Alexis Grabel is a self-taught home cook and baker. She enjoys baking desserts as well as sourdough and yeasted breads. Always on a quest to improve on her culinary skills, she often takes classes to learn new cooking and baking methods. Her current favorite things to bake and make are sourdough bread, ice cream and pastries. Recently she has worked at perfecting vegan and vegetarian dishes for her husband. Alexis enjoys collecting vintage bakeware and cooking utensils. Find her delicious creations on Instagram and TikTok @whatalexiscooked.
Fearless home cook Alexis shows us it's okay to experiment in the kitchen. Whether she's repurposing your favorite kid-friendly confections into colorful sweet treats, or serving up some steamy, gooey, homestyle cooking for dinner, she always finds a way to keep it simple and fun.
Modeled after my favorite pastimes, baking and eating bread, I created a savory blend of my favorite dipping spices. Pair with your favorite olive oil and loaf of crusty, rustic bread. The blend has the usual spices you’d pair with bread: garlic, oregano and thyme. But also a few unexpected additions. Marjoram for a hint of sweetness and mild crushed red pepper for a little heat. A pinch of flaky sea salt really rounds out the blend, but isn’t so overpowering so you’re still free to adjust the salt on your own. Rustic Dipping Spice is colorful and has larger pieces of the included spices; it’s meant to be an addition to your dish that you can see to enjoy. Start by adding one teaspoon per ¼ cup olive oil and adjust up from there for a more intense flavor. Consider infusing the Rustic Dipping Spice in your oil for an extra burst of flavor.
The Rustic Dipping Spice is also a fabulous addition to bread or pizza dough. Add it with the flour and it gives a wonderful rich flavor to your baked goods. You can also sprinkle the blend on unbaked bread as a topping. And in a pinch, the Rustic Dipping Spice pairs well with roasted vegetables or proteins as it lends itself to being very versatile in your kitchen! Note that additional salt and pepper will need to be added when using it for vegetables or proteins.
