Rice Pudding - with Signature Spiced Sugar

Couldn't you go for a warm bowl of creamy, comforting rice pudding? It makes a great breakfast or dessert. In this recipe I substituted white sugar for Signature Spiced Sugar because it hits all the right notes: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, citrus...but you could easily use Spice Cake or Canela Latte if you prefer. I like to add a cinnamon stick to bump up the cinnamon flavor as well!

What you will need:
8 C whole milk
1 C white or arborio rice
3/4 C Signature Spiced Sugar
2 T butter

Directions:
In a large pot, melt the butter.  Saute the rice (and cinnamon stick if using) with the butter for a minute on med heat and stir. Add the milk and bring just to a boil.  

Lower the heat and continue to stir and cook for 25 minutes.  Stir in the sugar ad continue to cook and stir at a low simmer for 20-30 more minutes until the rice is very soft and creamy.  Remove the cinnamon stick, rest to cool for a few minutes, and serve warm!

Cajun Grilled Ham - with Creole spice mix

Now this is southern, y'all. You know how it is when you have a family gathering and get sent home with a giant ziplock bag of left over ham. Sure, you could use it for sandwiches, and beans, and breakfast.....but you'll want to save a little for this idea: cajun grilled ham.  There's nothing to it. Just brown that sucker up with some spices.

What you'll need:
Thickly sliced, fully cooked ham
Creole Cajun Seasoning
A little cooking oil

Heat up your skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of oil (I like to use cast iron for great caramelization). Sprinkle your ham with a good dose of the Creole seasoning and brown it in your skillet on both sides. Since it's fully cooked already, you are just going for color here. Render any bits of fat out and get that seasoning nicely browned into it.  
I did this the other night as a quick dinner for the kids with some fresh bread and frozen veggies.  The Creole just takes it from plain to pow! You won't even remember that you are eating left overs.

Tacos - with Texas Chili spice mix

We once had an international student living with us in our home from the beautiful nation of Zimbabwe. It was here that she first tasted her forever favorite Texan-American food - TACOS! Whenever I can, I love to send her a packet of seasoning so she can make them at home. It's so easy to make great tacos when you have a great seasoning. Here's how I do it...

What you will need:
1 lb ground beef
2 T Texas Chili spice mix
1 T tomato paste
1/2 C vegetable broth or water
cooking oil
taco shells and fixin's

Brown your ground beef in a skillet with a little cooking oil. Stir in the spice mix. Stir in the tomato paste and broth. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. That's it. You're done! No chemicals. No artificial colors or flavors. No preservatives or anti-caking agents. All-natural is the way to go on this one, and you will taste the difference.
I suppose it would work just as well with shredded chicken or even beans if you wanted to go veg!

Pasta with Sugo

In Italian "sugo" means "sauce", and I can't think of a better use for our Sugo seasoning. They were made for each other! This recipe for pasta with sauce is SO EASY - you seriously won't believe you just made a sauce from scratch. It is lighter than the stuff that comes out of a jar too, so my kids like it better.  In fact, it's my son's favorite pasta dish! Try it with ziti or rigatoni so your sauce gets caught in those yummy little holes!

What you will need:

1 lb ground meat (I like to use a mixture of pork and beef)

12 oz uncooked pasta

8 oz tomato pasta

2 T Sugo Italian Seasoning

3 C hot water

olive oil

extra salt to taste

Boil a big pot of water for your pasta. Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large, high-sided skillet.  Brown your meat in the oil with the Sugo seasoning. Add the tomato paste and stir it in. Ladle in the 3 C hot water from your pasta pot. Now stir and let that simmer and reduce, uncovered, while you cook your pasta.

Cook your pasta for two minutes less than the package directions. (Ex: if the package says 10 minutes, cook it for 8). Scoop your almost cooked pasta out of the water with a slotted spoon and cook it in your sauce for the last 2 minutes. Make sure you stir it around to get all the pasta in the sauce while it's cooking.

You did it!  Garnish with chopped parsley and lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese. I love to serve this with a raw fennel and celery salad (see below for recipe!) 

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*Bonus recipe! 

Classic Fennel and Celery Salad

Mix together:

1 fennel bulb - trimmed, washed, and thinly sliced

5 celery stalks - trimmed, washed, and thinly sliced

segments from 2 oranges (fruit only)

juice from 1 small lemon

5 T good quality olive oil

salt/pepper to taste

Gingerbread Pumpkin Pancakes - with Gingerbread Sugar

Everybody is feeling pumpkiny this time of year! My kids look forward to pumpkin season for this recipe alone - Gingerbread Pumpkin Pancakes. They are super easy to make and really delicious. The pumpkin makes them a little denser than regular pancakes, so they also stick with you longer. We love them.

What you will need for a big batch:
3 C scratch pancake mix (recipe below) or Bisquick
1/2 C Gingerbread Sugar
2 eggs
2 T vegetable oil, coconut oil, or melted butter
1 can of pumpkin or 2 C pureed fresh pumpkin
1 C water or milk

Directions:  
Preheat your skillet over medium heat.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together. Stir in the oil, pumpkin, and water.
  
Add the pancake mix little by little util it is all incorporated. If your batter looks too runny - add more mix. If it looks too stiff  - add more water.

Cook your pancakes! These take a little longer, so be patient. Reduce your heat if they are cooking too fast on the outside and not the inside. You have to wait for it.....not my favorite part.  But so worth it!

Since these guys are already sweetened, you can just hit them with a little butter and maybe a sprinkle of powdered sugar for prettiness.  If you really want to go for it, real maple syrup pairs divinely with these flavors. Actually, bacon goes well with these flavors too.  That lovely combo make a crisp Saturday morning feel extra special. So here's to fall and all its pumpkin glory!

Scratch Pancake Mix:
4 C flour
3 T baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Save it in an airtight container for pancake day! If you are making plain pancakes, use 1 C mix + 1 T sugar + 1 egg + 1 C milk. Easy!

*To order Gingerbread Sugar, please message us at www.facebook.com/BoutiqueTreatsSugar

Jambalaya! - with Creole spice mix

Who can resist it? The name itself is irresistible! Jambalaya is incredibly versatile, easy to make, and full of flavor. It goes a long way around the table, so it's great for company and tailgating parties. Here's my version, using our Creole Cajun Seasoning.

What you will need:
1 link of sausage - cut into slices or chunks
1 -2 chicken breasts - cut into slices or chunks
1 small yellow onion - diced
1 green bell pepper - diced
2 T Creole Cajun Seasoning
2 C rice
4 C vegetable or chicken broth (or water)
1 T tomato paste
cooking oil
extra salt/pepper/hot sauce to taste

Directions:
Brown your sausage in a skillet and render some of its fat.  Remove the sausage to a bowl and set aside.  Add the chicken to the rendered fat plus 1 T Creole Cajun Seasoning and stir it around to cook it through. Remove the chicken to the side as well.  

This may seem like a silly step, but it really does help with flavor development.  Next add a bit of oil to the pan and saute' your onions and green peppers. Don't over cook them because you are about to cook them some more with the rice.  

Add the rice! Saute' it all together for a few minutes and then add 1 more T of the Creole Cajun Seasoning, a pinch more salt, the broth, and the tomato paste. Stir it together, cover it, and simmer for 20 minutes until your rice is cooked.  Add your meats back in and stir it all together until it is well incorporated and heated through. You're done! Now you can garnish it with some chopped fresh parsley or chives.

Don't be afraid to mix it up! This dish is all about using what you have available and seasoning it up right. Sometimes we use shrimp instead of chicken, celery instead of bell pepper, or a tin of chopped tomatoes instead of paste. I bet you could even make this a great vegetarian dish by omitting the meat and just sauteing some zucchini or other favorite veggies instead!

*To order Creole Cajun Seasoning, please message us at www.facebook.com/BoutiqueTreatsSugar

Classic Texas Chili - with Texas Chili Mix

Let's just make some chili y'all. It's what the fall season begs for and it's so super easy!!!  Grab a big pot and tailgate away.

What you will need:
1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, venison...)
8 oz tomato sauce
8 oz water or beer
1/4 C Texas Chili Spice Mix
1 can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)

Directions:
Brown your meat in a big pot - with a splash of oil if it's lean.  Add everything else. Stir. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

You're done!  Now serve it the way you like - with crackers, cornbread, rice, Fritos, hotdogs, shredded cheese, chopped onions - it's all good to me. 

*To order Texas Chili Spice Mix, message us at www.facebook.com/BoutiqueTreatsSugar

Spice Cake Pumpkin Bread - now for sale!

Not everyone has time to bake from scratch for the holidays, but everyone loves home-made pumpkin bread this time of year!  Let us bake it for you, flavored with our very own Spice Cake Sugar.

Paired with one of our specialty sugars, pumpkin bread makes a beautiful holiday gift. Teachers love it too!

To order or inquire, message us through our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/BoutiqueTreatsSugar

Each loaf is baked fresh to order and wrapped in parchment. Local pick up only.

Sugared "Donuts"

This is a fun weekend treat to do with the kiddos. It's a super easy way to get some fancy tasting donuts.  All you need is a can of biscuits, a paper lunch bag, and some spiced sugar!

What you will need:
1 can of biscuits
1/2 C of your favorite spiced sugar (we used Canela Latte and Mayan Mocha)
vegetable or coconut oil
a paper lunch bag


Directions:
Preheat some oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pop open your biscuits and punch out your donut holes with whatever you can find. We used the rim of a champagne glass.

Now fry your donuts and holes in small batches, making sure you cook them through without burning them. That's the tricky part that may require a little adjusting. Get your kid to shake up the hot donuts and holes with the sugar inside the paper lunch bag until they are coated, while you continue frying. Be careful of the hot oil! 

Keep frying and shaking until you coat them all with your sugars. Use different bags for different sugars if you are making a variety.  They are super easy and actually pretty delicious. It's fun to experiment with the flavors and the kids love helping!

Pumpkin Bread - with Spice Cake Sugar

Pumpkin! Yum. It seems like we look for every opportunity to eat pumpkiny things this time of year, and here's another one!  My kids absolutely love this delicious, spiced pumpkin bread. It is sweet and delicious and full of great fiber and vitamins.  If you are Supergirl, you can cook down a fresh pumpkin and scoop out the flesh and smash it up....or you can get a can! I have done both, but this time I got a can. I suppose it would also work with butternut squash or sweet potatoes, but check to see if your dough is the right consistency and add flour or water to adjust.

What you will need per loaf:

1 1/2 C Spice Cake Sugar

1/2 C vegetable oil, coconut oil, or melted butter

2 eggs

8 oz canned pumpkin

1 3/4 C flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 C water

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Grease and flour a 9X5" loaf pan. Stir the sugar, oil, pumpkin, water, and eggs together until combined. Sift the dry ingredients together and gradually add and stir into the wet mixture. fill the loaf pan and bake for an hour. Check for doneness and bake a little longer if needed.  Let it stand for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to cool.

You could also use Signature Spiced Sugar in this if that's what you have or prefer. I bet you could use Gingerbread too! My favorite is Spice Cake because the bold Autumn spices stand up to the pumpkin without taking over.

Moroccan Meat Pies - with Moroccan Tagine spice mix

The fall has me wanting to cook again! I crave warm, stick-to-you-ribs meals with spices that remind us of the approaching holiday season.  These savory meat pies are fun to make and eat. I love the way the Moroccan Tagine Spice Mix flavors work with the sweetness of the root veggies, but you really could use any of the spice mixes you prefer or have on hand - just be sure to adjust for salt.

What you will need:
1 lb. beef skirt steak or stew meat - cut into small cubes
1/2 red or yellow onion - diced
1 baking potato - pealed and cubed
1 yam or 3 carrots - pealed and cubed
2 T Moroccan Tagine Spice Mix
2 tsp tomato paste
1/2 C vegetable broth or water
salt to tate
olive oil
3 ready made, roll-out pie crusts

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 F and take your pie crusts out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
Throw the cubed veggies on a baking sheet with a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Roast them in the oven for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, saute' your cubed meat and diced onions with a bit of olive oil until the onions are tender and your meat is cooked through. 

Stir in the tomato paste, broth, and spice mix. Cook that down for a bit until the broth has reduced into more of a sauce. Turn off the heat, cover it and let it rest while your veggies finish roasting.
Combine your meat mixture with your roasted veggies and set aside.
Now - unroll your pie crusts on a floured surface and cut each circle in half - you now have 6 pieces.

Make a mound of your filling in the center of one side of each piece. Now, fold over the other side and crimp and fold all the edges together to seal them up nice and tight.

Now you have six individual pies! Cut a slit into the tops of each for ventilation and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Bake for 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven until the crust is golden brown. 

If you don't want to fuss with all the little pies, just make one big pie by tossing all that meat and veg mixture into a medium sized casserole dish and covering it with one of the whole pie crusts. Cut a slit in the top and bake it the same way. It will be just as good!

These make a fun dinner, but are also great for fall picnics and even lunch boxes! To heat up left overs, just wrap them in foil and reheat in the oven.