Keeping it Spicy

As we get into summer, and farmer's markets open up and start offering such glorious wares, I start to get a little glazed over in excitement.  All those fresh ingredients!!  Big juicy tomatoes, gorgeous leafy greens, sweet golden honey, fantastically flavored cheeses, organic meats, bricks of homemade soaps....the bounty at these outdoor markets just astounds me!

I love working with fresh ingredients and allowing their natural flavors to shine.  However even the most perfect piece of produce can benefit from a little help.  That's where my spice cabinet comes into play.  Yup, not just a spice rack, a spice cabinet.

I have this adorable triangular shaped cabinet almost completely devoted to my spices. 

Yes, that's a cigar box helping me organize my bagged spices

In college, my roommates and I shared a spice rack that sat conveniently on the counter.  It held all the basics and we'd use them as the creative cooking inspiration struck (sometimes it struck more often than others).  I have since learned though that the kitchen counter isn't really the best place for your spices.  Sunlight is deadly to these little flavor canisters.  As the color of spices fade, so does the flavor. 

Yikes!!

Since I don't have the money to be constantly replacing my spices, I decided I'd devote some of my precious little cabinet space just to my spices.  It's a little inconvenient, especially as I get more kitchen gadgets to play with and no where to store them.  However I'd also taken advantage of having a roomy cabinet and increased my spice count quite a bit.  In fact, I'm quickly running out of room!

All of these come in handy as I play and experiment with different recipes.  It's so nice to be able to open up the doors to my spicy Aladdin's Cave to find everything I need. 

I've also been able to stock up on different spice blends.  I have LOTS of various grill seasoning blends, Quebec Beef Spice being one of my favorites.  Chicago's Spiced Sugar is a recent addition to my blended family.  And I just picked up a jar of Garam Marsala, which I cannot WAIT to try.  I've picked out several recipes already that highlight this tasteful spice blend.  I'll keep you posted on how those experiments turn out!

So I'm curious...what's in your spice rack or cabinet?  What's your favorite?