Your food is only as good as what you put in it....

More times than I can count, I have heard people say - "Oh, I made such & such last night for dinner and it didn't come out right". My response is almost always - "Well, what did you use?".
I often write "good-quality" before I list an ingredient for a reason. If a recipe calls for grated Parmesan cheese and you use 4C or Progresso in that glass jar, yeah, your dish isn't going to taste right. The quality of the ingredients makes all the difference in the world in how your food will taste in the end.
Here is my list of 5 ingredients you should never skimpy on the quality of -

1. Cheese - grated, shredded, sliced..very important! Cheese is funny...use cheap cheddar, your recipe will come out oily. Use cheap Parmesan, your recipe will come out stale tasting or too salty. Honestly, it is cheaper to buy a block of cheese and grate or shred it yourself. Plus you know that you are getting fresh cheese and not something that has been sitting on the shelf for almost a year. Another option for grated cheese, go to your local specialty store (Italian deli) and buy it there. Usually they grate them right in front of you. Plus, you only have to buy as much as you need.

2. Olive oil - Me personally, I only use Greek olive oil and I get it at a store called Titan Foods in Astoria. Oil, no matter what is expensive. But the better quality ones do have a better taste...there is no question about that.

3. Garlic - Why garlic you ask? While jarred chopped or minced garlic may save you time and save your fingers from smelling like garlic for the next 3 days, it is a fact that it makes your food taste bitter. You are much better off buying fresh garlic and chopping it yourself.

4. Cheese - Yeah...I said it before and I will say it again because it is SO IMPORTANT!!!!! I seriously can't stress this enough!

5. Herbs - Now, herbs are tricky because there are certain recipes where dried works better than fresh. For example, your slow cooker. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with dried herbs, I use them all the time. But there are things that I make where fresh herbs just rock the taste. Another cool thing...and I actually learned this from my husband, you can grill vegetables right on top of fresh herbs, like rosemary.

Bottom line, you can't expect your recipes to be at their best when you use "less-than" ingredients to make them. Oh and in case you forgot....USE FRESH CHEESE!!!! LOL!!