Oh my goodness.  The.best.spices.evah!  My good friend, Kate, recommended Penzey’s to me a few years ago and I have sung their praises ever since. I’ve shopped on line with them for the longest time and recently I had the opportunity to visit one of their stores.  I was like a kid in a candy store.  I had to buy one of each.

My suggestion would be to buy a bottle of each spice, then when you need to refill, buy in a bag.  The bottles are really nice and sturdy.

My highest recommendations are for the following spices:

• Ground Red Chipotle - I use it for all Mex/Tex-Mex recipes
• Cayenne Pepper - I put cayenne on everything.  Well maybe not fruit, but…
• Granulated Garlic Powder - when you need powder instead of minced
• Oregano (Turkish) - for all Italian and Greek recipes.  I use it in my Matrix sauce and sprinkle it on pizza
• Basil (California Sweet) - the tomato’s best friend.  Matrix and pizza as well
• Oriental Mustard (Powder, Canada Hot) - I mix up a paste with equal part water/mustard powder and a dash of soy sauce for take-out egg rolls.  Even the HMIL would love it.
• Cinnamon - go to the site.  Buy some.  It doesn’t matter what type.  you will love how the smell jumps out of the jar!

Special Blends:

• Bangkok Blend - spicy and sweet all at once.  I use it on steak as a replacement for Montreal seasoning
• Lemon Pepper - great for grilling Buffalo wings - it’s how I prepare my wings [which I do every week in football season].
• Florida Seasoned Pepper - in place of lemon pepper.  It’s got the citrus without the salt. 

Try these spices.  Trust me on this, you will not be disappointed.

If you’ve been to Maryland, you will know this spice.  You may not know it by name, but it is the spice of choice if you’ve had Maryland Steamed Crabs, Maryland Crab Soup and Crab Cakes.  All other seafood seasonings pale in comparison.   I really dig this spicy mix a lot. 

I use it in my tuna macaroni salad to give it extra zip.   Add about a tablespoon to a pound of pasta. 

I use it on French Fries - And I am not talking about typical fast food type of French Fries - I’m talking about the big thick fries that you make at home.  Before sprinkling Old Bay on them, I add a dash of malt vinegar.

I use it on Sweet Potato Fries and breakfast potatoes.

I use it on chicken wings.  In place of Buffalo wing sauce, I make a mixture of butter and Old Bay and enjoy my home town treat a little differently.

I guess I could combine this recipe with two what I’m digging…because I sure do dig my Big Green Egg and I sure dig the alligator juniper wood smokiness. I’ll just post this recipe and in another blog entry will fawn all over post more information about my BGE and the alligator juniper. I like making pork loins on the BGE because they come out so moist and tender and smokey.

The Rub
6 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons hershey’s cocoa
2 tablespoons chipotle
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder

(more…)

Oh my goodness …  if you know me then you know how much I love my spicy food.  I am digging on the Cholula Original Seasoning because it’s hot sauce in a powdered format.  If you like your hot sauce, then this is for you.

 According to the web site, http://cholulastore.com/detail.aspx?ID=29,  it’s big on flavor and not on salt!

Premium coarse ground ingredients lets you see, taste and smell the generous bits of signature spices without the overwhelming saltiness or heat found in other seasonings.

Captures the Flavorful Fire of Cholula Hot Sauce with an exclusive blend of coarse ground peppers, garlic, onion and spices. It’s a wonderful flavor enhancement to steak, burgers, chicken, seafood, pizza, french fries, eggs and omelets. As an ingredient it gives soups, sauces and marinades a zesty delicious flavor distinction.

And it sure is all that. I made breakfast this morning and used it liberally in my scrambled eggs.  It was dee-lish.