I have a few new favorite things. I have been reading Herbs and Spices by Jill Norman. It is awesome so far. I have learned a lot and I am excited to start a new spice garden. I have learned several things. Some dried spices like Basil and Cilantro are terrible and no good. In the book she suggests chopping the herbs up and freezing them. Good idea right! Well I am lazy and was thinking what a bother it would be to do all that work. (yeah I know it sounds super lazy) If you want to know more about how to cook with different spices I highly reccomend this book!!! As I was picking up some mushrooms I saw a few tubes of something next to the fresh herbs. So I picked one up. Cilantro!!! Already finely chopped in a squeezeable tube!!!!! Then I saw Basil and lemon grass!!!! Yes a total score!!! The brand they carry at Harmons is Gourmet Garden. I am so excited to get their dill and parsley! They have a few other blends that look fun as well. I will just have to keep my eye out at Harmons because the last few times I was there They only had one or two of the cilantro and Basil. I took the last lemon grass they had. So no more buying a bunch of cilantro or dill and wondering how on Earth I am going to use it all before it gets nasty!
Another thing I recently tried and love is truffle oil. Last year I watched an episode of At Home with Jamie Oliver and he used some in a salad. He said everyone needed it and that it was awesome. You only need a little bit of it so it should last a long time. It really tastes like nothing I have never had before. I used it in Chicken Fontina. And WOW it made the sauce so much better. It just adds a different kind of depth. I have really been trying to hold myself back with using it. because I say to my self hey that would be good in rice. Or hmmm what about with those vegetables. Be warned truffle oil is pricy. About $15.00 for 8.45 fluid ounces. It is awesome though.
So those are some things you need to try from your grocery store.
