March 3, 2026 Whoops!

You know the adage: Practice what you preach.  I need to pay heed to what I preach, I've found...the hard way. 

Recently, I gave advice on checking for expired or not-so-fresh components in our pantries. Did I check mine? Yes, or at least I thought I did. Turns out I was not as thorough as I should have been. Let me share how I found out.

I have a recipe for Minted Squash Orzo, which we both love. I do switch out the mint with parsley, but I digress. One of the ingredients is garlic oil, which plays an important role in the flavor profile. During the preparation of this dish, I did not smell anything off.  Upon tasting it, however, there was something a bit "off".  We did eat it anyway, but when we finished, I made a pass through my ingredients. 

The garlic oil had turned. Not just that which was in the dispensing cruet, but both bottles I had in reserve had expired.  I did check the unopened bottles, and they were a no-go. Needless to say, the cruet got a good scrubbing, and the glass bottles recycled. I won't be stocking that in advance anymore! Also, there were no leftovers as they got relegated to File 13.

On the positive side, a new entree gained a place in my three-ring binder. I made puttanesca last night, and it was redemption from my orzo.

Please pray for our country and our military. ☘

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