Here I am, touching up background scenery.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME! THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME! Company Girls, I am soooo happy to be home. We finished our work project in Colorado and got home late Thursday night. It's taken the weekend to unpack, open bills mail and catch up on some rest. It feels great to be done with the TV Studio and back in Texas. Thank you for your patience while I was gone....I have missed everyone here so much!
And waking up in my own bed, suddenly I feel like baking goodies: pies, cookies, muffins. You just can't do that while staying in hotel rooms and driving through McDonald's for meals. I've got a hankering for gingerbread and I'm ready to rumble in the kitchen. YES!
Problem is, my spice cabinet is disorganized. So many different containers in varying sizes and shapes....it's hard to make any sense of what I even have in there. It makes baking a challenge.
Seems like it's always been a bit of a mess. Not long ago I was scrounging around for bay leaves and came across some cardamon from Christmas 1990. Yes, 1990. I only use that particular spice once a year, in some Christmas bread that is an old recipe from my mom. Lauren said, "How OLD is some of this stuff?" as she helped me look.
I was embarrassed to say that some of those spices are older than she is.
It's probably time to say goodbye to them.
Goodbye, Spice Girls.
Today's Small Thing is to straighten up your spices.
You don't have to do a major cleaning unless you want to, but you might want to arrange them in order by size, usage or alphabetically. I found that I have three containers of Pumpkin Pie Spice, yet no onion or garlic powder. I've got 3 boxes of corn starch (why?) but no basil. I've got baking items, like baking soda, mixed in with the chicken boullion cubes, and half-used packages of chili-o thrown in there.
In short, it's a disaster.
It's going to feel really feel great to get a jump on holiday baking with my spices all organized. Maybe next Thanksgiving I'll realize that I don't need yet another can of Pumpkin Pie Spice because I've taken stock of what I already have.
What does YOUR spice collection look like?
In 10 minutes or less, say goodbye to those posh, but outdated spices. Imagine how much fun cooking and baking will be when your collection gets a mini-makeover!
FYI: Here's a quick shelf-life chart from McCormick seasonings:
|
Ingredient |
 |
Shelf Life |
|
ground spices |
|
2-3 years |
|
whole spices |
|
3-4 years |
|
seasoning blends |
|
1-2 years |
|
herbs |
|
1-3 years |
|
extracts |
|
4 years, except pure vanilla, which lasts indefinitely |
Song of the Day: Goodbye, Spice Girls
