Variety is the Spice of Life

My project this week is to look at my spice cabinet.  What a mess!  Purest say that you should clean out your spice cabinet just like you would a refrigerator.  Check, evaluate, and out with the old.  Spices are said to lose their flavor over time.  I'll be honest.  Some of my spices I have had longer than I would like to admit and I do use them, however, having old spices really is a symptom of a lack of awareness. I don't know about yours but my spice cabinet shouts chaos to the point that something must be done.  I spend more time trying to locate a spice than I would like.   

This spice cabinet just screams for help and recognition.  I vow to do my best to remedy the situation.

Is variety really the spice of my life?  What exactly are my spices saying to me?  Am I missing out in the taste bud lottery?  I decided to line up my spices and take inventory.  How long have I've had it?  Do I use the spice often?  For what?  Was it for a recipe I needed 1/4 tsp and then never used it again?  Why?  Was it a gift?  Did I buy it during an inspirational trip to the spice shop?  If the label is faded, I probably should throw it away.

How I move food out of my Freezer with Ease

Recently, I ran into a neighbor who mentioned he must have thrown out $100 worth of meat away that was tucked into his freezer.  Believe it or not, some of it was from 2009!  I’m certain there is a large part of the population that can relate to losing items in the depths of their freezer never to be seen again. 

When we have the storage, it is a natural human tendency to fill it up.  We chase after bargains, stock our freezer for a rainy day and continue this cycle over and over.  Life gets busy and we become out of touch with what we have while we continue chasing the current bargains of the day.  I have found three ways of preventing this from happening.

1.  I inventory my freezers about four times a year.  Yes, I have two of them, although, both are very small.  I make a list of items on hand and menu plan.  I also know what meats I need to refrain from buying unless they are giving it away. 

2.  Most importantly, when I buy meat in bulk, I always put it in the freezer with a purpose.  I cut meat prior to freezing it for stir fry, shish ka bobs, soup or whatever and I label it.  I put together meat loafs and label ground beef for hamburgers, tacos or chili.  It seems daunting at first but it really helps me cycle the food out of the depths of the freezer and onto our table.  I find that I have less of a block of “what to make” when packages are labeled with ideas in mind.  This is especially helpful if I have spotted a new recipe that looks great but I don’t have time to make it.  I keep the recipe in a binder to be made at the appropriate time.  I do have a few packages of meat unlabeled other than the contents and weight.  I also pack various sizes of meat to accommodate when we are cooking for a smaller bunch.  

3.  About twice a year, I move meat out of the freezer by taking a day and smoking the meat on hand.  Long ago, a good friend gifted me with a meat smoker.  I am able to smoke 20 – 40 pounds of meat in a day. It makes a great gift, freezes well and is always a favorite meal.  Smoked meat at home is out of the ordinary for most.  We always feel like we are fine dining when we pull out a smoked chicken to eat a few months after we prepared it. 

The key to having a freezer and filling it is to have a plan.  Hopefully this will inspire you to never experience the unpleasant discovery of “freezer burn” and trashing once valuable meat gone bad.

The Challenge is On!

The topic of weeding out and getting rid of clutter has come up quite often since the year began.  In a conversation with a sibling yesterday, Peter Walsh was mentioned.  Peter Walsh writes books to address mental clutter, physical clutter and the psychology behind it.  The comment was that this kind of clutter could probably be applied to food as well. 

As you may have imagined, I went to the internet to look up Peter Walsh and watched a few videos.  In one, he addresses clutter you hold onto because you might need it one day.  He calls this kind of clutter, things you hold onto for your imagined future.  If you saw my kitchen cabinets, my freezer and my basement stash, you could probably put me in this category.  I am always scouring through cookbooks and looking for new and interesting recipes to try, I buy in bulk and I buy ahead but somehow I am always grocery shopping.

Later on that night, I caught myself thinking about going to the store to buy chard for a recipe I had my eye on earlier in the week.  I thought for another moment and then waltzed over to my fridge where our weekly menu is hanging.  Sausage Lentil Stew is the new creation preplanned and posted.  I found the recipe and quickly realized that this was not the one needing chard but I had indeed bought escarole for this recipe which is sitting in my refrigerator just waiting to be used.  The shopping trip was nixed and I found myself being very satisfied that I didn’t waste time shopping for something that I really didn’t have time for or need and would probably go bad before I actually found that recipe again.

Lessons from My Sock Drawer

My dedicated sock drawer is always brimming but I can’t find what I want.  We all do it.  We all have our prized possessions, our favorites.  In the case of socks, I have found that more is not better.  Evaluating the drawer, I find socks that are too big, too small, rough or lifeless with no stretch left in sight.  Socks with holes, faded socks and socks pretending they are white and it would be criminal to fail to mention socks without mates. 

Before - I can never find socks that fit or I like.

How did I get into this overpopulated, overrated sock situation?  The answer my friends is simply a lack of awareness, a lack of planning and if I have to be truthful, it's the result of trying to get the best deals when buying.  (aka – cheap)

As I sort through the socks I start to think.  What is it I like about these socks?  How do I feel when I wear them?  Do I ever wear these?  Are they mine?  Do others think they’re mine?  (aka – they passed them on for better things and emptied their drawers into mine?)

I find that my favorite socks have these qualities.  They are soft, have massaging qualities, tended not to be bought in bulk, are the right color, fit the season – longer style for the winter and hiking, and shorter no show for summer.  Most importantly, they are the right size.