Creative Cooking in Winter

Istiqlál (Independence), 17 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Friday, January 16, 2009 about 5:22 AM Pacific Time

I have a cupboard full of spices in jars that I never use. I am not sure how old they are, but I do know they have been there at least four years perhaps longer. I am going to have to throw them out because they are not any good any more. I suppose I could look at the sell by date or the use by date; however, that is only going to confirm what I already know.

I use spices; I just use the prepackaged spices. Yesterday I made macaroni and I used the beef stew spice package to season it. Before my brother and his wife went back to Colorado last year, they brought us a bunch of prepackaged spices. I have used those and I am almost out of prepackaged spice, so I am going to have to put those on the grocery list the next time I go to the store.

My grandmother never used prepackaged spices, actually I do not think they had them when I was growing up. Grandma used spices from the jars or fresh spices, but never the prepackaged. In one way, I am like my grandmother when it comes to cooking because I normally do not follow a recipe. That is why I like the prepackaged spices. I can dump the package into the food I am cooking without measuring any spices.

I will have to post some of my recipes because I usually make things in a slow cooker or in a microwave. Since neither the stovetop nor the oven work, those are the only appliances that I use regularly. Sometimes I use an electric skillet, but even then I use the spice packages.