Preparing for the holidays

Stock up on fresh eggs (Photo by Cynthia Nelson)

Hi Everyone, With the Christmas holidays just weeks away, the shopping craze has begun. We spend a lot of time preparing the house – buying curtains, rugs, mats, furniture, flowers, beddings, Christmas trees, lighting and so on. When it comes to the kitchen, we mostly pay attention to the big-ticket items for cooking – the ham, and meats for roasting – and neglect a supporting cast of other ingredients, tools and equipment that can make our long hours in the kitchen helpful and less stressful. Not to worry, use this column to help get yourself organized.

Pantry

Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg play a key role in many of the traditional Christmas dishes, therefore, now is a good time to check your stock. Used in both their whole and ground form, it is important that you not only have an adequate supply of these spices, but also that they are fresh, particularly the ground spices. If you have stuff in