THE SPICE OF LIFE...

Rosemary

Sweet Marjoram

Summer Thyme

When my husband and I first got married and I started to cook meals (not just pizza buns, kraft dinner, and chili) I had no clue about seasonings and spices (except for chili powder, salt and pepper)! Some of the things I tried even our golden lab wouldn't eat! Sigh...it's taken many years and lots of "tries" to get where I am finally comfortable in the kitchen and where I can throw this and that into the pot and ... yes, it does taste amazing!

The secret you ask? Very simple...Herbs, Spices, Peppers, Onions, Garlic...all the spice of life! And it really isn't all that difficult! We grow the herbs in our backyard, snip them off, dry them and use them all winter to throw into the "pot"! You can use fresh all summer as well. We do have a dehydrater but we didn't to start with...all you need is your oven set to the lowest setting...although I do recommend that you get a dehydrater eventually. Snip the leaves off the herbs, being careful not to get too many sticks in with them. Spread the leaves on a cookie sheet and stick it in the oven on the lowest setting and stir them every so often. Within a few hours all the water will be out of the leaves and you can crush them, store them and use them all winter!

Basil and oregano in rice, spaghetti sauce, pizza, beef soup, and stew...thyme, sweet marjoram, and savory in chicken dishes, rosemary in any potato dish and I tried it in scrambled eggs the other day and it was amazing! And of course my dried peppers and onions in almost everything...MMMMM Yum!!!

Hot Peppers

Garlic Chives