Since I know I am moving so soon, I have been constantly examining and re-examining what I need and what will go to the garage sale. Oddly enough, I have focused on the kitchen as I am a kitchen slut. I decided to sell my huge 64 spice rack because I never used most of them and honestly, ground spices lose their potency so quickly.

In that vein, I have identified several spices that I cannot live without:

1. Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2. Tony Chachere's: seriously, the best spice in the cabinet.
3. Ground ginger: you need so little to give anything a big kick
4. Cumin: so smoky, so delish
5. Onion pepper and garlic pepper
6. Bay leaves: I am Filipino after all

And that's it. The secret to all my original recipes.