You would think, what with all the simplifying I talk about, I would have clean cupboards... right? After finding a bottle of bactin that expired in 1999 last week I decided I better pay more attention. (Not to be topped.... my dad gave me a bottle of cat wormer that expired in 1987.)
Last night I went on a little cleaning kicker in the kitchen.
Bag of barley for making soup mixes (from, um, 7 years ago?) GONE
Whole wheat flour. GONE (I've heard it doesn't last long and this was a "spare" bag lost in the bottom and back of the lazy susan.)
Spices. GONE.
Old tea. GONE.
Dried out marshmallows. GONE.
Random small packaged foods in the snack bin. EATEN.
Fancy cocoa mix. EATEN.
Dry beans. REORGANIZED.... I'm getting more this weekend.
Found: THREE jars of celery salt. Apparently EVERY TIME I make a bloody mary I buy a new jar?
Found: Two boxes of really good tea I bought a few weeks ago. Yum.
Found: Silver cupcake cups I was looking for last month.
Found: Toothpicks. I thought we were out.
Found: Babyfood grinder.... she's pretty much done with it now... do I hang on just in case for another month or two or do I put it in the "give to my brother" box??
Ok... I have to talk more about the spices. I had them all out on my counter and my mil shows up. She's a real cook and loves spices. Every packet or jar I would hold up she'd say, "Oh, yeah-yeah... that's good. Keep that one. You just put a litte shake in....." Like I’m ever going to make sugar cookies, pumpkin pie, stew, curry or saffron rice. We were dying laughing.
Also.... I have lots of tiny tabasco bottles... any crafty ideas? Maybe I'll tie them on bags of beans for gifts or something..... they came with MRE's.
So far the only things I’m keeping are: celery salt for bloody caesar’s, garlic powder for noodles ala Daddy, garlic salt for toast, cinnamon for toast, cumin & white pepper for white bean chili, popcorn seasoning….. anything else I need? I'll probably re-invest in some "fall" spices (allspice, ginger....) when pumpkin muffin season comes around. But I prefer to buy in tiny quantities at the health food store.... way cheaper and fresher.
I also kept some fresh saffron and herbes de provence (sp?) that I just got as gifts from some travelers. Maybe I WILL make saffron rice.
Some of the containers were from King Soopers..... so that makes them almost 20 years old. I think I can let them go.
What spices do you use on a regular basis? What spices are lurking that are over a year old? What about 10 years old?
1 comment:
Pass the baby food grinder on to your brother; Bugsy will grow up so fast because she’ll be rushing to catch up with Tuff & Sweet.
Tabasco bottles: Most non-military/firefighter folks are going to want to know what MRE’s are. They are kinda cute little bottles. Crafty ideas? Glue gun them around a mirror for a morning after gag gift.
Spices, etc.: We use lemon pepper a lot, Costco Italian seasoning mix (eggs, meat, spaghetti, etc.), and a combo seasoning mix from Costco (on Nachos). I put ginger in Asian foods, and ginger/mustard in stroganoff. Coarse ground pepper is an essential. Cumin for Mexican. Garlic constantly. Olive oil consistently.
I use Herbes de Provence for roasted turkey and chicken all the time. It’s also good on fish, soup, beef, pizza, etc
PS, it wasn’t spices but in the move from the old house to the new, darling daughter while cleaning the fridge threw away a small jar of dill pickles that was dated 1996 … and then the very next day asked me to pick up a jar of dill pickles! : - ) Since she cleaned the fridge, fewer things made it to the new fridge. We are moved in, but still unfinished. Still no closing date for the permanent loan.
Post a Comment