Updating Your Spice Rack

TODAY'S FOOD TIP

Ring in the New Year by cleaning out something old – your spice rack.


This is the perfect time to replace those old jars of spices that have been on your spice rack so long you don’t even remember when you bought them.

Ground herbs and spices retain their best flavor for only a year. So pitch out those jars from years gone by. Whole spices will remain flavorful for up to 2 years, so you can keep those a little longer.

To determine whether a spice is so old it needs to be replaced, check to see if the color has faded, or if the spice has caked up. An unpleasant odor is another sign that spices have passed their prime.

Light, heat, and moisture will cause herbs and spices to lose their flavor more quickly. Move your spice rack away from the stove if that’s where you have it now. It’s also best to choose ground herbs and spices in metal tins with tight fitting lids (instead of clear glass jars) to lessen their exposure to light.

Keep your spices in a cool, dry cabinet or pantry and they will retain their flavor longer.



Get this Spice Rack here.

Happy New Year! Celebrate with this Black-Eyed Pea Dip!

TODAY'S FOOD TIP



New Year's Day is full of traditions. Watching college ball games on TV, making resolutions, and eating certain foods that are thought to bring good luck are just a few typical traditions in the USA.

Black-eyed peas are a New Year's Day tradition in the South. Eating them on this day supposedly brings good luck and riches for the coming year. Many Southerners make something called Hoppin' John, a mixture of black-eyed peas, rice, and bacon (which is typically eaten with collard greens) for New Year's Day.

If you're planning a New Year's Day celebration for friends and family, you'll want to serve Black-Eyed Peas for good luck, of course. But Hoppin' John and collard greens just don't seem like the perfect snack when guests are watching those college ball games on TV. Try this delicious Black-Eyed Pea Dip instead. It's bound to assure everyone's good fortune for 2007.


BLACK-EYED PEA DIP

1 1/4 c. cooked or canned black-eyed peas
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cumin (or chili powder for a spicier dip)
1 1 /2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 bunch of green onions, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a food processor, combine the peas, garlic, cream cheese, pepper, cumin, and salt and pepper. Place the dip in a pie pan. Top with the shredded cheese. Bake until the dip is heated thoroughly and the cheese bubbles (about 20 minutes.) Sprinkle the green onions over the top. Serve with tortilla chips.