Submitted by julie on
Hunting for herbs and spices in my "spice drawer" was no picnic. You may have the same fun looking for spices too. It was easy to manage years ago when there was less of a selection, now we have so much more available from ajwain to za'atar you need a system. I had an array of bottles and lots of little plastic bags; it was obvious I was a spice junkie. No matter how hard I tried it was a mess and difficult to find what I wanted. I think this is how I ended up with enough coriander to last me a life time.
It was time to take action. Searching the internet I found square tins with see-through lids at SKS http://www.sks-bottle.com/340c/fin7j.html. I ordered 2 cases. Then at the office supply store I bought file labels and an extra cassette of tape for my label machine. When my square tins arrived the spice project began. Placing the square tins on their side the label is easy to read and when on the counter you can view the contents through the top. I emptied the drawer and put each in its own tin. With four colors to work with I chose one for herbs, one for chili's, one for peppers and one for spices & other. I then grouped the chili's together and the peppers. The herbs, spices, and blends were placed in alphabetical order. Now the all the salts... they'll have to wait for another time.
Discovering my pink peppercorns I decided to make Coconut Ice-Cream with Pink Peppercorns and Rum*. My neighbors (Not the one's with the funny ears.) stopped by and admired "the drawer" and were rewarded with the ice cream. It will make a perfect spicy ending to any spring dinner.
*Recipe in RECIPES link.
