Top Five Ways to Use Cheap Dried Spices from the Dollar Store

You have seen them everywhere, and you probably have some in your cabinet: those little spice bottles you get at the dollar store or Walmart for fifty cents or a dollar. They can be very helpful, especially if you are a budget gourmet. You can "spice up" your everyday dinner for just a few cents. Here are five things to do with cheap spices from the dollar store.

1. Seasoning salt is one of the most popular of these products. It is usually a good imitation of Lawry's Seasoning Salt, and I always keep some on hand. It is renown for running up blood pressure, so if that's a problem, use a light hand. You have probably ordered French fries at a short-order grill or drive-in that are covered in seasoning salt. Here locally in Northeast Tennessee, Pal's Restaurants use it on their Frenchy Fries, and people LOVE them. Sprinkle it on fries at home, any potato dish, and on top of macaroni and cheese. Any dish topped with cheese can be enhanced with this seasoning salt, and it looks pretty, too.

2. Dried minced onions are the cheap dried spice that I use most often. It is wonderful for tuna salad or chicken salad. Here's my recipe. They are so good to use instead of onions in any of your dishes. There are no tears, and they are not quite so strong. They are great for pasta salads or potato salads, but you need to let them set awhile to plump up before eating.

3. You can sprinkle any assorted spices on frozen dinners to liven them up. Garlic powder and onion powder are wonderful choices for pasta tv dinners. If you are cooking frozen chicken patties, they taste so much better with onion powder sprinkled on them. Onion powder is also good on french fries.

4. Sprinkle the dried minced parsley in cream cheese with other seasoning to make a cheese ball. Here is an article with different ways of using dried spices to make a cheese ball or cheese log. Parsley is good to put in all kinds of salads, such as potato salad and macaroni salad. My family likes it in any pasta dish. I have even made an imitation spinach dip with it that is not bad.

5. Garlic salt is one of the more popular choices. I went to a luncheon one day where the hostess made such a big deal out of getting the garlic salt on the lettuce in the salad bowl a few minutes before the salad was served. It is so good, and it improves the taste of the salad tremendously. Garlic salt is also good on bread when you are baking it. If you are making garlic cheddar biscuits, you want to put garlic powder, not garlic salt, in the biscuit dough with the cheese.

So, drop by the Family Dollar, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, or Walmart in the Tri-Cities and you will find these cheap spices to stock your kitchen cabinet with possibilities.

This article was originally published on the Knoxville Examiner.