Downtown Spices

Cooking with spices. What to do with leftovers for folks who hate leftovers? For me, I don’t like to throw food away. Period. If it’s still edible it has a purpose. I am so thankful for everything that I have and every single blessing in my life, so it’s counterproductive to throw food away when so many go to bed hungry. With the right spices, you can make a feast of the most unforgettable flavors imaginable. I remember as a teen and I went over to a friend’s house and the only thing available in the fridge was an old jar of spaghetti sauce, a fresh green pepper and an onion. She had pasta in the pantry and a lot of different dried spices in the cabinet. When I say we made the best damn spaghetti I think I ever had, I am not exaggerating. I mean, there was dried oregano, Italian seasonings, garlic and onion powders, and salts, and a whole host of other ingredients that I had never seen or used before. I don’t know if we used them all but we had the best time experimenting with flavors and pretending we were “chefs.” Sunshine, laughter, and fun. That’s what spices remind me of.

Just know that no matter how barren your refrigerator is, just a few good spices can make all the difference in what you have available :-).

White rice. I had a bunch of bland, white rice leftover from a previous recipe and had no clue what to do with it. I had considered just freezing it and using it for some date in the unknown future; most likely, it would be another item lost in the deep freezer. Instead, I had a cool, creative idea and an active palate that craved flavors: Curry fried rice.

So this post was not created to provide a step-by-step recipe, but instead just to signify that basic ingredients can become sophisticated, elevated dishes with the addition of vibrant, flavorful spices. By the way, the rice was fantastic! Color. Beauty. Flavor.