Just say no to….

1. Wine from a box.
2. Garlic salt or any type of dried garlic.
3. Pre-cut garlic, it takes seconds to slice garlic or if you are inexperienced start with a garlic press.
4. Dried herbs, fresh herbs add so much flavor and most herbs can be frozen for up to three months in plastic bags. You should wash and cut them beforehand so they are ready to use.
5. Cooking wine, if you would not serve it to guests or drink it, then it should certainly not be in your food.
6. Salted butter should not be used for baking or when cooking. This will allow you to put in the correct amount of sodium and will help your food to be healthier as well.

Tips for going from ordinary to extraordinary….

1. Use fresh herbs instead of dried herbs. They add a freshness that cannot be duplicated with dried herbs.
2. When a recipe calls for wine, use a wine that you enjoy drinking. It is also nice to serve the same wine with dinner since you already know that it pairs well if it has been added as an ingredient.
3. Use sea salt, it comes finely ground and coarsely ground. You will be amazed at the difference from this small change. And you can use a little less of it, which will cut back on your overall salt intake without sacrificing a bit of flavor.
4. Use freshly ground black pepper instead of the pre-ground pepper. Pepper mills are available in a wide variety of prize ranges and the taste of freshly ground pepper is superior to pepper that was ground months or even years ago.
5. Use high quality olive oil. It is worth the extra money to invest in extra virgin olive oil so you can use it when cooking and when making salad dressing. Extra virgin olive oil comes from the first press of the olives, which is why it is a bit more expensive.
6. Try to use fresh produce instead of frozen whenever possible. Food is healthiest and more nutrient rich when it is not processed.