Spiced Espresso

I love espresso, just in case that wasn't already obvious! All beans are not grown or roasted equally. Find out about the ones you use; are they ethically grown? harvested? fairly traded? organic? treated chemically?

There are times when I feel the need for a flavour in my coffee, something more than just the warm, welcoming hug of espresso mixed with hot water.

In those cases, I often end up in front of my spice rack, wondering what to grind with the beans. Sometimes it is whole green cardamom, other times it is cinnamon, vanilla, or oil of oregano (yep).

Have you tried herbs or spices in your morning brew? Did you like it? What have you tried?

Whole green cardamom pods that will be ground with espresso beans.

I've Got Questions... You Have Answers!

There has to be room for improvement in the way I have my own kitchen and food ideas organized, which is why I want to hear all about how you do it. This got me wondering...

How do you organize your recipes?

Where do you find culinary inspiration?

Are there types or ethnicities of food you would like to experiment with?

What do you do when you get in a "food rut"?

I can't wait to hear from you! If you would rather email me than comment here, my address is saltshaker@me.com.

The Nemesis: Ideas for Defeat

For some reason, knowing that we bought it AND it is good for us is not enough. 

The Nemesis: Kale & Swiss Chard

Ideas:

• use in quiche

• thinly slice into soups

• add to curries

• borscht

POLL: Is there an ingredient you buy then have no idea what to do with it?

For me, it is often cauliflower. I buy a head of it about every 3 or 4 weeks, then I usually forget I have it until I am digging through the fridge at 4:36 on a Wednesday afternoon and I absolutely HAVE to use it for dinner THAT NIGHT or it will go bad. 

Now, I don’t know about you, but I am not the kind of girl who will waste a perfectly good (once a few dicey bits are cut off) vegetable that I paid for... even if it was on sale and I only paid $1.29 for it.

So... what to do? There are so many options!

Is there a “nemesis” ingredient that springs this attack on you? What is it?

My other nemesis is cabbage.