Enhance each and every bite of your food by grinding your own artisan seasonings with a dash of DIY seasoned salt. One mixed salt has many uses from breakfast through dessert. Try sprinkling mixed salt in/on eggs, pasta, veggies, salad dressings, marinades, cocktails, steak, chicken, fish, or any food needing a bit more flavor. Get your table set and appetites ready as our DIY Dilettante, Seasoning Guru and Instagram friend, Nicole Novak, shares 3 simple recipes below!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Chipotle & Lemon Thyme Salt

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1½  pounds of Brussels Sprouts
• 3 TBS of high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ¾ tsp Chipotle Salt or to taste
• ½ tsp of freshly ground black pepper
• DIY Lemon Thyme Salt to taste 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Trim ends, cut brussels sprouts in half and put into a large bowl.
2. Sprinkle Chipotle Salt and drizzle olive oil over brussel sprouts. Add freshly ground. black pepper and mix with a large spoon.
3. Place on baking sheet without overlapping.
4. Check on veggies and after 12 minutes, turn over and rotate brussels sprouts.
5. Roast for another 12 minutes.
6. Sprinkle DIY Lemon Thyme Salt over veggies (to taste).
7. Place in warm serving bowl.

New York Steak with Mushroom Salt Rub

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of New York Strip Steak
• High quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• DIY Mushroom Salt Rub 
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. * Dry meat with a paper towel. Drizzle steak with olive oil. Generously sprinkle DIY Mushroom Salt Rub and black pepper on both sides of the steak.  Massage the rub into the meat, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
2. ** Heat grill on high for 10 minutes. Place meat on hot grill. After 2 minutes, turn meat diagonally to get cross-hatched marks and grill for another 2 minutes.
3. For medium rare steak, cook over indirect heat until an instant meat thermometer registers 125F degrees (place thermometer in thickest portion of steak).
4. Remove to a warm serving platter and let the steak rest, tented with foil for 10 minutes. Serve with hatch marks facing up.

* Recommend marinating in fridge overnight to maximize Mushroom Salt flavors or putting seasoning on before grilling.

** If a grill is not available, use a ridged cast iron pan. Sear steak in lightly oiled preheated pan for a few minutes, then turn steak over and place the pan in a 500F degree oven until an instant meat thermometer registers 125F (place thermometer in thickest portion of steak). Remove to a warm serving platter and let the steak rest, tented with foil for 10 minutes.

Do NOT apply Mushroom Salt Rub to your food AFTER cooking. Raw Mushrooms (even in a dried form) can be toxic.

Vanilla Ice Cream and Grilled Pineapple with Lemon Thyme Salt

Ingredients (per serving):

• 1 scoop high quality Vanilla Ice Cream
•  *1 Grilled Pineapple Slice
• A pinch of Lemon Thyme Salt

Directions:

1. Heat grill on high. Place pineapple slices directly over heat and grill for a minute or so until bottom of the pineapple has grill marks. Turn 90 degrees to create hatched grill marks. Turn and repeat on the other side. Pineapple will be done when heated through.
2. Place one scoop of vanilla ice cream in a bowl or glass. Put grilled pineapple to the side of the ice cream scoop and sprinkle a small amount of Lemon Thyme Salt over ice cream and pineapple.
3. Serve at once.

*Other fruit options are peach, mango, nectarine or any stone fruit. If you don’t have a grill, you can use a ridged cast iron pan.

We asked Nicole Novak her favorite place to eat in her town, and she said “my house.” With a little homemade seasoned salt cooked in or sprinkled on top of a side dish, main course, or even dessert, your favorite place to eat could be your home, too.

Written by Debbie Sultan with recipes by Nicole Novak.