes, you'll really want to kind of expand your collection of spices if you want to make some of these at home. And it's so cool because when, look, you've got a protein and you need to cook the protein and you need to flavor the protein. You're either doing it with, you know, butter and olive oil, or, you know, you're searing it like that, but it's got to be flavored with something else.

So are you all right over there, girl? I think she's okay. She might need her cough medicine, so I forgot where I was. All right. Oh, so spices. Yes. So it just opens a door, right? So you can flavor your protein with these different spices. And there's some kind of pride in that, that you took the time to throw a collection of spices together. You can call your own. The measurements are just guidelines, and I love to beer. You know, if I'm making something and I need a little bit extra whatever to make it taste good to me, I do that.

So don't be afraid to mess with your own concoction. Okay, so what do we have here? I have four other spice mixes that I want to share with you, and I'm not going to put them together. Look, this is. You don't need to watch me put dry spices together. But I thought it would be great to share these and maybe give you a start on throwing some spices together. None of the ingredients are too crazy, and so here they are. Taco seasoning is the first one. And I did a video, a pre recorded video for Cadre on taco seasoning.

If you haven't seen that, you can check it out. And also, I wanted to let you know that in the comments I will post post the recipes or the mixes in the comments after this live so taco seasoning one tablespoon of chili powder, one tablespoon garlic powder one and a half teaspoons paprika, one and a half teaspoons of cumin, one teaspoon oregano, a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of pepper, and a half a teaspoon of cayenne. So that's nothing too crazy. Throw that together. There's no fillers, there's no additives.

It's just straight spice. Also, I've added a little bit of sweet into my spice mix. This is one of the ways I veered. So don't be afraid to add a pinch of sugar or sweetener to this. It'll really kind of amp it up a little bit. Ranch seasoning 123-4566 things plus some salt and pepper ready? Tablespoon of parsley tablespoon of chives tablespoon of dill, two teaspoons of garlic powder, two teaspoons of onion flakes and two teaspoons of onion powder. Teaspoon of salt half teaspoon of pepper. Ranch seasoning.

I make batches of this and keep them. It's great on popcorn, really. The flour before you dredge anything. Shrimp, chicken, beef. Poor girl. Okay, next one up, chili seasoning. This is really good for barbecue. I think you're gonna love this. And of course, just making a pot of chili. And you'll always turkey or chicken, beef, pork. Denver chili is a really good chili where pork is the protein. Chili. Two tablespoons of chili powder, two tablespoons of garlic powder, two teaspoons of cumin. I'm sorry, two teaspoons of garlic powder, two teaspoons of cumin, two teaspoons oregano, one teaspoon paprika, teaspoon of onion powder, and a half a teaspoon of thyme.

And you have your own chili. All right. And we got one more. I love this jerk seasoning. I first tried as a kid. We were on a trip to the Caribbean and they seasoned their protein and I think I had chicken. Absolutely delicious. Really. Just a really distinct flavor. It gives you just a real kick. So here it is. One tablespoon of allspice, a tablespoon of cumin, a tablespoon of coconut sugar, a teaspoon of sage, two teaspoons of thyme, one teaspoon nutmeg, one teaspoon sea salt, and a half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

You can adjust that whenever it calls for cayenne pepper. It's just your heat. So if you want a little bit more, add more. It's not gonna greatly affect the, this seasoning and. All right, that's it. So look, I encourage you to look for spice mixes when you're at the grocery store. Look at a spice mix that you would buy, right? Pick it up, turn it around, and check out the ingredients on the back. You can go a little further, you can google it on your phone, and a DIY spice mix for kick and chicken, and you'll be surprised at the results you'll get.

It'll be really easy, and it'll give you a little bit more pride in everything that you make at home. So, look, thanks for spending the time. I hope this saves you some time and money in the long run. Leave a comment. Let me know what you'd like to know from me in regards to organization and how it affects the way we think and feel and how it affects our health and wellness overall. All right, take care, you guys. Bye.