Spice Up Your Cooking

Does your cooking seem a little on the bland side? Many of us have a least one spice rack from last Christmas, but how often do you really use it? Creating a well-seasoned dish does take a bit of practice, but you have to be willing to work on the basis of trial and error. Read on for a few tips that you can use when venturing into the world of herbs and spices.

First, we will start out with using herbs. Below you'll find a list of herbs that are commonly found in store-bought spice racks, as well as examples of dishes that they compliment well. This is just a guide, so don't be afraid to experiment with the different herbs in your cupboard. With herbs, you can easily go by scent. Open up a jar—does it smell like it would go well with the dish you have in mind?

Basil: tomato sauces, pesto, vinaigrette

Bay Leaves: soups, marinades, sauces

Cardamom: pickling, but sometimes used in pastries

Celery Flakes: soups, salads, and dips

Celery Salt: pickling, potato salad, cole slaw

Coriander: pickling, meat, Oriental foods, curries

Dill Weed: soups, potatoes, fish, sauces

Italian seasoning: pizza sauce, spaghetti, lasagna

Marjoram: chicken, sausage, stew, soups, meat, potato, pizza and spaghetti sauces

Mint: lamb

Onion Salt: Italian dishes, soups, sauces

Oregano: Italian dishes, stew, soups, sauces

Parsley: potato dishes, eggs, soups, sauces

Rosemary: most roasted meat, stuffing

Sage: chicken, pork, stuffing

Thyme: meat dishes, sauces, clam chowder

Spices can be a bit trickier, as their scents are not nearly as pronounced as herbs, so you may just have to familiarize yourself to the individual flavor of each spice.

Allspice: Tastes like a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Baking, roasts, soups, sauces

Cayenne Pepper: meat, chili, Mexican and Louisiana-style foods, seafood (careful—a pinch or less is enough—this stuff is hot!)

Chili Powder: chili, stews, beef (hot)

Cinnamon: baking, hot drinks (cocoa, apple cider, chai)

Cloves: baking, ham (baked), desserts, marinades

Cumin: chili, meat

Curry Powder: mixture of Indian spices (turmeric, garlic, coriander, cumin, ginger) curries, meat, poultry, seafood, Oriental and Indian dishes

Garlic Salt: sauces, meat, poultry, pasta, soup

Ginger: chutney, preserves, Oriental and Indian foods

Lemon Pepper: salads, seafood, poultry, meat

Paprika: eggs, seafood, salad dressing, sauces

Red Pepper: sauces, meat (hot)

Turmeric: curries, meat, eggs

It seems like a lot to take in, but you'll get the hang of what each herb and spice can contribute to your dishes as you become familiar with the different flavor combinations. The best way to learn to use seasonings is to create a sauce or dish that you're familiar with. Once you've accomplished the "normal" flavor, mess around to create a particular flavor that suits you. For instance, try making spaghetti sauce from scratch rather than buying the ready-made stuff in a jar. You know what spaghetti SHOULD taste like, and this one is almost a fail-safe when learning to season from scratch. All you need is a few cans of tomato puree and your spice rack. You could use "Italian seasoning" if you have it, but it's kind of a cheat as far as seasoning goes. The basics for your spaghetti herbs should include basil, oregano or marjoram (or both, if you like, however oregano is simply wild marjoram), parsley, coriander (just a little), and thyme. From the spice shelf, just throw in a bit of garlic salt to taste and you're set!

Don't be afraid to be adventurous in the kitchen; all great chefs have to start somewhere, and learning the basics of herbs and spices will give you a great foundation.

Where Are You Going?

So how do you keep track of where you are? The best way I've found is to create a mental image of exactly the way I want to be and to work toward that. I keep that picture before my mind all the time and use it as a yardstick. There are several advantages to making such a mental picture.

First, it gives you a specific goal to work toward. There's a wonderful poster that reads, "If you don't know where you're going, you're likely to wind up somewhere else." Creating a mental image of what you want to be tells you exactly where you're going.

Second, you don't know exactly what you're going to find at the end of the rainbow. Having that mental picture lets you use a technique that people have found very successful. It's called imaging. You create in your mind the perfect picture of whatever it is you want -- a body, a car, a house, a job, a relationship. You have to be very specific, painting the picture in your mind down to the last detail. Then you sit back and think about it, and feel whatever emotions surround it. If you recreate it every day, an image as precise as that has a good chance of becoming a reality.

If you were exactly where you wanted to be right now, and you took inventory of yourself and what you have, would you recognize them? If you don't have a clear, vivid picture of what you want and would like to be, take some time to create one. Then you will know exactly where you're going and will have some additional help in getting there.

The Hazard of Sleeping while on Duty

Entrecard Hit Me with the Banhammer!

Yup, you read that right. Couple of my blogs were banned, deleted, vanished from Entrecard this morning. I was frantic, livid, and #$##^&&*$%&*.

That outburst lasted only several seconds and the greedy sense of me prevailed. You ask greedy? Yup you're reading this right again. I have approximately 250,000 Entrecard credits on both accounts and common sense tells me to check the TOS, in order for me not to lose all those credits. Lo and behold, I violated the terms of service by not posting at least 5 "quality" posts for the past 90 days on each of the blogs concerned.

My fault, my bad. I was so engrossed with my other cyber activities that I completely ignored to read Entrecard's TOS. I became complacent because I thought nobody really cares anymore. My Entrecard experience from the last several months, or from the start for that matter have somewhat been unpleasant. I won't go into details but for the members who have been here from the start, you know what I mean. Don't get me wrong, there were good times also. It's really not the fault of Mr. Graham or the people in charge. Let's leave it at that.

Now, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. The new owner and his team are sending out a strong message that Entrecard is all about quality, teamwork, and for the benefit of everyone.

Cindy, director of business development, quickly restored one of my accounts after I sent a support ticket. Although, I have yet to see another of my blog restored Monkey Arcade, since I have updated and will continue updating all my blogs on a regular basis.

My woes don't end there though. All my blog links are not link to my main blog and I can't access my other blogs, but I guess admin will be able to sort out my problems. My advice to my fellow Entrecarders, read the terms of service and follow rules. It's a new dawn for Entrecard and I have a positive feeling that most of us will end up seeing the light at the of the tunnel.