Re: Top 10 Food Items to Keep on Hand to Add Flavor and Nutrition Boring Meals

[Guest guest]

>Here are 10 ideas for ingredients that will add taste, color and

>nutrition to your old standby's:

>You can read the entire article at

><http://www.emaxhealth.com/14/143.html>http://www.emaxhealth.com/14/143.html

>

>

>Thank you.

>Armen

We do something like that ... their list has more canned stuff but here

is what I keep on hand as a basic list:

1. Chopped onions (not frozen ... if you put them in the freezer

they tend to add " freezer taste " to everthing else if you aren't careful).

Green onions too ... if they get old, plant them outside on the balcony

in a pot.

2. Fresh peeled garlic cloves.

3. Fresh ginger (it keeps a long time, but if you have to store it longer

you can just dunk it in a jar of vodka).

4. A basil plant.

5. A mess of good spices (sausage seasoning mix is really useful).

6. Dried chili peppers

7. Some good cheeses

8. Kefiili and kefiili cream

9. Lettuce (ideally, growing in pots on the balcony).

10. A freezer full of good meat.

11. Good oils (coconut and olive at least)

12. Potatoes and onions in big bags

Well, the last 3 aren't seasonings. But I've

found that the more I cook, the fewer things I

keep on hand. But the fresher the ingredients, the

better the food comes out!

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

> Green onions too ... if they get old, plant them outside on the balcony

> in a pot.

Heidi,

Keeping green onions in a glass of water you change every few days, will

give you another to four regrowths from a bunch. Mine sit on windowsill

above sink. Cut and come again like garden greens till they stop and dry out

just above white bulb that the subsequent growth comes from.

Wanita

[Guest guest]

> 2. Fresh peeled garlic cloves.

I buy mine in a huge container already peeled from Ranch at

the restaurant supply store. Incredibly cheap. Not organic but I'm not

too worried about that with garlic. If they start to get old before I

can use them up, I just roast up a bunch at once and we have roasted

garlic spread, or I lactoferment a jar (raw, with a dried pepper). The

fermented ones last forever and a jar makes a good gift.

> 5. A mess of good spices (sausage seasoning mix is really useful).

You know what I've found useful lately? Whole pickling spices. I grind

them in a suribachi and add them to our cooking morning rice with

raisins, butter and chopped crispy nuts. Doesn't even need sweetening

then. My other favorite mixes are herbes de provence (a lifesaver--when

in doubt that's what goes on) and Old Bay.

> 12. Potatoes and onions in big bags

We get the big bags and hang them in the basement. Lifesaving!

We really should put together an NT pantry list.

Lynn S.

who has a whole chicken in the crockpot with sherry, rosemary and a ton

of peeled garlic...

making a big mess of thin-sliced potatoes baked with cream and butter

to go with...

------

Lynn Siprelle * web developer, writer, mama, fiber junky

http://www.siprelle.com * http://www.thenewhomemaker.com

http://www.democracyfororegon.com * http://www.wisforwomen.com

[Guest guest]

>Heidi,

>

>Keeping green onions in a glass of water you change every few days, will

>give you another to four regrowths from a bunch. Mine sit on windowsill

>above sink. Cut and come again like garden greens till they stop and dry out

>just above white bulb that the subsequent growth comes from.

>

>Wanita

Great minds think alike! Mine are similar, but they are in a pot outside the

door, because

I forget to change the water (and it rains most of the year so I don't have

to water them if they are outside). I used to throw them out when they got

wilty but they do fine in a pot.

>

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

>> 2. Fresh peeled garlic cloves.

>

>I buy mine in a huge container already peeled from Ranch at

>the restaurant supply store. Incredibly cheap. Not organic but I'm not

>too worried about that with garlic. If they start to get old before I

>can use them up, I just roast up a bunch at once and we have roasted

>garlic spread, or I lactoferment a jar (raw, with a dried pepper). The

>fermented ones last forever and a jar makes a good gift.

Great minds ... yeah, I get those too. I found you can just put them in a jar

and cover them with good vinegar too (or kimchi juice) if you don't feel

like fermenting from scratch.

>> 5. A mess of good spices (sausage seasoning mix is really useful).

>

>You know what I've found useful lately? Whole pickling spices. I grind

>them in a suribachi and add them to our cooking morning rice with

>raisins, butter and chopped crispy nuts.

Oooh, that does sound good. I added a handful to some vinegar and poured it

over some pork to store it (it was a recipe for " pickled pork " ) and that worked

good too. Penzy's pickling spice is great.

>We really should put together an NT pantry list.

Hmmm. Good idea. I can do a PDF chapter.

Heidi Jean