Can we talk?

Hers and spices

    My kitchen has an abundance of spices. There were ones left by Mom, more that Dad has purchased. When he couldn't find what he wanted, he'd go out and buy more, so there's duplicates of many items, including spices. And then mine when I  moved in about 4 months ago.
 
    Now he's trying to root some rosemary bushes, taken from some bushes near his job. And I'm growing basil and dill from seeds on the back porch. I cleaned out the dried spices and threw some away. They don't package them in the metal tins any more, and they're old enough to be tossed. (I saw some in the antiques store this week, and those boxes sell for slightly more than what they're worth now. So if you have storage room, you might want to hold them for the price to grow up.)

    I feel like I should not be wasteful and learn more about using these spices. I already use tarragon a lot: it's great in scrambled eggs, as long as you don't overdo it. Tarragon smells like licorice, but nothing ever ends up tasting that way after cooking. It adds a slightly sweet flavor without calories. French recipes use tarragon a lot with garlic, thyme, and green onion. I don't cook French, but I'm willing to add those together. So far, no one's complained about any combinations.

    I don't know so much about others. Rosemary goes with chicken, so I'm trying that. Oregano and basil go in anything Italian or other tomato dishes. Bay leaves and parlsley I use a lot. But sage, thyme, curry, etc., still baffle me. And I read somewhere that curry is good for you. I'm not especially fond of strong sage. My dad loves it. So I plan on a
lot of experimenting this summer. Especially when a few fresh vegatlbes start coming in from the garden. I'm open to ideas.

    And since I'm trying to cut back on sugar and cholesterol intake, experimenting with spices might help me stay on track. Well, I can hope.