Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Bare it all Wednesday featuring Kitchen Stories

Meet Deirdre with Kitchen Stories.




Where are you originally from?
I'm from Montreal, Quebec Canada, I speak English and French and both of my parents are immigrants from Ireland, Mom, County Mayo and Dad, Dublin. My Mother cooked every single night, used only pure and natural ingredients and everything she made was absolutely delicious so, I suspect she is the culprit behind my desire for great flavour and interest in cooking.


What's the inspiration behind your shop?

Good flavor doesn't have to come from a box. It's about going back to the very basics without all of the preservatives. Many people assume that they are eating healthy foods because they are preparing them from scratch but when they open up a packet or box of seasonings, it's not quite scratch anymore and just look at the list of ingredients! This isn't so natural anymore, is it.


How did you get started creating spice blends?
Upon arriving in Minnesota, from a Canadian's perspective, I thought I could introduce these folks to good food, easy and simple preperations using fresh (dried) herbs and blends. I spent my savings on a brick and mortar shop I called Oregano --I was a shopkeep and I absolutely loved it and my guests were very enthusiastic about my product line, home decor items and antiques but, just not enough to pay the rent and still keep my shelves stocked. I closed it in 2006 --it was a dark day : (


What is your favorite spice blend that you make, and what do you use it on?
I love all of my spice blends quite equally but being in love with the idea of other people loving my products, I have go with Ultimate Steak. I introduced this spice blend to my husband and now, he cannot live without it. It's on his Steak, it's in his burgers, it's even on his potatoes! Imagine the canister stuck inside the palm of his hand... He loves it, period and since it makes him so happy, it makes me happy. Boy, that was a corny answer.

What's a good spice or blend that is hot-spicy but mild enough for those who don't really love hot-spicy, like a good introductory spice to hot spices?
I love heat but too much is hard to handle! I make a lot of Stir Fries and sprinkle in a little hot curry powder, Tumeric or Garam Masal. Just a little goes a long way and it doesn't impart an Indian meal necessarily. It just provides another layer of flavour and heat. If you're not too keen on that, I love my Spicy Southwestern which I sprinkle all over a Chicken then bake it. It's similar to Old Bay but with a little zip or shall I say Ooh La La !

Do you have other Etsy Shops?
My first stint on etsy (and partially still is) is with Costello's


Go shopping today! You will LOVE the wide assortment of spices and mixes that Kitchen Stories offers!

3 comments:

BAND OF BARBIES said...

Great stuff, thanks kitchen stories! And those cookies look yummie!

Kitchen Stories said...

Ah, so here's the link! I was so busy today I'm only getting to my FAVOURITE blogs tonight... What an experience, it reminded me so perfectly of my passion and where it all came from. Thank you!

Vanessa said...

I can tell you that Deirdre makes THE best spices every!! Had some tonight on my chicken :D Cajun. Soo yummy!! Made my boring chicken something so much more wonderful.