Carter Family Recipes

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Condiments & Pantry Staples

A condiment or pantry component can change a meal with a small addition of flavor. Compound butters, pickles, preserves, seasonings, and prepared ingredients bring different possibilities to this collection. Browse for something to spread, stir in, spoon over, or keep ready for another recipe, with attention to the storage instructions in each preparation.

Browse the posts below, or choose a subcategory when available.

  • Compound Butters

    Basil, lime, herbs, and spices turn butter into a concentrated finishing ingredient. These compound butters offer ways to add flavor to a dish through a small portion of seasoned butter.

  • Jams & Jellies

    Jams, jellies, fruit butters, and chutneys preserve fruit in different textures and balances of sweetness. Strawberry-jalapeño jam and cranberry chutney offer contrasting starting points for a spread or accompaniment.

  • Marinades

    Ginger ale and mojo preparations offer different flavor directions for a marinade. These recipes provide a seasoned liquid to accompany the treatment and cooking of another ingredient.

  • Mayonnaise, Aioli & Emulsified Condiments

    Mayonnaise and related creamy preparations bring ingredients together into a smooth condiment. Scallion-lemon mayonnaise offers one starting point for a spread or sauce with acidity and savory flavor.

  • Mustards, Ketchups & Table Condiments

    Mustard sauces, burger sauces, and other table condiments add concentrated flavor to a finished dish. Choose a preparation for spreading, dipping, or serving alongside the food at the table.

  • Oils & Infusions

    Basil oils and other infusions carry flavor into a liquid ingredient. These preparations offer a finishing or seasoning component, with attention to the method and storage directions in each recipe.

  • Pestos

    Herbs, citrus, and carrot tops give these pestos different flavors and textures. Browse blended or worked sauces to stir into another dish or serve in a small amount alongside it.

  • Pickles & Ferments

    Pickled peaches, strawberries, and green onions show that preserving with acidity extends beyond cucumbers. Fermented preparations add another approach, with each recipe setting out its own method and storage requirements.

  • Prepared Pantry Ingredients

    Sun-dried tomatoes, seasoned bread crumbs, and soup mixes can provide a head start for another dish. These prepared pantry ingredients build flavor or texture before the final recipe begins.

  • Relishes & Salsas

    Cucumber salsa, jalapeño relish, and roasted salsa ranchera offer different ways to combine chopped or cooked ingredients. These accompaniments bring freshness, acidity, or heat to another dish.

  • Seasonings, Salts & Rubs

    Basil salt, rosemary sea salt, and chile verde seasoning offer ways to keep a particular flavor ready to use. These seasonings and rubs provide small additions for building a dish.

  • Spreads, Pastes & Curds

    Tzatziki, strawberry cream cheese, and tahini give this collection several kinds of spread and paste. Browse preparations with different bases and textures for spreading, stirring, or serving alongside another dish.

  • Substitutes

    A substitute can help when a recipe calls for an ingredient you do not have. These preparations offer alternatives for cream, buttermilk, and mascarpone, with results that depend on the intended use.

  • Syrups & Sweet Toppings

    Strawberry syrup, a salted chocolate-hazelnut syrup, and orange glaze offer sweet finishes with different flavors. These toppings provide a pourable or spreadable addition to a suitable dish.

In this collection

  • Chocolate Butter

    Chocolate Butter

    Chocolate butter is basically just a compound butter ― melted chocolate mixed into room temperature butter. In other words, it’s just butter with a hint of another flavor.…

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  • Pumpkin Butter

    Pumpkin Butter

    Ingredients 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree 1/2 cup apple cider 1/3 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon…

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  • Cheese Taco Shells

    Cheese Taco Shells

    Step 1 – Prepare Your Equipment Heat your oven to 400°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Step 2 – Sprinkle  Your Cheese Sprinkle your shredded cheese—whatever…

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  • Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix

    Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix

    Ingredients 1/3 cup dry buttermilk 2 Tablespoons dried parsley 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill weed 2 teaspoons garlic powder 2 teaspoons onion powder 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes 1 teaspoons ground black…

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  • Chunky Homemade Applesauce

    Chunky Homemade Applesauce

    Ingredients 4 pounds apples (about 10), peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks (I like a combination of McIntosh and Golden Delicious) 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into…

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  • Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread

    Ingredients 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1-2 Tablespoons confectioners sugar 1-2 Tablespoons of butter 1 cup of finely chopped fresh strawberries Preparation Combine the cream cheese,  confectioners…

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  • Bacon Cream Cheese Spread

    Bacon Cream Cheese Spread

    This savory spread can go casual on crackers, or dress up for a party on crisp baguette toasts. It’s also great at breakfast on a bagel. Ingredients 12…

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  • Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread

    Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread

    At first bite, this tastes like a pumpkin spice dream. But then the flavors begin to intensify. If you want everything to taste like a pumpkin spice cake,…

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  • Cinnamon Sugar

    Cinnamon Sugar

    We’ve eaten a lot of cinnamon toast over the years and made more batches than is probably healthy. We don’t like to brag, but we consider ourselves to…

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  • Grannie’s Mustard Sauce

    Grannie’s Mustard Sauce

    Ingredients 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk 5 Tablespoons yellow mustard 3/4 cup sugar Preparation In a medium-sized bowl combine evaporated milk, mustard and sugar. Adjust to taste as…

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