Romantic Wine and Cheese Pairings!

Go Wild with Chèvre and Sauvignon Blanc

Earthy, spreadable cheeses like goat cheese and Brie are a perfect match for the refreshing and zesty Sauvignon Blancs. Try pairing a lean New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with a fresh field green salad, topped with a crusty goat cheese crostini, dried cranberries, and a drizzle of honey vinaigrette. You will fall in love with this wild combination.

Semi-Hardened Cheeses with Pinot Noir

Surprise your beau with an indoor picnic this Valentine’s Day. Pair a versatile Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir with a mild and nutty pasteurized sheep’s milk (such as Abbaye de Belloc) or a mild and gooey Roucoulons (pasteurized cow’s milk) with its subtle hint of mushrooms. Arrange an array of your favorite charcuterie, complete with crusty bread, hard salami, and marinated veggies. The elegant and jammy flavors of the Pinot Noir will undoubtedly frolic with the rustic and humble flavors of any of your favorite antipastos.

Bold and the Bleu-tiful

For a bold and intense coupling of flavors, venture off to Northeast Italy, where the unique meditation wine Amarone is found. A handpicked combination of grapes is dried out on straw mats inside special drying houses before they are pressed, creating a very rich and complex wine loaded with concentrated flavors of dried raspberries, figs, chocolate, and baked mocha. This high alcohol wine (with an ABV resting just under 17%) is anything but sweet and requires only the boldest cheeses to stand up to its enormous flavor profile. Try gorgonzola, Stilton, or even a very mature Parmegiano Reggiano. Top off this simple pairing with some dark chocolate and a handful of fresh berries and you’ll be in Heaven!

On a budget? Most quality Amarones usually cost around $80, but Valpolicella Ripasso from the same region has been dubbed “Baby Amarone” and will deliver a similar experience for about $20.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Amy McMullen, Sommelier

What are you thankful for this year?

Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing (or do you call it dressing?), green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole (the one with the marshmallows!), and pumpkin pie… YUMMMM my favorite Thanksgiving dinner! What’s yours?

I cannot get past it, it has to be this every year—no ham, no beef tenderloin, and Chuck doesn’t even like turkey!

I don’t know about you, but I long for this meal with family every year. It’s true of others because we cook Thanksgiving dinners for many people and this is essentially what they want!

So are we creatures of habit? I guess I am because I rise in the morning and follow the same procedures everyday… often at the same times. AND I make the same Thanksgiving meal every year with only a few tweaks on the recipes…

Every Saturday, Chuck and I go out to breakfast (time and schedule permitting), and we have been going to the same place many, many years—not because of the outstanding food because it’s not really about that (not that it isn’t great!). It’s about the “Cheers” factor. You know everyone knows your name, etc., and they do! They also know my special drink recipe created by my husband and can pretty much tell us what we are going to eat! The minute they see us walking in, they get it going. It makes me feel special.

Thanksgiving makes me feel special. My mother taught all of kids how to pitch in and make everything. Even my Dad created his own stuffing (NOT dressing)—a recipe that I know my sisters and brothers and I recreate every year.

Thanksgiving is about family and special memories and being thankful for both—and of course the dinner. Maybe football too!

And I feel special and thankful because I have a man who loves me for what and who I am, AND he gave up his career to help me pursue my dream of owning a catering business. He is the literal wind beneath my wings, and he works his butt off every day to promote our cause.

I feel special and thankful because we have great loyal customers, and with your help we have grown this business in just 15 years. We have great loyal employees that have helped us grow this business in just 15 years as well.

I feel special and thankful because of my mother, sisters and brothers, children, son-in-law, and grandchildren. And my friends.

Chuck just told me this morning that he does not need a camera… his memories are in his head!

What a great Thanksgiving, I look forward to this year… maybe I will add black garlic to the mashed potatoes! And I am thinking of making pumpkin cheesecake instead of pie… Yummmmm! Stay tuned!

Have a Happy and Thankful Thanksgiving!

What in the world do I do with all these apples?!

When it comes to fall, there are two aromas I just love: burning leaves and apples cooking. When we had our house on the market a few years ago, I actually put an apple pie in the oven prior to an open house to give the house that lovely, sugary, cinnamony aroma that everyone loves! I would like to believe that’s why our house sold!

We don’t burn leaves anymore, so I just have to succumb to the apples. I love biting into a nice crisp, cold apple. It is loaded with Vitamin C and fiber and is really good for you. Remember “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”?

But I love apples even better when they’re paired with cinnamon. A match made in heaven! Try these recipes and see if they make your mouth water. YUMMM!

Grandma’s Apple Pie

1 unbaked pie crust

9 Golden delicious apples peeled and cut into slices

Arrange apples in pie plate. Cover with 1 cup of sugar. Dot with 1½ cubes of butter.

Mix for topping and crumble over the top of the apples.

1.2 cup of flour

1 stick of butter

1/3 cup of sugar

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for on hour until bubbly.

Nancy’s Apple Butter

4 pounds of apples (I like to mix up the kinds of apples)

2 cups of apple cider

1 cup of brown sugar

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

Bring to a simmer all of the above in a heavy ovenproof pot. Partially cover and cook until soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Mix in the following and blend in a food processor until smooth.

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

1½ teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of ground cloves

½ teaspoon of all spice

Return to the ovenproof pot and bake in a 250-degree oven, uncovered, until thick and golden in color and spreadable. Give it a stir every 30 minutes or so. This usually takes about three hours because I use a mixture of different apples. This is a wonderful spread for toast, pancakes, and waffles. Warm it up and pour over ice cream. YUM!

Nana’s Applesauce

Cook peeled quartered Jonathon Golden apples

½ cup of apple juice

Red hot candies

When soft, season to taste with sugar and add red hots to taste.

Infuse Your Dishes with Rich Flavors!

I don’t remember when margarine started to replace butter (probably because I never got on that bandwagon). What could replace sweet, creamy butter?

Oh man, you have got to try compound butter! Just mix anything you like with butter and you have something brighter and more flavorful than just butter.

The best part is you can use compound butter on anything. Yes, anything! Put it on bread for a sandwich, rolls at dinner, toast, croissants, scones or biscuits, grilled fish and meats, vegetables, and pasta. Click here to read more about compound butter and to see Nancy’s recipes for a couple of her favorites on our blog!

You can also make it savory or sweet. Really, the possibilities are never-ending and it is so simple to make. Just mix softened, unsalted butter (I like to start with an unsweetened butter so that I can control all of the seasonings—I am, after all, a control freak!) with seasonings, herbs, or fruits and vegetables and put into jars to store in the refrigerator. We as a caterer roll it into logs in plastic wrap and freeze it to later slice them into wonderful coins to place on grilled meats in order to dress them up a bit and give them more flavor.

If you are going to mix the butter with something cooked (like sautéed spinach or roasted garlic), you will need to completely cool the cooked item before adding to the softened butter.

My current favorite compound butters are a savory one of avocado, cumin, coriander seeds, and sea salt and a sweet/savory one of honey, smoked paprika, smoked sea salt, and smoked pepper. Try anything you like and see what you can do to out do yourself! YUMMMMMM!

 

Basic Compound Butter Recipe

No measurements. Just make how much you will use over a few days time. You can also freeze it for a few months.

Combine softened, whipped butter with any ingredients you prefer. You can use a mixer, food processor, a strong spoon, or even a scraper.

 

Avocado, Cumin, Coriander Seeds, and Sea Salt Compound Butter

Mix 4 ounces of unsalted butter with:

2 small ripe avocados

2 teaspoons of cumin

1 teaspoon coriander seed

1 minced garlic clove

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Juice of ½ lime

This is wonderful spread over grilled corn on the cob!

 

Honey, Smoked Paprika, Smoked Sea Salt, and Smoked Pepper Compound Butter

Mix one pound of unsalted butter with:

½ cup of honey

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Smoked sea salt and smoked pepper to taste

Juice of ½ lemon

This is wonderful with any kind of fish—my personal fave is grilled salmon!

Reflections on a Great 2013!

As the year comes to an end, I feel I should share some reflections from 2013. It has been another amazing year–CVC Catering Group continues to grow and with growth comes change.

Katie, our Executive Chef, Chuck and I went to Las Vegas for the 2013 Catersource Convention in March. We learned so many new things and were able to cover almost all of the sessions with the three of us going to different classes. Going to this industry convention just makes me even more excited about my mission in our business. Chuck and I look forward to going to the 2014 Convention.

Katie gave birth to her second son, Alden, in July. She thought she would come back to work full-time, but decided it is just not meant to be. So, in December, she stepped down from the Executive Chef position to a very important part-time Chef Assistant position. We are excited to announce our new Executive Chef, Todd Bellanger! We cannot wait to work with two very talented chefs!

We now have a fleet of 3 vans for our company and fluctuate from 40 to 60 part-time catering staff. We are currently planning our second out of state event in Chicago in June 2014.

We were very happy to return as the exclusive caterer to Taste of the Nation VIP event, all of the Beach to Beacon events, and are thrilled to say that we will do both again in 2014. Two more highlights this year were catering for Mannheim Steamroller while they were in town for a performance and catering an amazing Grand Opening of Coffee by Design’s new corporate office on Diamond Street in Portland. Talk about amazing food and entertainment!

More than 30 years ago, Chuck asked me if I could travel anywhere, where would I like to go? Without hesitation, I said Hawaii. Chuck took me to Hawaii that year and we have been very fortunate to return to one of the Hawaiian Islands every year since then. We will be married 30 years this March!

I bring this up because we just returned from Hawaii for a holiday family reunion with our two daughters, son-in-law, and our two grandchildren! We had a blast and I renewed my wonderment and joy of a Hawaiian vacation through my grandchildren’s eyes!

This is the first time I have seen a real monk seal lying on the beach along the Ko Olina Coast. There were 3 volunteers dispatched to keep the seal safe as there are only 1,000 monk seals left in Hawaii. Apparently, she will lay there for 8 hours to digest her food. Enjoy a picture of her in all her glory!

And last but not least, a family reunion picture!

Chuck and I wish you a blessed very healthy and Happy New Year!

We appreciate the support and loyalty from our customers each and every day. We feel blessed to be living in the wonderful state of Maine and to be working with amazing people.

Roasting Root Vegetables

Nothing reminds me more of the colder months than roasted root vegetables. My grandmother used to have a dirt-floored room in the basement that she used solely for the storage of these vegetables. My sisters and brothers and I called it the root cellar. Root vegetables are naturally suited for long storage and, once the temperature starts to drop, there’s nothing better than carting them up to the kitchen for cooking. The aroma of these tasty gems while roasting is mouth-watering. These vegetables are fresh and available in fall and winter when other vegetables are hard to find. They are an original “green” food because they are available locally. They are also inexpensive and pack tons of nutrients and flavor, as well as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. Turnips, rutabagas, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery root, leeks, carrots and parsnips are very versatile and are yummy when roasted. Roasted vegetables are crunchy on the outside and deliciously soft and creamy on the inside. They sport a caramelized flavor and are both smoky and naturally sweet. They can be paired with any kind of meat or fish, but they are delicious as an entrée as well. Roasted root vegetables add a colorful arrangement to your palette.

Roasting is the easiest technique you can perfect. Anyone can do it without a recipe. All you need is a hot oven, sliced or diced vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, a little salt and pepper and a sheet pan big enough to arrange the vegetables in a single layer without crowding the pan. There is a lot of peeling and slicing or dicing but it is worth it. You can add garlic and spices and herbs to change and enhance the flavor from recipe to recipe. For instance, to make it Mediterranean-style, add rosemary and balsamic vinegar; Italian, add oregano or sage; for Indian, add cardamom; for Mexican, add cumin or coriander and cilantro to garnish. I also like to just add extra virgin olive oil and Canadian steak seasonings.

Here are several of my favorite ways to prepare roasted root vegetables. Use them as a side dish. I pair the maple and sage recipe with some lovely white beans warmed up with sage and extra virgin olive oil as an entrée. I also love them in a wrap with provolone cheese.

Roasted Root Vegetables with Maple and Sage
Serves 4

1 rutabaga, peeled and sliced

1 turnip, peeled and sliced
1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced
1 parsnip, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and several cranks of black pepper

3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss sliced vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread vegetables in a single layer on an aluminum lined baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the maple syrup and sage to the melted butter and stir until combined. Pour over the vegetables, and stir until well coated. Roast for another 15-20 minutes or until maple syrup becomes bubbly and vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork.

Spiced Pork Stew with Roasted Root Vegetables and Gremolata

Pork Seasoning:

1 tablespoon of cumin seed toasted and ground
2 tablespoons of coriander seeds toasted and ground
2 tablespoons of fennel seeds toasted and ground
3 pounds of pork shoulder trimmed and cut into 2 inch chunks
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ tablespoon of oregano
½ tablespoon of thyme
6 garlic cloves smashed

Cover the pork cubes with the above ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove the meat from the refrigerator and allow coming to room temperature and season with salt and pepper. Sear and brown the meat on all sides in extra virgin olive oil. Remove and add:

1 sliced onion
1 diced carrot
¼ of fennel diced
1 bay leave
1 crumbled chile de arbol

Stir and cook about 5 minutes. Add in 1 cup of white wine and reduce by ½.
Then add in and bring to a boil:
2 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of veal or light beef stock

Place pork in the pot and add:
1 whole lemon
6 sprigs of cilantro

Cover pot and place in a 300 degree oven and braise for 4 hours or until tender. In the meantime prepare root vegetables simply with salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil for roasting.

Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Remove the meat and place on a sheet pan. Caramelize for about 30 minutes. Place root vegetables on the other rack and roast at the same time.

Place pot back on the stove and reduce to ½ over high heat until thickened for a sauce.

Plate meat and roasted vegetables on a serving platter. Cover the pork with the sauce and garnish with gremolata: mix zest of 1 lemon, 2 cloves of minced garlic and ½ cup chopped parsley. YUM. This is Mexican at its best!

Easter Dinner

I cannot believe that we are already through the first week of March! I guess it is true that the older you get, the faster time goes and I really believe it! Easter is fast approaching, and it is earlier this year it seems. Growing up in a suburb Chicago with my big family, Easter meant new everything. My 4 sisters and I always got a brand new dress, shoes, hat, and gloves for Easter Sunday morning! Yes, I know, hat and WHITE gloves! AND all the dress colors mimicked Easter Egg Colors! My 2 brothers got new suits and haircuts.

Breakfast was normal and going to Mass was normal. We always were late because my Mom was always late. So, in all of our new splendor we came in the side door of the Church and UP the middle aisle to my Father’s chosen aisle. All nine of us!

All of our Easter dinners included ham, potatoes, cole slaw, pickled beets, cranapples, green beans, and pies! Over the years I have tried lamb and salmon for a change but, I still prefer most of the same old menu with my own twists. Why don’t you shake it up a bit? YUMMMMMMMM!

Jezebel Sauce For Roasted Ham

• Jar of Apple Jelly
• Jar of Marmalade
• ½ Cup Horseradish
• 3 Tbs. Dry Mustard
• 1 Tbs. Cracked Pepper

Mix together and served with ham as a sauce.

 

Red Cabbage with Apples

Serves 6 people

• 2 Tart Red Apples
• 3 Tbs. Margarine or butter
• 1 Medium head Red Cabbage, shredded
• 1 Fennel bulb trimmed and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup Water
• ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 tbs. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Salt
• ¼ tsp Pepper

Cook & stir apples in margarine or butter over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in rest of ingredients and heat to boiling, then reduce the heat. Cover & simmer until cabbage is tender, about 35 to 40 minutes.

My Family’s Famous “Zimms” Potatoes

Serves 6

• 1 2 lbs  bag of frozen hash browns
• 1 cups diced onions
• 1/16 oz sour cream carton
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 2 cups of crushed corn flakes
• 1/4 cups melted butter

Mix everything together in a bowl except for the cornflakes and ¼ cup melted butter. Pour into baking pan. Mix cornflakes with melted butter and pour over the top. Bake 375 degrees until bubbly and browned, about 1 hour.

 

Pistachio Cheesecake

Serves 12-14

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 6 packages -8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 can -14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
• 2 packages -3.4 oz.) instant white chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup or more chopped pistachio nuts
• 5 eggs, lightly beaten
• Chocolate syrup
• Whipped cream and chopped pistachios, optional

In a small bowl, combine the flour and almonds; cut in butter until crumbly. Press onto the bottom and 1-1/4 in. up the sides of a greased 10-in. spring form pan. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese, milk and pudding mixes until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Add in chopped pistachios. Pour over crust. Place pan on a baking sheet. Reduce heat to 350°. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Drizzle slices with chocolate syrup. Garnish with whipped cream and pistachios if desired.

Happy Easter Everyone! Enjoy!

Chocolate Cocktails!

Chocolate has been around for a good 3,000 years. For most of that time, it was used as a beverage. When it was introduced to Europe in the 16^th Century, the French, Germans, Dutch, and English found uses for it in cakes and desserts. Sometime in the 19^th Century we started eating chocolate and that evolved into the heart shaped boxes with chocolate truffles wrapped in red ribbon that we give each other in February.

But let’s go back to the origins of chocolate and its use as a beverage. In the last millennium B.C., the ancient Mexican tribe of the Olmec discovered Cocoa beans. They developed a process to make the Cocoa beans into a beverage. This information was passed unto the Mayans, the Toltec, and, eventually, to the Aztecs. The Cocoa bean became so important that it was used as a form of currency. The Aztecs used the chocolate beverage in every facet of their life, including religious rituals.

When the Spanish conquered the Aztecs, they tasted chocolate beverages and exported them to Spain. In the 17^th Century, chocolate, as a beverage, spread to France and Italy. In the 18^th Century, chocolate was beginning to be used as an ingredient in cakes and desserts. Finally, in the 19^th Century individuals such as Conrad van Houten, Rudolphe Lindt, Jean Tobler, and Henri Nestle developed the processes to make chocolate candy.

Chocolate continued during this period as a social drink for adults and children. But adults did add ingredients to make it an adult beverage. The classic “spiked” hot cocoa was common and here is a recipe for it:

Adult Hot Cocoa

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons of cognac or brandy

In the 1990’s we entered the “chocolate craze” when chocolate liqueurs became the rage. The Chocolate Martini became the vogue. To make a Chocolate Martini is fairly simple. Here is a simple recipe to follow:

 

Classic Chocolate Martini

2 ounces of vodka
½ ounce chocolate liqueur
½ ounce white crème de cacao
Dark chocolate syrup

            Lightly drizzle the chocolate around martini glass that has been chilled in your freezer. Mix the remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shaken- not stirred- vigorously and strain into the martini glass.

Chocolate liqueurs are very popular today and are used in many cocktails. If you wish, you can buy a number of high quality chocolate liqueurs, like Godiva, for your cocktails. Or you can make your own. Here is a basic recipe to your own chocolate liqueur:

 

Chuck’s Classic Chocolate Liqueur

4 ounces of chocolate extract
½ ounce of pure vanilla extract
4 ounces of vodka of choice
½ ounce simple syrup

To keep the chocolate extract in suspension and to make the liqueur thicker, you may want to add glycerin in small amounts (1 teaspoon) to the mixture. All the above ingredients can be adjusted to your personal taste.

Since the 1900s, chocolate is being added to everything when it comes to alcoholic drinks. In Europe, a company is combining the great taste of Dutch Chocolate with fine French Cabernet wine. It is called ChocoVine. Chocolate and red wine do go well together and now we may be able to buy this product in Maine someday.

If you are traveling to Portland, Oregon, stop in at the Shallon Winery in Astoria, Oregon. They are producing a Chocolate & Orange whey wine in the style of a liqueur. This is a heavy & rich Chocolate Orange Wine that can be consumed straight or over anything. It is like drinking a chocolate truffle. It is not cheap. A 375 ml bottle will retail at the winery for $32.00.

If you do not want to make your own liqueur, you can buy a Choc-tail Sipper. The people at Bridgebrands Chocolate in San Francisco have developed a line of chocolate straws for alcoholic drinks (only in San Francisco!). The straws have all natural chocolate beads inside the straw that gives an immediate hit of cocoa flavor. Try Shipyard with the straws and you have cocoa pale ale. Sip red wine with the straws and you get that blend of chocolate with red wine. Have a cocktail party, give your quests these straws, and I am sure you will create a new imaginative cocktail. American ingenuity is wonderful !

Enjoy your Valentine Day and drink your chocolate!

Big Recipes for the Big Game!

I have some thoughts and a couple of recipies for a relaxing- no time in the kitchen during the game- Super Bowl Sunday for 2 or a crowd!

Meatball Parmesan Sliders: either on Finger Rolls or Slider Buns…..easy to assemble and bakes in just 5 minutes until cheese melts!

• Make meatballs or use store bought and simmer in marinara sauce. Add parmesan cheese to taste.
• Place on bottom bun, top with parmesan and mozzarella cheese and put top on.
• Bake until cheese melts in 350 degree oven

Bacon Wrapped Breadsticks

• Purchase bread sticks and wrap with uncooked bacon.
• Mix brown sugar with chili powder and cayenne to taste.
• Bake 375 degree oven until bacon is cooked.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

• Mix 8 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup blue cheese dressing, 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot, 1/2 cup blue cheese or mozzarella cheese in a pie plate
• Bake about 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven until sizzling.
• Serve with Pita chips or crackers

Some easy ideas to have set up for “help yourself when you are ready”

• Taco Station
• Baked Potato Station
• Chili & Hot Dog station

 

How about a little friendly competition to get the party going as well! Visit this site for some great game ideas.

Hope you enjoy!

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

I love pesto sauces. My latest favorite is sun dried tomato pesto.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces of sundried tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil
• 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
• 3 cloves of chopped garlic
• ¼ cup of chopped toasted pine nuts
• ½ small chopped onion
• 1 ½ tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons of tomato paste
• 1 medium tomato chopped
• 2 ½ tablespoons of red wine
• ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup of parmesan cheese grated
• Salt to taste

Method:

Reconstitute sun dried tomatoes with warm water for 10 minutes. Process all ingredients except the oil and parmesan cheese until well blended. Stir in olive oil and parmesan cheese.

This is awesome with pasta and shrimp tossed together.

 BONUS:

I also make mixtures of dried herbs and keep on hand to use in cooking. One of my favorites is this Cajun mix:

Nancy’s Cajun Mix

Mix and keep in an airtight canning jar to use in Cajun sauces or coating meats and fish. Mix equal parts of dried thyme, fennel, cumin, marjoram, cayenne paprika, dehydrated onion and garlic.