Ingredient Spotlight: Seasonings

Let's say food is a person. Not to make this sound like cannibalism, it's not. So, once you have the image of cannibalism out of your mind (it took me awhile), let's say that food is a person. Seasoning would be like its personality. What gives someone that, ah, panache. Is that the word? Oh well, any who, seasoning is pretty necessary. But just like people have different personalities, seasonings come in all shapes and sizes. Well, similar sizes, I mean, it's spices so not too much variety. Well I guess you can have super fine seasoning and kind of large pieces like in chili flakes versus chili powder...
Back on track.
There's more to spices than salt and pepper, but most everyone knows that. There's Oregano and Basil, or if you like both, Herbs de Provence (Italian seasoning.) I really like Garam Masala, found in one of my favorite dishes, Tikka Masala. Cinnamon, nutmeg, you get the idea. So why am I telling you this. Well, when one has a tiny kitchen, one has to use every tool in the toolbox, so to speak. Seasonings can be a sort of cheat, minimizing how many ingredients you have to use and creating less work for your. Which means more time for the important things, like Netflix.
Find what type of flavor profiles you like. Big fan of Italian? Stock up on Italian seasoning, basil, and garlic powder. Prefer Chinese food? Try some chinese five spice for some kick. How about Indian (my personal favorite)? Garam Masala, cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, ginger and curry are wonderful stock spices for that. There are a lot of options out there. One of my favorite things to do is go to the Farmer's Market and see if anybody sells homemade spice mixtures. I've picked up things like Lime Chile Rub that works on chicken, fish and veggies to give a nice Tex Mex kick to whatever I'm cooking. Spices like  that are great for quick meals because they add flavor without the need to chop, dice, or mince. Check out local spice shops as well, a good spice mix can give any simple meal a wow factor. And you can really impress guests with your incredible flavor profiles, always a wonderful feeling. Impress! Amaze! You're winning this adult thing, give yourself a well deserved pat on the back. You go dude. Isn't that a nice feeling? Seasoning, it's the spice of life.*

Think Delicious,
J

*Sorry about that.

Pro Tip: I like to add lemon pepper to greens so I have a wonderful lemony spice flavor without letting any lemons go bad. You'll be having people saying; Le-mon that was delicious!