When the mister and I got married, a friend gave us a bottle of their very own "house salt," along with a card that said, "Put a little spice into your life." And so we did. We used that salt on everything...salad, meats, potatoes, casseroles...and then we ran out. Our friend had given us the recipe, on the back of the card, but it had disappeared in one of our many moves. And so had our friend...she got caught climbing over her back fence on her way to meet her boyfriend, apparently she put more than a little spice into her life...her husband took umbridge, (along with the kids, house, car and the dogs)...they divorced and she moved away with her snogger, never to be seen or heard from again.
Through trial and error, I came up with our own house salt and we usually always have a large Mason jar of it in the pantry. This past week I hosted a kitchen bridal shower and I gave the bride-to-be a bottle of our house salt - and told her to put a little spice into her life. I decided to give the guests their own bottle as a favor. I found cute little containers at Cost Plus World Market for 99 cents each, (without holes in the top - I did look for salt shakers but couldn't find any that were reasonably priced!), washed and dried them, then filled them with our special salt.
This salt is great on meat - from steaks to chops to meatloaf - and chicken and turkey, too! It's got just a little bit of a kick, thanks to Cayenne pepper, which you could omit if you wanted or add more of - whatever flips your pancakes! Just think of this as a really good seasoning salt - because that's what it is - if you don't know what seasonings to add, just add this salt, you won't be sorry.
House Salt - Pots and Pins
1 container (26 oz.) salt (I use Morton's Iodized salt)
4 Tablespoons ground black pepper
4 Tablespoons Cayenne pepper
2 1/2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon onion powder
Cover your nose and mouth with a dish towel...it will prevent you from inhaling some of the pepper "dust" which will make you cough, sneeze and cry like a baby. Trust me - you'll look like a bandito but it will be worth it! In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with a whisk. Using a funnel, fill containers of your choice. Stick a cute label on the bottles, if you're giving them as gifts; you'll get about eight salt-shaker sized containers of salt (about 1/4 cup each) or one quart-size Mason jar, with a bit left over.
This salt makes a great gift at Christmas, too! Or at a BBQ on the 4th of July...or the cul-de-sac Labor Day fete! Who wouldn't want to go home after a big feast with a cute little bottle of salt that they will love using?!?
