Versatility While Cooking with Mustard

Most people are familiar with the bright yellow condiment used on hot dogs. The blend of ground mustard seeds and oil is as traditional as apple pie. However, mustard is a great ingredient to spice up just about any type of food.

Mustard is more than that yellow stuff. Start with whole mustard seed for pickling then move onto ground mustard for flavoring in barbecue sauces. Add a spoonful of Dijon or horseradish mustard to your homemade ham salad. Mustard is as diverse as the number of cooks on the planet.

At any given time, I will have 6-7 types of mustard in my kitchen. I like a horseradish blended mustard or a semi-sweet balsamic mustard. We go through at least three quarts of prepared yellow mustard every year, balancing those with Dijon mustard.

Mustard can be used for salad dressings. A honey-mustard vinaigrette is simple to create in any kitchen and the flavor can change with a variety of mustards. Baked macaroni and cheese gets a little spice with the addition of a teaspoon or two of dry ground mustard.

Add mustard to deviled eggs, macaroni or potato salad or ham salad for a little kick without any added heat. Sloppy Joes like a spoonful of mustard, also. A Creole cream sauce is kicked up a bit with the addition of some coarse-ground mustard or Dijon mustard. Stroganoff can benefit when you stir in one tablespoon of Dijon mustard.

When your pantry is stocked with just a couple of mustards such as prepared yellow or Dijon, it's possible to make a variety of sauces and dips to go with any party. I've included the recipes for two very easy mustard-based sauces for any kitchen.

Sweet Mustard Sauce - Great for ham or chicken tenders
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup pineapple chunks, drained
1 cup yellow mustard
2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

For many people, pretzels and mustard go hand in hand. This is a very simple pretzel dip perfect for nuggets or hot, soft pretzels.

Mustard Dip for Pretzels
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup minced sweet onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground horseradish (not cream-style horseradish spread)
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and store, covered, in refrigerator at least eight hours before serving.

Source: The Mustard Site