When most people think about travel prep, they think about booking logistics, creating schedules, and packing. While all of that is true and needed, what no one seems to talk about is… making sure your house is in order and that no food rots or gets wasted in your absence. Well, that was me this morning: skinning and mincing about 3.5 bulbs of garlic (I didn’t even bother counting how many cloves that was!) and about six inches of very fresh and juicy ginger.

It took ages to do. Even though I have my method, doing that much garlic and ginger in one standing takes time. It’s annoying, tedious, and makes me wonder why I rarely plan ahead enough to NOT buy too much of these aromatics before a long trip. But then I look at the bright side: when I come back in two weeks, I will have endless amounts of already minced ginger and garlic ready to go. All I will have to do is pop them out of my ice cube trays, defrost them, and throw them into a hot pan — that’s work up front for true enjoyment (and speedy meals) later!