This week’s theme is “baked in sheet pans,” using McCormick’s packets of seasoning mixes.

McCormick makes 18 different seasoning packets: two each for Bag & Season (for meats), Chili, Gluten Free, Gravy, Home Style Classics, Italian, Mexican, Slow Cooker and Snacks & Dips. Here’s more about them (scroll down the page).

We thoroughly endorse these easy dinner ideas: fresh, nutritious home cooking in a half hour or less, with big flavors and minimal clean-up.

RECIPE #1: SHEET PAN SHRIMP-LIME FAJITAS

Who doesn’t like fajitas?

“Sheet pan chili lime shrimp fajitas make an easy, healthy, and delicious one-pan 20-minute meal—with tons of flavor the whole family will love,” says Tiffany of La Creme De La Crumb.

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 10 to 15 minutes.

 
Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Combine the first 7 ingredients (shrimp through lime juice) in a large bowl. Stir to combine and coat the shrimp and peppers well in the seasonings.

2. SPREAD everything out on a large baking sheet pan in a single layer (note: line the pan with foil or parchment for easy clean-up). Items can overlap; just not heaped in a pile. Bake for 10-15 minutes until shrimp is pink, the tails begin to char slightly and the peppers are tender.

3. DISTRIBUTE the shrimp and peppers on top of the tortillas along with avocado slices. Top with freshly shopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

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*Traditionally, a fajita uses the smallest tortilla, 6 inches in diameter; a soft taco 8 inches; and a burrito 10 inches.
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RECIPE #2: SHEET PAN SHRIMP SCAMPI WITH ASPARAGUS

“Those of you who are observing Lent: Don’t let Lent have you fishing for flavor! This sheet pan meal is big on flavor—and you don’t have to sacrifice on taste,” says Alyssa, The Recipe Critic.

“I love using McCormick’s seasoning mix packets in recipes. They make it so easy to put together flavors and bust out a complete meal that will your family will love.”

Who doesn’t love Shrimp Scampi†? Prep time is 5 minutes, cook time is 8 minutes.

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

[1] Shrimp and lime fajitas (photo courtesy Le Creme De La Crumb | McCormick). [2] Seasoning the ingredients and [3] the final dish, emerging from the oven (photos The Recipe Critic | McCormick).

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a sheet pan and set aside (note: first line the pan with foil or parchment for easy clean-up).

2. PLACE the shrimp and asparagus in a large mixing bowl. Pour the melted butter, olive oil and lemon juice on top, sprinkle on the seasoning packet and mix until combined.

3. SPREAD the shrimp and asparagus on the sheet pan in an even layer (note: line the pan with foil or parchment for easy clean-up). Scatter the lemon slices on top. Bake for 8 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Serve immediately.
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†FOOD TRIVIA: Scampi is the Italian word for a prawn. In the U.S., it became the name of an Italian-American dish, Shrimp Scampi: broiled butterflied shrimp that been brushed with garlic butter or oil (and sometimes a splash of white wine). It’s amusing among the cognoscenti that Americans request a dish that translates to Shrimp Shrimp. But that’s not all of today’s trivia:

SHRIMPS VS. PRAWNS: THE DIFFERENCE. Prawns and shrimps are both crustaceans with 10 legs. They can be found in salt water and fresh water all over the world, and have similar flavors. While the terms are often used interchangeably, with prawns, the first three of the five pairs of legs on the body have small pincers; with shrimps only, two pairs are claw-like. In the U.K. and Australia, prawn is the name consumers and restaurants use for what is called shrimp in the U.S. Both crustaceans are found in a variety of sizes. More information.

RECIPE #3: SHEET PAN ORANGE CHILI SALMON

“This salmon is healthy, so easy, ready in 30 minutes, and has restaurant-quality flavor,” says Averie of Avery Cooks. “It’s so moist and juicy. I seasoned the salmon with McCormick Chili Seasoning Mix (Original) for a pop of heat, which is perfectly balanced by the honey and orange juice. The seasoning adds flavor without being spicy and it doesn’t overpower the fish.”

Prep time is 5 minutes, cook time is 20 to 25 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 2 to 3 Servings

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F and place a piece of foil on the baking sheet to cover it completely. Place the salmon on the foil, skin-side down, with the longer side of the fish parallel to the longer side of the sheet pan. Pull the edges of the foil up 2 inches over the pan rim, or enough so that when you pour the butter sauce over the top, it will be contained in the foil.

2. NESTLE the orange slices underneath the salmon, spaced evenly around the fillet. Set aside.

3. PLACE the butter in a microwave-safe glass measuring cup or bowl and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute. Stir in the honey and orange juice. Pour or spoon about two-thirds of the mixture over the salmon; reserve the remainder. Evenly season with the seasoning mix, and add salt and pepper, to taste.

4. ADD another sheet of foil on top and crimp or pinch both pieces together to get the seal as tight as possible. If you have time, set the pan aside to allow the fish marinate for about 10 to 15 minutes; you’ll get enhanced flavor. Bake for 15 minutes.

5. REMOVE the pan from the oven and cut open up the top of the packet so the salmon is exposed (but the edges are still raised to contain the sauce). Set the broiler to to high. Spoon the reserved sauce over the salmon, if desired. Use your judgment: If there’s already lots of juice, you don’t need to add more (you don’t want it to start leaking). If you have extra sauce, pour it over the finished dish or bring it to the table in a pitcher.

6. BROIL the salmon for 5 to 10 minutes, or until as golden as desired. The exact broiling time will depend on the size and thickness of the salmon, oven variances and personal preference. Keep a close eye on the salmon because all broilers are different and you don’t want to burn the fish.

7. GARNISH with parsley and serve immediately. This recipe is best warm and fresh, but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.

We had so much fun with it, that today’s tip is: Deconstruct one of your favorite recipes.

Here’s what we did with Black Forest Cake, but you can also deconstruct many cakes and pies. Think about it!
 
 
DECONSTRUCT A BLACK FOREST CAKE

Instead of a chocolate layer cake with cherry filling, garnished with shaved chocolate and whipped cream, we followed Compère Lapin’s lead with:

 
We like the deconstructed version even better than the traditional layer cake!

 
Serve it with a liqueur glass (or snifter, or jigger) of kirschwasser.
 
 
If this seems like too much work, here’s a super-easy deconstructed Black Forest Cake:

 
> There’s more about Black Forest Cake below.
 
 
WHAT ARE DECONSTRUCTED RECIPES?

Deconstruction is an avant-garde culinary trend of the last 15 years or so, championed by the famed Catalan chef Ferran Adrià, who has referred to his cooking as “deconstructivist.”

Hervé This, the “father of molecular gastronomy,” reintroduced the concept in 2004 as “culinary constructivism.” Essentially, all of the components and flavors of a classic dish are taken apart and presented in a new shape or form.

[2] Black Forest Cake deconstructed into a rich chocolate cake, Kirsch-infused cherry ice cream atop chocolate crumbs, and fresh cherries, at Compère Lapin restaurant | New Orleans.

[3] A bottle of Kirschwasser—a colorless brandy made from double distillation of morello cherries (photo © Luxardo).

The idea is art plus fun, and the deconstruction must taste as good as the original. For example:

 
The deconstruction saves hours of blanching cabbage leaves, filling them with chopped meat and rice, rolling them, and simmering in tomato sauce.

All the flavors are there, and it’s also easier to eat: One often needs a steak knife to saw through those blanched cabbage leaves. We say: Our deconstructed version is better than the original.
 

[5] Deconstructed Buffalo Wings as chicken meatballs topped with blue cheese (photo © Carlos Andres Varela Photography).

[6] Is Fruit Loops ice cream a deconstructed bowl of cereal (photo © Ample Hills Creamery)?

Study these for ideas and create your deconstructed food fun.

 
 
WHAT IS BLACK FOREST CAKE?

The Black Forest region of southern Germany is known for its sour morello cherries and kirsch, or kirschwasser, a clear cherry brandy made from them.

It’s not surprising, then, that desserts made with both cherries and the kirsch are part of the regional repertoire.

Black Forest Cherry Torte—torte is the German word for cake and Schwarzwälderkirschtorte is its name in German—is a chocolate layer cake filled with layers of whipped cream and Kirsch-soaked morello cherries.

The cake is garnished with more whipped cream, morello or maraschino cherries (the latter more readily available in the U.S.), and chocolate curls or shavings.

In the traditional German cake, the chocolate layers are soaked in kirsch syrup, although brandy or rum can substitute. American recipes tend to omit all spirits to make the cake family-friendly (and nowhere near as interesting).

The earliest version of Black Forest possibly dates to the late 16th century, when costly New World cacao beans were first integrated into puddings and drinks.

The first “Black Forest Cake” was probably not a conventional cake but a dessert comprising cooked cherries, cream, kirsch, and a biscuit—similar to the original berry shortcake. Subsequently, the cream could be infused with ground cacao beans.

The ingredients evolved into a layer cake.

One of the quintessential Old World desserts, Black Forest Cake transports us to eras past, when the thought of chocolate cake, cherries, liqueur, and whipped cream was the dessert equivalent of heaven.

If you want to make a traditional Black Forest Cake, here’s a recipe.

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A few days ago, our wine collectors group had its scheduled team spring dinner, an annual event that celebrates the emergence of spring fruits and vegetables.

Problem is, nature isn’t cooperating. We’re still waiting for some of our favorite spring produce to show up in stores in the chilly Northeast.

Even though some of them are now available year-round, in our grandmother’s generation and before, people had no choice but to eat seasonally.

Hence, the popular roast leg of lamb with spring peas, and a delicate salad of butter lettuce, always on Nana’s menus.

Thus, when when have a dinner to honor spring, we go full-out locavore.

Here’s what you can choose from (we’ve left out the exotics; here’s the full list).
 
 
SPRING FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Because of imports from the southern hemisphere where the seasons are reversed, Americans have year-round access to what locally has been seasonal.

There’s always someplace on earth that grows asparagus, for example.

Spring Fruits

 
Spring Vegetables

 
 
THE NIBBLE’S SPRING EDITORIAL DINNER

COCKTAIL: Blood Orange Margarita, Mimosa or Screwdriver with fresh-squeezed blood orange juice, or this Cherry Blossom cocktail.

FIRST COURSE: Spring sauté: asparagus, fiddleheads, garlic, morels and ramps, sautéed in good butter and swerved with a sprinkle of salt. It’s simple, yet memorable.

MAIN COURSE: Leg of lamb, spring peas, baby potatoes. We like to cook a leg for leftovers: lamb salad† and lamb sandwiches. See our Lamb Glossary for the different cuts and types of lamb.

SALAD COURSE: Belgian endive, butter lettuce (Bibb or Boston), fennel, snow peas and garlic scapes, dressed with a Dijon and sherry vinaigrette and garnished with fresh parsley.

CHEESE COURSE: Spring cheeses with black mission figs. We can find bucheron and charollais affine (goat), coulommiers (cow) and Pyrénées brebis (sheep), plus cheeses from local American artisan cheese makers. Ask your cheesemonger what he/she has that’s newly arrived in spring.

DESSERT: Rhubarb, any way you like it; blood oranges supreme, or in sorbet. Since strawberries, now available year-round, are a traditional spring fruit, a strawberry-rhubarb pie or galette (photo #5) does the trick.

Of course, there will be more than one spring dinner.

We’ll feature more of the menus as we make them, and look forward to any contributions from you.
 
 
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*Fava beans require a level of patience to shell, which we lack. Should you be come across shelled fava beans, it’s worth paying the premium for the labor involved.

†Recipes: lamb, cucumber and watercress salad, lamb niçoise salad and Thai lamb and asparagus salad.

[2] A spring sautée. Here’s the recipe from Honest Food (photo © Honest Food).

[3] Leg of lamb with spring peas. Here’s the recipe from Good Eggs (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] We love how the bibb lettuce is stacked in this salad recipe from My Man’s Belly (photo © My Man’s Belly).

[5] Lillé, a cheese from Vermont, is the American-made version of French Coulommiers (photo © Vermont Farmstead).

[6] A strawberry rhubarb galette is the perfect seasonal pie. Here’s the recipe from Hewn Bread (photo © Hewn Bread | Chicago).

Easter egg toast. Use the same concept for Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine and other “holiday toast” (photos courtesy Arla USA).

Make Easter egg toast as a holiday treat.

These were made with blueberry cream cheese from Arla USA, maker of cream cheese spreads in blueberry, herbs & spices, peppercorn, original and lite.

You can bring these toasts ready-made to the table, or bring the individual ingredients for an assemble-your-own activity.

Use the same concept for Christmas toast, Independence Day Toast, St. Patrick’s Day toast, Valentine toast, and so on.
 
RECIPE: EASTER TOAST

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SLICE the fruits and vegetables into halves, coins or matchsticks, as desired.

2. CUT the toast into ovals using a large, sharp scissors. You can buy oval cookie cutters, but we printed out an oval template, cut out and placed over the toast as a guideline.

3. ASSEMBLE and serve.

Don’t toss the toast trimmings. If you’re not the type to nibble as you cook, then:

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*Avoid thick slices or dense breads stuffed with dried fruits and nuts. They’re not as easy to cut into neat ovals.
  

We’re not suggesting that you mold your own chocolate bunnies, make rocher nests of almonds and chocolate filled with your own truffles, or take on homemade Peeps.

Rather, just decorate some of your everyday favorite snacks with drizzled candy melts in seasonal colors.

It is as simple as:

 
That’s it!

As with chocolate, candy melt brands vary by quality and price. Merckens* and Wilton are two quality brands.

You also want to use fresh melts—nothing that’s been sitting in a cupboard (or on a retailer’s shelf) for a year.

Here are some examples of colors to play with:

WILTON CANDY MELTS

Colors – Vanilla Flavor*

 
Other Flavors† & Colors

 
Wilton drizzle is $1.99 for a 2-ounce/56g pouch. One package covers 3 dozen mini pretzels, as shown in photo #1.

You can buy them online or check the Wilton store locator for a retailer near you.

Don’t buy candy melts way in advance to keep until you need them: Fresh candy melts work better.
 
 
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*All colors of Merckens wafers are flavored with artificial vanilla, as are the vanilla-flavored colors from Wilton. Candy melts are great for decorating, and people, and some people melt the wafers into colored bark and other candy. But flavor-wise, they are no substitute for chocolate—or for hand-tinted white chocolate.

†These are artificial flavors as well. The chocolate varieties are flavored with cocoa.

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Recipes for [1] [2] and [3] from Wilton: drizzled pretzels, drizzled potato chips and colored peanuts-and-popcorn. [4] Flower bites made with pretzels and Easter M&Ms, bound together with white candy melts. Here are instructions from Two Sisters Crafting.

[5] Candy melts come in a rainbow of colors, that can be blended together to make still other colors. [6] These may look like chocolate wafers from a fine chocolatier, but they’re candy coating—candy melts—without any cocoa butter (both photos courtesy Merckens).

Candy melts are not quite chocolate, but they look like it.

They are made in two formats: disks/wafers to melt and then use to decorate confections (used to adhere the M&Ms in photo #4 and larger projects like these), and microwaveable pouches to drizzle (the used in photos #1, #2 and #3).

Candy melts have several other names: compound coating, confectionary coating, decorator’s chocolate, pâté glacée and summer coating.

Candy melts are an imitation chocolate product that substitutes vegetable oil for all or part of the cocoa butter in chocolate. In milk chocolate-flavored melts, whey powders, whey derivatives and dairy blends can be used instead of powdered milk.

Thus, the flavor of candy melts is not as fine as chocolate. If you bite into a piece of “chocolate” that doesn’t taste as rich or velvety on the tongue, it may well be made from candy melts.

People who think they “hate white chocolate” may have experienced white candy melts instead: artificial chocolate flavored with artificial vanilla. Sometimes, the most beautiful creations are crafted from candy melts that don’t taste as good as they should.

In the U.S., commercial products made with confectionary coating must be designated “chocolate-flavored.”

Why do people use candy melts if it isn’t as tasty?

The white coating was often tinted pastel pink, blue and green. The products were called “summer chocolate,” not artificial chocolate.

Again, that’s why so many people dislike white “chocolate.” Give the best white chocolate a try.
 
 
TIPS

There are plenty of videos on YouTube and online articles that explain how to work with the disks. However, since the ideas above use only the drizzling pouches, not much instruction is needed except: Start with a very small cut in the pouch or your drizzle may wider than you’d like.

Here’s how to read the freshness code on candy melts bags.