Friday Five

I've picked up a couple of awards, which you may have noticed in the sidebar. I promise to give them the proper fanfare they deserve, and that will happen tomorrow. Honestly. But my newspaper and a fresh mug of tea are waiting for me, so we're going to rush through the Friday Five.

Five Foods I Can't Live Without in My Kitchen

1. Tea

Gotta have it, especially since I'm not supposed to be drinking coffee right now. Yes, I know. Tea has caffeine, too, but not quite so much. And it's soothing. I can drink it before bed, and it doesn't keep me up. On top of that, I had a great-grandmother who was convinced that every sorrow in the world could be cured with a good cup of tea. I have many days when I think she's right. Oh, and that is not a box of tea purchased down here. My best friend, Jillian, carted that down from Canada for me.

2. Hot Sauce

Hot sauce is good on everything: eggs, hash browns, weak beef stew, greens, chicken potpie. I think it can improve on most foods (try chocolate brownies with just a hint of cayenne, so good1). Just ask any soldier about that little bottle of Tabasco in his MRE. If nothing else, hot sauce will kill the taste of anything you don't like.

3. Rice

I lived off rice after I first moved to Alabama. It's cheap, it's fortified with B-vitamins, and it's much better for you than Ramen noodles. Mix it with some frozen veg and hot sauce and it's almost a meal. It's also easy to cook, and tastes great with just butter and salt. Or maybe that's just me. Some of the best rice in America is grown in Arkansas, by the way.

4. Olive Oil

This is my good extra virgin I use for salads and stuff. But I use regular olive oil in everyday cooking, too. It's even a heart healthy fat. My mom started using olive oil long before it was fashionable to do so, and the Italians and Greeks have been using it forever. It's also really good for dry feet, too. Seriously.

5. Onions

I love onions. Milder than garlic, it still adds a great bite to most savory foods. They're great on sandwiches (okay, I admit to eating cheese and onion sandwiches, sue me!), add flavour to soups, stews, and just about everything else. I also just found out that they're a good source of vitamin C! How cool is that?

Okay, that's my five. This list really could have been longer, and I suppose it could be expanded to include non-food things, too. What five things in your kitchen can you not live without?