Mason Jars in my Pantry

At the Tuesday night Relief Society meeting we were taught some organizational tips.  One idea that I liked was using mason jars in my pantry and taking the food out of their original packaging.  I didn't like the look of the the mismatched rings and lids so I decided to make them more uniform.  I raided my spray paint collection and painted the rims various colors while painting the lids with a chalkboard paint.  And with the touch of a chalkboard marker (which I am in love with), I wrote each jars contents.  I just love the color and spunk they add to my messy kitchen pantry.

I love My Spices!

Today Vivian and I cleaned out my spice pull out drawer (a skinny drawer to the right of my oven - I love it).  I made a list of all of them so I would know which ones I need to replenish.  Do you see any that I am missing?   I like cooking from a stocked kitchen.  I think a huge part of that begins with having all the spices you use.  Here is my list:

Regular sized spices:

Allspice, whole

Cajun Seasoning

Caraway Seed

Cayenne Pepper

Celery Salt

Celery Seed

Chinese Five Spice

Chipotle Chili Pepper

Chives

Cloves, ground

Cloves, whole

Coriander seed

Cream of Tartar

Cumin Seed

Curry powder

Crushed Red Pepper

Dill Seed

Dry Mustard

Garlic Spread & Seasoning

Ginger

Ground Red Pepper

Fennel Seed

Marjoram

Mesquite Grill Mate

Montreal Chicken Grill Mate

Montreal Steak Grill Mate

Old Bay Seasoning

Oregano leaves

Poppy Seed

Rosemary

Sage

Season Salt        

Tarragon leaves

Thyme, ground

Thyme, leaves  

True Lemon

True Lime

True Orange

White Ground Pepper

 

Spices in Large Costco containers:

Allspice

Baking Powder

Basil leaves

Bay leaves

Black Pepper

Cinnamon

Chili powder

Cloves, ground

Cumin, ground

Dill weed

Garlic powder

Garlic salt

Garlic, sliced/dried

Ginger, ground

Italian Seasoning

Lemon Pepper

Nutmeg

Onion, dried

Onion powder

Paprika

Parsley

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Salt

Southwest Spice Blend

Taco Seasoning

Tarragon

Extracts:

Almond (love it)

Anise

Butter, imitation

 Coconut - huge 16 oz bottle

Lemon - huge 16 oz bottle

Maple, tons in food storage

Peppermint

Vanilla, regular and the real stuff (lots)

Ones I don't have yet:

Poultry seasoning

Onion Salt

what else?

Baking with Sourdough

Last week I took a sourdough class from Mary Ann.  So today I decided to put my new knowledge to the test and make English muffins from scratch with my sourdough start.  Last night they were warm and delicious. I made Paul and Corbin be my taste testers; the muffins passed the test!

But my real test was this morning when I toasted the muffins and served them with a fruit shake.  The kids loved them, especially Vivian (my pickiest eater).  She even wanted one in her cold lunch.

I am excited to have mastered the English muffin, now onto the next challenge - Sourdough French Bread.

I was more nervous about the outcome of this loaf of Sourdough French Bread.  But to my surprise, it also turned out marvelous.  Paul said it was the best French bread he has eaten.  Wow, what a compliment.

What can I experiment with next?