Seasoned Noodle Mix

Destiny left for culinary school. Johnson & Wales, Charlotte, North Carolina. I drove her to the airport — just the two of us, in my car, the same car where I hold counseling sessions and cry after debate tournaments. She was quiet. She is never quiet. She was nervous and excited and eighteen and leaving and the kitchen that made her was in the rearview mirror and the kitchen that will shape her was ahead.

At the gate (they let me walk her to security), she turned and said, "Miss Tamika, I'm scared." I said, "Good. Scared means it matters." She said, "What if I'm not good enough?" I said, "Baby, you are Destiny. You taught twenty girls to cook. You ran a kitchen at seventeen. You are more than good enough. You are extraordinary." She cried. I cried. We hugged in an airport during a pandemic and the hug was worth every risk because some moments are bigger than six feet and this was one of them.

She called me from Charlotte that night. She said, "The kitchen here is huge." I said, "All kitchens start big. You'll fill it." She said, "I already put your spice blend on my station." She took the blend. She took Mama's garlic and onion and paprika and cayenne to culinary school in Charlotte and put it on her station and the blend is there now, in a professional kitchen, in a school that will teach her technique but cannot teach her what she already knows: that cooking is love and the table is where you prove it.

Made dinner that night in a daze. Something simple — pasta, sauce, bread. The house was normal. The family ate. But a girl I raised in a church kitchen is in Charlotte with a Folgers-can blend on her station and the distance between my kitchen and hers is both four hundred miles and no distance at all.

That night I didn’t want anything complicated — my heart was already full and my hands needed something easy to hold. This Seasoned Noodle Mix is exactly what I reached for: simple enough to make in a daze, warm enough to feel like something. I use my own blend — the same garlic, onion, paprika, and cayenne that Destiny took to Charlotte — and every time I shake it over these noodles I think about her station and how the flavor of this kitchen is spreading further than I ever imagined.

Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

12 oz wide egg noodles
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup reserved pasta water
Grated Parmesan, optional, for serving

Instructions

Boil the noodles. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook egg noodles according to package directions until just tender. Before draining, reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water, then drain and set noodles aside.
Mix the seasoning blend. In a small bowl, stir together the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, dried parsley, salt, and black pepper. This is your blend — adjust the cayenne to your house’s heat tolerance.
Build the sauce. In the same pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the seasoning blend and stir constantly for about 60 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the reserved pasta water and stir to combine into a light, glossy sauce.
Toss and coat. Add the drained noodles back to the pot and toss well to coat every strand. Cook for 1–2 minutes over medium-low heat, tossing frequently, until the sauce clings to the noodles.
Serve. Plate immediately. Top with grated Parmesan if you like, and a pinch more paprika for color. Serve alongside crusty bread or a simple green salad.

Nutrition (per serving)

Seasoned Noodle Mix — The Blend She Carried to Charlotte