herbs & spices??

Shalimar said:
Many Asian stores carry it, I bought mine in a Korean store. I would imagine one could order it online also.
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We don’t have any Asian stores and if I remember to add it to my shopping list, I’ll get some the next time in a big city.
 

fmdog44 said:
Aunt Mag- how do you use bay leave with cooking potatoes. That is a new one for me and sounds good.
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Oh, so good, FM.

Toss a small to medium sized bay leaf into your vegetable steamer pot (bottom water portion), potatoes on top (steamer insert), and steam potatoes until done.

I mostly reserve steaming with a bay leaf when preparing baby potatoes, it adds a nice rich flavour to them, especially if you enjoy steamed potatoes with a ranch or sour cream style dressing on them.
 
I like spices but my stomach doesn't LOL, so I don't have any spice jars. I do use quite a bit of garlic, ginger and parsley but buy it fresh as needed. Have rosemary, thyme and spring onions growing in the garden.
 

This week I received a box from Walmart. Besides my items there was this large plastic bottle of McCormick marjoram leaves. I did not order it and I was not charged for it. Its not something I cook with so I don't know what to do with it. I don't cook much anymore since its just me. Somebody is probably mad as they did not get it in their order and I don't know how it got in mine. Guess they were packing the boxes and it landed in mine.

Wish I was closer to some of you folks that cook a lot. I could give to you. My daughter lives close but she does not cook at all. Too much trouble to mail back. I might give it away on free cycle.
 
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wcwbf said:
do ya think dried parsely really does anything for cooking?

i remember my grandmother demanding that soups had a whole bay leaf in the pot. never thought it did a thing... then i bought some for myself. hers must have been a thousand years old.
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Parsley enhances the flavor of meat, especially meat with a delicate flavor, and meat broth. I use it to liven up white carbohydrate foods, too; rice, pasta, potatoes; and butter or cream -based sauces.
 
wcwbf said:
how about spices generally considered "sweet"? cinnamon, cloves, ginger & nutmeg are a given. maybe star anise? i'm pretty sure i have cardamon, but not sure why i ever bought it? i bet there's probably an acceptable substitution available.

spice blends. i've found a few "copy cat" recipes... like Emeril's "BAM", Red Robin's "secret" seasoning, "everything" bagel mix.
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Those 3 for sure.
 
These are the basics for me:
Allspice/Basil/Bay Leaves/Cayenne/Chili Powder/Cinnamon--Ground and Stick/Cloves/Cumin/Curry Powder/ Garlic Powder/Ginger/Nutmeg/Oregano/Paprika/Black Peppercorns/ Red Pepper Flakes/Rosemary/Saffron/Thyme/Vanilla--Extract and Beans/A mixture of Italian herbs in case you’re in a hurry.

However, I love spices and my spice cupboard is overflowing. I have all kinds of curries in there and Chinese and Japanese stuff.
 
Aunt Marg said:
Oh, so good, FM.

Toss a small to medium sized bay leaf into your vegetable steamer pot (bottom water portion), potatoes on top (steamer insert), and steam potatoes until done.

I mostly reserve steaming with a bay leaf when preparing baby potatoes, it adds a nice rich flavour to them, especially if you enjoy steamed potatoes with a ranch or sour cream style dressing on them.
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Thanks moocho.
 
terry123 said:
This week I received a box from Walmart. Besides my items there was this large plastic bottle of McCormick marjoram leaves. I did not order it and I was not charged for it. Its not something I cook with so I don't know what to do with it. I don't cook much anymore since its just me. Somebody is probably mad as they did not get it in their order and I don't know how it got in mine. Guess they were packing the boxes and it landed in mine.

Wish I was closer to some of you folks that cook a lot. I could give to you. My daughter lives close but she does not cook at all. Too much trouble to mail back. I might give it away on free cycle.
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Majoram is nice in homemade tomato sauce for pasta, especially in place of dried oregano.
 
I keep it simple and I eat home cooked meals only. Fewer herbs mean they don't
sit in the cabinet for ages.

Sea Salt
Black pepper
Crushed red pepper
Curry
Oregano
Thyme
Mrs. Dash Original (salt free)
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
 
i had a few patio tomatoes and a bunch of herbs on my apartment patio. when weather started getting old back in the fall, i scalped the parsley, thinking it was last "harvest". we have 4 distinct seasons here. winter has been snowy, a few really COLD days, nothing extreme... but parsley is doing well outside. semi-sheltered by balcony of apartment above me, yet facing north. think i'll plant "acres" of parsley and cilantro once things warm up.
 
wcwbf said:
how about spices generally considered "sweet"? cinnamon, cloves, ginger & nutmeg are a given. maybe star anise? i'm pretty sure i have cardamon, but not sure why i ever bought it? i bet there's probably an acceptable substitution available.

spice blends. i've found a few "copy cat" recipes... like Emeril's "BAM", Red Robin's "secret" seasoning, "everything" bagel mix.
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I have Emeril's Essence (original recipe) somewhere in my recipe books, and I wasn't overly taken with it.

Made it once, then end.
 
Aunt Marg said:
I have Emeril's Essence (original recipe) somewhere in my recipe books, and I wasn't overly taken with it.

Made it once, then end.
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Emeril was a showman who was great fun to watch, but the recipes of his that I tried, including the one for his essence, were meh. Lots of steps and small amounts of numerous ingredients yielded so-so results.
 
StarSong said:
Emeril was a showman who was great fun to watch, but the recipes of his that I tried, including the one for his essence, were meh. Lots of steps and small amounts of numerous ingredients yielded so-so results.
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I agree, Star.

While I'm not a Gordon Ramsey fan, I find I get a lot out of watching him.

No fuss, straight-forward ingredients, great dishes.
 
Aunt Marg said:
I have Emeril's Essence (original recipe) somewhere in my recipe books, and I wasn't overly taken with it.

Made it once, then end.
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my brother says it works well to "blacken" fish. BUT says to do it outside on the grill unless ya wanna cough/sneeze uncontrollably for quite a while.
 
wcwbf said:
my brother says it works well to "blacken" fish. BUT says to do it outside on the grill unless ya wanna cough/sneeze uncontrollably for quite a while.
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Hmmm... food for thought (pardon the pun).

Thank you for the mention, Wcw.
 

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