A Year of Blogging: August 29, 2011

August 29 is 'More Herbs, Less Salt Day'. The idea is to season your food with herbs, which is a healthier alternative to salt. I have been trying to consume less salt. Which is funny, because I've never considered myself a person who consumes a lot of salt. I never pick up the salt shaker and pour it over my food. But I've been learning that there is a lot of hidden salt in foods- especially the convenience things like boxed scalloped potatoes. Too much sodium (salt) is not good for you, so I've been trying to cut back. Which means resisting the temptation to buy potato chips. Potato chips make an excellent accompaniment to a sandwich, but I'm trying not to buy them every time I go to the store. I'm not an herbs person either. I don't use a lot of spices. Actually, the only time I use spices is when I'm baking. I don't like herbs. There is an email that has circulated before about being from Upstate NY. One of those 'You know you're from Upstate NY if...' and one of the qualifiers on this list is 'you think ketchup is spicy'. Even though I don't like ketchup, I get it. I don't use spices or herbs. I guess most people would think my cooking is very bland. I do, however, always remember to put salt and pepper on the table for others. I don't get upset if Erich adds herbs to his meal- just don't add it to mine. I wish I could give you some advice about which herbs will turn your meals from ordinary to extraordinary. To me, herbs are all green weeds. So I can't help you, but today would be a good day to experiment with fresh herbs in all of your dishes.