Review: MOUTHWATERING
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 31, 2013
But I need to buy a lot of new spices if I'm going to do these recipes any justice. And the recipes were easy. It would have been great to have had these around when I was beginning to teach our children to cook. Many of the recipes contain dairy products (cheese) as well as proteins (eggs and beans),  then grains  (contained in the tortilla, whether you choose corn or flour), and vegetables (tomatoes, the beans I've already mentioned, onions and several types of peppers). I guess rice is also a grain.My home ec teacher told me I could keep spices in the freezer to preserve their flavor. She also taught me to keep a fine point Sharpie in one of my kitchen drawers so I could put a date on the spices. Freezing doesn't mean you can keep something forever.If you plan to do a lot of Mexican cooking, go ahead and plant some garlic. I have a friend who planted some and said you'll always have it. Even when you think you've harvested all of it, you'll probably miss a clove or two. Garlic SHOULD NOT be frozen. Look for varieties that braid well; that's one of the easiest ways to store it. But hang it in a dry room or even outdoors if the area is roofed.Garlic is usually planted in the fall and harvested in the heat of summer. You can plant cloves you harvested a few months after you dug them up by following the instructions you used the very first time.Garlic cloves can be minced (they make a tool for that) and store in olive oil in a small jar in the fridge. Put a date on it. You can use it for 6-8 months. One teaspoon = one clove.I've had trouble finding some of the other herbs at my local grocery stores. If the recipe calls for 1 T. fresh herbs, then you can use one-third of that, or 1 t. dried herbs. No, the flavor isn't quite the same. The dried herbs are more intense and have a different texture, but that's the official exchange rate.You can, of course, plant the herbs, especially if you plan to do a lot of Mexican cooking. In my small town it can be difficult to find them fresh.I've already planned where to put my Mexican herb garden. Until then the dried herbs will have to do. If you decide to plant an herb garden, too, be aware of an old wife's tale I once heard. (And know that sometimes those women were right.)If you allow an herb to flower it makes the herb bitter. You should see me popping the flowers off my chives. No one at my table will have a chance to test that theory.And do your herb garden a favor and start a compost pile now. Use kitchen waste (everything except meat products-certainly no grease),  shredded black and white newspaper, grass clippings, branches you've pruned and cut into smaller pieces. Toss on a handful or two of a balanced fertilizer (I use 10-10-10) after every green layer and water it once a week, unless God waters it for you.Flip the pile every few weeks, too. I have three piles going in my backyard, at various stages of decomposition. Since fall bulbs were already planted, none of the compost will be used until we begin to plant tree seedlings in the spring.After tree seedlings in March comes herbs in April. Wish me luck!!And be sure you use some of these recipes. Like me, you might have to use dried herbs, at least for a little while. You can always adjust those herbs to your own taste.