Aside from garlic, I think cumin might be the best seasoning ever. (Well, aside from chocolate. If you can call chocolate a seasoning. Which I vote yes for. Everything's better with chocolate.)
But cumin? YUM. I didn't even know about it until I had been married a few years and my husband made his amazing scratch chili (which will make you NEVER eat canned chili again. It's that good.) and we had to buy some. Since then, I've used cumin to season refried beans (even from a can, you can season them up and make them tolerable), chicken for everything from quesedillas to shredded pork to enchiladas, tacos, etc. Anything remotely Mexican or southwestern gets a good dash of cumin. It's funny that something I wasn't aware of for most of my life has become a staple in my spice cabinet.
Anyway, I have a few go-to spices that I use in nearly everything I cook:
Black Pepper
Garlic (either minced, powdered, or salt)
Onion Powder
And in everything Mexican-ish:
Cumin
Chili Powder
And all of the above
Also kosher salt, except in cases where I use garlic salt or seasoned salt or meat tenderizer.
I also go through my bottle of Italian Seasoning mix quickly, used in many soups and every spaghetti-lasagne-ravioli dish.
I have a feeling some people don't really know how to season their food. Over the years we've had a few opportunities for people to bring dinner in for us (when I've had babies, etc.) and sometimes it's wonderful, but sometimes I'm surprised by the blandness of the food. Even if all you add is black pepper and garlic salt, you can improve any recipe by just spicing things up a little.
So, I'm curious.What are your favorite go-to seasonings?
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