Cumin in my Oatmeal?
Jun. 17, 2009 7:43 am
Updated: Jul. 1, 2009 12:42 pm
Well, my spice and herb collection has outgrown the narrow little cabinet it once shared with my vinegars and other condiments, so a while back I moved all those little jars to the middle tier of the lazy susan in my corner cabinet...then I had to find another spot for my vast collection of teas that I never drink! But that's a subject for another blog...
I arranged them carefully on the shelf, strategically placing the tall jars in the back, the short stubby ones in the front, all the while maintaining alphabetic order. It worked great for a while! With one quick spin of the "wheel" I could browse through my herbs and spices any time I was looking for inspiration. Last night I was looking for something different to do with grilled chicken breasts, and I actually came up with a pretty good marinade using garlic, lemon juice, fennel seed, thyme salt and pepper. I smashed the garlic and seasonings in my rarely used mortar & pestle, making my 4 year old giggle as I cackled, "Poppies! Poppies will make you sleeeepy!" My my, how that girl loves her Wizard of Oz!! I think I'll have to start using the mortar and pestle more often. I love making her laugh!
But I digress! The chicken breasts were pounded thin, marinated for about a half hour and grilled in my grill pan - they came out great! I love fennel, and am actually working on attacking the next letter in my alphabetic journey through my spices and herbs, F, by featuring fennel seed, so I think the "official" marinade recipe will make an appearance there. Oh, and pictures...as soon as I can find my camera. I suspect the Flying Monkeys might have scooped it up.
I noticed, though, that my herbs and spices have fallen out of order over the past couple weeks. I've slacked off on putting them back in just the right order, so of course I have to hunt for the oregano or the poppy seeds when I need them. And this morning proved to me that I need to set aside a few minutes to empty the lazy susan and restock it correctly...
I've been trying really hard to eat right and lose weight, and have been doing pretty well! Nearly 14 lbs. lighter than I was January 1st, I still have a ways to go, but I have settled into a pretty comfortable rotating menu that I haven't become bored with yet. These days I start each day with a small bowl of berries, some combination of blueberries, stawberries, raspberries and fresh cherries, and a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal. I make a batch every Sunday and bring a small portion to work each morning for breakfast. I'm trying to stay away from adding sugar, and also taking a break from dairy, so I mix things up by adding a little cinnamon and agave nectar one day, some almond milk, nutmeg and honey the next. Today was supposed to be cinnamon's turn...but, I have been lax in my organizational duties, soooo....
When I opened my container to pop in the microwave at work, I caught the unmistakable scent of cumin. Which I love. But not for breakfast. Well, maybe on scrambled eggs. Definitely not on oatmeal! At first I thought, "Oh, someone must be having their lunch early." but then I realized what had happened. In my haste, I must have grabbed the cumin instead of the cinnamon to dust my oatmeal with. How it happened is beyond me - the jars look nothing alike. Fortunately, at some point cinnamon was buy-one-get-one free, so I do have a spare jar in my desk at work. I sprinkled it liberally on top of the cumin-scented oatmeal and dug in.
It was edible, actually not too bad. But I don't think Cumin-Scented Steel Cut Oatmeal will make the rotation. Nor am I rushing to submit it to Allrecipes. Heck, I didn't even scribble it down in my little dog-eared notebook where the Lemon-Fennel Marinade is! But I made myself laugh and hopefully you got a chuckle out of it, too!
Thanks for reading! Fennel seed fans, stay tuned! :)
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