1338 It’s Another Empties, Food This Time

Right, so I have a small confession to make with you guys and girls. You may have noticed that I took a little break. I just needed to find my motivation and remember why I was writing, instead of just for a post ya know. Anyway, because I took a little break the empty products have built up a little bit more than I expected.

Anyway, I thought I would share with you the food-related items that I have used up and thought you might be interested in. Today we are going to talk about a couple of spices, a delicious sauce and possibly my favourite chocolate that isn’t Cadbury’s. There are 6 different items to discuss. Here goes nothing, forgive me if I am a bit rusty.

1. Cumin

2. Paprika

3. Lindt Lindor White Chocolate Eggs

4. Cadbury Mini Eggs

5. Heinz Sweet Barbecue Smooth & Sticky Sauce (x3)

6. Grey Sea Salt 450g

Shall we get on with it then?

Cumin

I have, well I was going to say recently but it has been a couple of years or so now, but I have started trying to cook most of my evening meals (dinner) from fresh ingredients and from scratch (as much as I dare) to save money and batch cook. You know you are getting old a boring when batch cooking excites you! Anyway, if you hadn’t guessed… I have started making curry sort of from scratch. I am adding all the spices etc, but I am using a shop-bought sauce. This is one of the items I used, strangely it is the first that I have run out of in the curry department of my cupboards. I don’t have it in mine because I am a wuss and don’t like spice (yes, I know, I am crazy). In case anyone is interested I add, mild curry powder, cumin, coriander, chilli flakes, hot chilli powder, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Paprika

Okay, so I LOVE this spice. It goes with most meals, it adds the right flavour, and it is not overly spicy and not overly bland. I discovered it on a holiday in Spain in 2008. There was a little corner shop that sold Paprika crisps and as a family, we enjoyed them a lot. Anyway, I don’t put this in curries I just do it for a few different things. I put it on pasta, chicken, pork, and spag bowl and I think that is it, but I go through it like it is going out of fashion. You know recipes typically say a pinch of this, a teaspoon of this etc. Well, I put in about 4 teaspoons when I use this, you do have to have a bit of oil though otherwise, the food can go a bit dry. A little tip for anyone who wants to try this, you can get the expensive one but there is usually a big pot hiding either at the top or the bottom for half the price and it tastes no different so keep an eye out if you want to get it for yourself. I usually just buy whichever one that is available in the shop, if I can I get the shop’s version of it, for example, Tesco, Asda, Aldi etc.

Lindt Lindor White Chocolate Eggs

What to say, what to say. Well, this could be my favourite chocolate of all time, especially at festive times. Of course, like most English people I do love Cadbury’s and Cadbury’s is probably my go-to (mostly because it is cheaper) but if for special occasions I tend to get these. The main downfall of this brand is the price, as far as chocolate goes, they are expensive. If you want a decent amount, you are looking at £5 for 200g, with Cadbury’s you can get 200g for £2/£3. However, the price is stumped out because they just taste so good, also I am the only one in my house that likes white chocolate, so no one steals them on me. Also, for once I like most of their flavours. As a fussy person, I tend not to eat a lot of the variations you get in a box of chocolates. For instance, if they have a coffee one, coconut, dark chocolate etc but for this box, the only ones I don’t like are the mint and dark chocolate. I just love how they melt in your mouth they are, but they can be a bit sickly. You can find them in most supermarkets as far as I know (grocery stores for you Americans), they range in price but if they are on a good offer, I try to grab a couple of packs.

Cadbury Mini Eggs

Well, these are my weakness, especially at Easter when shops are stocking them by the hundreds. My only complaint is that there is not enough in the bag. There used to be a Cadbury’s store right next to where I worked so I would often have a nose during my lunch break as the staff room was freezing! Has anyone else been to a Cadbury shop, they are not very common which surprises me, I think it is because when you buy in bulk you typically want things to be cheaper, but they often weren’t, at least in the shop, I was in. I am not sure what it is about them, but they are the perfect size for a little snack after dinner in the evening or with a good cup of tea. Recently they were in the sale at my local Tesco, and it was 25p for a bag (I might have bought 7). They are expensive for the amount you get in the bag I think but they are just so good.

Heinz Sweet Barbecue Smooth & Sticky Sauce (x3)

There is not a lot I can say about sauce really, I mean you either like them or you don’t. This must be my favourite; I am not sure what it is about it, but nothing has been able to beat it. It is on the pricy side of sauces at £2.00 a bottle but I only buy it when it is on offer if I can, and I don’t buy it every week. I always get people to try the BBQ sauce from your local Chinese takeaway, hopefully, you will be surprised.

Grey Sea Salt 450g

Right, so this could be a controversial subject, it is known that humans are actively trying to reduce the salt in their diet, but I like salt and I don’t see the point in refusing myself something that I like because it is the trend. Anyway, this was given to me, and I am not going to lie, I do enjoy the product. I did think salt was salt, who knew it could taste different? Strangely, I found that this salt was hand-harvested from the Salt Marshes of Guerande (A town in France). Sounds posh right? The main thing I have noticed with this one is it is better for sauces, cooking with or something with gravy so it melts into the sauce and adds flavour. Otherwise, it just falls off the food, to be honest. I haven’t tried it yet, but I imagine it would be nice to cook pasta with. I found this one online with Amazon, I will admit, for Salt it is not the cheapest.