tips and tricks - spice (RE)mix

When I think of how much time I've wasted sifting through all my herbs and spices while cooking, I can't believe I haven't come up with a better way before now!  I've seen some clever containers, cute boxes, pull-out spice cabinets, you name it, but they are either, A.) too expensive, or B.) in need of being thought of BEFORE remodeling a kitchen and choosing cabinetry.

I had grown so frustrated thinking and thinking of a solution and coming up empty.  John had done the same (probably growing tired of hearing me sigh loudly every time I couldn't put my hands on what I needed).  Well, let me just tell you, exciting days at the Green household happened just a little over a week ago, as I came up with the perfect set-up for our kitchen.

And it works like a charm!

My new storage system only cost $30 and some time - a lot less if you don't have as many herbs/spices as I do.  This is only about two thirds of the lot!

Half-pint canning jars come in packs of twelve.  They even have cute oval stickers to write a description.  All I had to do was cut out circles from fun paper, place them between the metal lid and metal screw band of each, adhere the sticker to the top....

And, wah-lah!  Two drawers full of all my favorites flavorings, alphabetized, with wide enough mouths to get even my largest measuring spoon inside.  Now I can see exactly how much of each I have left, not to mention the ease of finding exactly what I need when I need it, and there are no longer those 6:00-in-the-evening-moments of getting half-way through dinner preparation only to find you don't have Smoked Paprika.

So, there you have it, friends.  I'm sure it's been done a gazillion times, but for me, it was a recent - and magnificent - revelation.  Happy "herb and spicing!"