My Favorite Herbs & Spices

I’m not an herb and spice expert, but I know some.  I especially love Monica Bhide  - check out her spice-of-the-month and spice-capades for excellent information and wonderful recipes using herbs and spices.

My primary credential is a long history of loving to use herbs and spices, closely followed by a collection that provides at least a modicum of “cred” if you’re looking for someone who has tried a few herbs and spices in her time.  I admit that some of my dried herbs and spices should be rotated more frequently – but hey, no one’s perfect.

And if you believe in bloodlines:

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Versatile pasta - side dish or main course

This week I discovered that pasta has 2 celebrations: National Pasta Day in the U.S. and World Pasta Day in the European Union.  (What about the rest of the world?  And why not merge the celebrations into 1 day? All good questions, but for another time.)  No matter, I've got 2 takes on pasta for you - the first today and the second on Friday.  Even if they are just kernels of inspiration rather than real recipes in the traditional sense, they can help pull you out of a pasta rut. Today's take is an orzo side dish and Friday's is a quick tomato-based sauce for main course pasta.  Both are vegetarian, but you can eat the first with poultry, meat or fish and add chopped meat to the second.  The bottom line is that pasta is versatile. 

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Glorious potatoes – inexpensive, in season & easy

Last weekend, I got a box of small, new red potatoes at my local farmers’ market.  I think my potatoes are adorable, blemishes and all.  Beauty is only skin deep, of course. I love my spuds for other reasons too.  They're inexpensive (love a cheap date), delicious (my taste buds report), fast cooking (no delayed gratification here) and easy to make (simple wins my heart.)  As if those virtues weren’t enough, any leftovers make great home fries for a weekend breakfast.

Don't you wish you could bite into these right now?

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