Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...

When I moved out on my own about 6 months ago, I had to learned many things, such as paying the bills, water, rent, electric. I had to figure out a means a living. I had to learn to get by without the comfort and cushion of running home at the end of the day to my parents. Learning to live on my own was no joke. To add to my list of "MUST LEARN" was cooking. I knew I had to cook to save money. I also had to learn to cook because I wanted to be in control of the kinds of foods I ate. Learning to cook was one of the more fun things I had to learn. One of the lessons I learned on cooking was the role that spices can play into the flavors of your food.

Not only does spice add flavor, I was even more thrilled when I learned that most spices are actually good for you! It just makes sense. Spices have been around since the beginning of time. Ancient recipes have called for its flavors and health benefits, paprika, cinnamon, chili, and cumin to name a few are such wonderful spices with fabulous flavors. The only catch to using spices is you have to learn how to use it. Where, when, and how much of each spice should be added for a certain recipe.

What is so beneficial about spices? Victor Thomas writes about the Medicinal Importance of Spices. He states, "Scientists have done a lot of research on this and have found out that spices contain more antioxidants than fruits and vegetables." He claims that half a teaspoon of spices can amount to more antioxidants than half a cup of fruit. Cloves, allspice, cinnamon, rosemary, and thyme are some of the spices he lists as having amounts antioxidant.

Don't believe him? Do the research yourself, you'll be happy to find hundreds of articles on the benefits of spices. But the fact that it can add so much flavor and uniqueness to a dish and cut down on the amount of salt and butter is reason enough for me to incorporate spices in my dishes!

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Category: DVD How To
Featured product: Rachel Ray A Little Spice is Nice
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