SPICE up your life

Namaste and welcome my friends to another exciting posting.

Today is a special day. I am a certified professional chef, among other things and talents I possess. So with that in mind, I want to discuss the topic that is herbs and spices.

In my interactions with others, across my travels, and in my own kitchen I have learned a great deal about the culinary arts. I have received praise from 3 former chefs of the year about my "McLaren's sweet heat bbq sauce". I have eaten the finest, richest, and most succulent foods in my lifetime and I honestly believe that the key to building flavors is in the mastery of 3 things:

1) Basic cooking technique:

a) Baking/ roasting

b) Sauteing/ pan frying

c) Deep frying

d) Grilling

e) Boiling & poaching

f) Braising

2) Basic food knowledge

a) things that pair well together with each dish, sides, drinks, hors d'oeurves, breads, desserts

b) difference between fruits, vegetables, fats, and animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy

-when you should use each one, why, and how.

3) Knowing the right blend of herbs and spices

a) what blends work best for which type of cuisine

b) balance

Sadly, I have come to see that all too many people are unaware of the plethora of herbs and spices that are in the world. Americans in particular have been lulled to sleep by either relying on hyper palatable, highly processed foods, rather than exploring something of their own creation using the bounty of flavors mother Earth has blessed us with. I have to caveat this part of my discourse with an obvious fact: there are TOO MANY herbs and spices to accurately mention them all on this blog. Sufficed to say, while attending Le Cordon Bleu, I achieved the highest grade in my class for knowledge of herbs and spices. I scored a whopping 99 out of 100 or 99 percent. So, I know a little bit about the subject. My father and my mother also have inspired my culinary passion, along with teachers, friends, and family...this is not for us to agree on everything, but I am quite confident about my knowledge and palate.

Moving on... I think the basic 3 spices that Americans are fond of are the basics of SALT, PEPPER, and GARLIC. Which are all fine and well, with salt in moderation, but what of the rest of what is needed to build exquisite flavors?

What about CELERY SEED? BASIL? BAY LEAF? MUSTARD SEED? OREGANO? THYME? ROSEMARY? ONION POWDER? Oh my!

GINGER, PAPRIKA, CAYENNE PEPPER, and CHILI POWDER?

MARJORAM, DILL WEED, CUMIN, PARSLEY, CINNAMON, CILANTRO, NUTMEG, ALLSPICE, CARDAMOM, and CLOVES?

WHITE, BLACK, GREEN, and PINK PEPPERCORNS!!!

Sooooooooooo many kinds of CURRY! TURMERIC! GARAM MASALA! Cajun seasoning. Greek seasoning. Asian 5 spice. Taco and fajita seasonings... et. al...

Oh so many ways to combine these herbs and spices with foods. Oh, and I haven't even started on the different varieties of chilies and peppers. I'll save that for another blog.

The point of all this is to SPICE UP YOUR LIFE!!! Don't just settle for bland and boring. There are stores everywhere selling herbs and spices from all over the planet and some can be expensive, like VANILLA BEANS and SAFFRON, for example. My personal favorite store bought seasoning mixes are ANY of the MAGIC SEASONINGS and TONY CHACHERE'S. Walmart sells a good variety of herbs and spices for cheap and local Winco stores have herbs and spices you can buy in bulk, which can lower your food costs. Beware of paying extra just for a glass bottle and/or a fancy brand name...

I hope that all my readers will go out and try a new herb or spice, both, a little bit, a lotta bit, or some combination of flavors...expanding your horizons is paramount in growing and evolving as a human being. Bring some flavors into your meal and SPICE UP YOUR LIFE!!!

You are what you eat. Eat CONSCIOUSLY! Live CONSCIOUSLY!