Your spice cabinet...READ - it's important!

Let's talk about your spice cabinet....I mean, let's take one very serious look at your spice cabinet!! By golly, it's everything your mother had and nothing more - right?

There's the dried Herbs (not to be confused with spices) Basil, Oregano, Chives and something even more daring like Sage and Lemon Pepper. Very original.

Then there's the spice stand-by's: Cinnamon, Vanilla (liquid form), Nutmeg (ground - I should have you arrested for this) the occasional Allspice, a year old bottle of Pumpkin Spice....it just won't do - no, I don't think so.

This is really important because you simply can't expand your horizons on such a limited palette. There are so many things out there you should have.
And then you say to me "but I thought this was about saving money, too?"
Yeah, you're right - but you can't get very far without a serious look at this...do you really want to talk about variations on Hamburger Helper?

Here's what you need to do:
Have fresh herbs on hand whenever possible...which means growing many of them, and don't worry - most of these things are weeds and have no problem getting along without a lot of attention. Mint makes a wonderful ground cover - plant it in the front yard and people will wonder why flies and mosquitoes never seem to hang around your house.
Thyme is a sturdy little plant as is rosemary, marjoram and anything thing else you can buy the seeds for. So get planting...you can even set up herb gardens inside!

As for spices, we'll this is a little harder because they are very different, they are usually a variety of seeds, tree bark (cinnamon) roots, etc. So you will have to buy them and keep them in air tight containers, away from heat and away from light.

Spices are best when ground on the day you will use them, so a mortar and pestle is a good thing to have handy. I had 10 year old Corriander in an air-tight container that once ground was still overpowering on it's fragrance. I don't think it was a bad decision on my part to use the old spice, but it's always better to use fresh.

So here's the long awaited list of things you should keep on hand as often as possible:
Tarragon, Bay Leaf (you'll have to buy this one), Cilantro (this should ALWAYS be fresh - dried Cilantro has almost no flavor) Marjoram, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme.

And Spices: Corriander, Fennel, Cardamom (this will be expensive, but it's just fantastic) Nutmeg (in whole nut form - it's sooo much better that way), Celery Seed, Caraway, Red Pepper (best dried) Chilli Powder, and GINGER!!! Which you can buy in root form, place it in the freezer and use it whenever - it's a beautiful thing.

If you start here, then we can go lots of places.

Planting a Garden, Stocking a Pantry.

So I worked at this job I had for some 7-1/2 years only to be forced out by a new manager who thinks he is god.
Go figure, it happens.
BUT in this really bad economy, it's not a good thing to be down by one salary - thank God (the real one) for savings!
Now I am on a quest for cheap and easy dinners and lunches. Well, it's largely because that my grocery store is 10 miles away and the gas prices continue to skyrocket (so quick trips to the store needs to be off limits in order to save money) and I don't need to spend additional money on one-time ingredients....time to stretch the budget.

As if I have all kinds of time to write ANOTHER blog, I think this one is necessary - time to get down and dirty with the food budget and finding real options to high priced meals. So here we go....

I did spend the money to begin seeding garden plants. Among the produce line up this year will be: Wax Beans, Zucchini, Squash, Raddichio, Arugula, Tomatoes and Lettuce among other things. The garden will be much bigger this year - but that's OK, seems I will have plenty of time to baby it.

I have also gone to great lengths to stock up on rice and beans...yes, beans. Many people consider that beans are just poor man's food - and that's a pity because there are so many things you can do with them and they are dirt cheap!
That being stated, here's a list of beans you should have well stocked in your pantry if cheap and nutritious meals are what on tap for the immediate future:
Lentils (both green and red - although red are much harder to find in the store)
Navy beans
Cannelli beans (lots of stuff you can do with these)
Black beans
Adzuki beans (very, very healthy and they have a light flavor)
and for variety: kidney, pinto, broad and lima.

Get to this point and you have a variety of options for feeding your family.
Recipes to come....time to go and soak some beans!